Synopses & Reviews
Marc Spitz assumed that if he lived like his literary and rock ’n’ roll heroes, he would become a great artist, too. He conveniently overlooked the fact that many of them died young, broke, and miserable. In his candid, wistful, touching, and hilarious memoir,
Poseur, the music journalist, playwright, author, and blogger recounts his misspent years as a suburban kid searching for authenticity, dangerous fun, and druggy, downtown glory: first during New York’s last era of risk and edge, the pre-gentrification ’90s, and finally as a flamboyant and notorious rock writer, partying and posing during the music industry’s heady, decadent last gasp.
Part profane, confidential tell-all and part sweetly frank coming-of-age tale, this dirty, witty memoir finds Spitz careening through the scene, meeting and sometimes clashing with cultural icons like Courtney Love, Jeff Buckley, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Chloë Sevigny, Kim Deal, The Dandy Warhols, Guns N’ Roses, Ryan Adams, Paul Rudd, Coldplay, Pavement, Peter Dinklage, Julie Bowen, The Strokes, Trent Reznor, Chuck Klosterman, Interpol, and Franz Ferdinand, as well as meeting heroes like Allen Ginsberg, Shirley Clarke, Joe Strummer, and Morrissey. Along the way he finds literary guru Gordon Lish is a long-lost relative, and erstwhile pal and sensation JT LeRoy is an even bigger poseur.
Spitz refuses to give up the romantic ghost until a post–9/11 breakdown and an improbable new love (fellow music writer Lizzy Goodman) finally help him strike the hardest pose of all: his true self.
Synopsis
Marc Spitz grew up viewing Manhattan as his ticket to life as a real artist.” He stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, lived in the pregentrified East Village, and fell into the heroin-plagued social scene of the Lower East Side. Soon he was on a mission to recast himself as the ultimate rock writer the likes of his heroes, Nick Kent and Lester Bangs going toe-to-toe and line-for-line with the biggest, most dangerous rock-and-roll stars. Of course, it couldn't last.
In Poseur, Spitz tells a deeply personal story of dread and resolve that doubles as an unforgettable eulogy to the 90s Manhattan of Courtney Love, Morrissey, Alan Ginsberg, Damien Hirst, Joe Strummer, and Pavement, to name a few in all of its Internet-bubble, cocaine-fueled glamour.
About the Author
Marc Spitz has written and produced numerous novels, plays, and biographies including Bowie: A Biography of David Bowie and Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue. He is a regular contributor to Uncut magazine in the U.K. and his writing on rock and roll and popular culture has appeared in Spin, Rolling Stone, Maxim, Nylon, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine and the New York Times. Currently he is a music blogger at Vanity Fair's site VF Daily.