Tawdry Tales and Confessions from Horror’s Boy Next Door by William Butler

(oversized pb; 2021: nonfiction/memoir)

From the back cover

“In the last forty years, actor, director and former effects artist William Butler has easily lived three lifetimes. From his early beginnings creating super-8 horror shorts and working the circus midway to a blissful existence as a producer-director living in the Hollywood hills, he’s seen it all, gained it all and lost it all.

“Tawdry Tales chronicles the jaw-dropping, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking life an industrious young artist who started out with an unflinching determination to work in film and who’s somehow became ‘Horror’s Boy Next Door,’ appearing in dozens of movies along the genre’s most legendary villains, including Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13^th, Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the George Romero zombies from Night of the Living Dead. Butler chalks it all up to having a face you just want to hit with a butch knife.

“Butler lovingly has transcribed thirty-five years’ worth of journals he kept into one fascinating and heartfelt memoir that follows his story around the world as he worked with and, in some cases, lived with some of Hollywood’s most beloved and ‘colorful’ personalities including Viggo Mortensen, Leslie Jordan, Tom Sizemore and the legendary Prince.”

 

Review

Tawdry is a fast-moving, heartfelt, funny, smart, and relatable tell-all book about how Butler went from making backyard films and FX with his small-town childhood friends (including John Vulich, who later went on to become a legendary FX artist) to becoming an FX artist himself, as well as a successful, LA-based writer and director, one who struggled with chemical addiction and his sexuality.

There’s a lot of great stories in this, from his chance meeting with film director Joe Dante, working with FX legends Tom Savini and John Carl Buechler, as well as actors Kane Hodder, Malcolm McDowell, Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Klaus Kinski, Royal Dano, Yvonne DeCarlo Christopher Reeve, Danny Trejo, and Madonna.

An excellent and hard-to-set-down read, this is worth owning, whether you’re a hardcore movie fan or a more casual reader who enjoys reading about celebrities and character actors.

Heavy Duty: Days and Night in Judas Priest by K.K. Downing with Mark Eglinton

(hb; 2018: memoir)

From the inside flap

“Judas Priest formed in the industrial city of Birmingham, England, in 1969. With its distinctive twin-guitar sound, studs-and-lether image, and international sales of over 50 million records, Judas Priest became the archetypal hevy metal band in the 1980s. Iconic tracks like ‘Breaking the Law,’ ‘Living After Midnight,’ and ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’ helped the band achieve extraordinary success, but no one from the band has stepped out to tell their or the band’s story until now.

“As the band approaches its golden anniversary, fans will at last be able to delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround the heavy metal institution. In Heavy Duty, guitarist K.K. Dowining discusses the complex personality conflicts, the business screw-ups, the acrimonious relationship with fellow heavy metal band Iron Maiden, as well as how Judas Priest found itself at the epicenter of a storm of parental outrage that targeted heavy metal in the ‘80s. He also describes his role in cementing the band’s trademark black-leather-and-studes image that would only become synonymous with the entire genre but would also give singer Rob Halford a viable outlet by which to express his sexuality. Lastly, he recounts the life-changing moment when he looked at his bandmates on stage during a 2009 concert and thought, ‘This is the last show.’ Whatever the topic, whoever’s involved, K.K. doesn’t hold back.”

Review

Heavy is a burn-through, deftly written memoir that recounts Downing’s time in Priest as well as his life outside of the band.  A few times, especially near the end of the book, he repeats his mildly stated complaints about certain people (e.g., bandmate-guitarist Glen Tipton) a few times too many in quick succession.  That said, this is a minor nit─I understand that working closely with someone you perceive to be bossy for four decades might inspire deeply felt resentment, as well as a sighing sense of what-could’ve-been for your band.

This book is a fun, informative read that made this Priest fan further appreciate the band and its intentions and music, as well as rethink some of my likes and dislikes regarding their output. Great, friendly and generally friendly read for the genre, worth owning if you are a Priest fan.