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Courtney Love
Poppy Z. Brite, better known for her punk-gothic horror and dreadful taste in clothing (the jacket photo shows her looking like a reject from a 1985 audition for a Cure video) here gets her hands on something much scarier than club-hopping vampires: the life of Courtney Love. Born Love Michelle Harrison, Courtney's childhood combines the worst of doped-up hippie parenting...more
Published
by Orion Books
(first published October 2nd 1997)
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I'm going to try to remember all the books I read and add them here, despite how I may now feel about having spent several hours of my life reading them. In high school I thought Courtney Love was kind of cool. She married Kurt Cobain after all and I was into him, so I figured I better be into her, too. I'm sure at the time I thought the book was interesting, but now its one of those ones you kind of regret owning. It was a birthday gift, so at least I can honestly say I didn't pay for it. But I...more
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I guess Courtney loves to be inscrutably ostentatious--and hunting down Poppy Z. Brite to write her "unauthorized" biography is yet another instance. I will always love her though, stand by her as an idol. I'm endlessly fascinated by both Courtney and Kurt. I think they were both hugely intelligent individuals--despite the drugs--and it is amazing how they were compelled, perhaps helplessly, to take on these larger-than-life roles. Kurt cast himself as Christ, the ever-suffering son and martyr,...more
This is like a book version of those cheap unauthorised bio's you see on the biography channel. You know the ones that use the same 6 photo's over and over again, use bad background studio muzac that kind of sound a bit like the subjects music genre(but not at all really) and pads out about 10 mins of facts and interview snipets with their nextdoor neighbours best friends taxi driver (who knew the 'real' person behind the image beacuse they drove them to the casino once in 1985)by repeating them...more
Jan 20, 2011
Danielle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
rock-biographies,
favorites
It's hard to know whether Poppy Brite is a magnificent writer or Courtney Love- the myth, the legend and the disaster is such a compelling individual that it doesn't need much work. What I know for certain is I couldn't put this book down. I was fascinated by this woman. The way she wrote, the way she cataloged her life, the amazing things she did. This is the quintessential Courtney Love and grunge rock biography.
As much as I don't want to believe Courtney (about Curt's death), her story is very compelling. Ms. Brite does an amazing job of capturing the many different sides to Courtney Love.
I all most feel sorry for her...her life was no easy life, but of course, other wise the book wouldn't be as exciting...
I all most feel sorry for her...her life was no easy life, but of course, other wise the book wouldn't be as exciting...
I'm a huge Hole and Courtney Love fan so of course I had to read this. I think Poppy Z. Brite did a great job describing Courtney's life from her troubled early beginnings to her famed career. I think many people give Courtney trouble because she is a woman and she happened to be Kurt Cobain's wife. Of course she is going to be vilified and demonized. I think Courtney is a strong fearless female and society as a whole is afraid of that because they want women to be mute and not complain. That's...more
OK, here's the deal. I couldn't care less about Courtney Love. I bought this book because Poppy is a friend and I went to her signing. Despite who it was about, I thought it was actually a pretty interesting book. Certainly it was very well written.
She is such an interesting person besides what you see and hear of her on TV or in magazines! I have never listened to her music or been a big fan of her, but I have a new respect for her after reading that book!
Feb 08, 2008
Erin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
biography-memoir
I've always been fascinated by Courtney Love, and I'm a fan of Poppy Z. Brite, so when I saw this (a NUMBER of years ago, I think the book was published in 1997 or 1998, just at the time that Courtney had gone big-time in "The People vs. Larry Flynt") I picked it up, and just found it while looking for something light to read.
An interesting portrait of a very ambitious woman, and if even HALF of her stories are true (and Brite seems to have done a fair bit of research) then Love and lived quite...more
An interesting portrait of a very ambitious woman, and if even HALF of her stories are true (and Brite seems to have done a fair bit of research) then Love and lived quite...more
I actually really liked this read. It gives you insight to a person that people gossip about constantly and you kinda get why she has the who cares attitude she does
Apparently the author writes horror stories is dresses goth, which I was not aware of until now, but that amuses me.
There was a time when I was very fascinated with the northwestern-late 80s-early 90s scene. I know 90% of the population hates this woman. I'm ambivalent towards her, but I do like Hole. Read about how she auditioned for Sid and Nancy (the direcor thought she would be a perfect Nancy, but her resume was lacking), dated Billy Corgan, was the lead singer of Faith No More, how her dad...more
There was a time when I was very fascinated with the northwestern-late 80s-early 90s scene. I know 90% of the population hates this woman. I'm ambivalent towards her, but I do like Hole. Read about how she auditioned for Sid and Nancy (the direcor thought she would be a perfect Nancy, but her resume was lacking), dated Billy Corgan, was the lead singer of Faith No More, how her dad...more
Die hard fan of Hole and indeed her husband's big deal of a band. Not a bad book for a fan of C.L. If you've watched Behind The Music and are an owner of The Diaries Of Courtney Love, there will be plenty of things you were already aware of, which was why it took me so long to get around to reading this bio.
Worth buying for the anecdotes about Courtney's troubled and certainly colourful early life as well as an insight into the relationship between her and her parents and her famous husband. Fro...more
Worth buying for the anecdotes about Courtney's troubled and certainly colourful early life as well as an insight into the relationship between her and her parents and her famous husband. Fro...more
Jun 04, 2009
Amber
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
high-school-fun
Yeah. I totally just gave this 4 stars. Here's a fun fact about me: I loved Hole all through high school. Four years of intense love. I read this in one night- Easter Eve- my sophomore year which was when I was at the peak of of my fangirlishness. I cannot be sure if it was just that I would have loved any fairly positive or sympathetic portrait of Courtney Love or if it was just a really enjoyable biography of a famous gal. I think the writing seemed trustworthy and casual which is really what...more
Better than I thought it would be. I don't know how much of it is true but it was interesting to read.
It was okay. Gave a look into her tumultuous life, but wasn't as good as her mother's book.
This book got me into trouble with my mum
One of the best Courtnet Love biographys ever!
I'm not a fan, but Poppy's writing makes her life interesting.
uhhhhh :(
everyone hates courtney and i guess i do now that she looks undead but this was interesting book and i was very curious about her life i liked hole alot and enjoyed reading about the early days of the band i would have liked this alot more in middle school
GOOD READ. THE AUTHOR IS COURNEY'S FRIEND SO IT IS ALL FROM COURNEY'S MOUTH AUTHORIZED TRUTH. NIRVANA BOOKS ARE ALOT OF OPPOSITES ABOUT HER. SHE IS A LOUD MOUTH WOMAN WITH ALOT ON HER MIND.
Heh, I read this and underlined it and wrote "so true!" in the margins. Stupid Kati. The book is not very good. I'm more fascinated with Poppy than CL.
Jul 01, 2007
Willow
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
auto-biography-memoir
Oh Courtney! You were my idol and inspiration all through high school. This was a very good book, and Poppy Z. Brite was a good fit to be writing it.
Quick read. Interesting. I am further convinced that Courtney Love had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Kurt Cobain.
I read a few pages before I realized I was beyond caring about either Courtney Love or Poppy Brite at this stage in my life.
Disappointed when I realised it was published in 1998... Courtney has done so much bad and good since then!
SO INTERESTING!!! She has been a lot of places and done a lot of things that are very strange-even for her.
Aug 29, 2007
Sarah Giovanniello
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction
Poppy Z. Brite and Courtney Love together is a recipe for perfection.
Oct 09, 2007
R.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
courtney love
Shelves:
1974-2002
See where you've been before you go any further, Ms. Love.
Jul 15, 2008
Sarah Gunn
added it
I think Courtney Love is fabulous. Nuff said.
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Poppy Z. Brite (born Melissa Ann Brite, now going by Billy Martin) is an American author born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Born a biological female, Brite has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues. He self-identifies almost completely as a homosexual male rather than female, and as of 2011 has started taking testosterone injections. His male name is Billy Martin.
He...more
More about Poppy Z. Brite...
Born a biological female, Brite has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues. He self-identifies almost completely as a homosexual male rather than female, and as of 2011 has started taking testosterone injections. His male name is Billy Martin.
He...more
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