Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho [Paperback]

Clayton Littlewood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

What is the correct etiquette for visiting a brothel? How should one react when a transsexual wants to show off her latest surgery? Is it appropriate to speak to television personalities when they’re buying underwear? These are the questions that matter in London's Soho neighborhood, where Clayton Littlewood runs the cult clothing store Dirty White Boy. From his window on one of the busiest street corners in the world, Littlewood watches the daily parade of fashion queens, prostitutes, gangsters, and celebrities that make up the population of this strangest of villages. Dirty White Boy is a vivid mosaic of modern London, caught between the ghosts of the past and the uncertainties of the future. With an unforgettable cast of characters ranging from Chico the camp queen to Pam the Fag Lady (with guest spots by stars like Kathy Griffin and Graham Norton), these compulsively readable true tales offer a wry panorama of Soho's rich and often raucous subcultures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The best book I read last year. Touching, funny and poignant.' (Sir Elton John) --Sir Elton John

'Funny, perceptive, sexy, exquisitely observed.' (Stephen Fry) --Stephen Fry

`A collection of witty and piquant vignettes.' (The London Paper. Oct 2008) --The London Paper. Oct '08

'His novel truly shines.' (Gay Times Book of the Year 2009) --Gay Times (Book of the Year 2009)

`Original anecdotes told with a Hogarthian incisiveness - evoking a vivid portrait of an area that is like no other.' (West End Extra. Nov 2008) --West End Extra. Nov '08

From the Author

"As evocative in it's own way as Isherwood's take on that other sin bin the Berlin of the 1920's...probably the best book about one section of Soho life...a twenty first century love story to Soho." (The Soho Society)

"When writers try to make art that is universal and not personal they always fail - it's being personal which makes it universal in the end. Clayton Littlewoods book is tender, warm and full of humanity. Soho is like an upturned dustbin and he like a drunk rummaging through it. He shows us all that glitters is not gold. And all that smells is not garbage. Living in Soho is like coming all the time. Reading his book is too." (Sebastian Horsley, author of Dandy in the Underworld)

"Like the queer descendant of Samuel Pepys, Clayton Littlewood captures the day-to-day drama of his London in all of its demented glory." (Michael Thomas Ford, author of Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and Last Summer)

"Clayton Littlewood recreates the real Soho, from its beauty to its underbelly...insightful, humorous, heartbreaking." (Arthur Wooten, author of On Picking Fruit and Fruit Cocktail)

"His book is not sensationalist but neither does he shirk from airing dirty laundry. He is not writing for the tourists. Dirty White Boy is a 'warts n'all' year of seedy beauty, faded glamour and real danger...It is honest writing withour preconceptions. Clayton stayed true to himself and so his book stayed true to Soho." (ReFresh Magazine)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Cleis Press; FICTGE edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573443301
• ISBN-13: 978-1573443302
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clayton Littlewood grew up in Weston-super-Mare and now lives in London.

He is the former columinist of the 'Soho Stories' column for thelondonpaper (which was based on the designer menswear store Dirty White Boy which he ran with his partner Jorge Betancourt).

His first book 'Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho' was published in 2008 (with a launch held at Soho's infamous The Colony Room Club). In 2009 Clayton turned the book into a play and appeared on stage at the Trafalgar Studios alongside actor David Benson and singer Maggie K de Monde. The play returned for an extended run in 2010, Clayton again narrating alongside David and singer, Alexis Gerred.

Clayton's next book, tentatively entitled Goodbye to Soho, will be out at the end of 2011. www.claytonlittlewood.com

Praise for Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho

"Touching, funny and poignant." Sir Elton John

"Funny, perceptive, sexy, exquisitely observed." Stephen Fry

"A 21st Century Samuel Pepys of the Soho subculture." - Holly Johnson

"A collection of witty and piquant vignettes." - thelondonpaper

"Clayton Littlewood's book is tender, warm and full of humanity." - New Statesman

"His novel truly shines." - Gay Times (Book of the Year 2009)

"Downright hysterical." - QX Magazine

"This book is awesome." - Instinct (US)

"A sense of historic Soho (Rimbaud and Verlaine, Quentin Crisp) percolates through the book." - One80 magazine

"Original anecdotes and real life stories told with a Hogarthian incisiveness - a sort of unofficial tourist guide evoking a vivid portrait of an area that is like no other." - West End Extra

"As evocative in its own way as Isherwood's take on that other sin bin, the Berlin of the 1920's...a twenty first century love story to Soho." - The Soho Society

"A warts'n'all year of seedy beauty, faded glamour and real danger...It is honest, writing without preconceptions, Clayton stayed true to himself, and so his book stays true to Soho." - reFresh Magazine

"Clayton Littlewood evokes the sights and smells of an historic gaybourhood."- Toronto Star (Canada)

"Funny. Observant. Gives a sense of gay history without being preachy. Compulsively readable... like one of those historic diaries like Samuel Pepys' or Virginia Woolf's." - Gay NZ.com (New Zealand)

"It is because of Clayton's genuine interest in the people he writes about that Dirty White Boy is such a compelling read."- Polari Magazine

"When writers try to make art that is universal and not personal they always fail - its being personal that makes it universal in the end...Soho is like an upturned dustbin and he like a drunk rummaging through it. He shows us that all that glitters is not gold. And all that smells is not garbage." - Sebastian Horsley, author of Dandy in the Underworld

"The the queer descendent of Samuel Pepys, Clayton Littlewood captures the day-to-day drama of his London in all its demented glory." - Michael Thomas Ford, author of Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and Last Summer

"A hilarious and poignant fly-on-the-wall view of Soho. Clayton Littlewood is the wisest fly you will ever meet." - Josh Kilmer-Purcell, author of I Am Not Myself These Days

"Insightful, humorous, heart-breaking." - Arthur Wooten, author of On Picking Fruit, Fruit Cocktail and Birthday Pie

"Dirty White Boy does for Soho in the digital age what Samuel Pepys and Daniel Defoe did for London in the 17th Century...their stories are what makes Dirty White Boy such a wonderful book." - AfterElton.com

"The more I read the more I became totally engrossed...reliving the sights, sounds and even the smells of Soho. The rich cast of characters is painted in all their beauty and dirtiness making for some terrific tales." - GayNewsBits.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soho's underbelly fully exposed!, December 21, 2008

By 

N. Wayne Gowdy "I'm a Waynebow" (Danbury, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho (Paperback)

I had read many of this blogger's stories online at MySpace, but having them all assembled for consumption as fast as I could handle them is so much more wonderful. Clayton has an incisive style that relies on deft wording over shock value. His characters are as palpable as any I have ever read about, without actually knowing the persons he shares with us. Something tells me I would instantly recognize Pam the fag lady, Sebastian, Leslie and Charlie were I to run into them somewhere. He's made them that familiar to me in his storytelling!

I have it on good authority that a second book is in the works, and I'm itching to get my hands on it as well!

4.0 out of 5 stars Poignancy amidst the hilarity, February 11, 2012

By 

David G. Hallman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho (Paperback)

Clayton Littlewood takes us into a wonderfully engaging insider's view of London's gay Old Compton Street in his "Dirty White Boy - Tales of Soho."

The characters that wander into the clothing shop that Clayton and his partner run, sometimes buying but too often not, are drawn by Clayton's pen with such potent yet economical detail that in the many brief blog entries that make up the book we get a vivid picture of their lives and their eccentricities.

There are countless laugh-out-loud sections.

But there are also deeply touching moments illustrating the despair of some of the lives depicted by Clayton. There are street people who stop by the store for a bit of change or even just a hug. There are the wild celebs and wannabe celebs. There are the young hustlers who are aging too fast from the lifestyle and the drugs. There is the constant drama of the brothel upstairs. And there is the once-was and maybe-will-be-again coupling of Leslie and Charlie.

With a subtle candidness, Clayton also shares the struggles in his own life to keep the store financially viable and the impact that has on his relationship.

A wonderful read whether you have spent many hours in Soho or just wish you could.

Check out his website at claytonlittlewood.com for information on his new book "Goodbye to Soho."

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Realistic Quips of Today's Gay Culture, May 2, 2009

By 

Adam Sorenson "Adam" (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty White Boy: Tales of Soho (Paperback)

Clayton Littlewood was in a unique position, operating a clothing store in London's Soho for two years. Could you imagine - sitting on the street corner watching the crazy world go by for two years? Except Clayton did it from the comfort of the store he and his partner ran. They were in a unique position to befriend their clientele and at every opportunity, Clayton took notes on what he saw and heard. Clayton has assembled these quips into a unique perspective on real components of today's gay culture. Taken on at a time, we may shrug off such events as unusual. But taken collectively, we really see that these events are not rare occurrences, but regular happenings. We see how crazy the world is today. Humorous, incredulous, even shocking at times, this is a fantastic documentary not to be missed.