|
|
BOOK REVIEW You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore
by Terri Schlichenmeyer 2015-12-30
|
|
This article shared 6409 times since Wed Dec 30, 2015
|
|
Your closet is packed with mistakes.
Odd-colored shirts, patchwork jeans, alligators, prairie wear, weird ties, you wore it all once. But will those things ever be in style again, even if you wait long enough?
No, Nehru jackets, leisure suits, and knitted knickers are best left in the rag bag. As you'll see in the new book You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore, by Trevor Tolliver, some things may never return.
Born into an era of lush crooners and Big Bands, Lesley Sue Goldstein ( later, Gore ) was, according to her parents, a musical prodigy almost from birth. At six months, they claimed, she could "duplicate the melody of a song"; as a toddler, she loved to perform for her parents' friends.
After joining a "girl group" in middle schoolone that "fizzled" rather quicklyGore entered an all-girl school and sang in a chorus. There, she realized that if she was going to sing professionally, she needed a vocal coach.
The one her mother found eventually led Gore to a "tiny recording studio" where she recorded a few discs for the benefit of family. A cousin passed a disc to a bandleader, who invited Gore to perform at a gig where the president of Mercury Records was in attendance. In early 1963, he gave Gore's demo to music producer Quincy Jones and, some two months later, at age 16, Lesley Gore was a pop-music star.
But as quickly as her star rose, it began to fall, perhaps because of the Beatles and the British Invasion. Gore's music continued to hit the charts but, in the end, the new sound and the not-so-innocent times wore away at her popularity. By 1969, "Her career, for all outward appearances, was over."
And yet, says author Tolliver, Gore continued to have some professional success until her death about a year ago, with a few minor hits but mostly as a songwriter and in golden-oldies circles. As for her personal life, she enjoyed a decades-long relationship with another woman, which was something her 16-year-old, 1963-self hadn't dared to do…
When a book starts out with a foreword entitled "A Gushing Fanboy," take note. That's exactly the tone you're going to get in the whole book, which is likewise true for "You Don't Own Me. "
And while that may seem chummy, I couldn't stop thinking of a supermarket tabloid or an old confessions-type magazine mixed with discography. The bottom line is that this is a difficult book to like because it's overly-breathy and swooning, music-industry-driven, or it consists of reconstructed conversations. I would've loved reading more about Gore's personal lifeTolliver hints at some tumult with the woman she lovedbut, instead, we're plunged back into more about her flagging career. Even that could have been more interesting, were it given a less-chatty spin.
Overall, I think there's an audience for You Don't Own Me, probably with "ardent fans" or music-industry folks only. For the rest of us, well, you won't want to own this book, either.
Want more? Then look for Quincy Jones: His Life in Music, by Clarence Bernard Henry; or Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, by Chely Wright. |
 |
|
 |
This article shared 6409 times since Wed Dec 30, 2015
|
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
| 
|  | Joan E. Biren aka JEB talks Portraits of Lesbians book journey and re-issue 2021-04-21 In an era where lesbian visibility was almost non-existent, activist and photographer Joan E. Biren (or as she is also known, "JEB") self-financed and self-published a photography book called Eye To Eye: Portraits of Lesbians. Biren's ...
| 
|  | Bechdel, Rannells among upcoming CHF guests
2021-04-21 The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) announced its line-up of virtual programs with award-winning writers, scholars and cultural icons in late April and throughout May. Among LGBTQ participants/guests will be Fun ...
| 
|  | Lightfoot calls resignation rumors 'homophobic, racist and misogynistic'
2021-04-19 On April 18, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called rumors that she's resigning "homophobic, racist and misogynistic," The Chicago Tribune reported. Lightfoot tweeted, "1/ Good morning from my mansion in Sauganash. ...
| 
|  | SHOWBIZ Brandi Carlile, 'Legendary,' children's book, film festival, Janet Mock 2021-04-18 Lesbian musician Brandi Carlile memoir, Broken Horses, debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Sellers list, a press release announced. In addition to the hardback book, a very special audiobook edition of the ...
| 
|  | WORLD Peru items, Kenya, UK government, Poland city 2021-04-18 The first lesbian elected to Peru's Congress promised to put up a "strong battle" for LGBTQ+ rights in the South American nation as two social conservatives go head to head for a presidential run-off vote in ...
| 
|  | SPORTS Rapinoe, Morgan lift U.S. to victory over France 2021-04-14 The U.S. Women's Soccer National Team beat France 2-0 on April 13 in a friendly match against France behind goals by veterans Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, The Olympic Channel noted. The duo won Olympic gold ...
| 
|  | Windy City Times publishes book of historical newspaper covers 2021-04-12 Windy City Times newspaper, founded in 1985, is publishing a limited-edition, four-color book featuring hundreds of covers from its own archives, plus covers from other LGBTQ Chicago media, including Outlines, BLACKlines, En La Vida, Identity and ...
| 
|  | Windy City Times publishes book of historical newspaper covers 2021-04-14 Windy City Times newspaper, founded in 1985, is publishing a limited-edition, four-color book featuring hundreds of covers from its own archives, plus covers from other LGBTQ Chicago media, including Outlines, BLACKlines, En La Vida, Identity and more ...
| 
|  | The Amazon Trail, How to Write a Book 2021-04-10 I'm not giving away any secrets here. Not saying it's simple or that anyone can do it if they send $25.00 to Post Office Box 1,2,3. Nope, it's a personal journey and every story has a story. Here's mine, about the ...
| 
|  | GLAAD Media Awards honor creative forces of change in media, culture 2021-04-09 --From a press release, video below - Los Angeles, CA, Thursday, April 8, 2021 — GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, tonight hosted a virtual ceremony to announce the award recipients of the 32nd Annu ...
| 
|  | Equality Illinois celebrates Black trans woman's electoral victory in Decatur, Illinois 2021-04-07 From a press release - A statement from Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state's civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Illinoisans: "We are extremely proud of Alana ...
| 
|  | LGBTQ+ History Podcast Queer Serial launches third and final season
2021-04-07 --From a press release - Queer Serial, the acclaimed LGBTQ+ history podcast produced and hosted by 2021 GLAAD Award nominee Devlyn Camp, returns Monday, April 12, with its final season. Season 3 picks up in 1963, as militant gay activists, taking ...
| 
|  | Gerber/Hart hosts 'Disappeared: Chicago's Lost Lesbian Bars' screening, discussion 2021-04-06 Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Gerber/Hart) hosted a virtual screening of Disappeared: Chicago's Lost Lesbian Bars, a short-film documentary that Jacob Pieczynski directed. A panel discussion followed the screening. The 2017 ...
| 
|  | 'Ma Rainey,' 'Schitt's Creek' win during diverse SAG Awards
2021-04-05 On April 4, a one-hour, pre-taped 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards aired on TNT and TBS, celebrating the best achievements in film and TV performances for 2020. According to Entertainment Weekly, it was a historic night, ...
| 
|  | WIU LGBTQA Resource Center celebrates 10th Anniversary 2021-04-01 --From a WIU press release - MACOMB, IL — In 2011, the LGBT*QA Resource Center was established at Western Illinois University to serve as a home, and to raise awareness for, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning+ community at WIU. Ten years ...
| |
|
|