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How to Make Gravy
This extraordinary book has its genesis in a series of concerts first staged in 2004. Over four nights Paul Kelly performed, in alphabetical order, one hundred of his songs from the previous three decades. In between songs he told stories about them, and from those little tales grew How to Make Gravy, a memoir like no other. Each of its hundred chapters, also in alphabetical order by song title, consists of lyrics followed by a story, the nature of the latter taking its cue from the former. Some pieces are confessional, some tell Kelly's personal and family history, some take you on a road tour with the band, some form an idiosyncratic history of popular music, some are like small essays, some stand as a kind of how-to of the songwriter's art – from the point of inspiration to writing, honing, collaborating, performing, recording and reworking.
Paul Kelly is a born storyteller. Give him two verses with a chorus or 550 pages, but he won't waste a word. How to Make Gravy is a long volume that's as tight as a three-piece band. There isn't a topic this man can't turn his pen to – contemporary music and the people who play it, football, cricket, literature, opera, social issues, love, loss, poetry, the land and the history of Australia … there are even quizzes. The writing is insightful, funny, honest, compassionate, intelligent, playful, erudite, warm, thought-provoking. Paul Kelly is a star with zero pretensions, an everyman who is also a renaissance man. He thinks and loves and travels and reads widely, and his musical memoir is destined to become a classic – it doesn't have a bum note on it.
Paul Kelly is a born storyteller. Give him two verses with a chorus or 550 pages, but he won't waste a word. How to Make Gravy is a long volume that's as tight as a three-piece band. There isn't a topic this man can't turn his pen to – contemporary music and the people who play it, football, cricket, literature, opera, social issues, love, loss, poetry, the land and the history of Australia … there are even quizzes. The writing is insightful, funny, honest, compassionate, intelligent, playful, erudite, warm, thought-provoking. Paul Kelly is a star with zero pretensions, an everyman who is also a renaissance man. He thinks and loves and travels and reads widely, and his musical memoir is destined to become a classic – it doesn't have a bum note on it.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2010
130 people are currently reading
683 people want to read
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December 9, 2024
UPDATE 2024
Kelly's song, "How To Make Gravy", has become a firm Aussie Christmas favourite, as it tells the story of a guy in jail, missing his family, and the story of the song has just been made into a movie.
But this is Kelly's memoir, which I have not re-read, but I remember loving it all. It's about his life, not the story of they guy in the song. If you'd like to see a great old clip of him and his mates performing, YouTube has this one with the lyrics so you can sing along. Great stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iISWr...
==========
My original notes on the book.
I really enjoyed the mixture of memoir, music, poetry, travel and personal insight into his world. Paul comes across as a fair-minded, old-fashioned Aussie bloke (cricket tragic) who also led a wild, colourful, vagabond life full of parties, drinks, drugs and friends from every walk of life. Kind of a rough, very talented, sensitive boy-next-door (depending where you live).
His 100 song concert is a novel idea and led to a novel novel. He chose 100 songs and sings them from A-Z, 25 each of 4 nights. Apparently a mix of old favourites and more recent stuff.
You can check him out on paulkelly.com.au - interesting, talented man.
Kelly's song, "How To Make Gravy", has become a firm Aussie Christmas favourite, as it tells the story of a guy in jail, missing his family, and the story of the song has just been made into a movie.
But this is Kelly's memoir, which I have not re-read, but I remember loving it all. It's about his life, not the story of they guy in the song. If you'd like to see a great old clip of him and his mates performing, YouTube has this one with the lyrics so you can sing along. Great stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iISWr...
==========
My original notes on the book.
I really enjoyed the mixture of memoir, music, poetry, travel and personal insight into his world. Paul comes across as a fair-minded, old-fashioned Aussie bloke (cricket tragic) who also led a wild, colourful, vagabond life full of parties, drinks, drugs and friends from every walk of life. Kind of a rough, very talented, sensitive boy-next-door (depending where you live).
His 100 song concert is a novel idea and led to a novel novel. He chose 100 songs and sings them from A-Z, 25 each of 4 nights. Apparently a mix of old favourites and more recent stuff.
You can check him out on paulkelly.com.au - interesting, talented man.
November 12, 2012
I don't think you can read this book quickly.
Not because it's badly written or dull or anything. It's just so dense, if that's the right word. Each chapter, and there's a hundred of them, is a tightly written story in itself somehow relating to one of a hundred Paul Kelly songs:-
Anastasia Changes Her Mind
"Anastasia left a kiss on the mirror
And a couple of condoms by the bed
I tried to find her on her old number
But I just got her boyfriend instead
Oh it's hard, so hard
When Anastasia changes her mind"
*My second wife Kaarin once had to leave early in the morning on a work trip. She left a lipstick kiss on the mirror in our daughters' bedroom, which stayed there for months until it gradually faded away. It didn't fade from my mind, though. A year later I was talking to my friend Stella about her daughter's upcoming trip to Greece. The girl she'd planned to travel with had fallen in love with a sailor and cancelled at the last moment. "Anastasia always changes her mind," sighed Stella. I put down the phone and picked up a pen.*
later in this same chapter
*Triangles. Rosie is my ex-girlfriend too. We got together not long after she and John split up. Pieces of her appeared in my early songs and pieces of me in her poetry. She gave me To the Lighthouse to read. She was more Virginia Woolf than Simone de Beauvoir. Some days I imagined us being married and living in the country, writing in rooms of our own. Other days she spoke in voices and didn't know who I was, as if her mind had completely changed. My mind kept changing too. I was in awe of her one minute, irritated the next. Then amazed at the difference in my feelings. Isn't that the story of love?*
I've been reading this on and off for several months now, and the end is still a ways off. I like to relish each chapter, sometimes referring backwards and forwards between the story and the song, sometimes not. I'm reading it in order, just so I don't miss anything, but I guess you could just dip into it anywhere, to a favourite song maybe, and read that song's story. Paul Kelly is a keen observer of the people and the world around him, and writes easily and naturally. But if I tried to read more than a few chapters at a time I think they would start to jumble up and seep out my ears.
Just take your time and enjoy it.
Not because it's badly written or dull or anything. It's just so dense, if that's the right word. Each chapter, and there's a hundred of them, is a tightly written story in itself somehow relating to one of a hundred Paul Kelly songs:-
Anastasia Changes Her Mind
"Anastasia left a kiss on the mirror
And a couple of condoms by the bed
I tried to find her on her old number
But I just got her boyfriend instead
Oh it's hard, so hard
When Anastasia changes her mind"
*My second wife Kaarin once had to leave early in the morning on a work trip. She left a lipstick kiss on the mirror in our daughters' bedroom, which stayed there for months until it gradually faded away. It didn't fade from my mind, though. A year later I was talking to my friend Stella about her daughter's upcoming trip to Greece. The girl she'd planned to travel with had fallen in love with a sailor and cancelled at the last moment. "Anastasia always changes her mind," sighed Stella. I put down the phone and picked up a pen.*
later in this same chapter
*Triangles. Rosie is my ex-girlfriend too. We got together not long after she and John split up. Pieces of her appeared in my early songs and pieces of me in her poetry. She gave me To the Lighthouse to read. She was more Virginia Woolf than Simone de Beauvoir. Some days I imagined us being married and living in the country, writing in rooms of our own. Other days she spoke in voices and didn't know who I was, as if her mind had completely changed. My mind kept changing too. I was in awe of her one minute, irritated the next. Then amazed at the difference in my feelings. Isn't that the story of love?*
I've been reading this on and off for several months now, and the end is still a ways off. I like to relish each chapter, sometimes referring backwards and forwards between the story and the song, sometimes not. I'm reading it in order, just so I don't miss anything, but I guess you could just dip into it anywhere, to a favourite song maybe, and read that song's story. Paul Kelly is a keen observer of the people and the world around him, and writes easily and naturally. But if I tried to read more than a few chapters at a time I think they would start to jumble up and seep out my ears.
Just take your time and enjoy it.
November 21, 2018
‘A book that sings and talks and plays.’
Back in 2013, I went to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and saw an exhibition entitled ‘Paul Kelly and The Portraits’. While I was wandering around, checking out the portraits, I realised that there was a lot I didn’t know about Paul Kelly and his music. On the way out of the Gallery, I saw copies of ‘How to Make Gravy’. I borrowed a copy a few weeks later, then bought a copy of the book and a copy of the CD boxed set ‘The A to Z Recordings’.
I’ve only read the book twice, but I play the music frequently. It’s my ‘go to’ music for driving and for writing book reviews.
So, what can I tell you about the book (or the music)? The book grew as a result of a series of concerts first staged in 2004. Over four nights Paul Kelly performed, in alphabetical order, one hundred of his songs. In between the songs he told stories about the songs, and together the stories and the songs became ‘How to Make Gravy’. If you are a fan of Paul Kelly’s songs, then this book will give you some insights into how he writes.
‘Writing songs is a magpie business. You build your nest and fetch and carry to it the bright shiny things that catch your eye. You don’t care where they come from just so long as they fit just so.’
It’s a fascinating memoir: there’s a bit of family history, some personal reminiscences, life on the road while touring with the band, some of the things that matter to Paul Kelly. I learned a little about the man behind the musician, about sources of inspiration. And along the way, I was listening to the songs, making my own connections.
‘When you’re young you think everything’s possible. All of a sudden you’re past the middle of your life, you’ve done only a fraction of the things you could have, and the field of possibility grows smaller each year.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Back in 2013, I went to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and saw an exhibition entitled ‘Paul Kelly and The Portraits’. While I was wandering around, checking out the portraits, I realised that there was a lot I didn’t know about Paul Kelly and his music. On the way out of the Gallery, I saw copies of ‘How to Make Gravy’. I borrowed a copy a few weeks later, then bought a copy of the book and a copy of the CD boxed set ‘The A to Z Recordings’.
I’ve only read the book twice, but I play the music frequently. It’s my ‘go to’ music for driving and for writing book reviews.
So, what can I tell you about the book (or the music)? The book grew as a result of a series of concerts first staged in 2004. Over four nights Paul Kelly performed, in alphabetical order, one hundred of his songs. In between the songs he told stories about the songs, and together the stories and the songs became ‘How to Make Gravy’. If you are a fan of Paul Kelly’s songs, then this book will give you some insights into how he writes.
‘Writing songs is a magpie business. You build your nest and fetch and carry to it the bright shiny things that catch your eye. You don’t care where they come from just so long as they fit just so.’
It’s a fascinating memoir: there’s a bit of family history, some personal reminiscences, life on the road while touring with the band, some of the things that matter to Paul Kelly. I learned a little about the man behind the musician, about sources of inspiration. And along the way, I was listening to the songs, making my own connections.
‘When you’re young you think everything’s possible. All of a sudden you’re past the middle of your life, you’ve done only a fraction of the things you could have, and the field of possibility grows smaller each year.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 14, 2016
History, sport, politics, weather, love, family, music, art, considered opinion, witty observation - you get it all with this book. Couple that with some cracking tales about life on the road as a musician and some insight into how the author came up with the ideas for his songs, and you have a captivating story that is both informative and entertaining all in one go. A must for fans of Paul Kelly and Australian music, and a damn good read for anyone else who feels they would like to dip in.
October 5, 2017
Great read, great memoir. You can love Paul without loving all his music. As an Australian songwriter this is an amazing inspiration and resource for guidance which I’ll be returning to it again and again.
April 6, 2016
Paul Kelly isn't as well known outside Australia as he ought to be.
But even if you don't know his songs, some of which are no-kidding National Treasures by now, this is a fascinating book about songs, about songwriting, and how works of art are born, grow and change and cast different shadows as time goes on.
Anyone who's ever tried to write a song or wondered how a song came to be written will find something here.
Anyone who knows Raymond Carver's "So Much Water, So Close To Home" will want to follow its journey from prose to song to a feature film, with Kelly following along with the journey.
Anyone who knows Kelly's songs—has sung along to "Dumb Things" or "To Her Door" or the bittersweet Christmas song "How To Make Gravy" which sneaks up on me every time and brings a tear to my eye, (and actually contains a creditable recipe for gravy), will be fascinated.
Kelly's life hasn't always been easy, or sober, and there are casualties along the way. I get the feeling he could have told a much darker version, and certainly that his loved ones could. But he's earned the right to tell his story the way he wants.
But even if you don't know his songs, some of which are no-kidding National Treasures by now, this is a fascinating book about songs, about songwriting, and how works of art are born, grow and change and cast different shadows as time goes on.
Anyone who's ever tried to write a song or wondered how a song came to be written will find something here.
Anyone who knows Raymond Carver's "So Much Water, So Close To Home" will want to follow its journey from prose to song to a feature film, with Kelly following along with the journey.
Anyone who knows Kelly's songs—has sung along to "Dumb Things" or "To Her Door" or the bittersweet Christmas song "How To Make Gravy" which sneaks up on me every time and brings a tear to my eye, (and actually contains a creditable recipe for gravy), will be fascinated.
Kelly's life hasn't always been easy, or sober, and there are casualties along the way. I get the feeling he could have told a much darker version, and certainly that his loved ones could. But he's earned the right to tell his story the way he wants.
March 25, 2012
I love Paul Kelly. I adore Paul Kelly. One of Australia's most beloved singer-songwriters, with lyrics you remember and tunes that stick. I enjoyed the chaotic structure of this memoir, which leaped and skittered over his career. I enjoyed the chance to read his lyrics as words only (although, of course, some of tunes won't be separated).
I was particularly interested in his enduring theme that nothing is truly original. Not the words, not the tunes. So much is borrowed and snitched, and then filtered and processed and something new emerges. I have a related post on this topic.
Kelly is easy to read, his writing flows much as his lyrics do. There's nothing in-depth about his personal life (relationships are mentioned almost in passing) but I didn't miss that in the book. His thoughts on songwriting, touring, and some enduring friendships and strangers met (Agamemnon the taxi driver)made this a delight to read.
I was particularly interested in his enduring theme that nothing is truly original. Not the words, not the tunes. So much is borrowed and snitched, and then filtered and processed and something new emerges. I have a related post on this topic.
Kelly is easy to read, his writing flows much as his lyrics do. There's nothing in-depth about his personal life (relationships are mentioned almost in passing) but I didn't miss that in the book. His thoughts on songwriting, touring, and some enduring friendships and strangers met (Agamemnon the taxi driver)made this a delight to read.
January 25, 2011
This book is a revelation.
Written lists, anecdotes, histories and stories give you such insight into Kelly's passions, his beliefs, his song-writing process.
Accompanied by Music (available on iTunes or CD's) the reading is enhanced by listening to versions of most of the songs hand picked by Kelly.
Be warned you will go looking for music and books referenced.
I cannot recommend this enough. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Written lists, anecdotes, histories and stories give you such insight into Kelly's passions, his beliefs, his song-writing process.
Accompanied by Music (available on iTunes or CD's) the reading is enhanced by listening to versions of most of the songs hand picked by Kelly.
Be warned you will go looking for music and books referenced.
I cannot recommend this enough. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
January 26, 2018
I loved listening to this audiobook alongside Paul Kelly's AtoZ album. Each chapter starts with song lyrics, and then tells some kind of story. Kelly talks about: growing up in Adelaide, growing old, his family, his lovers, coffee, heroin, touring, song writing, other musicians, and other poets. In news that will surprise no one, Kelly is an excellent storyteller, and he narrates the audiobook which makes it extra 👍👍
April 23, 2025
Listening to his songs and reading his book was a pleasure. It is a book to take to take your time over.
December 24, 2022
Great look into the stories behind the music.
December 24, 2010
The 'G pulsating with 90000 strong as the search goes on for the Holy Grail, 'Four Seasons in One Day', the No96 tram from Brunswick to Ackland Streets, Chloe, Flinders Street Station, Warnie, people watching at Fed Square, WBC (World's Best Coffee) and a Martin Flanagan column for The Age - all symbolic of our great, uniquely Australian city. To put music and words to all that there'd only be one person to ask - Paul Kelly - and he's done so and continues to do so! As soon as the opening chords to 'Leaps and Bounds' chime out there is only one place you could possibly be, if in mind only.
And the man writes as well as he composes, so put on some Townes, some Guy or some Archie - they're all to be found between these covers - or even better PK himself, and dip and dive into 'How to Make Gravy' - or take the non-taxing journey from beginning to end. You will be so rewarded.
Inside the book is structured as in Kelly's A to Z concerts. Each piece is commenced with a song lyric followed by a musing, a rumination, a list, some fasmily or Oz history, a travelogue, poetry - original or transcribed - and paens to the art of songwriting. Read how Van Zandt wrote his heart-wrenching greatest love lament, how Kev came to be with Paul to concoct 'From Little Things' and how Sinatra was a genius pure and simple. Read of the women he encountered en route who could be all our women, his duels with drugs and go along on a musical mystery tour in the UK or US.
'How to Make Gravy is my daughter's favourite PK song and only one of three Christmas songs I can bear to listen to at this carol saturated time, along with 'Fairytale of New York' and Tim Minchin's newly discovered ode to white wine and yuletide. For anyone remotely interested in the music of our wide brown land, or searching for the answer to what comes first, the lyrics or the tune, then what a great Christmas present this 'mongrel' of a book would make!
And the man writes as well as he composes, so put on some Townes, some Guy or some Archie - they're all to be found between these covers - or even better PK himself, and dip and dive into 'How to Make Gravy' - or take the non-taxing journey from beginning to end. You will be so rewarded.
Inside the book is structured as in Kelly's A to Z concerts. Each piece is commenced with a song lyric followed by a musing, a rumination, a list, some fasmily or Oz history, a travelogue, poetry - original or transcribed - and paens to the art of songwriting. Read how Van Zandt wrote his heart-wrenching greatest love lament, how Kev came to be with Paul to concoct 'From Little Things' and how Sinatra was a genius pure and simple. Read of the women he encountered en route who could be all our women, his duels with drugs and go along on a musical mystery tour in the UK or US.
'How to Make Gravy is my daughter's favourite PK song and only one of three Christmas songs I can bear to listen to at this carol saturated time, along with 'Fairytale of New York' and Tim Minchin's newly discovered ode to white wine and yuletide. For anyone remotely interested in the music of our wide brown land, or searching for the answer to what comes first, the lyrics or the tune, then what a great Christmas present this 'mongrel' of a book would make!
January 24, 2011
If you are looking for a linear biography, stay away. Paul Kelly keeps his private life private, even in this memoir. An understandable decision, but it limits the storyline. If you are a fan of Paul's, as I am, it's worth a read. We get snippets of life, focussed more on songwriting and his work life, including touring, than his personal life. If you want a potted history, you can get a better one on Wikipedia.
August 18, 2020
Not surprisingly this audiobook memoir of Australian Great singer/song writer, Paul Kelly, is delightfully lyrical with a wonderful conversational tone.
Fabulous discussion of his collaborations, inspirations and tours.
Highly enjoyable to listen to.
Finally decided to listen to this memoir after reading Paul's favourite poetry collection in "Love is as Strong as Death". Glad I did.
Quite a long memoir at over 14 hours listening time.
Fabulous discussion of his collaborations, inspirations and tours.
Highly enjoyable to listen to.
Finally decided to listen to this memoir after reading Paul's favourite poetry collection in "Love is as Strong as Death". Glad I did.
Quite a long memoir at over 14 hours listening time.
October 18, 2011
Loving every second of this book.
July 17, 2017
If ever you wanted to write a song, or wonder what it's like to write a song then have to live in a bus rolling across snow playing it every night, then this book is full of invaluable insight.
Read
December 31, 2022Paul Kelly is a brilliant Australian singer/songwriter - he's Australia's Bob Dylan. While there are better singers around, no other Australian songwriters captures masculine vulnerability and love of country as well as Paul Kelly does. The book is a written version of his A-Z show, a four-night performance that he first wrote for the Speigeltent in Melbourne in 2004. Each night he would sing 25 songs from his repertoire of over 300 songs (at that stage- there would be more now), arranged alphabetically, with a different setlist on nights 1, 2, 3, 4. Some people just came to see one night; others came for all four. In his introduction he says that he realized that he just couldn't sit there and play 25 songs one after the other, and uncomfortable with stage-patter, he wrote a script to go along with it. He released the songs as a CD collection, and then wrote this book based on the songs and his show notes....
The book is in four parts, reflecting the four nights of the performance. The songs are presented alphabetically and the lyrics precede each chapter, bolstered at times by poetry by other poets (Yeats, Donne, Shakespeare), quotations from books, and definitions. Some of the chapters directly relate to the song; others are a form of mental riffing on his childhood and adolescence, a succession of marriages and breakups, drug addiction, diary extracts while on the road, reminiscences of concerts seen and performed. The index of people and bands at the end of the book stretches to eight pages, and he cites movies, books and other people's music. It's an erudite, generous memoir by a gifted, intelligent man- and one of the best memoirs I've ever read.
For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2022/12/21/...
The book is in four parts, reflecting the four nights of the performance. The songs are presented alphabetically and the lyrics precede each chapter, bolstered at times by poetry by other poets (Yeats, Donne, Shakespeare), quotations from books, and definitions. Some of the chapters directly relate to the song; others are a form of mental riffing on his childhood and adolescence, a succession of marriages and breakups, drug addiction, diary extracts while on the road, reminiscences of concerts seen and performed. The index of people and bands at the end of the book stretches to eight pages, and he cites movies, books and other people's music. It's an erudite, generous memoir by a gifted, intelligent man- and one of the best memoirs I've ever read.
For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2022/12/21/...
April 24, 2025
Loved this - Kelly’s song lyrics are interwoven with anecdotes about how the song was created, lists about songs and writing he values and some other writing that he has been inspired by. As a writer and reader, and obviously a fan of his song writing, it was a great holiday read.
Kelly is so deeply revealing - his close relationships, kids, battles with addiction, love for Shakespeare and interesting life on tour are all on display in so much detail. A must read for all fans.
Kelly is so deeply revealing - his close relationships, kids, battles with addiction, love for Shakespeare and interesting life on tour are all on display in so much detail. A must read for all fans.
November 10, 2020
Brilliantly written and full of stories from the road, letters, music history lessons, australian history, tips on the creative process, essays, life lessons and more
September 14, 2023
A fantastic “read” from start to finish. What else would you expect from one of Australia’s greatest singer/songwriters.
September 7, 2019
The good news is Paul Kelly is just as adept at prose writing as he is at songwriting, and the concept provides a wonderful skeleton on which to build a memoir. I like how each piece doesn't necessarily relate exactly to the creation of the song, but there is always some link, and over the course of the book he covers his many influences, his abiding interests, the places he's been and the people he's known, and the vagaries of life as a songwriter and performing musician. It's an essential addition to the canon of music memoir/autobiography.
January 24, 2022
Listen to the audio book with Paul's voice
August 5, 2018
I listened to the Audio Book and it was fantastic.
February 28, 2017
Enjoyable read.
It is ordered alphabetically by his songs with background information on how he came about to write it. Because the timeline jumps back and forth so much I was muddled all the way through. And maybe because he did it like that, the book is all the more memorable. You will get a sense of the type of person he is, and his family history and his values.
Also informative on the struggles of aborginal Australians in the past few decades and how it influenced his songs.
It is ordered alphabetically by his songs with background information on how he came about to write it. Because the timeline jumps back and forth so much I was muddled all the way through. And maybe because he did it like that, the book is all the more memorable. You will get a sense of the type of person he is, and his family history and his values.
Also informative on the struggles of aborginal Australians in the past few decades and how it influenced his songs.
September 15, 2023
I really don’t know why i persevere with picking up music bios. I love Kelly’s music and we share so many sensibilities, but as a female reading this, my heart sank again and again. Boys’ boarding schools and men on music tour both create some serious stunting.
January 25, 2019
"Loss's sphere grows wider now, and included in it is all possibility. You reflect on all you've missed - how much of your life you've forgotten, how much has streamed by you, how paltry the haul in your little net. There are books that you haven't read, the ones you've read but don't recall, the history you don't know, the languages you haven't learnt, the music you've haven't heard, the songs you haven't written, the things you wish you'd asked your parents, the hugeness of the world, the tiny fraction it you've gleaned, its sadness and suffering and deterioration, the friendships you didn't have with people you admired, hat beautiful stranger you saw in the street the other day who you'll never know.
Still you lie in the dark."
How to Make Gravy doesn't follow the usual rules of music memoirs, or at least, the music memoirs I have read in the past. Paul Kelly is a gifted story teller and his memoir is no exception to this. Divided into four parts we are treated to the set list of The A to Z concert put on at the Spiegeltent over four nights in 2004. Each anecdote is prefaced with a song and so we being our journey.
There is no calculated linear timeline in How To Make Gravy, you don't know what will follow the lyrics of the next song. Will it be a tale of Kelly family history? A casual journey into music history? A nostalgia tinged look at a younger Melbourne? Or a quick take on working with other notable musicians? An ode to aussie rules football? There is a wide selection of topics, everything you could think of is touched on. The usual rock n roll topics, sex and drugs as well as refugees, indigenous issues, family ties, divorce and marriage, and so much music. And some poetry.
Paul Kelly is a storyteller. If you didn't know that from his massive back catalogue then you would certainly know after reading this memoir. His prose has a lyrical quality to it, not surprisingly, but it persists even as you get a lesson on rhyming in songs, which you would think would be a pretty dry subject. Not when Paul Kelly is helming the lesson.
So much more than just a music memoir.
Still you lie in the dark."
How to Make Gravy doesn't follow the usual rules of music memoirs, or at least, the music memoirs I have read in the past. Paul Kelly is a gifted story teller and his memoir is no exception to this. Divided into four parts we are treated to the set list of The A to Z concert put on at the Spiegeltent over four nights in 2004. Each anecdote is prefaced with a song and so we being our journey.
There is no calculated linear timeline in How To Make Gravy, you don't know what will follow the lyrics of the next song. Will it be a tale of Kelly family history? A casual journey into music history? A nostalgia tinged look at a younger Melbourne? Or a quick take on working with other notable musicians? An ode to aussie rules football? There is a wide selection of topics, everything you could think of is touched on. The usual rock n roll topics, sex and drugs as well as refugees, indigenous issues, family ties, divorce and marriage, and so much music. And some poetry.
Paul Kelly is a storyteller. If you didn't know that from his massive back catalogue then you would certainly know after reading this memoir. His prose has a lyrical quality to it, not surprisingly, but it persists even as you get a lesson on rhyming in songs, which you would think would be a pretty dry subject. Not when Paul Kelly is helming the lesson.
So much more than just a music memoir.
April 9, 2019
This book was so different to anything else I've read. From A-Z it lists songs Paul Kelly has written with the lyrics recorded first and then a small chapter on a story behind the song. This isn't necessary why the song was written but has some relation to the song. Some stories are longer and the story may cover over 5-6 pages, others have only a few things written under it. You can also listen to these songs as you read the book - I did not do this just before of time but I am going to go back and listen to them while reading through the lyrics. I love Paul Kelly, and I do know a lot of his songs, but there was a lot of songs in there I did not know and look forward to listening to them now. I just love the way he writes, not just music but any form of story. He has lived such a rich life and I love his passion in Australia culture. It was a bit of a hard book to read in the sense that it doesn't follow a story - which is what I am use to - but more is a whole lot of mini stories within the book. However, I still really enjoyed it and loved learning more about his life and more about Australian history. It gives a great insight into an artist life and how small things happened throughout his life, and he may of written about it in the moment, or years later. Highly recommend for anyone that likes Paul Kelly.
February 1, 2021
If you like Paul Kelly, you can't go wrong with this book - he's a treasure. The audiobook was a sublime pleasure, hearing Paul read the whole thing himself, sometimes with humorous voices, comedic timing, etc. He shares tons of details about his life, songs, recording, touring, etc., and he discloses some personal info, but manages to keep the reader at arm's length, so it doesn't feel like a "tell all" or anything exploitative; he's even more guarded about his family and friends, though plenty of little details find their way into the book. The book is not organized in strictly chronological or thematic sequence. At a bit over 100 chapters, the main organizing principle is going through many of his songs in alphabetical order, as he did for his legendary A-Z shows. This approach makes it easy to dip in and out of the book. I listened to it over a rather long period of time, and I'm glad I stuck with the whole thing. Memorable, entertaining, sometimes humorous, informative, and highly recommended.
November 29, 2017
If ever there was a book I never wanted to end, it’s this one. I can remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard “How To Make Gravy” – the goosebumps up and down my arms. Since then, I’ve become a huge fan of Paul Kelly’s music – his storytelling, his vast back-catalogue of songs that speak to people of all generations, his care and advocacy for the downtrodden and dispirited. This ‘mongrel memoir’ as he calls it, is the accompaniment to 8 discs of music put together after his “A to Z recordings” – 4 nights of back-to-back shows performing 100 of his songs. He writes of family, music, fame, travel, parenting, drug addiction, sport, and so much more, orienting much of his writing around the songs themselves and how they came to be. But ultimately, Paul Kelly’s writing can be distilled down to the 4 Ls – living, longing, loving and losing. An absolutely phenomenal book that will remain with me for a long time.
April 19, 2019
A perfect book for dipping in and out of, Paul Kelly’s quasi-autobiography is really a collection of vignettes from his life built around an A-Z list of songs from his substantial repertoire.
His lucid, laconic style reveals him as something of a renaissance man, combining a love of sport, history, language, Aboriginal culture and, of course, music. An autodidact, he is clearly open to life and new experience, endlessly curious about the world and finding meaning and truth in all corners.
I especially enjoyed the chapters about the creative process of songwriting, touring and recording - about the little joys of striking a balance between keeping the small things in order and doing the big work on stage.
I listened to the audio version of the book, read by Kelly himself. And this added so much to the experience, hearing him read the lyrics of his songs and getting a sense of his character.
Perhaps the best book I’ve read by a working musician.
His lucid, laconic style reveals him as something of a renaissance man, combining a love of sport, history, language, Aboriginal culture and, of course, music. An autodidact, he is clearly open to life and new experience, endlessly curious about the world and finding meaning and truth in all corners.
I especially enjoyed the chapters about the creative process of songwriting, touring and recording - about the little joys of striking a balance between keeping the small things in order and doing the big work on stage.
I listened to the audio version of the book, read by Kelly himself. And this added so much to the experience, hearing him read the lyrics of his songs and getting a sense of his character.
Perhaps the best book I’ve read by a working musician.
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