The Speed of Sound: Breaking the Barriers Between Music and Technology: A Memoir
The remarkable story of rising to the top of the music charts, a second act as a tech pioneer, and the sustaining power of creativity and art.
Thomas Dolby's hit songs "She Blinded Me with Science" and "Hyperactive!" catapulted him to international fame in the early 80's. A pioneer of New Wave and Electronica, Thomas combined a love for invention with a passion for music, and the result was a new sound that defined an era of revolutionary music. But as record company politics overshadow the joy of performing, Thomas finds a surprising second act.
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Become an affiliate"He rose during the advent of the British New Wave. But what was he, exactly? A singer-songwriter? Performance artist? Programmer? Engineer, poet, actor, inventor? And if we couldn't be sure, how possibly could he? This is the engaging, emotional, funny and surprising tale of Thomas Dolby -- a brilliant multi-hyphenate on his journey of discovery and self-discovery."
-- JJ Abrams, Director, Writer, Producer
-- Bruce Sterling, author of The Epic Struggle of the Internet of Things and The Mirrorshade anthology
"Thomas Dolby has had at least four notable lives. The chart topping musician and ubiquitous MTV presence, the Silicon Valley innovator, the music director for TED and then, astonishingly, a professor at Johns Hopkins. His journey is as amazing as the book is well written. From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed every page of The Speed Of Sound. Brilliant."
- Henry Rollins, bestselling author, journalist and musician "Musician Thomas Dolby debuts with an absorbing account of his pioneering work merging digital music with film, technology, and science. In this story-filled memoir, Dolby draws deeply on his experiences as a synthesized music guru and early internet geek, offering wonderful scenes involving such notables as Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Steve Jobs, and George Lucas. His innovative accomplishments, rendered in fascinating detail here, are legendary."
- Kirkus, Starred Review "In his engaging memoir, British New Wave icon Dolby retraces his journey from London stock clerk to pop star to unlikely success as a Silicon Valley pioneer...Dolby's style--understated but acute--and wealth of anecdotes make for an enjoyable narrative... the bespectacled Brit is more Renaissance man than one-hit wonder."
- Publishers Weekly "Wildly entertaining"
-- Salon.com