Starship!
I'm very happy to announce, that Starship (Pristash), has joined the staff at LSB3.COM. He will be contributing threads/reviews periodically, as his time permits. Starship is well-known, and highly respected in the blog community. If the blog world had a "Mount Rushmore", as far as I'm concerned, he'd be one of the four faces. We're very fortunate to have him aboard. I look forward to any/all contributions, he can make for us. Please join me, in welcoming Starship!!
Sick City, written by Tony O'Neill, is well, just terrible. I am very remorseful that I spent the ten bucks to download it to my kindle. If I had the paperback, I could burn it or tear it up, but alas, I'm too tech savvy for my own good.
Anyway, Tony O'Neill specializes, apparently, in writing books based on his experiences as a helpless drug addict. I feel for him because he writes just the sickest stuff of what addicts will do to get their next fix...and it includes all sorts of sexual depravity and debauchery, most of it in this book concerns the homosexual kind but heteros are included as well, and if any of this stuff ever indeed happened to him, then I feel badly for him. I hope he is clean now and remains so forever. Horrifying stuff.
So the plot for sick city is that two of the types described above, meet each other at a rehab center run by a reality show doctor who has his own problems. One of them, Jeffrey, has inherited from his recently deceased former LAPD sugar daddy a sex film purportedly showing the late Sharon Tate in a gang bang...presumably filmed by her then husband, Roman Polanski (because he himself is not shown), and features Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner and Mama Cass. Jeffrey's partner in crime is Randal, a member of a hollywood power family, so his connections are important to the scheme they hatch. The novel, once it gets going, centers around these two addicts trying to find a bidder who will buy the tape for a large amount of money. Much mayhem ensues when more sordid LA characters appear and intersect with the hapless pair.
Seriously, this book sucks. There is no redeeming quality to it whatsoever. Books like Stars Screaming and The Dead Circus at least have some credibility as they were written by a lifelong LA dweller who has heard all the stories..perhaps even lived some.
Two things in particular ruined Sick City for me. One is the inclusion of Mama Cass Elliot as a participant in the gang bang. I've been reading up on the Laurel Canyon music scene of the late 1960s, and Cass is described by just about everyone as a friend and confidant to many men and women of the area because her physical presence was, well, so non-sexual. Because no one wanted to sleep with her, it was easy to become her friend and remain friends, men didn't want her and women weren't jealous of her. Her mate Michelle Phillips was just the opposite: her sexuality got in the way of every single relationship...as we all know this even did affect Sharon and Roman, and John Phillips as well.The second is the real killjoy kicker for me...when Jeffrey is telling Randal how he got the tape and how he thinks it's the real deal, he tells him that his deceased lover was 'one of the first LAPD cops on the scene the NIGHT of that Tate murders"
Shudder...
Next up: THE COLOR OF NIGHT by Madison Smartt Bell
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Lurch just checked-in from Spahn's... where he's walking around with a flashlight! AHahahaha
I LOVE it! : )
55 comments:
Hi Starship. Welcome aboard!!!
It's a long time coming!!!
You are MOST welcome!!!
I think it's important to remember the victims.
Including Gary.!!!
Well done Lynyrd.!!!
So thats where Pritash has been...
Well Starhip/Pritash- you know I loves me some talking about laurel Canyon and the music scene there...
Everything I have read regarding Mama Cass ( whose portrait is the centerpiece of the memorabilia room in my house) is completely in line with what you say...
and after reading Dead Circus- your word on these books is what Ebert is to movies in my book....
Thanks Starship!
Great Review!
Thanks!
That is good stuff Lynn... I need to check this book out as well
just got two books from the library mama cass bio and the bob mould autobio.
and l/s my bruins stanley cup dvd is in transit!
Starship, thanks for the review. It sounds like a really bad book. It's too bad that people have to make bad stuff up about Sharon. I guess she's an easy target.
Also, Mama Cass. She was no raving beauty, but you have to admit, she sure could belt out a song!!! LOL.
Thanks Lynn & Matt for the heads up on the books.
I'm currently reading Deana Martin's book about her Dad, Dean. Mary & Marliese were telling me about it.
After that I'd like to read Mama Cass's bio. I'll bet she had an interesting life.
Lynn, sorry you didn't get to go to the book signing.
Lurch....did you go???? Any pics...news???
Lynn, that's a good point about the victims' families remembering the dates.
I'm sure it is hard for the families to remember the dates that their loved ones were taken away.
Anyway, to the families....my condolences again.
Absolutely adore Cass Elliot. Her sister Leah, was married to Russ Kunkel, a drummer extraordinaire who played with many of the greats....
lynn-yes thats the mama cass book i got.
i'm going to read the mould book first since i've been waiting for it for awhile,i read the first 40 pages last night, i'm up to husker du playing their first few shows.allready bobs coming off as a bit of a dick but i'm not going to pass judgement on him just yet.
i'm a much bigger fan of grant hart.do you actually know him?
if so i need some gh stories!
i pretty much love all his solo stuff and i can't say the same for bm(sugar was good tho)gh has an lp coming out soon based on miltons paradise lost that should be really interesting.i posted an acoustic version of one of his new songs on yt'so far from heaven'
color me obsessed i havent seen..sounds like a video version of all over but the shouting.
btw going to see tommy stinson in rhode island in a couple of weeks
Replacements...
Paul Westerberg :)
Very good stuff
Matt said:
>>>>" l/s my bruins stanley cup dvd is in transit!"<<<<
COOL!
Funny thing...
I have 4 nephews.
I went to the local sporting goods store, to buy them some street hockey gear... ya know, sticks, street balls and a couple nets.
The salesman said the Bruins Stanley Cup win, has sky-rocketed sales of those items by 800%.
He said the Bruins win, has done more for local hockey interest, than anything in forty years... in fact, they have a hard time keeping that stuff in-stock!!!
You gotta love that shit!
I kinda like dark movies like "Reservoir Dogs", "Requiem for a Dream", "Spun", "Kalifornia", "DrugStore Cowboy", etc...
So, I was kinda hoping this "Sick City", would be a pretty good book.
I had fairly high hopes.
But...
If Starship says it sucks... there's no doubt... it sucks painfully bad!
Starship's VERY accurate with this stuff.
He's the best "fact-finder", and "Siskel and Ebert", you'll find in cyberspace.
He just saved me $10, and a few hours of my time.
There's nothing more valuable... than a good... honest... review.
If you're going to "sugar-coat"... why bother?
Thanks again, Starship... for "setting us straight".
Yeah thanks again Starship. It's nice to hear an honest criticism about a certain book so as not to waste time and money on it.
BTW....why did you change your name to Starship??? Can you say? Just kinda curious. :)
lynn-i read some excerpts from the book a few weeks back and mould paints norton as a nonentity and hart as a undependable mess so i'm going into this not liking him very much...maybe the book will change my way of thing but i doubt it.
the last bob mould lp i bought was the last dog and pony show.
l/s i see kids wearing bruins gear all the time these days.good times to be a hockey fan.
and saint replacements and westerberg:good stuff indeed.
speaking of westerberg and mama cass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxvXpPdXMvI
LOVE the Beavis & Butthead!!! HA HA.
Well Warren Jeffs, the polygamist cult leader/pedophile got life in prison plus 20 years.
So when he's dead, he's got 20 more years to go.
Have fun in prison Warren. Now your fellow inmates can tell you "God wants you to act like you like it." HA HA HA.
And Casey Anthony is guilty of killing her little girl. The jury didn't convict her because they said there wasn't reasonable doubt.
The fact that right after Caylee "disappeared" she went on a shopping spree with her "best friend's" checkbook and partied her ass off, lying every day about where she was, is reasonable doubt to me.
If she had only been convicted, even on manslaughter of a child, she wouldn't be able to make money off her dead child.
George Anthony was defiant on the stand to her defense attorney, but who can blame him? They made up this ridiculous story that he "molested" her, but didn't have a shred of evidence to back it up, and even the judge told them to stop mentioning it because they didn't prove it.
I'd be mad too. In fact he should sue them.
katie8753 said...>>>
After that I'd like to read Mama Cass's bio. I'll bet she had an interesting life.<<<<<
I think you'd enjoy the Cass bio Dream a Little Dream...
Love Graham Nash, and there's a lot of Graham Nash..."Cass and I were never lovers but we were the deepest of friends...it was romantic, it just wasn't sexual, you could only be romantic with Cass, she brought that out in everybody, all her male friends, we all courted Cass, we all paid homage to Cass...we would do anything for her."
Great Mamas and Papas history, good canyon tales, and pics ...including a photo of Pic Dawson.
Hi Marliese!!!
I'm currently reading Deana Martin's book about her Dad. Good stuff. I checked it out on Saturday and I'm halfway thru. In fact, I'm about to retire for the evening and curl up with it!! HA HA.
After I'm thru with that, I'd like to get Cass's book. I was driving around in my car today and popped in a CD that I burned years ago, and one of the songs that came on was "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
I love listening to Mama Cass. She had a GREAT voice!!!
BTW, my younger son is named Graham. Named after Graham Nash. :)
((((((((((MARLIESE))))))))))
Hey all! Didn't make it to see the BUG.....ended up workin late that day.
Just got back from a flashlight tour of the Spahn Ranch. Me and some friends went out there to look around and reflect on the whole crazy mess. Pretty creepy sittin in a spot knowin that 42 years ago so many lives were dewstroyed, and it all originated where we were chillin out, smokin a "j" (don't worry, I have my medical card). Lot of weird vibes out there tonite.....
Say a prayer tonite for ALL the victims, both dead and alive, and I'll type at ya later!
i agree, this book was horrendous.
((((((((((LURCH))))))))))
Holy Crap! A Flaslight Tour?? ... TONIGHT??!!!
AHahahaha
How freakin' COOL is that?!!! LOLOL
Lurch... you ROCK MOFO!
Gawd... that's gotta be damn SPOOKY!!!
Please, tell me you took a couple photos! LOL
Lurch... you're a MadMan... and I LOVE it! AHahaha
What more could a blog administrator want, than someone corresponding from SPAHN'S, on the Anniversary, with a Flashlight!!!
Dude... you're f#ckin' AWESOME!
AHahahaha
((((((((((BEAUDERS))))))))))
Hey Lurch, did you sit on Charlie's rock??? Did you happen to find any cans left by the family? LOLOL.
Thanks for the update!
Lurch- great post...
As we get closer to My trip out there in May- I had planned to ask everyone who has been- but can you please tell me now...
How hard is it to get on the property?
Did you have to sneak? obviously you went at night- but I have seen pics in the day as well- and heard you aren't allowed back there.... but so many people get pics, so I am not sure how hard it is???
Was it hard to find the exact sopt at night in the dark??
really amazing stuff!!
Okay everybody...listen up.
Here are the facts about cults. You can measure these facts against the Manson Family and decide if you think they were a cult.
1. There's always a leader who directs EVERYTHING.
2. The cult is mainly made of up women followers. There are men, but they are insignificant. The women have "pussy power".
3. The members are cut off from anything they've ever known, so as to give them a new identity. No pictures of loved ones, no watches, no calling old friends, no communicating with family, etc. Family is the enemy...except when you're using their credit cards.
4. These cults are well armed with all kinds of weapons. The leader saying "if the man tries to get in, shoot to kill".
5. The members have training sessions to make sure they aren't invaded by "the man", i.e., stay up all night, hide here, hide there, in case of an invasion.
6. Every member, upon indoctrination, will give whatever money he/she has to the "group" because that will buy yourself into heaven/hurt your Daddy/make me love you....etc.
7. There is constant preaching of an impending doom. Some apocalyptic catastrophy, thru which only the members of the group will survive. If you leave the group...you'll perish with the others.
8. Usually, when the heat comes down too hard...it's time to kill yourselves. It's the only way to get to heaven.
Now....Bugliosi was charged with convicting these murderers. And they were murderers. So he looked at the cult behavior, and decided to convict Charlie on the Helter Skelter motive.
Doesn't mean that was the motive. HELLLOOOOO!!!!! I want everyone who is arguing about this to wake up and smell the coffee.
I'll repeat. It doesn't mean it was the motive. It was the motive used to convict.
Which makes no difference between here and there. It was a tool used to convict Charles Manson.
Is everyone on this page now??? If so...maybe we can move forward to find out the real WHY.
I would truly LOVE to sit down with Bugliosi and talk to him about how he would have prosecuted Casey Anthony. I'll bet he's got a fount of information to reveal.
Not that I'm putting down Jeff Ashton. But he was going for the golden ring on the merry-go-round and wasn't thinking for a minute that he didn't really have enough evidence to convict. He should have gone for a lesser charge.
The reason I'm bringing this up again, is because the cases are similar. Not enough evidence to convict. So you go another route.
Hey....a conviction is a conviction. If you know someone's guilty, and you don't have physical evidence...you go in the back door.
HA HA.
Speaking of The Bug, I hope y'all got his NOW photo in the library last week - Patty is looking forward to seeing that.
Good review, Starship, thank you. Patty will not be reading this title any time soon.
Hi Circumstance!
I'll let Lurch answer your question... which is for the best, as I've never been there.
But, in the meanwhile... I'll tell you what I've "heard" second-hand, from some fairly reliable sources.
What I've heard:
Spahn's property itself, is State, City, or County property (one of those)... it's a "park" actually.
"A state park"... is what I'm told.
I've even seen a "state park map" of the place... ya know, one of those little tri-fold flyers the parks always print-up, for visitors... a "pocket map".
Problem is... right next door, is private property, owned by some type of new-age church/camp of some sort.
But... it's run more like a business... than a church... judging from the website (which I've seen).
Anywho... the owner (or caretaker), is very protective of the property.
He rides around in a golf cart... busting balls, whenever he can.
If you can get on the actual Spahn's property, without traversing over the "golf cart guy's" (as he called by many) property... you're all set.
From what I "hear"... if you run into the "golf cart guy"... he'll tell you he owns the entire area... just to keep "hippies" away from his place... which I said... appears to be more a "business" (moneymaking camp), than a church... but, whatevers.
Bottom line: He's blowing smoke, because it's a state park.
Give me a week.
I'll consult a few contacts, and get a "definitive" answer for you.
Peace... Lynyrd
The Bottom Line (Again)... LOLOL
The most accurate way to relate the whole mess Saint, is like this:
Spahn's is well within state park boundaries... but, the "golf cart guy" feels having "hippie losers" anywhere near his place, is bad for "business"... and it IS a business.
Some kind of a paid "renewal resort", or some shit.
yes you are right katie most cults are composed of women. most people don't realize this but the largest population in jonestown were old black women--they were basically trapped once they arrived. of course no "pussy power" there but jones' hierarchy was predominantly white attractive young women lots of "pussy power" there.
an interesting jonestown clip.jim jones two sons return to jonestown 20 years after the suicides
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQ6d6m9JG4
i would be interesting to do something like this with ex-family members at the spahn ranch site.
>>>Beauders said: yes you are right katie most cults are composed of women. most people don't realize this but the largest population in jonestown were old black women--they were basically trapped once they arrived. of course no "pussy power" there but jones' hierarchy was predominantly white attractive young women lots of "pussy power" there.>>>
Yes Beauders that's true.
I keep bringing this up (haha) but the recently convicted cult leader Warren Jeffs was the "prophet" of the Yearning For Zion "church" (an offshoot...sideshoot....undershoot... of the LDS church), which practiced bigamy (LDS does not condone it anymore). It's interesting to note, one man could have 100's of wives, but one woman could only have 1 husband.
Anyway, they didn't need a whole lot of men there, just women to keep procreating.
I think that's pretty similar to most cults. The cult leader is almost always male, so that leader is going to control how many men are in the cult, so as to keep away competition.
Hi Matt. Thanks for the clip. That's interesting that Jonestown is just no more. Probably a good thing. Just like Spahn's.
Just like the Branch Davidian compound.
Hmmmm.......
There is going to be anew explosive bok about Jonestown coming out...probably in April...stay tuned...
Thanks Starship about the heads up on the book about Jonestown. Should be interesting!
I've seen several documentaries regarding the People's Temple, from beginning to tragic end.
The same "shake your head" about how people can go along with a mad man's orders, even unto death.
the best ones i've read are raven by tim reiterman and seductive poison by debbie blakey.
i wish steve jones would write one someday..hes a very articulate guy and had a front row seat for everything that went down.
i had'nt watched the 20/20 piece i posted since i converted it a few years back...felt bad for sj when they came over the hill and there was nothing but a field and a palm tree where the pavillion was.
does anyone think that was the real vat that held the poison that jones son found in part 4?
i would have thought that it would be in one of those murder collectors collections like ted bundys volkswagon.
can you imagine the bad vibes attached to that car?
Matt I don't know about the vat that held the poison Koolaid at Jonestown, but the Bundy Volkswagen is definitely creepy.
In fact, Ted was very creepy.
I heard on the news the other day they think they may have found another victim of his. Evidently they saved his DNA before they offed him, hoping to close other cases that hadn't been solved.
I wonder just how many women he killed. Or maybe men too. Who knows?
I liked "Sick City" but then again I have read almost everything O'Neill has written. he is part of a new literary movement called the "Brutalists" around 3am magazine. The two characters in S.C. are based on two dudes he met in rehab and are mentioned briefly in "Down and out on Murder Mile." And yes he writes from experience.
katie, actually original Mormon polgamy allowed a woman more than one physical husband, tho only one of them would be their "eternal husband". J. Smith was married to over 40 woman who continued to be married to their original Morman husbands. This changed after they went to Utah.
Thanks Shak El for the polygamy update. I'm not really familiar with the Latter Day Saints, but did read up briefly on them in 2008when the Yearning for Zion bunch, who had moved to Eldorado, Texas, was raided due to child abuse allegations.
There was plenty of uproar that they even moved there, back then.
I think LDS outlawed polygamy around 100 years ago, but this bunch continued the practice. I'm not sure how they got away with it in Utah, Colorado & Texas, but I'm assuming it has to do with "right of religion". I know that in Texas, the marriages weren't considered legal and were ignored, that is, until Jeffs decided to start in on 12 year olds.
Anyway, thanks for the update! :)
One of the major problems with polygamy is excess males. historically polygamy arose in societies with a high rate of warfare which resulted in excess males killing each other. The first generation of Utah Mormans got around this by actively recruiting poor women in Europe. That source was about to dry up when they had to abolish it in order for Utah to become a state. The fundi-mormans abandon teen males to their fates in larger cities where they get caught up in street crime and prostitution.
late 19th century polygamy actually presented women of that time period with a better overall life, than that of a farmers wife or workingman's. Unlike modern polygamy morman males actually had to support their wives and were generally uppermiddleclass or wealthy. The average children per wife was about 2-3 which was signifficantly down from the average of 8 at that time. Women had the support of their sister-wives in child care and house work. And remember women voluntaryly joined in those days and were not borned into it.
Thanks Shak El.
It was reported that in the Warren Jeff's cult, that there were too many males, so ultimately a lot of men were sent to other areas and young boys were turned out into the street, with virtually no knowledge of how to survive.
They had to resort to theft and eventually drugs, which lead to arrests, etc.
I used the word "cult" because this bunch of people had deviated away from the teachings of the Mormon Church, and basically, Warren Jeff's re-wrote all the rules of the church, according to his desires and wishes.
The Book of Mormon According to Warren Jeffs.
Or...should I just say "The Book of Warren Jeffs". LOL.
Thanks Starship!
I'm just throwing in that i LOVE me some Husker Du
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