Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson

(hb; 2021: memoir)

From the inside flap

“On Good Friday in 1953, at only eighteen months old, Casandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water, resulting in third degrees burns over 35 percent of her body. She miraculously survived, but burned and scarred, the impact would stay with her and become an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price.

“Casandra left home at fourteen and supported herself as a go-go dancer. By age seventeen, she was performing as the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas, where run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. A chance encounter with the ‘King’ himself, Elvis Presley, inspired her to travel to Europe where she worked in film and toured Italy as lead singer of a band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, joining the famed improv group, The Groundlings, honing her comedic skills alongside Phil Hartman and Paul ‘Pee-wee’ Reubens.

In 1981, as a struggling actress considered past her prime, Cassandra auditioned for a local LA station as a hostess for their late-night horror movies. She got the job as ‘Elvira,’ never imagining it would lead to fame and a forty-year career.. .”

 

Review

Yours is a burn-through, smart, timely and entertaining read, sometime humorous, often serious, and charmingly feminist in its subject matter─as far as seriousness goes, Peterson was raped, something that only the darkest-hearted people joke about, and Peterson isn’t that sort of entertainer. The telling of that horror is balanced with practicality, maturity, and balance, one that doesn't tank the levity of much of the rest of the work.

Yours is one of the best, waste-no-words memoirs I’ve read in a long while, one worth owning.

What Does This Button Do?: An Autobiography by Bruce Dickinson

(hb; 2017: autobiography)

From the inside flap

"A long-awaited memoir from the larger-than-life, multifaceted lead vocalist of Iron Maiden, one of the most successful, influential and enduring rock bands ever.

"Pioneers of Britain’s nascent Rock & Metal scene back in the late 1970s, Iron Maiden smashed its way to the top, thanks in no small part to the high-octane performances, operatic singing style, and stage presence of its second, but twice-longest-serving, lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. As Iron Maiden’s front man—first from 1981 to 1993, and then from 1999 to the present—Dickinson has been, and remains, a man of legend.

"But OTT front man is just one of the many hats Bruce wears. In addition to being one of the world’s most storied and well-respected singers and songwriters, he is an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist, radio presenter, and film scriptwriter. He has also competed as a world-class level fencer. Often credited as a genuine polymath Bruce, in his own words (and handwritten script in the first instance!), sets forth many personal observations guaranteed to inspire curious souls and hard-core fans alike.

"Dickinson turns his unbridled creativity, passion, and anarchic humour to reveal some fascinating stories from his life, including his thirty years with Maiden, his solo career, his childhood within the eccentric British school system, his early bands, fatherhood and family, and his recent battle with cancer."

Review

Button is a light, fast, highlights-of-Dickinson’s-life read that focuses on the events, elements and people who shaped his life, his musical beginnings and career, and his other interests (flying airplanes, writing sex farce novels and fencing). If you are looking for details about his and others’ romantic relationships, dirt on other people, and other sleazy aspects of the rock ‘n’ roll world, you are likely to be disappointed. While there are mentions of sex and drugs (briefly mentioned, usually indulged by others) and profanity, from time to time, this is a relatively clean and respectful-of-others read that timelines Dickinson’s life thus far.

Button is a good offering for what it is, a fast-moving book that often feels like Dickinson is a tour guide focusing on the positive, not the salacious ─ a wise choice, considering how much it has allowed him to accomplish in his life.

Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll, by Ann & Nancy Wilson with Charles R. Cross

(hb; 2012: rock 'n' roll memoir/autobiography)


From the inside flap:

"The mystery of 'Magic Man.'  The wicked riff of 'Barracuda.'  The sadness and beauty of 'Alone.'  The raw energy of 'Crazy On You.'  These songs, and so many others, are part of the fabric of American music.  Heart, fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson, has given fans everywhere classic, raw and pure badass rock and roll for more than three decades.  As the only sisters in rock who write their own music and play their own instruments, Ann and Nancy have always stood apart - certainly from their male counterparts but also from their female peers.  By refusing to let themselves and their music be defined by their gender, and by never allowing their sexuality to overshadow their talent, the Wilson sisters have made their mark, and in the process paved the way for many of today's female artists.

"In Kicking & Dreaming, Ann and Nancy, with the help of. . . music biographer Charles R. Cross, recount a journey that has taken them from a gypsy-like life as the children of a globe-trotting Marine to the frozen back roads of Vancouver, where they got their start as a band, to the pinnacle of success - and sometimes excess.  In these pages,  readers will learn the truth about the relationship that inspired 'Magic Man' and 'Crazy On You,' the turmoil of inter-band romances gone awry, the reality of life on the road as single women and then as mothers of small children, and the thrill of perfoming and in some cases partying with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and other rock legends.  It has not always been an easy path.  Ann struggled with and triumphed over a childhood stutter, body image, and alcoholism; Nancy suffered the pain and disappointment of fertility issues and a failed marriage but ultimately found love again and happiness as a mom.  Through it all, the sisters drew from the strength of a family bond that trumps everything else, as told in this intimate, honest and uniquely female take on the rock and roll life."


Review:

Different, fun, lovesome page-turner - what sets Kicking & Dreaming apart from other rock bios is its focus on women's issues and the importance of family (blood kin and chosen), without sacrificing the rock 'n' roll vibe of the book. 

Worth checking out, this.