A poignant, funny, and lively memoir of sexual awakening, music, and discovering one's true self.

Pete Crighton came of age in the early/mid 1980s in the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Growing up in Toronto, he was terrified that his friends and schoolmates would find out that he was “different” at a time when being gay felt like a death sentence. His only comfort was music, the songs a balm to his painful adolescence.

Struggling to make sense of his sexuality and fear of the disease stifled Crighton as a sexual being. Instead of exploring sex, he began curating a massive music library. He then took what he thought was a safe path and entered into two long-term monogamous relationships, both doomed to fail. Finally, in his 40s, Crighton decided to ignore his fear and live his queer life to the fullest.

The Vinyl Diaries is the story of Crighton’s mid-life sexual awakening. From one-night trysts to friendships resulting from app-based hookups, Crighton is honest and unapologetic as he chronicles the pursuit of his erotic desires. Each new connection and lover is linked to an artist, song, or album from his vast collection and backdrops the stories Crighton tells about his life, interconnected with the artists' work and histories. Kate Bush, the B-52s, Prince, The Smiths, Yoko Ono, and Stevie Nicks are just a few of the artists who provide an extraordinary soundtrack to Crighton’s adventures.

Big-hearted, funny, thoughtful, and wildly entertaining, The Vinyl Diaries is a celebration of sex, music and the discovery of our true selves.

Pete Crighton's profile page

PETE CRIGHTON has worked as a marketing executive in the arts for many years. He has also studied comedy at Second City, graduating from their Conservatory Program in improv, scene writing and performance and still sings (badly) in the Dolly Parton choir “the Tennessee Mountain Homos.” He lives in Toronto.

“The Vinyl Diaries is a life-affirming journey through music and queerness. Like the greatest pop songs, it speaks directly and personally of love, longing, and belonging.” —Jordan Tannahill, author of the Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted The Listeners

"The core of Pete Crighton's The Vinyl Diaries is passion; a palpable and intense passion for art and music that bleeds into his journey through love, sex, fear, aging, and pandemics. We've all experienced how music plus experience equals vivid memory, but due to Crighton's expansive knowledge and appreciation of a wide range of artists plus his welcome shameless and explicit presentation of his emotional, romantic, and sexual connections, The Vinyl Diaries is not only a fully entertaining, relatable, funny, sexy page turner, it inspired me to search beyond my rather limited musical tastes to an appreciation of all things Yoko Ono. This memoir sings." —David Pevsner, author of Damn Shame: Desire, Defiance, and Show Tunes

“Pete Crighton's The Vinyl Diaries is a delightful, funny, moving and insightful account of one listener's love affair with music and his burgeoning queerness. Stars are honoured to be mentioned alongside one of the dirtiest passages ever written in Canadian literature.” —Torquil Campbell of Stars