LAID BARE by John Gilmore

"A Memoir of Wrecked Lives and the Hollywood Death Trip"

John "Jonathan" Gilmore died in October of 2016.

Finished Th 2/9/17

This is an oversized paperback that I bought at Barnes and Noble on Mo 7/27/98. There's no record that I read it, but the condition of the book indicates that it was read in a whirlpool or bath.

This is a well written expose and the author seems to have know just about all New York and Hollywood celebrities of the 40's through the early 70's.

The pieces are not in chronological order and the books starts out with his thoughts and impressions of Janis Joplin. I don't think I'll ever view her the same way. When she was living in San Francisco during the early sixties she was not much more that a drunk and drug addled street person/ busker.

He and some friends share a drink with the legendary Hank Williams and Hank is so drunk that he just pisses himself. His handlers were not surprised in the slightest, and they carried extra clothing for this reason. This happened at a Hollywood Hills C&W nightclub.

Gilmore was more than a friend to James Dean (Jimmy). The sexual encounters described between the two men border on the creepy, but feel authentic. Gilmore was married and divorced three times, he could be attracted to men. His curiosity might be that, as an actor, he is searching to find out how a homosexual would view the world. And, James Dean was a true 'American Sex Symbol' and probably connected with anyone.

Many of the 'pretty boy' stars of the forties and fifties were controlled by older, gay managers. And, they had their own version of 'the casting couch'.

Steve McQueen seems to be not at all what he appears on the screen. Gilmore sees him as a borderline coward and somewhat of a showboat. They both had relationships with the same woman, so this might someone have tainted his perception.

Harry Dean Stanton went by, 'Dean Stanton'.
Dennis Hopper comes across as a full blown lunatic- on drugs!
Jack Nicholson smokes weed and drinks wine non-stop.

Gilmore's mother was an actress during the 30's and 40's- Marguerite LeVan
His father, Robert T. Gilmore, Jr. worked as a cop for the LAPD. Later he was kind of a public relations officer- he made films for the department. He was also involved in The Black Dahlia Case- Elizabeth Short, 1947.

The actors John Hodiak and Ida Lupino were Gilmore's mentors. Hodiak was a film and TV star probably most remembered for the Hitchcock film, LIFEBOAT.

Jane Fonda was an ex girlfriend of Gilmore's. Bridget Bardot was also a girlfriend- and the French actress Jean Seberg.

Gilmore covered the trial of Charles Schmid- 'The Pied Piper of Tucson'. An early, large profile case for F. Lee Bailey.

Gilmore had numerous motorcycles and road with James Dean

Gilmore wrote a book about Charlie Manson and The Family called HUMAN GARBAGE

The book on amazon-

https://www.amazon.com/Laid-Bare-Memoir-Wrecked-Hollywood/dp/1878923080

The author's page at wikipedia-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilmore_(writer)