Customer Reviews

From Drags to Riches: The Untold Story of Charles Pierce (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies)

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Charles Pierce did the get last laugh on his "friend," author Wallraff. This book is clearly an attempt for Wallraff to make some quick bucks and cash in on his relationship with Pierce. Wallraff drags (pun intended) up ancient, petty and no-so-petty arguments out of the distant past to discredit Pierce as a human being. Pierce would not the first show biz figure who didn't measure up so well offstage. How unfortunate that this book wasn't done as an in-depth examination of the California gay world through the eyes of those who were there. The publisher should be ashamed of themselves for putting this out--the editing is almost nonexistent, with lots of repetitive phrases and terrible journalism (Pierce's involvement in a tragic suicide is glossed over--surely some police records or newspaper reports exist). I like a juicy scene as much as the next guy, but the sexual interludes here are downright pathetic because they have nothing to do with Pierce's career and are only an exercise in badly written pornography. I am glad that I have my memories of Pierce, which I will cling to as some of the best nights I ever spent in cabarets. As for this book, I will remember it as one of the worst pieces of trash I ever wasted my money on.

Written by a long-time friend and fellow performer who seems to have serious unresolved issues about laboring in Pierce's shadow, this amateurish look at the famous entertainer isn't so much a cohesive biography as it is a haphazard memoir cobbled together from press clippings, boozy reminsces of barroom nights, transcripts of Pierce's act and excerpts from an autobiography Pierce never completed. Adding to the "kitchen sink" effect are a number of "fly-on-the-wall" descriptions of totally extraneous sexual interludes, that border on porn. For die-hard Pierce fans, this book is better than nothing. But not much.

one has to have seen Charles to fully appreciate him. this volume is a happy substitute although i wish it had been a better quality book, paper and photo wise.