When Nirvana catapulted drummer Dave Grohl to fame, his Mum, Virginia, was surprised to be the mother of a Rock Star. Then when Dave reinvented himself as frontman of the Foo Fighters, Virginia quit teaching and began to travel the road. She didn't often meet other mothers at gigs, but always wanted to talk to them about how music shaped their lives.
Eventually Virginia embarked (in her seventies), on a two-year journey to find the "special sorority of mothers of musicians" with whom she could talk about "the trials and joys of raising creative children." The result is her new book From Cradle to Stage: My son the rock star and the remarkable stories from the mothers who rocked and raised music's greatest.
Like herself, many of these moms raised their kids solo, holding down several jobs to keep food on the table. While some mothers were okay with their kids quitting school to commit to music, others weren't - Verna Griffin, Dr Dre's Mom, worried that her son would be absorbed into the gang scene. (Dr Dre is 51 now!)
Virginia grew up in the Midwest, but Dave and his sister Lisa grew up in Washington, D.C. - a much more sophisticated environment. As a young mother she shared her music with her children (Dave remembers learning to harmonize along with Carly Simon on the car radio) and as he got older, Dave was sharing hard rock and metal with Virgina.
With a foreword from Dave himself, From Cradle to Stage is a tribute to the mothers who encouraged their kids to be creative and follow that star.
Sprinkled with personal 'vignettes' from Viriginia, Dave, Nirvana and the Foos, From the Cradle to the Stage chronicles the lives of eighteen musicians - from the army background of Michael Stipe , the early beginnings of The Beastie Boys, to the tragic end to the lives of Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain.
I really like her style. A former English teacher, Virginia writes a relaxed, entertaining, and at times moving story. It's not only about people's lives and roots, but contains slices of American history as well. It's so interesting to read of each artists' first sparks to creativity. For Dr Dre, it was GrandMaster Flash. Yeah.
This book is for everyone. The musicians cover a range of ages and even your Mum/Mom would enjoy it (Virginia even blanks out the F-words).
The mother of the 'nicest guy in rock' knows her stuff - using some pretty sophisticated terms (e.g. Minority Rap, Thug Rap in Dr Dre's chapter - not Gangster Rap) but the last word goes to Dave:
There is no love like a mother's love. It is life's greatest song. We are all indebted to the women who gave us life. For without them, there would be no music.
Listen to Kim Hill interviewing Virginia Hanlon Grohl 22 April RNZ
From Cradle to Stage: My son the rock star and the remarkable stories from the mothers who rocked and raised music's greatest
by Virginia Hanlon Grohl
Published by Hachette New Zealand
ISBN: 9781473639560
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