Nina Simone's Gum: A Memoir of Things Lost and Found

Review "Romantic, poetic, I was enchanted." -- Courtney Love "A joyous work full of love, connection, creativity and gratitude." -- Spectator "A sense of wonder comes through the page." -- Spectrum Culture "Ellis' opus is a lyrical reminder that the ephemera we collect in life, that ignite our imagination and memory-- become the things we leave behind. Objects that seem like nothing-- a broken violin or piece of gum--can mean everything." -- Michael Stipe "Warren tracks the journey of the purloined gum since he folded it in the towel and carried it backstage [...] In the book it becomes a metaphor for the creative life." -- Writing Magazine "A captivating, often moving memoir - a tribute to the power of great art wrapped in an exploration of the minutiae gathered in the itinerant life of the nomadic musician." -- Buzz Magazine "A beautiful, haunting quasi-memoir about the 57-year-old's early life growing up in southeastern Australia and his years spent busking across Europe in the 1980s, as well as one particular, transcendent night that changed the course of his life." -- Vanity Fair "Unvarnished honesty coupled with a yearning interest in trying to understand the creative process [...] enormously entertaining."-- Bookmunch "There's something satisfying in a piece of writing that uses a very small, very specific thing as a way to talk about, well, larger, more general things. In the case of this new work of nonfiction from Warren Ellis...the small, specific thing is a piece of gum: a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone before her final London performance, in 1999, placed on a towel on top of a piano, and taken by Ellis after the show and kept for over two decades. The larger, more general thing that Nina Simone's Gum explores is creativity, friendship, and the outsized emotional value we often place on physical objects." -- AV Club "Musician and composer Ellis debuts with an enchanting story of how his life was changed by a seemingly insignificant object: a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone...Ellis's fascinating relationship with the artifact took an intriguing turn--which he details with whimsy and admiration--as the gum's "unique transmission of creative energy" connected him to a number of artists entranced by its power...When Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester, for instance, encountered the gum, "it made her stomach tie itself in knots... [and] moved her beyond understanding." Readers will find this heartfelt tribute to have a similar effect." -- Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW "Such a mad, happy book about art and music and obsession. I'm so glad I got to read it. It made the world feel lighter." -- Neil Gaiman In praise of meaning-rich relics and magical things. Totally heartwarming project. -- Max Porter A unique study of a fan's devotion, of transcendence and of the artistic vocation - it's got depth and great warmth. It's a beautiful piece of work. -- Kevin Barry A moving, inspirational insight into a beautiful mind. -- Jim Jarmusch A warm homage and affecting memoir. -- Kirkus Product Description THE TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER A GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH, THE TIMES, IRISH TIMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS, ROUGH TRADE, MOJO, CLASH, ROLLING STONE, UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR From award-winning musician and composer Warren Ellis comes the unexpected and inspiring story of a piece of chewing gum. FEATURING AN INTRODUCTION BY NICK CAVE I hadn't opened the towel that contained her gum since 2013. The last person to touch it was Nina Simone, her saliva and fingerprints unsullied. The idea that it was still in her towel was something I had drawn strength from. I thought each time I opened it some of Nina Simone's spirit would vanish. In many ways that thought was more important than the gum itself. On Thursday 1 July, 1999, Dr Nina Simone gave a rare performance as part of Nick Cave's Meltdown Festival. After the show, in a state of awe, Warren Ellis crept onto the stage, took Dr Simone's piece of chewed gum from the piano,