Exile in Guyville: How a Punk Rock Redneck Faggot Texan Moved to West Hollywood and Refused to Be Shiny and Happy (Paperback)

~ Dave White (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Here's the diary of a man who in mid-life found himself uprooted and dumped into West Hollywood, an unfamiliar place not exactly known for stability. White explores his neighborhood ? "queens: 6 percent; cranky 70-year-old Russians who give you the evil eye when you walk past: 2 percent; blonde girls with big, round, hard fakeys who think Jennifer Anniston just got lucky: 10 percent; miscellaneous cool kids, hustlers, and actual crazy people: 5 percent."

White gets gigs as a freelance writer, goes to the grocery store where his Russian neighbors ask him questions because they think he's from the old country; and encounters Sara Gilbert at the Laundromat, Leonard Maltin at the movies, and Ben Affleck driving a Rolls-Royce so ridiculously conspicuous he might as well be driving Chitty-Chitty, Bang-Bang.

What began as weekly diaries emailed to out-of-state family and friends evolved into a blog called "Dave White Knows" and in 2003 became a monthly column in Instinct called "Exile in Guyville." Alyson Books now presents White's blogs in expanded form with loads of new material that will be even more irritating to the Instinct readers who didn't like his column. "They requested more fashion and skin-care features in its place, which makes me kind of proud."

Dave White is a freelance journalist specializing in music. His reviews and features have been seen in E! Online, IFILM, LA Weekly, Dallas Observer, Instinct, The Advocate, Glue, Cybersocket, Total Movie, Unzipped, and Frontiers. White lives in West Hollywood with his boyfriend, the Morocco Mole, and is locally esteemed as the "King of Pancakes."

About the Author

Dave White is a freelance journalist specializing in music. His reviews and features have been seen in E! Online, IFILM, LA Weekly, Instinct, The Advocate, Glue, Cybersocket, Unzipped, and Frontiers. Born in New Hampshire, he was raised in Roswell, N.M., Dallas and Lubbock, Texas. He lives in West Hollywood with his boyfriend, the Morocco Mole, and is locally esteemed as the King of Pancakes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555839320
• ISBN-13: 978-1555839321
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #22 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Gay
  #31 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Gay & Lesbian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made me wanna move back to LA so I could make fun of it all over again!, May 16, 2006

By	J. Martin (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you Dave White!!!!!

Though I don't live in LA anymore, Dave's book fondly reminds me of those afternoons when my snarky friends and I would sit at the Starbucks on Melrose for hours and endlessly make fun of the non-stop freakshow going by.

And when I say "make fun of" I really mean "love and appreciate" because without those half-insane, made-over, media-drunk, fashion-challenged, career-deluded souls presenting themselves publicly for my amusement, the LA experience would be mighty grim, indeed.

If you live in LA, or have ever lived in LA, no matter what your experience, there's something in this book for you. I promise.

If you haven't lived in LA, consider this book a cautionary tale...or a handbook...or an inspirational how-to guide...or evidence that the LA you see on Extra is, in fact, there...just not how you might think.

Oh hell, just buy it - it's cheap!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not For Those With A Delicate Gut, June 26, 2006

By	Paul S. Cilwa "Rafting Bear" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...because mine still hurts from laughing so hard. This is the kind of book that you keep promising yourself "Just one more page, then I'll put it down till tomorrow!" because you don't want it to end but then you keep reading anyway and the next thing you know your hemmorhoids are sore.

Oh, was that too much information? Then you might not like this book. But I loved it.

Now excuse me while I go hunting for the Preparation H.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly funny and warm, May 8, 2006

By	T. Moore "thoughtful reader" (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am pretty sick and tired of the whole "witty gay guy" thing and really appreciate Dave White's genuinely funny authentic voice. I have read his other stuff and knew it would be entertaining, but I did not expect to laugh out loud and read the whole book in one sitting.