I'll Never Write My Memoirs

Jones views herself as both an artist and a work of art, formed by religious dogma, rebellion, and cross- and countercultural influences and experiences. The author left home to pursue theater, joined a hippie commune, and wound up on a nomad's path of modeling, music, and then eventually acting. The eccentric public persona known as "Grace Jones" (her family addresses her by her shortened middle name Bev) was the creation of photographers, designers, artists, producers, and music executives—boldface names including Andy Warhol and Keith Haring and fashion designers such as Issey Miyake. To understand her as both art and artist is to understand the dramatic sociopolitical and cultural changes characteristic of the last half of the 20th century. Moving from the free-love hippie culture of the 1960s to the decadence of the 1980s, this title is part artist's statement, part art history companion. Jones's writing is poetry and prose, revealing just enough to help readers contextualize her personality yet teasingly evasive enough to leave room for interpretation.