Gina Waggott

John Larkin – a fast-living, hard-playing, stuttering jazz pianist – overcame abuse, addiction, ageism, and obscurity to stage one of the most improbable debuts in pop music history by turning his greatest pain into his purpose. At 52, Larkin was a recovering alcoholic and veteran pianist, haunted by shame because of his lifelong stutter. His stutter meant he could scat-sing better than anyone else on the planet, grabbing and firing syllables like bullets – yet he couldn’t even say his own name. But when a small, indie record label took a gamble on an oddball fusion of John’s scat-singing and dance music, his life changed overnight: Scatman John was born. In 1995, his singles “Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)” and “Scatman’s World” shot to #1 across Europe and Asia, turning a man who’d spent his life hiding into a global star. Audiences were captivated by the absurdity and charm of a middle-aged man in a fedora, machine-gunning syllables over a dance beat. But behind the novelty was a deeper story: John’s scat-singing was creative camouflage for his stutter – his music, a last-ditch attempt to survive. When fame finally found him, he chose to reach others who felt broken or silenced, especially stutterers like him, by harnessing the one thing he was most afraid of: his voice. Based on rare archives and interviews with those who knew him best, this authorized biography is a redemptive, deeply human story of struggle, heartbreak, and triumph. For anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider, this book inspires with a powerful message: your deepest fear can become your greatest strength, and your pain can become your purpose.

This book contains poems Peter Lindfors gave to his friend and mentor Leonard Cohen. Gina Waggott has written the preface and Jonas Ellerström a short biography. Andreas Björsten contributes postscript poems as a tribute to the poet. All three of them were also Lindforss’ friends. I Didn’t Use to Like People I didn’t use to like people To this day I’m not sure that I do But I go out and talk to them and I come home feeling better Maybe, just maybe they aren’t just assholes and I hope this poem is not just a load of crapPeter Lindforss´ book debut was in 1976 with a collection of poems called Vykort från sjuttiotalet, in translation ”Postcards from the Seventies”. Until 1984, he published four more collections of poetry. He moved from almost private publication to being accepted by a major publisher, but never made a breakthrough. Lindforss spent time in Paris and in New York. In 1981 he meet Leonard Cohen on the Greek island of Hydra and it was the start of an unusually intimate and long-lasting friendship. Cohen became Peter’s mentor. Read more at www.fripress.se