A countercultural self-help book compiled by a veteran of the underground who has spent 30 years in the alternative art trenches, these experiential, very real commentaries from today's underground luminaries offer honest and humorous advice on everything from 'Door Etiquette for the Nightlife-Challenged' by Clint Catalyst to 'How to be an Art Star' by downtown NYC scenester Reverend Jen. Without a hint of irony, Good Advice for Young and Trendy People of All Ages shows would-be bohemians how things really are instead of selling far-fetched dreams.
A compendium of useful tips, GOOD ADVICE will increase your chances for success in every imaginable field. Jennifer Blowdryer has located exactly the right team of experts to help her out with the writing. If they don't know their stuff, they have access to those who do, and their insights will surprise you. They interview tattooists, for example, about what tattoo they'd rather quit the business than do again. "Yosemite Sam" was the reply. Who'd have thought that the obstreperous Warner Bros. pioneer would produce such a reaction? I would have picked a dozen other denizens of Toon Town as my candidate for overkill. I wonder who likes Yosemite Sam enough to have him tattooed on their skin? I remember him in KNIGHTY-NIGHT BUGS, and that was a sad, sad day for me. There's a delicious article on how to survive prison. I appreciated the tip about, once you're there, stop trying to run the lives of people on the outside. And there's a good article about how to run up credit cards and abscond without paying your bills, for "there is no debtor's prison in America." Editor Blowdryer provides the best advice herself, however, and she has her own take on everything from the Gabor Sisters to why you should never say anything bad to one person in a couple about the other, even if they are on the outs with each other at the moment. It will come back and haunt you. She has lived a thousand lives, and with this book you will gain admission into the secret sanctorum of her inner brain, where her heart and her conscience often go to pay their respects. You'll have some good laughs, but better than that you will be confronted with someone very special, a pure soul like one of the characters in an old Robert Bresson movie.
Loved it.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Jennifer Blowdryer never fails to blow my mind. Witty, sarcastic, raw and real. She is insightful, articulate, a survivor and has a beautiful way of consuming the world. The book includes chapters on how to work a room, how to raise kids, drugs (doing `em and not doing `em), how to survive in prison and buying, using and packing a strap-on. Contributors include Jennifer Blowdryer, Clint Catalyst, Bucky Sinister, Lynn Breedlove and many other talented peeps. I especially enjoyed the "how to do your time in prison" piece. So many of my friends from the neighborhood I grew up in went to prison. As a youngster I figured eventually everyone ends up there so it was inevitable for me too. Consequently I have been squirreling away prison survival techniques since I was about 14 years old. Luckily I have not had to use 'em. Better safe than sorry!
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