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The Tremolo Diaries

Life on the Road and Other Diseases: SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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The Tremolo Diaries

By: Justin Currie
Narrated by: Justin Currie
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About this listen

 A TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The Herald Music Book of the Year

A Guardian Top 5 Music Book of the Year

A Classic Pop Music Book of the Year

A Mojo Top 5 Book of the Year 2025

An Uncut Top 3 Book of the Year 2025

“A Latter-day Lear. A truly remarkable book” John Niven, The Spectator

“Might just be the finest music memoir of recent years” Independent

“A minor masterpiece” Classic Pop

“Full of life and joy and copious swearing” The Herald

Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie reflects on life as a touring musician in the shadow of his life changing Parkinson’s diagnosis.

It’s 2022 and we join Justin at the doctor’s office, looking down the barrel of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. After concerned fans noticed a tremor in his hand, Currie sought the medical advice which led him to the discovery that would throw his future into uncertainty.

The immediate fallout of his diagnosis is laid bare in Currie’s candid, stream of consciousness voice. A voice that is also by turns poetic, self-deprecating and darkly humorous across a series of diary entries that capture Justin’s innermost feelings — part travelogue, part confessional.

Following a coming to terms with the situation whilst on tour in the U.S, the second half of the story joins Currie in 2024, supporting Simple Minds on tour with Del Amitri. Anger, heartbreak and a looming sense of finality concoct a terse relationship between what once was and what may never be. Yet, page after page, what prevails is the achingly perfect timing of his acerbic wit.

The Tremolo Diaries is a beautiful and unique meditation on illness and aging. It is a twilight years reflection on band life in the 21st Century. It’s a travelogue around the world’s art galleries, parks, bars and sites of natural beauty. And most importantly, it is about love and friendship, adversity and courage, life and loss.

In a first-of-its-kind exploration of Parkinson’s by a multi-platinum selling musician, The Tremolo Diaries looks the dramatic irony of Currie’s affliction in the eye, puts down the guitar, and returns the needle to the start of the song. Entertainment & Celebrities Heartfelt Witty Emotionally Gripping Funny Inspiring Thought-Provoking
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Most relevant
Justin Currie has written the soundtrack to my life for the last 40 odd years. By that I mean his songs and particularly his lyrics have managed to touch the depths of my soul unlike any other. And now,at a time when he would expect to be starting to take life a tad easier without stress or bother and concentrating on whatever he and his love had planned to do together when they had more time, nature dealt him the cruelest hand. (One that Justin has named, Gavin).

This diary chronicles a 3 month period in his life traversing the United States with his band, Del Amitri and finishing off in Western Europe before returning home. Interspersed with glimpses of how he tackles his Parkinson’s through its early stages as well as trying, and I cannot begin to comprehend how, to process the tragedy of the illness that has separately afflicted his beloved Emma.

Although these are traumatising events, Justin can still manage to view them through his own version of rose tinted spectacles at times. He is after all merely a human and it is his humanity which makes his words so relatable.

I recommend anyone with unfulfilled dreams to read The Tremolo Diaries and to not put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

The heart breaking honesty of a man mid torture

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Beautiful, sad. Funny and somehow relatable in spite of the author’s profession. Wonderful and challenging insight

Honest

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Superb account of someone coming to terms with a life changing diagnosis whilst trying to care for his loved and still perform at the highest level and not let down the band’s fans. I found putting this book down almost impossible. I’ve seen Del Amitri and Justin solo on many occasions and have never been let down yet, both pre and post Parkinson’s. I saw the Dels last at Kelso Castle and it was a superb gig. It was also good to see Justin wandering about the venue before they went on (although I didn’t approach much to my disappointment. Keep going as long as you can Justin, we will all miss hearing those beautiful and melodic songs emonce you can’t perform them any more. Thanks for the music Justin and the boys

Justin’s frankness about coping with Gavin

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This is a tour diary like no other I've read.
Whilst a document of touring with Del Amitri over the past few years, it is also the story of how the author coped with being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and how he lives with it.
By turns witty and heartbreaking, it's a great listen.

True tales of a life on the road and living with a degenerative disease

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I found this book sad, funny and thought provoking. Justin, you are an amazing guy

Justin, as always is a wordsmith

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