‘Refreshing to read a memoir by a woman who’s not self-deprecating’

No Remedy For Love

Reading Liona Boyd’s memoir No Remedy For Love is like taking a master class in self-confidence. In a world where humble bragging is the norm, Boyd just straight up brags. She revels in her title as “The First Lady of the Classical Guitar,” her bizarre pen pal relationship with Prince Philip, her history of frolicking naked in the woods with Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

The sequel to her 1999 memoir In My Own Key, Boyd’s latest autobiography documents the diva’s quest to rebuild her life after divorcing business tycoon John B. Simon. It’s a story about Liona’s love of music and of powerful men. But most importantly, it’s about Liona.

Boyd originally came to prominence in the 1970s. A talented musician who occupies a place in the pantheon of great Canadian artists. Boyd made a name for herself as a beautiful blond who could play the guitar about as fast as Usain Bolt runs. Over the course of her career, the virtuoso performed for everyone from her pal Prince Philip to Fidel Castro.

The tone of Boyd’s memoir is best exemplified by the series of rhetorical questions she poses on pages 22 and 23. Reflecting on her high-flying life, the 68-year-old Boyd writes, “Who else had helped design a Beverly Hills mansion, fallen in love with and married one of that city’s most generous and handsome residents, serenaded heads of state, dictators, and kings, hung out with Liberace, appeared three times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and been conducted by John Williams?” Obviously, the answer is that no one besides Liona has accomplished these feats. But she’s not done yet! Boyd also asks, who else “has dated Canada’s charismatic Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for eight years yet declined to bear his child?”

Boyd’s book admittedly offers some interesting insights into her artistic process. She speaks about the trials and tribulations of her musician’s dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions. Tragically, dystonia made it impossible for Boyd to play guitar at the lightning speed of her youth. To compensate for her slower pace, Boyd learned how to sing in her 50s. Today, she identifies as both a guitarist and a singer-songwriter.

Learning how to sing in middle age is indeed an admirable act of resilience. In fact, I would have liked to read more about that quest. However, the focus of No Remedy For Love seems more geared toward anecdotes like having a “cuppa” with “my girlfriend Olivia NewtonJohn” or the time she chatted with Tom Cruise during her brief flirtation with Scientology. And, of course, there are countless references to esteemed Canadian musicians, from Jann Arden to Gordon Lightfoot.

While Boyd relishes in her friendships with fellow entertainers, her relationship with Prince Philip gets pride of place. At one point, she recounts a private tea at The Royal York in 2013. Apparently, the Duke of Edinburgh used this as an opportunity to suggest Boyd “wear three maple leaves and nothing else” on her next album cover. Boyd assures the reader that their relationship is purely platonic, but she did compose a song titled Love of the Horse for the world’s most famous royal consort.

Even though Boyd’s autobiography verges on vanity project, I was ultimately sad to finish it. Contemplating why I became so enchanted with Liona, I realized that I actually found her inspirational.

In an era where female luminaries from Tina Fey to Justice Sonia Sotomayor admit to suffering from impostor syndrome, it’s refreshing to read a memoir by a woman who’s not self-deprecating.