Waltz of the Asparagus People: The Further Adventures of Piano Girl - Paperback

by Robin Meloy Goldsby (Author)

The Piano Girl journey continues. Waltz of the Asparagus People follows Robin Meloy Goldsby and her family to Europe, recounting their adventures and frustrations as they learn a new language, adapt to a new culture, and find new friends. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and always insightful, Goldsby's lyrical stories reveal the trials and triumphs of an expatriate musician's life, as Goldsby connects her music to family, friends, and home, past and present. "Goldsby has a wicked sense of humor and a keen eye for the absurd. This is big-hearted, funny, truly eye-opening memoir." Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Piano Girl "Goldsby's witty sequel to her memoir Piano Girl matches its predecessor's humor and breeziness. The first book recounted her experiences playing piano in New York City hotel lounges before moving to Germany. This collection of more than 20 essays includes episodes from before and after her move, starting slowly with "Mr. President," a tale about how she crossed paths with former president Bill Clinton while recording a segment for National Public Radio. Goldsby hits her stride with the title essay, in which she recounts a bizarre display at the Grand Hyatt of over 200 asparagus stalks arranged to form a village and "hand-painted, shellacked, and dressed in little outfits." Her trials and tribulations while trying to obtain a driver's license in Germany--complete with a road test on the Autobahn at a speed of 100 miles per hour and a written test with extremely esoteric questions--is another high point. But pride of place must go to "The House on Sorority Row," which describes Goldsby's portrayal of a doomed sorority sister in a 1980s cult slasher film--a role that gained her a degree of celebrity." Publishers Weekly "Robin Meloy Goldsby's collection of short-story memoires is as palatably more-ish as a fresh fruit sorbet. Goldsby is a pianist, mother and writer, an American living in Germany. Her stories are varied and whimsical, ranging through a terrific amount of incident and emotion, all of them evoked with a keenly observant eye and well-wrought language that never takes itself too seriously. If this is all part of life's rich tapestry, then Goldsby's stitching sparkles with detail, while its background is infused with a sense of beauty that manages to wear its lyricism lightly." JESSICA DUCHEN, International Piano "Goldsby's tales are often laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes poignant, and always abundantly human." Kathy Parsons, Mainly Piano "Robin Meloy Goldsby is a great storyteller. You'll feel as if you're sitting beside her on the piano bench, observing all the people she recalls with such intimacy and personal warmth." Barbara Cloud, Pittsburgh Post Gazette "Be it a ballad or an up tune, this plucky lucky pianist arranges her memoir medley for us and plays it in the key of life." Cheryl Hardwick, Saturday Night Live musical director, 1987-2000 "Goldsby's wide-ranging stories possess a low-key, party-girl sense of humor. Exuberant, keen, and at times very funny." Adam Bregman, Seattle Weekly

Author Biography

Robin Meloy Goldsby is the author of "Piano Girl" and "Rhythm." Her third book, "Waltz of the Asparagus People" (Walzer der Spargelmenschen) has also been published in both German and English. Goldsby's thirty-year career as a musician has taken her from roadside dives to posh New York City venues and exclusive resorts, and on to the European castles and concert stages where she now performs. Robin has four solo piano recordings to her name-Twilight, Somewhere in Time, Songs from the Castle, and Waltz of the Asparagus People (a collection of compositions corresponding to the stories in her latest book). Goldsby has appeared on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, the Leonard Lopate Show, and Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland. Robin is a Steinway Artist. She is also the author and composer of "Hobo and the Forest Fairies," a musical for children recorded by WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) in Germany. As a lyricist Goldsby has penned songs for Till Brönner, Curtis Stigers, Jessica Gall, Jeff Cascaro, Robert Matt, and Peter Fessler. In 2010 her collaboration with singer/composer Joyce Moreno, "Slow Music," received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Brazilian Album. Robin currently lives outside of Cologne, Germany, with her husband-jazz bassist John Goldsby-and their two teenage children.