Jubilee City

Jubilee City

Jubilee City (2007) [http://www.joeandoe.com/biography.html] Jubilee City is the autobiography of artist Joe Andoe. Andoe relays his journey from his drug filled youth in Tulsa, Oklahoma to his success as a painter in New York City. The book unfolds in vivid snapshots of Anode’s life, capturing the moments that fueled his art and life.

Plot

----The book begins in Andoe’s place of birth Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first few pages of the memoir are dedicated to relaying a few small and humors traumas that took place during his childhood. Quickly, however, the book pushes forward to his raucous teen years. These short tales fill about a third of the book, his exploits include doing acid in school, hunting down local runaway girls to have sex with, as well as a plethora of drinking and driving related incidents. Andoe presents his young self as incredibly reckless, with absolutely no attempt to control his dangerous impulses. Art is rarley mentioned in these years, with the exception of a few pages concerning an art club at his high school. A major character that appears around this time is Andoe's first love, Kay. Although their relationship is brief, she will later become a major influence on his art, and be the sole human figure he will paint “ So after being in New York for twenty years, all of a sudden I had the urge to paint the human figure...They all looked alike. They were all the same girl with the round face called Kay.” ( [ [Andoe,Joe.”Jubilee City”.New York:2008. pg 200] ] ) Despite his unrestrained and careless high school lifestyle Andoe makes it to his 20’s, and begins to attend collage majoring in art. It is during this time that he becomes involved in a turbulent relationship, which after marriage becomes rockier still. Soon thereafter the couple moves to New York, where Andoe and his wife have a child. The wife is the primary provider for the family and Andoe assumes the role of a stay-at-home dad, though he does continue to paint. Eventually acclaim for his artwork begins to accumulate, and with success a more stable lifestyle ensues. Soon his wife and him separate, and once again drugs and perhaps even more detrimental; alcohol, become a major part of his life. It is during this time he lived at the Hotel Chelsea like so many fellow artists. The book ends on a slightly upward note, as Andoe learns how to better balance his life and ceases to drink. [ [Andoe,Joe.”Jubilee City”.New York:2008.] ] .

Quote

"I want to paint the way a smoker wants a cigarette. I never heard a smoker say, Oh, I really want to smoke but do I have to go all the way outside just to buy a pack" [Andoe, Joe; Jubilee City, 2008, HarperCollins pg:130]

References

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Andoe, Joe; Jubilee City, 2008, HarperCollins