Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson is a genius. I thought so before, but he's reinforced my view as I'm reading his excellent book "A Cure For Gravity". It's a joy to read about his love for music, and I feel kinship in (some of) his brilliantly described experiences as a bright, sensitive, tall, skinny kid who was hopeless at sport being victimised by other kids and teachers alike and never really knowing why.

Like Joe, I tried to learn the violin at school and was roundly abused for it and accused of being "posh" a "puff" etc. Unlike Joe, I never did master the violin. Niether have I trimuphed in the same way as him by writing such a brilliant account of the experience, but I've always enjoyed his music, and now I'm enjoying his writing too. He's inspiring me to try and do better at stuff too.