Skin deep in Soho

by Richard Wortley

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What could have been the ultimate document of Sixties Soho Striptease, ended up nothing more than a fragmented collection of repetitive, nonsequential observations. Even more annoyingly, Richard Wortley takes a pedestal approach - likening himself to Prof Higgins - to his main subject, Tina. All too often it comes off as misogynistic and trivializing. But that's as if the book had any sense of the whole, which it simply doesn't. Perhaps if it had been given to an editor. It's now a rare book - though not too rare - and it, much like its subject, once obtained doesn't offer up much more than a superficial tease. The companion film produced by Wortley, Carousella, available on the BFI DVD of Primitive London, does a much better job with its subject.

[Mark Leeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess you had to be there to really appreciate this book. I wasn’t. My only visit to Soho during its hey day was in 1976, aged 10. A trip to London with my father, which included a visit to Piccadilly and then lunch in a Soho cafe. As we walked through Soho, I was astounded and impressed with the nudity on display - the book shops, the theatres and strip joints, all advertising their wares. It left a lasting impression. This is a factual book that follows Tina, a stripper, who works various strip joints to make a living. Other artistes are also present. The book follows events from 1964 to 1965, and is centrered around the making of Carousella, a short film that can now be viewed as an extra on the BFIs ‘Primitive London’ release. All in all, this book does a great job in capturing Soho as it was in the mid to late 60s. Yes, it does ramble and lose focus on occasion, but I enjoyed this, and wished that I too could have experienced Soho as it was then. I’ve been to Soho many times in recent years and there is now very little evidence of the place it used to be, which is a shame. Richard Wortley died a couple of years ago. He became a very well respected director of radio drama. It would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on current Soho. I somehow feel he would have been sad as the passing of its previous vibrancy, the loss of the melting pot of people who live less normal lives than most of us. He clearly loved Soho.