Customer Reviews

Live Fast--Die Young: Remembering the Short Life of James Dean

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The above quote is on the banner of the trade paper edition of LIVE FAST-DIE YOUNG, which I have just finished reading. This book swept me up and put me right back in the 1950's; I now understand what the whole amazing charisma of James Dean means, and why he is as important today, if not more so, than he was in his pitifully short life and career. John Gilmore, who ran with James Dean (even slept with him!), shared girls with him and a scary love of speed and wildness, gives us a picture of a time and place that rings absolutely true. I came to this book because I was so taken with Gilmore's earlier book, LAID BARE, which includes a few of the themes dealing with James Dean (he deals with many other movie stars in that earlier book), and his relationship with the late actor is explored here in the most daring and significant portrayal of James Dean that I have encountered. Can't we give this book Six stars?

I thought James Gilmore did an excellent job. I had already read a couple of bios on James Dean, and Gilmore was noted in both, so it seemed logical to read his point of view. He was obviously a good friend, and offered personal insight from actual contact with Dean. Dean was mesmerizing, talented, and a person in obvious pain. I think anyone who reads extensively about Dean must reach the conclusion that he was not homosexual, but bisexual and very experimental. He also seemed to enjoy it when people wondered about him, and was a very private person. It is a tragedy that he did not live to his potential, professionally or personally. I did wonder about the implication that Gilmore made about Dean fathering a child who by anyone's count could certainly be alive today. Interesting. Get it, read it, and learn about one of the most complex personalities Hollywood ever had the priviledge of promoting.

John Gilmore is one of the "hot" authors of our time; a penetrating, unbiased literary figure who has lived an extraordinary life, having been a close friend of James Dean is certainly not the least of it. This Thunder's Mouth edition is out of print but I understand a new edition is going to press soon which will include many more photos of James Dean. Any reader who wants to know the inner workings of a rich yet complex personality such as Dean's will find this book a must. Not everyone will appreciate Gilmore's candidness, for we live in a media culture that has invested decades in a program of hiding the truth and selling the lies. To wit: the reviewer who calls this minor masterpiece "garbage" (the reviewer bashes a memoir on Dean by Dizzy Sheridan as well, who also knew Dean. Seems those fortunate enough to have known Dean have a different take on him than the hack writers). A writer as controversial as Gilmore will necessarily invite applause from the intelligentsia as well as curses from the misguided, self-appointed critics of those few who are bold enough to cut through the slop and give us a glimpse of human truth. LIVE FAST-DIE YOUNG is the book favored by die-hards and not the movie mag and fluff readers. Again: an absolute must for an understanding of the genius of James Dean. Also check out LAID BARE by Gilmore.

As an avid James Dean fan and bio reader, I pick up most all of his bios and try them out. This one definitely ranks up there with some of the best. It is told by a Very close friend of Jimmy's and goes into exacting detail about character traits of the brilliant star. Though it is absolutely not your "typical" biography in a objective sense-because it can't be-it may be a better insight for that reason. The gritty reality imposed by this book is palpable; literally! You will watch Jimmy through some of the closest eyes ever to reflect his image. A Must Read for true fans.

I got this book back when it first came out in 1997 under its original title, 'Remembering the Short Life of James Dean, and have loved it ever since. Contrary to the views of the literary snobs and prudish nostalgia junkies, this is a bold and gut- wrenching scorcher of a biography. It comes to us from the memories and noir-stylings of John Gilmore, the former child actor, screen writer, director and Hollywood culture visionary.Being a hardcore Dean fan for 21 years, I've perused and collected all manner of Dean biographies and other memorabilia, but never have I come across any source that equals the strength and clarity of Gilmore's groundbreaking work. This powerful first-hand account of the enigmatic and elusive actor is hard to put down, even eight years later as I go through it again. From the sad and grim opening pages, as Gilmore takes us into the immediate aftermath of Dean's violent death and the pain his loss caused the author, to his unique approach and motivations for writing such a personal memoir, this tome never lets up. The vivid and gritty anecdotes, the naked psychological disections are staggering in this very original approach to James Dean the person. Taken with Val Holley's honest and penetrating 1995 effort, James Dean:The Biography, one comes as close to the flesh and blood young man as we will likely ever get. From the beginning it is obvious that the driving force behind Dean's infinite complexity and troubled nature was not only the early loss of his beloved mother, but the subsequent rejection and emotional abandonment of Jimmy by his father, Winton. Gilmore's painful honesty here brings Dean's sad childhood into focus like no other previous writer. Winton is revealed as having been an emotionally vacant and cold blooded man, forced into a marriage and fatherhood that he quickly found to be stale and filled with responsibilities he never anticipated. Gilmore exposes the father of James Dean as being stilted, cruel and abusive-by-indifference.He wanted out from under the crushing entrapment of a sickly, frail wife and a "girlish weakling" of a son. Mildred Dean's death set the stage for Winton's new-found freedom, but it more ominously began the restless, lonely and confused life of his son. John Gilmore was a 17 year old struggling actor when he met Dean in New York around 1953. They were both from broken homes and had indifferent fathers. Most of their support, emotional and otherwise, came from an assortment of other family members, and for the most part, each had to find his own way in the world. Dean and Gilmore shared much in their brief and intense friendship, including an exploration of a sexual nature that Gilmore details in a way that reveals the adventurous and fearless curiousity of two 'bad boy' types. Including many previously unpublished photos taken by Dean of Gilmore,a rare shot of the controversial mentor of Dean, the Rev, James DeWeerd and many classic shots of Jimmy, Gilmore's memoir of his time with the mercurial rebel exposes the fraudulence and irresponsible prejudices of many previous works on Dean that pander to the conservative sensitivities of the right-wing nostalgia crowd.One who approaches this complex tale with hopes of confirming Dean's alleged homosexuality will be further confounded when they read between the lines. Gilmore eloquently addresses this issue and the result will surprise many while it increases the scope of this fascinating and multifaceted icon. Since its original publication, Live Fast, Die Young has created uproar and controversy, but perhaps not as much as it would have if Paul Alexander's Boulevard of Broken Dreams had not gone to the firing squad first. The lesson I got from this study on James Dean is that his short, restless life was about the search for emotional and artistic freedom. It also showed what can lie behind the glossy sheen of accepted myth and tradition: that being a genuine human being more interesting and vital than any movie magazine legend. There's been some question as to John Gilmore's taste in what he has revealed here. I think what other previous writers chose to ignore, when it was right in front of them ,is far more tasteless AND questionable.The final chapters deal with the painful struggle of Gilmore and other Dean friends to understand and cope with his sudden death. This includes a shocking detail which left this reader all the more saddened by Dean's fate. As if his story isn't sad and poignant enough, now comes this haunting capstone to an already powerful story. I cannot recommend this book enough for the progressive mind and the serious student of James Dean. Paul Waters

I guess I can say this is a muscular book, the writing is strong, muscular, and very sensual. James Dean, as portrayed by John Gilmore, a pal from the New York days before Jimmy became a star, then for a brief time after like in the spring of 1955, presents Dean as the real maverick he was, a thorn in Hollywood's side. A saddness eminates from this account as does the hypocricy of the movie business. Dean tried to be real in much the same way as the Beats struggled shortly after Dean's death to break from the suffocating conformity of the mid-1950's. James Dean comes across as a real innovator, not only in his craft and talents, but in his sexuality which is captured on target by Gilmore. A highly worthwhile read; not necessarily the red-ribbon stuff the fans might be chasing, but what's here is the nuts and bolts of a real life personality.

I loved this book, was not shocked by anything his "best friend" Gilmore had to tell us. It's the sort of stuff I'd heard about for years, and it was fun to finally hear about Jimmy through the eyes of someone who actually knew him. Jimmy was a "bad boy" for sure, I got a kick out of it. It's extremely well written and I'd recommend this to any Dean fan (who isn't a complete prude).

The review supplied by "Moviemadman," which reads suspiciously as if it could be the author of the book writing under a pseudonym, surely deserves a comment all its own.

Gilmore's book cannot be taken in any way as a "personal into-the-head-and-life" view of James Dean, whatever such jargon really means. It is more a personal probe into the author's own head, where we are treated to his desperately dated idea of porn and a dose of his ham-fisted imagination, period. Further, one feels that Gilmore is wise to have left accurate, honest, historical accounts of Dean's life to defensively derided "academic boys," as they at least try to get to the truth of the subject. But this is clearly a goal Gilmore avoids; truth would seem to be unavailable to him, as evidenced by the blather he puts forth in place of substantiated biographical detail.

Gilmore also modestly claims that Dean considered him "a Rimbaud-like character." His tabloid journalistic approach to biography of course in no way qualifies him for comparison with Arthur Rimbaud. And at the age Gilmore was when he purportedly knew Dean, few of Gilmore's extant literary or poetic works would seem to have qualified him as the French poet's peer. Dean may have needed glasses, but he was hardly myopic when it came to his assessment of his friends, nor was he inclined to cheap flattery, no matter the recipient. Were Gilmore aware of the scope of Rimbaud's talent, his effect on literature, and indeed the circumstances of his life, perhaps he would not have made such a preposterous claim. But then, of course, he did write this silly book.

Yes, Gilmore's book is "hard to take," because it is so riddled with inaccuracies and what appears as downright invention. A "fearless work?" If by "fearless" you mean "reckless," maybe. Gross, certainly. But reliable, it aint.

This is an outstanding book and a must read for the discerning James Dean fan. Gilmore gives many fascinating details about Dean - from a man who knew him well. The "review" from Kirkus Reviews, (above) unlike Gilmore's book, seems to dwell on the bisexuality of James Dean. Gilmore has written a fine book that explores every aspect of Deans' life, not dwelling on (or skipping over) anything. I was impressed with the fact that both family and friends apparently collaborated on the book. Gilmore seems to be a thoughtful, inteligent writer whose book I found to be incredibly well written. Forget the fluff from "authors" who knew James Dean for two seconds (or never met him at all). Read this book!

John Gilmore's writing dazzles. There is no other way to put it. Since back when I first saw "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without A Cause" there was a strong identification I felt with James Dean. More of a recognition for something I couldn't pin down until reading this book by Gilmore. He has succeeded in making his language go right to that spot in the reader, like the expression "it gets you where you live". The book has made me understand that recognition and what it was that came across the screen from Dean that has had a powerful affect on some many fans. I feel like I understand who James Dean was and what he thought and felt. I've read other books on Dean but never one where he comes so alive that he steps right out of the page, as he does in Gilmore's book. I can feel the wind on those wild motorcycle rides, and experience the warmth of the affections between the characters. Also share the timid explorations in the sexual activities, which make this book really quite remarkable. Above all, this is an intense story about some intense, very human individuals. The fact that James Dean was a major movie star only adds so much more luster to a credible and rich story. Anyone with any interest in James Dean whatsoever must read this book. It takes the reader across those muddy waters created by others cashing in on the tragic story James Dean.