PERFORMING ARTS

The History of Bones: A Memoir

by John Lurie
Random. Aug. 2021. 448p. ISBN 9780399592973. $28. MEMOIR
COPY ISBN
Musician, actor, and painter John Lurie was an active figure in the hallowed bohemian scene of 1980s New York City. He appeared in influential movies by directors Jim Jarmusch (Stranger Than Paradise; Down by Law) and Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas), but his real love was performing with his experimental jazz band the Lounge Lizards. Fueled by heroin and cocaine addictions, Lurie straddled fame and squalor alongside some of the decade’s most influential figures, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Madonna. Particularly focused on Lurie’s competitive love-hate friendship with Basquiat and disdain for Jarmusch, this meandering collection of sordid tales is a history of his bones to pick. Lurie comes off as bitter and petty, and readers will cringe when he refers to a sex worker as a “nonperson.”
VERDICT This exhaustive replay of Lurie’s highs and lows will delight only his most ardent fans.
Reviewed by Amanda Westfall, Emmet O'Neal P.L., Mountain Brook, AL , Jul 01, 2021
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

Rolling: Blackness and Mediated Comedy
NONFICTION

The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 Films from the Nineties
by Ryan, Scott
NONFICTION

Mae West and Her Adonises
by Michaud, Michael Gregg
NONFICTION

Alfred Hitchcock, All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
by Benoliel, Bernard & others
NONFICTION

What a Fool Believes: A Memoir
by McDonald, Michael
NONFICTION

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: (But I’m Going To Anyway)
by Devantez, Chelsea
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?