Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls: Women, Music and Fame

Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls: Women, Music and Fame

Lisa Robinson
$27.99
Publication Date: November 10th, 2020
Publisher:
Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN:
9781627794909
Pages:
256

Description

"Indispensable [reading] about the feminine journey through a man's world"
—USA Today

An intimate look at the lives of our most celebrated female musicians—and their challenges with fame—from a legendary music journalist

Over four decades, Lisa Robinson has made a name for herself as a celebrated journalist in a business long known for its boys’ club mentality. But to Robinson, the female performers who sat down with her, most often at the peak of their careers, were the true revelations.

Based on conversations with more than forty female artists, Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the effects of success on some of music’s most famous women. From Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Alanis Morissette and Linda Ronstadt to Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Adele, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and numerous others, Robinson reveals the private obsessions and public distractions that musicians contend with in their pursuit of stardom. From these interviews emerge candid portraits of how these women—regardless of genre or decade—deal with image, abuse, love, motherhood, family, sex, drugs, business, and age.

Complete with reflections from Robinson’s own career as a pioneering female music writer, Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls offers an overdue consideration of how hopes, dreams, and the drive for recognition have propelled our most beloved female musicians to take the stage and leave an undeniable, lasting musical mark on the world.

About the Author

For the past twenty years, Lisa Robinson has been a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, where she produced music issues and profiled many major musicians. Prior to that, she was a columnist for the New York Times syndicate and the New York Post, the American editor of England’s New Music Express, and the editor of several rock magazines. Additionally, she has hosted various cable TV and radio shows, and published a memoir, There Goes Gravity, in 2014. She was born in New York City, where she still resides.

Praise for Nobody Ever Asked Me about the Girls: Women, Music and Fame

“An oral history on the maddening sexism that has animated the music business since, well, forever. . . . Acerbic and authoritative.”
—The New York Times Book Review

"[Robinson is] a relatable, wise-up observer . . . making her new book an indispensable document about the feminine journey through a man's world. . . . A rarity in pop-rock journalism, and Robinson is a rare resource."
—USA Today

“In this fascinating, opinionated, and often insightful look back at her career, Robinson reflects on the deep-seated misogyny, sexism, and ageism in the music industry.”
—Booklist (starred review)

"A panoramic view of women rockers. . . . Whether you are tuned in to the history of rock or a casual fan, this book has something to offer. [The interviews] Robinson has gathered over the years are surprising and intimate, bringing figures like Lady Gage, Alanis Morrisette and Bette Midler to life."
—BookPage

"Passionate, insightful . . . Robinson inserts observations about the artists she admires [and] keeps things moving with her sharp takes and witty asides. . . . This entertaining highlight reel of music interviews crackles with energy."
—Publishers Weekly

“Part music history, part social history, and no part minced words. . . . It’s hard to imagine [another rock journalist] as winningly blunt, unpretentious, and on-target as Robinson.”
—Shelf Awareness