book rage by mark hernandez
Gay American Autobiography
If you’re in the mood for reading something historical and biographical, yet
gay, check out the new Gay American Autobiography by David Bergman. It’s an
anthology of short autobiographical writings featuring forty gay Americans
spanning 150 years and includes names you’ll recognize like Walt Whitman and
David Sedaris, but most names you won’t. However their writing is wonderful and
fun to read. The book is pretty diverse in every way which makes it even more
fun with authors of African, Jewish, Asian, Latino and European (meaning White)
roots with life experiences that include being tattoo artists, drag queens, hustlers,
nerds, everyday citizens and humorists (guess who). And what they write about
involves the usual subjects such as AIDS, coming out in the army, and gay rights
activism, but also even more interesting stuff like being a turn-of-the-century
tranny. Like I always say, you can’t go wrong with an anthology because there’s
always at least a couple stories you’ll love so much you can’t wait to tell your
friends about it. Who doesn’t want to occasionally be a little high-brow at a dinner
or cocktail party?
Outback
- Currawong Creek
Merv Griffin - A Life in the Closet
Okay, now Darwin Porter has turned his attention to Merv Griffin and published
What is it about Australian
the unauthorized biography Merv Griffin - A Life in the Closet. Darwin Porter’s
men, that je ne sais quoi,
biographies, which include Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Howard Hughes,
that certain something
Katharine Hepburn, Michael Jackson and several silent film stars have been
we just can’t put our finger
books that readers have either loved or hated. But there’s no doubt that they’re
on which makes them so
entertaining. You can judge for yourself. Merv Griffin was a family talk show host
alluring? And it’s not just the
for decades which many of us older folk grew up with. Merv never set off my
accent because you can’t
gaydar and throughout his life he never ever let on that he was gay, but he was. Of
hear them speaking when
course, besides his talk show, many still don’t know that he was the developer and
you’re looking at pictures
producer of Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune which most of us were enjoying just
of them shirtless or naked.
the other day. Did you also know he wrote that tune that plays during the final
They’re just so... manly. And
Jeopardy question which earned him $85 million alone in royalties? The book is a
I would venture to guess
collection of vingnettes that intertwine themselves with a lot of other Hollywood
that anyone who’s pur-
stars and it’s easy to read and jump around. It’s not the traditional biography by
chased a male photo book
any means, but still entertaining, which is what Merv’s full and amazing life was
has already bought one of
all about.
Paul Freeman’s pictorials of
hot Aussie blokes (or you
were at least thinkin’ about
it)! He now has a sequel to
Mean Little deaf Queer
his original book Outback
In this month’s “And Now for Something Completely Different” department
called Outback - Currawong
we have Mean Little deaf Queer by Terry Galloway. This is her memoir of growing
Creek, but many are refer-
up deaf, and lesbian. As you can imagine, it’s challenging for anyone to grow up
ring to it as simply “Outback
deaf and not have a unique way of dealing with and interacting with the world
2.” His other books include
around them besides coming up with their own coping mechanisms and unique
Bondi Work, Bondi Urban,
world view. Plus, Terry had a mean streak! She got involved with a disabled drama
Bondi Road, and Bondi Clas-
group which was helpful, but that was also fertile ground for her vivid imagina-
sic. In this book, instead of
tion. Then later in life she took up writing and she now tells us her stories in a
just being a collection of
non-chronological collection that piece together what it was like to live in her
individual photos, there’s a
world. It’s a classic case of one disability resulting in another enhanced ability.
theme—something about
The remarkable thing is that it’s a book unlike anything else you’ve read which
sheep and a cattle ranch, a
you just can’t put down. You’ll laugh, get lumps in your throat and just shake
nearby creek and a bunch
your head at all the wild things that happened to her, both real and imagined.
of farm hands on a very, very
Her memoir is quirky, anguished, goofy, dramatic and there’s no question she’s a
hot day.
relentless mean little deaf lesbian!
18 RAGE monthly | August 2009
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