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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Skip Spence was an early drummer for Jefferson Airplane, leaving them to form the classic group Moby Grape. Cobb told Moby Grape’s story in his book What’s Big and Purple and Lives in the Ocean: The Moby Grape Story.
In this new book, he concentrates on the charismatic talisman of the band. Spence was full of energy, as you can see from the footage of Moby Grape’s performance at Monterey, where his sheer exuberance was on full display. But despite all this promise, due to complications of severe drug misuse combined with mental illness, Spence’s career trajectory spiralled out of control. After being committed to Bellevue Hospital for several months Spence is discharged, grabs his family and heads to Nashville to cut the lo-fi Americana classic called Oar.
Cobb covers all the highs and lows, doing his utmost to scrap all the myths that have built around Skip to kernel as much truth as possible. With help from family, friends and former band mates this makes for a fascinating read. Hopefully it will get you back to the music especially the brilliant self-titled debut album by Moby Grape and Skip’s more enigmatic classic, Oar. Greg
Skip Spence was a soldier, a rock star, a folkie, an innovator, an addict, a cult phenomenon and a ward of the state. The cast of characters in his story include some of the biggest stars in music: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and many more. His life is the story of the Sixties – it's the story of San Francisco, the biggest bands in America and rock'n'roll mayhem. Although Spence spent much of his life battling addiction and mental illness, during his lucid moments he performed in several bands and is best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and as the co-founder of Moby Grape. Tracks from his cult solo album Oar has been covered by Tom Waits, Beck and Robert Plant.
With family photos, a foreword by Robin Spence, and accounts from his friends, bandmates and family, Weighted Down is the first book to tell his story in full.
By:
Cam Cobb, Robin Spence Imprint: OMNIBUS PRESS Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN:9781913172183 ISBN 10: 191317218X Pages: 304 Publication Date:04 April 2024 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Dr Cam Cobb is a scholar based in the University of Windsor in Ontario. His scholarly work has considered social justice within special education and issues with the arts. He has spent time living and working in South Korea. 'Weighted Down' is his full-length consideration of troubled '60s musician and West Coast legend Skip Spence.
Reviews for Weighted Down: The Complicated Life of Skip Spence
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Skip Spence was an early drummer for Jefferson Airplane, leaving them to form the classic group Moby Grape. Cobb told Moby Grape’s story in his book What’s Big and Purple and Lives in the Ocean: The Moby Grape Story.
In this new book, he concentrates on the charismatic talisman of the band. Spence was full of energy, as you can see from the footage of Moby Grape’s performance at Monterey, where his sheer exuberance was on full display. But despite all this promise, due to complications of severe drug misuse combined with mental illness, Spence’s career trajectory spiralled out of control. After being committed to Bellevue Hospital for several months Spence is discharged, grabs his family and heads to Nashville to cut the lo-fi Americana classic called Oar.
Cobb covers all the highs and lows, doing his utmost to scrap all the myths that have built around Skip to kernel as much truth as possible. With help from family, friends and former band mates this makes for a fascinating read. Hopefully it will get you back to the music especially the brilliant self-titled debut album by Moby Grape and Skip’s more enigmatic classic, Oar. Greg
""Vast and compassionate, offering a nuanced look at Spence's life against a panoramic backdrop of Americana"" MOJO ""Cobb has separated the facts from the myths [and] added warmth by involving Spence's children. 8/10"" Classic Rock ""Cobb's knack of blending undisputed fact with poetic imagery shines through in this woebegone tale, balancing amphetamine-paced action with the undeniable adoration ""everyone"" had for the subject."" 5***** Shindig!
