Body Blows: Six Performances (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) [Hardcover]

Tim Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2002 | Series: Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiog

    Hailed for his humor and passion, the internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller has delighted, shocked, and emboldened audiences all over the world. Body Blows gathers six of Miller’s best-known performances that chart the sexual, spiritual, and political topography of his identity as a gay man: Some Golden States, Stretch Marks, My Queer Body, Naked Breath, Fruit Cocktail, and Glory Box. In Body Blows, Tim Miller leaps from the stage to the page, as each performance script is illustrated with striking photographs and accompanied by Miller’s notes and comment.
    This book explores the tangible body blows—taken and given—of Miller’s life and times as explored in his performances: the queer-basher’s blow, the sweet blowing breath of a lover, the below-the-belt blow of HIV/AIDS, the psychic blows from a society that disrespects the humanity of lesbian and gay relationships. Miller’s performances are full of the put-up-your-dukes and stand-your-ground of such day-to-day blows that make up being gay in America

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For 20 years, performance artist Miller has been sharing his life with audiences around the world, baring his soul (and his body) while exploring the sexual, spiritual, and political aspects of his life as a gay man. The six pieces in this anthology of performances, including "My Queer Body," "Naked Breath," "Fruit Cocktail," and "Glory Hole," all reveal Miller's life journey and the "body blows" he has taken and given in a society that both embraces and rejects the gay experience. Miller's audiences are captivated by his ability to relate very personal stories to their own lives and to make them feel both the joy and the pain of being gay. Photographs and commentary by Miller accompany the depiction of each performance. Readers of this book will find it to be the next best thing to attending one of his performances. Miller teaches performance at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater and cofounded Performance Space 122 (New York City) and Highways Performance Space (Santa Monica, CA). Recommended for theater arts collections in public and academic libraries. Howard Miller, St. Louis
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Tim Miller sings that song of the self which interrogates, with explosive, exploding, subversive joy and freedom, the constitution and borderlines of selfhood. . . . You think you don’t need to hear such singing? You do! You must! Read the book!"—Tony Kushner, playwright of Angels in America, from the foreword

"The power of Tim Miller’s performances lies in his sharp mind and gentle heart, his capacity for being angry and funny and self-critical all at once. One senses immediately that he can be trusted, even when he leads us into unknown territory. His passion is utterly contagious."—Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (February 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299176800
• ISBN-13: 978-0299176808
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,041,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Draws heavily upon the author's life as a homosexual man, April 12, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Body Blows: Six Performances (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) (Paperback)

Body Blows: Six Performances by seasoned performer Tim Miller is an impressive selection of dynamic, vivid, performance plays drawing heavily upon the author's life as a homosexual man in a society that at best distrusts, at worst condemns gay and lesbian relationships. The personal, solo performances contain explicit and engaging language about human sexuality, ethics, and the specter of death in this vividly compelling series of singularly powerful monologues. Body Blows is a welcome and highly recommended addition to professional and academic theatrical reference collections.