BOOK REVIEW: Singers’ mothers spill the beans
From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars by Virginia Hanlon Grohl
When rock stars are revealed as normal — mundane, even — we know the earth has turned. The seminal band Nirvana inspired the grunge groundswell that punctured 1990s culture. After band leader Kurt Cobain’s suicide, Dave Grohl reinvented himself: from drummer in the background to the force of the Foo Fighters. Grohl has had a wild journey in the wildest industry. Regrettably, a handful of anecdotes apart, From Cradle to Stage isn’t about him, Nirvana or the Foo Fighters. Instead, it features his mother’s interviews with the moms of 18 other performers. They sip copious amounts of tea while reminiscing about raising their children, proudly recapping their offsprings’ résumés. Some are indeed stars; others aren’t even rockers but obscure country singers included to widen the book’s appeal to America’s heartland. And the operatic pop crooner Josh Groban just doesn’t fit. Early musical prowess is the obvious thread in all their stories. Virginia Hanlon Grohl rails against the education e...
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