Selected reviews:
>>>For fans of Tuxedomoon and those with an interest in the group, this
exhaustive biography is perfect. What Ms. Corbisier has done with this book is
extraordinary. Over years of interviews she has compiled a unique history of one of
music's unique voices. It is the best companion in music biography that I have yet to see.
Even if the reader has just a passing curiosity in the band, I highly recommend getting
this book. Ms. Corbisier's prose is easy to read, the pictures are lovely, the side
comments are fantastic. Highly recommended. - Richard Stringfellow on Amazon.com
>>>Tuxedomoon is an hybrid of a band that
persevered and triumphed against all odds. Their score for choreographer Maurice Bejart's
Greta Garbo inspired ballet Divine, thrust the band into the international spotlight.
Prior to that they had long inhabited the dark corners of the continents through tireless
navigation of the nightclubs and performance art venues of the US and then as expatriates
in Europe. So to an early fan like myself it was sweet to bear witness to the arc of
success of these prolific recording artists as they developed a huge following in Europe
even before their work with Bejart.
Isabelle Corbisier's book charts this arc of success with élan and devotion. Through
story telling interwoven with gritty oral interviews and music reviews, Corbisier adeptly
deconstructs the convergences of the pertinent movements of the times; new wave, no wave,
goth, dada, anarchist, etc.
This is a must read for anyone intrigued by the petri-dish that was punk and new wave in
the 70's and 80's. That Tuxedomoon is still a poignant and working band today in 2008
which the book takes us through, is a testament to the old saying that what doesn't kill
you makes you stronger. - Daniel Nicoletta on amazon.com
>>>I've been following the inimitable
genre-hopping, globe-trotting exploits of Tuxedomoon for the best part of thirty years,
and in all that time there's been nothing written/published that attempts to both provide
insightful aesthetic perspective and get to grips with the full panoply of the band's rich
and resolutely ungainly unfolding history.
So I had hugely high hopes for this, the first lengthy book devoted to Tuxedomoon. A
labour of love, seven years in the making by someone who's a close confidante of the band.
Isabelle certainly doesn't disappoint. Now - at long last - there's a book which does the
band and their many and various achievements (and foibles) some justice.
Aware that there probably won't be that many books written about the band (!!), she's
amassed an extraordinary amount of historical background, interview and opinion, presented
chronologically and covering group and solo activities from (and before) the band's
inception to the present day.
The evocations of the various milieu in which Tuxedomoon found themselves are fascinating,
and the book's willingness to wander laterally from its subject matter (into, f.e., a
brief intro to Situationist thought) serves to add greater depth and context to the whole
enterprise.
I found it all completely captivating, devouring it in three long days during which
nothing else got done. I'd go so far as to call the book a real triumph, certainly
deserved of attention well beyond its immediate 'niche' market. I really hope it gets it -
I haven't enjoyed any other musical biography as much, and I've read quite a few over the
years.
My unreserved recommendation - this is an absolute `must-read', capable of both enthusing
anyone with even a passing interest in the band and satisfying the questions of long-term
fans like myself. - Nigel Smith on amazon.com