In the 2019 biography I Put a Spell on You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, journalist Steve Bergsman tracks the life of the noted shock rocker including his rise-and-fall-and-rise to fame, run-ins with the law, and rocky romantic life. Kate and Jack discuss the book as it relates to the biography as a literary form, the perils of the Big Rock Bio, and the challenges and responsibilities of research.
Does Jay's penchant for lying and self-aggrandizement make him an impossible subject for a biography? Where does "rock 'n' roll authenticity" stop and "novelty act" begin? Just how much damage can the Imp of the Perverse do to a person's life? Does anyone know where we can get jobs playing piano in a Hawaii strip club? These questions and a whole lot more will be discussed in this month's episode of Bad Books for Bad People.
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Episode 65: The Raven's Table - Vikings + Smut + Gore
Episode 64: American Gothic - Robert Bloch Takes On HH Holmes
Episode 63: Pharos the Egyptian - Mummies, Himbos, and Gratuitous Violins
Episode 62: Best of 2022
Episode 61: Three Act Tragedy - Murder, Cozy Grandma Style
Episode 60: Ghost Story - Nothing to Sneeze At
Episode 59: Between Two Fires - Medieval Times Were Bad, Actually
Episode 58: Wolfen - Werewolf? They're wolf!
Episode 57: Flash for Freedom! - A lovable rogue?
Valley of Plenty 7: The Lady in the Lake
Episode 56: Manhunt - Having a Ball(s) After the Apocalypse
Episode 55: The Keep - Creep versus Creeps in WWII
Episode 54: On Stranger Tides - Let's Get Piratical
Valley of Plenty 6: The Tower of the Swallow
Episode 53: The India Fan - Victorian Romance with all the Fixins
Valley of Plenty 5: The One with Vampires
Episode 52: Best of 2021
Valley of Plenty 4: Legal Advice for Witchers
Episode 51: Requiem Infernal - Weird Fiction, Warhammer 40K Style
Episode 50: The Carpathian Castle - Dracula before Dracula...?
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