Trashy rock ’n’ roll fun—a Thunderbird alternative to typical rock-memoir Chardonnay.
A brash, attitude-heavy history of the all-female 1990s pop-punk act.
Formed in New York City in the late 1980s, the Lunachicks were never a critical darling or commercial success. But they earned an adoring cult following thanks to a unique jokey persona steeped in John Waters–style trash culture and a determination to succeed at a time when women artists were marginalized. They recall (the memoir is written collectively) having pint glasses flung at them onstage and having their gigs canceled because another all-woman act had recently played a venue. That stoked a defiantly rude attitude—sample chapters: “Close Encounters of the Turd Kind,” “We Left Our Farts in San Francisco,” “Binge and Purgatory,” “Cumming Into Our Own”—that for better and for worse made them an island unto themselves. “We were horror movie creatures and we were cartoons and we were political and we were feminists and we were a punk band,” they write. “No box existed for us.” Readers will root for them, partly because they endured so much: perverted fans, drug addiction, sleazy male musicians, and manipulative producers. Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon took the band under their wing early but seemed determined to force them into a “foxcore” pigeonhole. Readers will also appreciate the candid storytelling: Drummer Becky Wreck describes her regular stint on the Howard Stern Show; bassist Squid goes scarifyingly deep on her heroin and cocaine addictions; and everybody has a story about a trashed hotel room or hairbreadth escape from some alcohol-soaked drama. Their fixation on burps and farts didn’t endear them to Riot grrrl intellectuals, but they were feminists all the same: “Those totally normal actions that happen to every single species on the planet are deemed foul and improper for women? Fuck you, we’re gonna weaponize them and come after you.”
Trashy rock ’n’ roll fun—a Thunderbird alternative to typical rock-memoir Chardonnay.Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-306-87448-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Hachette
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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