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The Tremolo Diaries: Life on the Road and Other Diseases: SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A
SUNDAY TIMES
BESTSELLER
Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie reflects on life as a touring musician in the shadow of his life changing Parkinson’s diagnosis.
“One of the year's most extraordinary music memoirs. Currie's dry humour and novelists ear for turn of phrase elevate the book into a minor masterpiece 4.5/5” — Classic Pop
It’s 2022 and we join Justin at the doctor’s office, looking down the barrel of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. After concerned fans noticed a tremor in his hand, Currie sought the medical advice which led him to the discovery that would throw his future into uncertainty.
The immediate fallout of his diagnosis is laid bare in Currie’s candid, stream of consciousness voice. A voice that is also by turns poetic, self-deprecating and darkly humorous across a series of diary entries that capture Justin’s innermost feelings — part travelogue, part confessional.
Following a coming to terms with the situation whilst on tour in the U.S, the second half of the story joins Currie in 2024, supporting Simple Minds on tour with Del Amitri. Anger, heartbreak and a looming sense of finality concoct a terse relationship between what once was and what may never be. Yet, page after page, what prevails is the achingly perfect timing of his acerbic wit.
The Tremolo Diaries is a beautiful and unique meditation on illness and aging. It is a twilight years reflection on band life in the 21st Century. It’s a travelogue around the world’s art galleries, parks, bars and sites of natural beauty. And most importantly, it is about love and friendship, adversity and courage, life and loss.
In a first-of-its-kind exploration of Parkinson’s by a multi-platinum selling musician, The Tremolo Diaries looks the dramatic irony of Currie’s affliction in the eye, puts down the guitar, and returns the needle to the start of the song.
Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie reflects on life as a touring musician in the shadow of his life changing Parkinson’s diagnosis.
“One of the year's most extraordinary music memoirs. Currie's dry humour and novelists ear for turn of phrase elevate the book into a minor masterpiece 4.5/5” — Classic Pop
It’s 2022 and we join Justin at the doctor’s office, looking down the barrel of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. After concerned fans noticed a tremor in his hand, Currie sought the medical advice which led him to the discovery that would throw his future into uncertainty.
The immediate fallout of his diagnosis is laid bare in Currie’s candid, stream of consciousness voice. A voice that is also by turns poetic, self-deprecating and darkly humorous across a series of diary entries that capture Justin’s innermost feelings — part travelogue, part confessional.
Following a coming to terms with the situation whilst on tour in the U.S, the second half of the story joins Currie in 2024, supporting Simple Minds on tour with Del Amitri. Anger, heartbreak and a looming sense of finality concoct a terse relationship between what once was and what may never be. Yet, page after page, what prevails is the achingly perfect timing of his acerbic wit.
The Tremolo Diaries is a beautiful and unique meditation on illness and aging. It is a twilight years reflection on band life in the 21st Century. It’s a travelogue around the world’s art galleries, parks, bars and sites of natural beauty. And most importantly, it is about love and friendship, adversity and courage, life and loss.
In a first-of-its-kind exploration of Parkinson’s by a multi-platinum selling musician, The Tremolo Diaries looks the dramatic irony of Currie’s affliction in the eye, puts down the guitar, and returns the needle to the start of the song.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 2, 2025
A Glaswegian Catharsis … Painful, Insighful
Justin Currie’s book, as he would probably acknowledge, is a bit of a niche volume. First, you have to know that he is a founder, bassist, singer and songwriter for the moderately successful Glasgow rock band, Del Amitri. As a long-time garage band player, I’ve always admired their work, even when most of my friends had no clue who they were. So that’s one reason for me to read the book.
But this book turns out not so much about the band’s story as it is a well-crafted tome about Currie’s personal trauma - a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, dealing with his mother’s death, the stroke that institutionalized his long-time partner and his own aging.
In other words, it is about personal loss and repeated heart break, wrapped up in the guise of one year’s concert touring.
And his sadness has made him cranky but I think he’s due that. He doesn’t much like America, capitalism or bad art, but owns those traits, too.
In the end, I felt his pain and respect his reality. The book probably was catharsis for him, but the stories transcend his job as a musician and there are things to be learned if you can get past the depression.
Justin Currie’s book, as he would probably acknowledge, is a bit of a niche volume. First, you have to know that he is a founder, bassist, singer and songwriter for the moderately successful Glasgow rock band, Del Amitri. As a long-time garage band player, I’ve always admired their work, even when most of my friends had no clue who they were. So that’s one reason for me to read the book.
But this book turns out not so much about the band’s story as it is a well-crafted tome about Currie’s personal trauma - a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, dealing with his mother’s death, the stroke that institutionalized his long-time partner and his own aging.
In other words, it is about personal loss and repeated heart break, wrapped up in the guise of one year’s concert touring.
And his sadness has made him cranky but I think he’s due that. He doesn’t much like America, capitalism or bad art, but owns those traits, too.
In the end, I felt his pain and respect his reality. The book probably was catharsis for him, but the stories transcend his job as a musician and there are things to be learned if you can get past the depression.
April 16, 2026
While the book is pitched as an account of Currie’s life with his Parkinson’s diagnosis, along with his mother’s passing and his partner’s own health challenges, it reveals much more.
Currie’s Leica-sharp perception, his vinegary impatience and his generous spirit are all on shimmering display as he gives his tales from the road. Whether circumnavigating the US, Europe or the UK, his vignettes from each day of road pilgrim are bracing, humorous and heartwrenching at times. If you are familiar with his songwriting, especially songs like “Nothing Ever Happens” with the Dels or his solo epic, “No, Surrender,” you are already relishing what he can string together when not troubling himself with the requirements of choruses and middle eighths but just indulging freely in the written word. (His self-reported affinity for the NY Times Spelling Bee is passing evidence of his exceptional gift with the language.)
In The Tremolo Diaries, Currie devotes less energy to describing performance and music, especially his own, and shares with us his meanderings as a flanneur, seeking good food, stellar coffee and museums, galleries and streetscapes to fill his time out of his rack on the tour bus. It is good to know that the man walks the cities he visits extensively as he does, can hop on his bike still and is eager to jaywalk across a divided motorway rather than take the longer, safer and advisable long-cuts.
It is an exceptional work of inspired writing and, whether you are familiar with Currie's music or not, makes for a tremendous travelogue and a book to dog-ear, highlight and keep near at hand for a nudge out of writer’s block.
Deserves a sixth star.
Currie’s Leica-sharp perception, his vinegary impatience and his generous spirit are all on shimmering display as he gives his tales from the road. Whether circumnavigating the US, Europe or the UK, his vignettes from each day of road pilgrim are bracing, humorous and heartwrenching at times. If you are familiar with his songwriting, especially songs like “Nothing Ever Happens” with the Dels or his solo epic, “No, Surrender,” you are already relishing what he can string together when not troubling himself with the requirements of choruses and middle eighths but just indulging freely in the written word. (His self-reported affinity for the NY Times Spelling Bee is passing evidence of his exceptional gift with the language.)
In The Tremolo Diaries, Currie devotes less energy to describing performance and music, especially his own, and shares with us his meanderings as a flanneur, seeking good food, stellar coffee and museums, galleries and streetscapes to fill his time out of his rack on the tour bus. It is good to know that the man walks the cities he visits extensively as he does, can hop on his bike still and is eager to jaywalk across a divided motorway rather than take the longer, safer and advisable long-cuts.
It is an exceptional work of inspired writing and, whether you are familiar with Currie's music or not, makes for a tremendous travelogue and a book to dog-ear, highlight and keep near at hand for a nudge out of writer’s block.
Deserves a sixth star.
January 4, 2026
Oh my - I knew this one was going to be a tough read and it was. It’s mostly an account of his travels on his last two tours - one in America and one in Europe, interspersed with personal interludes when he talks about his diagnosis with Parkinson’s and his partner’s tragic circumstances after she suffered a major stroke. It is funny in bits though as his ascerbic wit shines through but heart-breaking in other parts as his emotions take over and you can feel the struggle he is having with his own disease and his home problems. He has to live in the present now and not think about the future and he finds that hard. There are a few telling bits in the book, where I wondered about certain things but will never probably know the truth behind them. All us fans can do is hope that things don’t get too worse for him too quickly and that he is surrounded by family and friends to support him.
February 9, 2026
A wonderful insight into someone's life that has been affected/afflicted by Parkinson's.
Justin Currie takes you on a journey of life through his lens. I could hear his voice in my head as I read the words on the page, the reality behind this rock star life isn't what I would have imagined without this book.
Heartbreaking in parts, hilarious in others, I battered throughout like a ramshackle rollercoaster, I think Justin would like that.
Recommended.
Justin Currie takes you on a journey of life through his lens. I could hear his voice in my head as I read the words on the page, the reality behind this rock star life isn't what I would have imagined without this book.
Heartbreaking in parts, hilarious in others, I battered throughout like a ramshackle rollercoaster, I think Justin would like that.
Recommended.
January 9, 2026
Having spent 15 years touring and playing music, and heavily influenced by this man’s skepticism, humor and angst, this resonated with me. His ardour, or lack thereof, is of the same vibrating frequencies with which I reverberate.
What shit this world is… what beautiful shit.
What shit this world is… what beautiful shit.
October 7, 2025
This is exceptional. Warm, funny, but moving and brutal in places. Currie's way with words has always been superb, and he's at his best when describing things he doesn't like, and I'm fine with that.
February 26, 2026
The Tremolo Diaries: Life on the road and other diseases
by Justin Currie (New Modern) 2025
For those who don't know, the author is founder, frontman and songwriter for Del Amitri; one of my favourite bands of the 1990s. I saw them live twice and have some of their seven albums in my music collection
The diaries begin about 18 months after a consultation with a neurologist about a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. He was 58 years old. So, as he leaves Glasgow in the summer of 2023, he is very much grappling with how his life is changing. The main theme of the rest of the book is the writer coming to terms with what he calls “the ghastly affliction” and living with a life changing condition. To say that he is struggling is an understatement, despite his medication regime and attempts to change his lifestyle. But changing your diet to a healthy eating regime (mostly) and avoiding alcohol is difficult when your band is on the road over several weeks. It is this diary of his touring that forms the bulk of the content. Part travel writing, part autobiography, the writing is chippy and dripping with a magnificent sarcasm. He expects to be disappointed and is pleased when his expectation is realised. Yet he also delights in small things that elevate his spirits.
Writing from the road is one thing but writing about it is another. He has been writing online tour diaries for 15 years. The writer does in some ways turn the stereotype of the rock musician on its head. Instead of bemoaning touring as a series of hotel rooms and auditoria this musician goes out of his way to explore beyond the environs of his hotel. Often on foot, he distracts himself and fills the time between waking and soundcheck with visits to a succession of museums, zoos, galleries, and parks. He summarises them all with his caustic wit and sometimes in an almost stream of consciousness style. He also looks outside of himself as he contemplates the world's future ecological collapse and the last days of capitalism. Flying first class to Dubai he marvels at life’s unfairness.
It occurred to me I would be good to consult this book when visiting a new city in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe as he has an observation for all of the places he visits. I recognise the cities I have myself visited: Belfast, Leeds, Boston Massachusetts, Scarborough, New York, Amsterdam and Paris included. My review of the Titanic Experience in Belfast was much more positive than his.
Yet all is not well. Little by little he reveals what it is like to live with the symptoms of his disease and how it affects his ability to perform. Beyond the obvious tremor in his arm (an arm he calls Gavin) there is a difficulty with multitasking. Even playing bass and walking across the stage is a challenge. He is also bleak about his future and fears he may not be able to continue touring after the current tour ends. As Stuart Miller says in a review for the Los Angeles Times Justin Curry never averts his gaze from how his body betrays him and what it does to his music and his soul.
“Gavin is an underminer and an intermittent reminder that I'm ill and unsteady”. Sometimes he finds it hard to distinguish between what are just the effects of ageing and which can be ascribed to “the ghastly affliction”. “It's as if your own shadow has leapt from the ground and buried itself within you. And this shadow has malevolent intent”
Yet he has a home sickness and a guilt for being away that means he's at war with himself for choosing to tour for weeks on end while his partner, who he names only once, otherwise referring to her as “my love”, is herself battling with a serious health condition. His parents are both dead. His mother died three years after his father succumbed to COVID-19. On the heels of that loss Emma suffered a debilitating stroke.
He reflects on how age is affecting him. He's seeing things he's always been seeing but in a totally different way. He is living more in the moment, recognising that perhaps things cannot go on as they are, depending on how his health fairs in the future
The sledgehammer blow of enduring watching his beloved's health situation hits home a year after her stroke while Del Amitri are paused between the US tour and a UK and Europe tour which makes up the second-half of the book.
In a review in Yorkcalling.co.uk Miles Salter says Curry does have it in him to write a truly superb book about a life in music but that The Tremolo Diaries unfortunately is not that book. It is a little too mundane. Curry himself says “Talking about life is hard. It does not come naturally when you've spent your life scrupulously avoiding discussing your personal life in public”.
The autobiographical elements are not detailed, confined to anecdotes about people he has met or references to songs and songwriting, but which are fascinating. Alex Green, writing for a website called Stereo Masters says there's a consistent precision to his writing (songs) that is... funny smart, caustic, urban and achingly precise”
I would have liked more of this. The book is after all primarily a diary, obviously written when he is pausing at a cafe in a city he in for one day only, or in his hotel room or berth in the tour bus. There are frequent references to his environment and people around him. There are frequent interactions with fans, many of whom are concerned about his health. It is clear that there is around the world a small but very loyal fanbase who like me stumbled upon a melodic Scottish band whose songs about unfaithfulness and day-to-day mundanity struck a chord.
This is a book not just for fans but for those who like to be kept company by a man who is honest, if a little self-pitying and with a keen eye for the beauty, absurdity and cruelty of life. The book tour he did to promote this book was apparently well-received. I can only hope that this book is merely a prequel of sorts to a fully-fledged rock memoir.
by Justin Currie (New Modern) 2025
For those who don't know, the author is founder, frontman and songwriter for Del Amitri; one of my favourite bands of the 1990s. I saw them live twice and have some of their seven albums in my music collection
The diaries begin about 18 months after a consultation with a neurologist about a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. He was 58 years old. So, as he leaves Glasgow in the summer of 2023, he is very much grappling with how his life is changing. The main theme of the rest of the book is the writer coming to terms with what he calls “the ghastly affliction” and living with a life changing condition. To say that he is struggling is an understatement, despite his medication regime and attempts to change his lifestyle. But changing your diet to a healthy eating regime (mostly) and avoiding alcohol is difficult when your band is on the road over several weeks. It is this diary of his touring that forms the bulk of the content. Part travel writing, part autobiography, the writing is chippy and dripping with a magnificent sarcasm. He expects to be disappointed and is pleased when his expectation is realised. Yet he also delights in small things that elevate his spirits.
Writing from the road is one thing but writing about it is another. He has been writing online tour diaries for 15 years. The writer does in some ways turn the stereotype of the rock musician on its head. Instead of bemoaning touring as a series of hotel rooms and auditoria this musician goes out of his way to explore beyond the environs of his hotel. Often on foot, he distracts himself and fills the time between waking and soundcheck with visits to a succession of museums, zoos, galleries, and parks. He summarises them all with his caustic wit and sometimes in an almost stream of consciousness style. He also looks outside of himself as he contemplates the world's future ecological collapse and the last days of capitalism. Flying first class to Dubai he marvels at life’s unfairness.
It occurred to me I would be good to consult this book when visiting a new city in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe as he has an observation for all of the places he visits. I recognise the cities I have myself visited: Belfast, Leeds, Boston Massachusetts, Scarborough, New York, Amsterdam and Paris included. My review of the Titanic Experience in Belfast was much more positive than his.
Yet all is not well. Little by little he reveals what it is like to live with the symptoms of his disease and how it affects his ability to perform. Beyond the obvious tremor in his arm (an arm he calls Gavin) there is a difficulty with multitasking. Even playing bass and walking across the stage is a challenge. He is also bleak about his future and fears he may not be able to continue touring after the current tour ends. As Stuart Miller says in a review for the Los Angeles Times Justin Curry never averts his gaze from how his body betrays him and what it does to his music and his soul.
“Gavin is an underminer and an intermittent reminder that I'm ill and unsteady”. Sometimes he finds it hard to distinguish between what are just the effects of ageing and which can be ascribed to “the ghastly affliction”. “It's as if your own shadow has leapt from the ground and buried itself within you. And this shadow has malevolent intent”
Yet he has a home sickness and a guilt for being away that means he's at war with himself for choosing to tour for weeks on end while his partner, who he names only once, otherwise referring to her as “my love”, is herself battling with a serious health condition. His parents are both dead. His mother died three years after his father succumbed to COVID-19. On the heels of that loss Emma suffered a debilitating stroke.
He reflects on how age is affecting him. He's seeing things he's always been seeing but in a totally different way. He is living more in the moment, recognising that perhaps things cannot go on as they are, depending on how his health fairs in the future
The sledgehammer blow of enduring watching his beloved's health situation hits home a year after her stroke while Del Amitri are paused between the US tour and a UK and Europe tour which makes up the second-half of the book.
In a review in Yorkcalling.co.uk Miles Salter says Curry does have it in him to write a truly superb book about a life in music but that The Tremolo Diaries unfortunately is not that book. It is a little too mundane. Curry himself says “Talking about life is hard. It does not come naturally when you've spent your life scrupulously avoiding discussing your personal life in public”.
The autobiographical elements are not detailed, confined to anecdotes about people he has met or references to songs and songwriting, but which are fascinating. Alex Green, writing for a website called Stereo Masters says there's a consistent precision to his writing (songs) that is... funny smart, caustic, urban and achingly precise”
I would have liked more of this. The book is after all primarily a diary, obviously written when he is pausing at a cafe in a city he in for one day only, or in his hotel room or berth in the tour bus. There are frequent references to his environment and people around him. There are frequent interactions with fans, many of whom are concerned about his health. It is clear that there is around the world a small but very loyal fanbase who like me stumbled upon a melodic Scottish band whose songs about unfaithfulness and day-to-day mundanity struck a chord.
This is a book not just for fans but for those who like to be kept company by a man who is honest, if a little self-pitying and with a keen eye for the beauty, absurdity and cruelty of life. The book tour he did to promote this book was apparently well-received. I can only hope that this book is merely a prequel of sorts to a fully-fledged rock memoir.
March 3, 2026
I have been a fan of Del Amitri and Justin Currie ever since the release of Waking Hours back in 1989. I have religiously bought everything they have ever released and seen them live on multiple occasions in places including Leeds, York, Glasgow and Dumfries. Justin Currie even came and played a small gig to 150 people at my local Town Hall in Selby, North Yorkshire and it was such a privilege to listen to him chat and sing to us in such an intimate location. Justine is a highly talented singer and songwriter and possibly can be regarded as Scotland's greatest ever. He has a unique perspective on life and love and if a songwriter can ever be also be called a poet, then Justin is that man. His talent with words comes through in this book also. The book is not an autobiography as such but is autobiographical. It covers the period from around 2022 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and is, the name suggests a diary. Each section covers his thoughts, musings and activities for each day on tour. Every day seems to start with a coffee at some local coffee house followed by his daily pursuit to find either a museum or gallery in which to idle away the day until the day's denouement and Del Amitri performance. But not only is Justin having to deal with his condition, back at home in Glasgow is his partner (who he romantically refers to as "My Love"), who suffered a severe stroke in 2022, lives in a care home in Glasgow and who Justin misses dreadfully and feels guilty that he can't be always at her side. The first half of the book covers a period touring in the USA and the second half in Europe. Each day seems essentially the same as the previous day, but the joy for the readers is Justin and his view of life and the world. The book is also a kind of travelogue and I found great delight in reading about the different places Justin and the band visit on their tours.
Justin philosophically and humorously refers to his condition as the "Ghastly affliction" and to his trembling hand as "Gavin". His use of language in this book is both as poetic and lyrical as it is in his song lyrics: "As I gaze through the carriage window, the late winter mines gold from the gleaning landscape, from the yellowed grass in the pastures to the tiniest buds pushing through on bony-fingered branches. But, in my soul, I'm a secularist and want gods nowhere near education. I want them nowhere near me. If Gods exist, they're weirdly coy. If they're omnipotent, they're profoundly sadistic. And if they purport to love us, why are they so twisted? Gods are gangsters, lording it at the top of the food chain, ordering hits and mutilations in sanitised code, keeping their hands clean."
The acerbic wit, dry humour and jaundiced view of the world which Justin is renowned for is ever present: "I see golfers, all of whom I regard as twats, pulling their little wagons of implements about like deluded prospectors, looking for the rainbow's end." Justin can seem at times to be a miserable old man who is cynical of so much he sees around him and his language can be sharp and vulgar but he is no different to many other men of his age (myself included) who can find just about everything annoying and worthy of disparagement.
The "Ghastly affliction" challenges Justin every day but thankfully his medications allow him to function, although he has constant struggles with things which healthier people don't even think about. However, thankfully for Justin and all his fans he still manages to perform. He says that "I've been singing those songs for thirty years and they're burned into my memory like childhood. I can conceal my symptoms within that familiar world. I always know what's coming, so I can devote my energy into battling the disease."
Although a diary, the book feels like a novel written in the first person and you can't wait to see what happens at the end but as I have tickets to see Del Amitri again later this year I think Justin is going to survive. The prose constantly surprises you, amuses you and impresses you. As another reviewer said, this is a minor masterpiece and I'd recommend that anyone with even a passing interest should read this book. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry, but most of all it will make you realise (if you don't already) how wonderful life and love can be and what a huge talent Justin is and will always be. This was only the second book I have read which made me cry at the end. Why did it make me cry? Read it and find out for yourself.
Justin philosophically and humorously refers to his condition as the "Ghastly affliction" and to his trembling hand as "Gavin". His use of language in this book is both as poetic and lyrical as it is in his song lyrics: "As I gaze through the carriage window, the late winter mines gold from the gleaning landscape, from the yellowed grass in the pastures to the tiniest buds pushing through on bony-fingered branches. But, in my soul, I'm a secularist and want gods nowhere near education. I want them nowhere near me. If Gods exist, they're weirdly coy. If they're omnipotent, they're profoundly sadistic. And if they purport to love us, why are they so twisted? Gods are gangsters, lording it at the top of the food chain, ordering hits and mutilations in sanitised code, keeping their hands clean."
The acerbic wit, dry humour and jaundiced view of the world which Justin is renowned for is ever present: "I see golfers, all of whom I regard as twats, pulling their little wagons of implements about like deluded prospectors, looking for the rainbow's end." Justin can seem at times to be a miserable old man who is cynical of so much he sees around him and his language can be sharp and vulgar but he is no different to many other men of his age (myself included) who can find just about everything annoying and worthy of disparagement.
The "Ghastly affliction" challenges Justin every day but thankfully his medications allow him to function, although he has constant struggles with things which healthier people don't even think about. However, thankfully for Justin and all his fans he still manages to perform. He says that "I've been singing those songs for thirty years and they're burned into my memory like childhood. I can conceal my symptoms within that familiar world. I always know what's coming, so I can devote my energy into battling the disease."
Although a diary, the book feels like a novel written in the first person and you can't wait to see what happens at the end but as I have tickets to see Del Amitri again later this year I think Justin is going to survive. The prose constantly surprises you, amuses you and impresses you. As another reviewer said, this is a minor masterpiece and I'd recommend that anyone with even a passing interest should read this book. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry, but most of all it will make you realise (if you don't already) how wonderful life and love can be and what a huge talent Justin is and will always be. This was only the second book I have read which made me cry at the end. Why did it make me cry? Read it and find out for yourself.
September 11, 2025
I'll start my review off by saying that as an impressionable 14 year old, Del Amitri were the first live show I witnessed. From that point on, the band have been instrumental in my own musical journey and having seen them more times than I care to remember, I can honestly say, they hold a very dear place in my heart. As well as that, the influence Justin Currie has had on me also in unmeasured. His songwriting and humour are unique. I've been fortunate enough to spend time in his company and he was everything that I hoped, and more.
However, I must review this book without any of the above clouding my judgement and taking the book as I see it and not how my fan-boy views of Jc and the band make me want to say.
This was a book of desperate loneliness and pain. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't written from the standpoint of required sympathy but of complete transparency and honesty. This makes it even more heartbreaking. Not only having to deal with his own affliction and mortality, but the feeling of complete helplessness of his partners recent trauma. Having to cope with just one of these life changing occurrences is bad enough, but to deal with both and at the same time trying to juggle a career (a career that you feel could be over in the blink of an eye) would drive even the most optomistic and pragmatic person to dispair.
There were a couple of sardonic and humorous anecdotes to give the book a slight glimmer of light but the whole book, for me, was just about a man staring down the barrel of uncertainty. And to see a hero (could be a parent, family member or close friend) having to come to terms with these changes, and knowing they're ultimately doing it alone, is a hard pill to swallow.
If you're looking for an autobiography of Justin Currie or an in-depth tale of the formation and growth of one of Britains most under-rated bands, this isn't it.
If you're looking for a book about one persons struggle to overcome affliction and finding light at the end of the tunnel, this isn't it either.
This is a tale about a man taking each step as if it's his last and not knowing what sort of ground he is going to find under his feet. he may not be ok with it, but then, in his situation, who is?
However, I must review this book without any of the above clouding my judgement and taking the book as I see it and not how my fan-boy views of Jc and the band make me want to say.
This was a book of desperate loneliness and pain. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't written from the standpoint of required sympathy but of complete transparency and honesty. This makes it even more heartbreaking. Not only having to deal with his own affliction and mortality, but the feeling of complete helplessness of his partners recent trauma. Having to cope with just one of these life changing occurrences is bad enough, but to deal with both and at the same time trying to juggle a career (a career that you feel could be over in the blink of an eye) would drive even the most optomistic and pragmatic person to dispair.
There were a couple of sardonic and humorous anecdotes to give the book a slight glimmer of light but the whole book, for me, was just about a man staring down the barrel of uncertainty. And to see a hero (could be a parent, family member or close friend) having to come to terms with these changes, and knowing they're ultimately doing it alone, is a hard pill to swallow.
If you're looking for an autobiography of Justin Currie or an in-depth tale of the formation and growth of one of Britains most under-rated bands, this isn't it.
If you're looking for a book about one persons struggle to overcome affliction and finding light at the end of the tunnel, this isn't it either.
This is a tale about a man taking each step as if it's his last and not knowing what sort of ground he is going to find under his feet. he may not be ok with it, but then, in his situation, who is?
September 24, 2025
Unsurprisingly, this book is beautifully written. Justin Currie is one of my favorite songwriters and along with Dylan, Isbell, Mark Knopfler, Kathleen Edwards, and Bill Mallonee, I rate him as one of the greatest lyricists of all-time. The man has a way with words as is clear throughout this "diary" of life on the road in 2023-2024.
Written shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, this is an unflinching account of life with the disease while on the road touring with the dels. There's some humor in the book (almost every time Currie refers to "Gavin" (his tremored right hand)), but primarily the entries are brutally honest. Whether the author is writing about what Parkinson's has wrought on his body, mind, and loved ones, his love Emma's stroke (and post-stroke care), fellow musicians, or daily observations, Justin Currie tells it straight and evocatively. This is a beautifully heartbreaking read. And I damn fine one. As a bonus: the author reads the book on the Audible version I listened to and it's even more powerful in that medium. I loved this so much I ordered a hardback copy. It's brilliant.
Written shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, this is an unflinching account of life with the disease while on the road touring with the dels. There's some humor in the book (almost every time Currie refers to "Gavin" (his tremored right hand)), but primarily the entries are brutally honest. Whether the author is writing about what Parkinson's has wrought on his body, mind, and loved ones, his love Emma's stroke (and post-stroke care), fellow musicians, or daily observations, Justin Currie tells it straight and evocatively. This is a beautifully heartbreaking read. And I damn fine one. As a bonus: the author reads the book on the Audible version I listened to and it's even more powerful in that medium. I loved this so much I ordered a hardback copy. It's brilliant.
September 30, 2025
This is Justin Currie’s memoir, reflecting on his Parkinson’s diagnosis and his life on the road with Del Amitri since. It’s raw, moving, and laced with the dry wit and sharp observations that make his songwriting so brilliant.
This one is a bit of a departure from my usual reading, being non-fiction, but I’ve been a huge Del Amitri fan for as long as I can remember, so I couldn’t resist picking it up. I’m glad I did, because it’s every bit as compelling as a great novel—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, always deeply human.
Currie doesn’t shy away from the realities of living with Parkinson’s, but what struck me most was how much life and spirit he still pours into his words. His writing style feels conversational, almost like sitting down with him over a pint and listening to him tell his story, and that made it all the more engaging. His reflections on music and performing hit especially hard for longtime fans like me, offering a glimpse behind the songs that have been a soundtrack to my life.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s poignant yet hopeful, and for me it only deepened my appreciation for him as both a musician and a person. A truly unforgettable read.
This one is a bit of a departure from my usual reading, being non-fiction, but I’ve been a huge Del Amitri fan for as long as I can remember, so I couldn’t resist picking it up. I’m glad I did, because it’s every bit as compelling as a great novel—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, always deeply human.
Currie doesn’t shy away from the realities of living with Parkinson’s, but what struck me most was how much life and spirit he still pours into his words. His writing style feels conversational, almost like sitting down with him over a pint and listening to him tell his story, and that made it all the more engaging. His reflections on music and performing hit especially hard for longtime fans like me, offering a glimpse behind the songs that have been a soundtrack to my life.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s poignant yet hopeful, and for me it only deepened my appreciation for him as both a musician and a person. A truly unforgettable read.
September 13, 2025
Raw, heavy, deeply emotional to the core. Justin lets it all hang out, speaks the truth, his truth. Moments of tears, and often much laughter as Justin knows exactly how to put words down on paper as if you are on the inside of all his jokes and irony.
Parkinson's is a dreadful, awful disease, but Justin manages his daily life with grace, humor, and mostly honest about what is really going on inside his soul.
As a lover of Del Amitri and all the band members themselves, it feels so personal to read into Justin's life. Perhaps we could all use a dose of reality outside of ourselves. Especially those of us who have a pretty nice life.
Parkinson's is a dreadful, awful disease, but Justin manages his daily life with grace, humor, and mostly honest about what is really going on inside his soul.
As a lover of Del Amitri and all the band members themselves, it feels so personal to read into Justin's life. Perhaps we could all use a dose of reality outside of ourselves. Especially those of us who have a pretty nice life.
May 9, 2026
The Tremolo Diaries: Life on the Road and Other Diseases
by Justin Currie
Our chronicler, beset by something chronic,
Parkinson’s that undermines self-worth,
Supports Bare Naked Ladies, Semisonic,
Across America; supports the Earth,
It seems, upon his shoulders, for his struggle
Is mirrored by his stricken partner’s plight,
So misery and music he must juggle,
Hunting for his balance every night.
Galleries, museums, coffee, strolling
Feed him, fend off burdens, fill his days,
With Simple Minds in Europe rock ’n’ rolling,
Negotiating problems, finding ways.
Sharp, clear-eyed and witty, Justin Currie
Sings while he still can, adjusting worry.
by Justin Currie
Our chronicler, beset by something chronic,
Parkinson’s that undermines self-worth,
Supports Bare Naked Ladies, Semisonic,
Across America; supports the Earth,
It seems, upon his shoulders, for his struggle
Is mirrored by his stricken partner’s plight,
So misery and music he must juggle,
Hunting for his balance every night.
Galleries, museums, coffee, strolling
Feed him, fend off burdens, fill his days,
With Simple Minds in Europe rock ’n’ rolling,
Negotiating problems, finding ways.
Sharp, clear-eyed and witty, Justin Currie
Sings while he still can, adjusting worry.
January 20, 2026
Very much a niche read. You'd need to be interested in Del Amitri and in the caustic comments Jason Currie has to make about the places they visit on tour..... a fairly small subset. However I really enjoyed his highly judgemental observations about these places and their inhabitants. It's a huge US and European tour, so chances are you'll know many of the places they go to. It's also a fresh perspective from someone with Parkinson's Disease navigating (albeit an unusual) workplace.
September 16, 2025
Heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure. If you’re a fan then you already know JC has a brilliant way with words. Not unlike his tour diaries from around a decade ago, only with an all new perspective that will have you laughing on minute and crying the next. Justin Currie is one our most underrated wordsmiths. He is a national treasure and here, like everything else he releases, is proof.
November 29, 2025
A heartbreak of a book, but yet quietly uplifting, a bit like a classic Del Amitri song. Such a talented writer, should his ghastly affliction curtail his performing career, perhaps a writer’s life for him awaits. Absolutely superb book and one of the best music memoirs I have ever read. A triumph!
December 23, 2025
Brilliant book... slightly crabbit insights into touring, diners, art galleries and towns and cities across North America and Europe all touched with a lot of humour. And some really thoughtful insights into the impact of a long-term condition like Parkinson's but this is only a part of the book and it's a really funny, moving and insightful book
October 7, 2025
moving and well written
The honesty, insight and awareness which Del Amitri lead singer writes about touring as an again lead singer suffering with Parkinson’s is captivating. His intelligence and dark wit shine through. Highly recommend
The honesty, insight and awareness which Del Amitri lead singer writes about touring as an again lead singer suffering with Parkinson’s is captivating. His intelligence and dark wit shine through. Highly recommend
January 6, 2026
More like a 3.5 only because it becomes a little repetitive in 2nd half. Really enjoyed the profanity and how judgemental Currie can be - refreshingly honest. The dark humour is justified given his health issues and those of his partner.
January 12, 2026
A travelogue over 90 days touring of a rock musician interrupted by disease, death , ageneral atmosphere of sadness and the odd life affirming encounters. Just as much an emotional journey for me as for the writer.
Move away Jimmy Blue!!
Move away Jimmy Blue!!
October 18, 2025
Beautifully written melancholic ramblings. I listened to the audiobook and Justin’s reading was great as expected.
October 22, 2025
Brutally honest. Haunting. Brilliant. Brave. A book about seemingly nothing was actually a book about everything. I enjoyed every word. The audio format, with Justin narrating, was perfect.
January 9, 2026
A really moving piece of work and I found myself rationing it as I didn’t want it to end.
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