The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco

When I read author Joshua Gamson's bio blurb, I feared that THE FABULOUS SYLVESTER was going to be a mundane recounting of an outsized life. I had no reason to worry, as Gamson's writing is easily as rollicking as Sylvester's life. Ultimately the author pays the greatest tribute to his subject by not only capturing the man and his incarnations, but by doing so in a way that is as entertaining as a Sylvester concert must have been. Gamson is able to put Sylvester's life into the context of the times, (and while doing so, we see a vivid portrait of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the rise of gay culture and the shattering reality of AIDS) and that life was a breathing metaphor for the real heartbeat of San Francisco and the gay dance culture that would be coopted by middle American pop. He is able to convey the drug-affected recollections of some of his interviewees by subtly warning the reader of the time and chemical infected haze through which their recollections were culled without insulting his subjects, he is able to recreate scenes with color and humor, and achieves something nearly impossible in biography...his work is more cinema than written word. The bottom line of this read is that Sylvester is given the historical credit he is due. He was androgynous before Bowie, and out-discoed Donna Summer. He had the courage to be true to himself in a culture that wasn't ready for him, he understood some audiences who didn't understand him in return. His life force was enormous, he was greatly flawed, but as with all true divas, being fabulous trumps everything else. Sylvester, and this book, are indeed, fabulous.

This is an incredibly layered yet elegantly beautiful book. Sylvester's life is unwrapped before the reader's eyes. It reads at once like a loving biography of a friend lost and social history of a community still grappling with who and what we are. The author gracefully enmeshes Sylvester's glamour with the electricity of a generation on acid and the sadness of an era lost to AIDS and Reagan. I found myself reveling in all the creative fierceness that consumed Sylvester. The Fabulous Sylvester brilliantly examines the productive power of fame and, in doing so, offers us an inspiring glimpse of how truly revolutionary queering gender can be.

I knew Sylvester, and when this book came out, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. And was it ever worth it! The writer portrays this man as the force of nature he was, hugely talented, original, completely comfortable with himself, a performer par excellence with a voice almost unearthly in its range and power. The author tells it as it was, without sentiment, gush or embellishment, and manages to convey Sylvester's self-confidence, conviction, self-awareness, generosity, tremendous sweetness and extraordinary talent without hype and with acute accuracy. There was only one Sylvester; he was unforgettable to everyone who knew him, and now, thanks to Joshua Gamson, those who never knew him will have a chance to experience a genuine original and a natural star. (And up until Sylvester, I loathed disco - he turned that whole thing around and made it gospel music.) Thank you, Mr., Gamson - you did a great job! Sylvester would be thrilled.

Sylvester was `bigger' than fabulous and Joshua Gamson's bio reveals the truth behind the incredibly talented singer. Gamson's biography of the unusual and lovable talent rings true and is consistently level headed without drama. There was plenty of that in Sylvester's life alone! It's amazing that it took this story so long to be told, but it is a great one about the golden gay mecca before it turned into the gay refugee camp. Sylvester is accurately portrayed as the virtual overnight sensation "queen of disco". He is shown as having had a heart of gold and the simple determination of being who he was - a great icon without regrets. Gamson should be commended for writing a long-awaited biography that is fair and balanced, representing a time that started with such great innocence and fun. It is worth mentioning that Rolling Stone magazine reviewed Sylvester's first album and stated, "if you have to listen to disco, it doesn't get better than this". No kidding.

A great fast read. I loved the book. It's a good look at the San Francisco Music BIZ. And what was going on in San Francisco at the time when DISCO hit big. I lived it and almost all of it is true. Joshua Gamson did a wonderful job. Buy this book! John Hedges