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hernamewaslily's reviews
237 reviews
Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade by Justin Spring
5.0
A decade in the making, Justin Spring’s ‘Secret Historian’ presents the life and times of the multi-hyphenate (he was a novelist, professor, tattoo artist and sexual renegade) Samuel Steward (1909-1993). Utilising never-before-seen diaries, correspondence, and other unpublished and/or out-of-print writing, Spring documents Steward’s life from his childhood in Ohio, where he had his first sexual experiences as a boy with his straight male schoolmates, his early success as a novelist and career as a gifted and much-loved English professor, to his working relationship with Alfred Kinsey, to whom he detailed his sex life in epic detail – a feat in the era of McCarthyism – his pivot from academia to tattooing (or ‘tatdoodling’ as steward referred to it as) and his days as a gay pulp fiction/pornography writer.
Not only was the story of Steward’s life fascinating but Spring’s writing is also commendable. Though a rather large and dense book, it is easy to read and utterly enthralling. Spring clearly has a deep respect for his subject, and this shines through in his prose which lucidly details the complex life of this a one-of-a-kind man – which is by no means an easy feat considering that Shepard used a number of aliases throughout his life – and finally brings him the recognition he deserves.
I really loved this book; it was just so interesting to read about a person who achieved so much but faded into obscurity. I’ve been missing my days spent researching when I was at uni, and this really brought me back to that feeling of discovering something or someone you never knew existed.
Not only was the story of Steward’s life fascinating but Spring’s writing is also commendable. Though a rather large and dense book, it is easy to read and utterly enthralling. Spring clearly has a deep respect for his subject, and this shines through in his prose which lucidly details the complex life of this a one-of-a-kind man – which is by no means an easy feat considering that Shepard used a number of aliases throughout his life – and finally brings him the recognition he deserves.
I really loved this book; it was just so interesting to read about a person who achieved so much but faded into obscurity. I’ve been missing my days spent researching when I was at uni, and this really brought me back to that feeling of discovering something or someone you never knew existed.
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
3.0
I’m not a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (although Dani California slaps), but I had Anthony Kiedis’s memoir on my shelf and was in a non-fiction kick so thought I’d give it a read. I can’t say this book did much for me. Is it entertaining? Yes, without a doubt. Kiedis plays into the mythology of the rock star with tales of world tours and a-ha! moments in the studio. But this book isn’t really about being in a band, it is mostly a book about drug addiction and how it has affected Kiedis’s life. He talks at length about using and abusing drugs, from smoking his first joint at 11 to trying acid to shooting cocaine and heroin.
Whilst I respect his openness about his addiction, which was rather refreshing, I found his treatment of women a bit… off. I get a bit irritated by accusations targeted at musicians for their prior treatment of women, it’s like, yeah, it is bad and no, it shouldn’t happen, but 1) it’s been and gone, and 2) I hate to say it, but it was a different time and things happened that might not happen today, so I’m not going to criticised him for being a bit sleazy when he was a 20 year old, but what I am going to criticise is how he talks about these women after the fact. Every woman is a walking pair of tits, which after a while is boring to read. We get it; you love women and having sex with them, and women want to give you blow jobs in club toilets. Good for you. Towards the end of the book, Kiedis begins to admit that his lust for women plays into his issues with addiction (duh), but it is not enough to redeem the last 400 pages.
I think this is a bit of a product of its time when tell-all memoirs and celebrity-ism (I just made that word up) were all the rage. Moreover, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were at their most famous when this book came out, so I think that plays into why it is heralded as a must-read rock autobiography. It is a quick read despite being nearly 500 pages long, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read this book unless you are interested in music/popular culture or are a fan of the band/Kiedis.
Whilst I respect his openness about his addiction, which was rather refreshing, I found his treatment of women a bit… off. I get a bit irritated by accusations targeted at musicians for their prior treatment of women, it’s like, yeah, it is bad and no, it shouldn’t happen, but 1) it’s been and gone, and 2) I hate to say it, but it was a different time and things happened that might not happen today, so I’m not going to criticised him for being a bit sleazy when he was a 20 year old, but what I am going to criticise is how he talks about these women after the fact. Every woman is a walking pair of tits, which after a while is boring to read. We get it; you love women and having sex with them, and women want to give you blow jobs in club toilets. Good for you. Towards the end of the book, Kiedis begins to admit that his lust for women plays into his issues with addiction (duh), but it is not enough to redeem the last 400 pages.
I think this is a bit of a product of its time when tell-all memoirs and celebrity-ism (I just made that word up) were all the rage. Moreover, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were at their most famous when this book came out, so I think that plays into why it is heralded as a must-read rock autobiography. It is a quick read despite being nearly 500 pages long, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read this book unless you are interested in music/popular culture or are a fan of the band/Kiedis.
Why Marianne Faithfull Matters by Tanya Pearson
3.0
Why Marianna Faithful Matters by Tanya Pearson is an essay-cum-memoir that repositions Marianne Faithful’s role in history from 60s it-girl to a musical star in her own right. Pearson mixes academic writing with personal anecdotes, drawing on her own experience with addiction and making music to understand and emphasise with Faithful, who likewise suffered from addiction. Unfortunately, the essay loses its control in the last third. It’s almost as if Pearson ran out of steam but hadn’t reached her word count yet (relatable).
There are chapters that had so much potential, such as one about reading Faithful via her breasts, which have often eclipsed her other talents, that could have been great, but because it doesn’t quite hit the mark, it just comes across as undeveloped and sloppy.
I didn’t dislike this book, I found it interesting and compelling, and it did make me reconsider my own view of faithful who I’d only known as Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, so Pearson was successful in this aspect. I think Pearson could have spent more time researching and developing her argument, or, considering that Pearson predominantly writes about women in music, she could have condensed this into a tightly edited and focused piece of writing and published it as part of a collection of other essays instead.
There are chapters that had so much potential, such as one about reading Faithful via her breasts, which have often eclipsed her other talents, that could have been great, but because it doesn’t quite hit the mark, it just comes across as undeveloped and sloppy.
I didn’t dislike this book, I found it interesting and compelling, and it did make me reconsider my own view of faithful who I’d only known as Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, so Pearson was successful in this aspect. I think Pearson could have spent more time researching and developing her argument, or, considering that Pearson predominantly writes about women in music, she could have condensed this into a tightly edited and focused piece of writing and published it as part of a collection of other essays instead.