Putting the ‘Oral’ in Oral History
by Darin Klein and Steven Salardino of Skylight Books
Legs McNeil’s Please Kill Me is not only the definitive volume on the birth of New York punk, it is a classic example of oral history at its finest.
Now Legs has done it again with The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry (just out in paperback). In collaboration with Jennifer Osborne, Legs has culled stories from hundreds of actors, directors, producers, spouses, and various other players to form a history of this lucrative and controversial industry. From the nudie pics of Betty Page, Bunny Yeager, and the filmed burlesque of the ‘50s, to the hippy-criminals of the free-love ‘60s and ‘70s, the video and breast-implants of the ‘80s and into the eXXXtreme death and dares of the ‘90s—hearing the words and learning the lives of people only previously seen in super close-ups with overdubbed moans is nothing short of fascinating. If it has ever been hard for you to wrap your head around the life of a porn-star, or director, then this book should be very revealing. Some of the participants come across strangely sweet, like Marilyn Chambers who, when auditioning for the Mitchell Brothers’ Behind the Green Door, wondered if the “balling or non-balling role†had something to do with bowling. (But when she found out she took the job anyway.) And some are, as probably expected, creepy Mafioso-types and drug addicts. Like any other industry, it takes all types.
For a slightly more uplifting and redemptive oral history check out Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called The Pixies. Similar to The Dirt, which is told by the members of the band Motley Crue, in this fascinating and informative book you will read words of wisdom not from a scholar, but straight out of the mouths of the Pixies’ four members and their many collaborators. The history of this great and exceedingly influential band is put together by Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz as an account of their rise, fall, and second-coming. Details rattled off by front man Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black) about manic studio sessions take you into a sleep-deprived and caffeine-fueled creative hell-mouth. Tour diary-esque quotes from cheerleader turned bass player Kim Deal (aka Mrs. John Murphy) reveal their early relative obscurity in the US in contrast to their rise in Europe, from pub popularity to Reading Festival domination. Burning out completely becomes inevitable, a 12 year hiatus ensues, and a reunion rocks a new generation of adoring fans.
An introductory essay recommends reading each chapter while listening to the album that it chronicles. In this way, music that always has hit viscerally takes on a whole new cerebral perspective, adding invaluable layers to the already very important rock phenomenon that is the Pixies. Guest appearances by John Murphy, Kristen Hersh (Throwing Muses), Beck, Bono, Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields), Steve Albini, and many more paint a colorful and emotional portrait of the four distinct personalities that made the Pixies a post-punk, pre-grunge tour de force.