7000 Clams by Lee Irby
I got this book from
book thing about 2 years ago. It had a lady in a martini glass on the front and it was 1920s period fiction and I wanted to write a novel myself of dark 1920s period fiction. I wanted to write a book peripherally involving Bix Beiderbecke and some obsessive fan who has a one night stand with him or something. So I thought this book might give me some inspiration. I read half of it on the bus home from New York in 2006. It was kind of lame and corny. I made myself finish it a few months ago and it was still lame and corny. It's about some zany smalltime crook who goes to Florida to try to blackmail Babe Ruth. It also involves his lameass whiny rich girlfriend, a weirdo serial killer, and a feisty broad who seems ok but (spoiler) in the end it turns out she's not on the run because she's an awesome badass but because she witnessed a crime.
Mae West: It Aint No Sin by Simon Louvish
Did I already mention this book? Best book about Mae West (and I've read a few). Some new documents have been released or something. Focuses on the early years (I'm glad. I cringe to read about her wacky old age new age antics), and attempts to reveal the truth about Mae as a calculated hardworking writer who mostly kept to herself and wrote and jotted down jokes constantly and wrote and re-wrote every play dozens of times. It also annoyed me by printing verbatim memos from the censors. Burned me up. Made me want to track down their grandchildren and be like "your granddad was an asshole and a prude."
No Applause Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous by Trav S. D.
Fucking awesome is what this book was. Full of fun facts about the entertainers (did you know there was a Houdini ripoff named Boudini? lolz), but primarily a great depiction of the business of vaudeville itself, from an entrepreneurial attempt to market entertainment to stodgy ole puritanical Americans, developing into the essential bush leagues of American entertainers, shaking up multicultural, sexual and class status quo a bit, being consumed by Live-Nation-ass corporate monopolizing unionbusters, and finally yielding to technology and progress.
1929: A Novel of the Jazz Age by Frederick Turner
I went to return 7000 Clams to bookthing and wandered around there a bit and found this book. What the hell, sweet more period fiction. I read the book-jacket on my walk home. What the hell! Dark 1920's period fiction peripherally involving Bix Beiderbecke. Can this be a genre or did I miss my chance?
Well anyway this book is way better than 7000 clams so far (I'm only half through). More lyrically written yet less cartoony. No weirdo serial killer so far, yet the book is much more macabre and believable in its depictions of the criminal, sexual and alcoholic antics of its characters.
I still wouldn't say it's a great book. I think any fiction set in the past is just bound to come off pretty cheesy.
When I'm done it I have another book about Vaudeville and a book about Flappers and another piece of fiction entitled "Sunset and Sawdust" about some sassy broad in the 30s. It was on sale at Barnes and Noble.
