Author | Thorn Kief Hillsbery |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | punk literature, LGBT literature |
Set in | Los Angeles |
Publisher | Villard |
Publication date | 2005 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (paperback) |
Pages | 346 pp |
ISBN | 0-8129-7309-7 (paperback edition) |
OCLC | 55877401 |
What We Do Is Secret is the second punk novel by Thorn Kief Hillsbery, published by Villard in 2005, with a subsequent e-book edition released in 2007. [1] The novel was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in fiction. [2] Writing for Out, Aaron Hamburger named it one of the top five books of 2005 and "a wild ride of a novel that careens through a fateful evening in L.A.'s punk scene." [3]
What We Do Is Secret takes place in Los Angeles in 1981, six months after the death of Darby Crash (lead singer of the Germs). It is narrated by hustler and street punk Rockets Redglare, who knew Darby personally. Like a punk American Graffiti, the action occurs over the course of 24 hours,"as Rockets amps up for another night looking for tricks and scrounging a meal, Sex Pistols and X lyrics on repeat in his head...he’s come to a turning point–the scene is changing, and nothing’s as easy as it was when Darby brought him into the fold [4] ." Though the novel is a work of fiction, numerous real-life figures from the L.A. punk scene make appearances. The first edition cover image is by influential skate photographer Tobin Yelland.
Set over the course of a single day, the narrative moves from day to night and from east ("East of La Brea") to west ("West of the West"), from Hollywood to a secret surf spot in-between the old Pacific Ocean Park pilings in Santa Monica where the book's rain-swept denouement takes place.
Narrator Rockets and his crew of street punks, Siouxie, Squid, and Blitzer, turn tricks and pull off various capers to make enough money to buy drugs (typically poppers, tabs, and the amphetamine derivative Desoxyn) and make it to the night's punk show at The Vex. Despite his age, Rockets is accepted as one of the gang, but he is secretly scared of being returned to a group home.
Rockets is a throwaway kid, abandoned at birth by his junkie parents, and he found a home among the misfits drawn to the Masque, the basement epicenter of L.A.'s nascent punk scene. He and Darby had a sexual relationship and Rockets, like many in the scene, looked up to Darby. Rockets was aware, however, that he was often manipulated by Darby's mind games and talent for controlling people. After Darby's suicide by heroin overdose, the scene has begun to fragment. Rockets and Blitzer, a heroin addict, gradually become more intimate, sexually and otherwise. Blitzer holds out the hope of a new life for the two of them together in Idaho. When two gay tourists turn up looking for drugs and subsequently hire the crew to show them around L.A., Blitzer devises a scheme to get the money he and Rockets need to skip town and leave their lives on the Hollywood streets behind.
The Germs were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band's "classic" lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles. They released only one album, 1979's (GI), produced by Joan Jett, and were featured in Penelope Spheeris' seminal documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement. The Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide in 1980. Their music was influential to many later rock acts, and Smear went on to achieve greater fame performing with Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
New Romantic was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New Romantic movement was characterised by flamboyant, eccentric fashion inspired by fashion boutiques such as Kahn and Bell in Birmingham and PX in London. Early adherents of the movement were often referred to by the press by such names as Blitz Kids, New Dandies and Romantic Rebels.
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.
Jan Paul Beahm was an American singer who, along with longtime friend Pat Smear, co-founded the punk rock band the Germs and was best known as their lead vocalist. In 1980, he committed suicide by overdosing on heroin.
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What We Do Is Secret is a 2007 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. It was directed by Rodger Grossman, who wrote the screenplay based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of the film. Shane West stars as Crash, while Rick Gonzalez, Bijou Phillips, and Noah Segan respectively portray Germs members Pat Smear, Lorna Doom, and Don Bolles. The film follows the formation and career of the Germs, focusing on Crash's mysterious "five-year plan", his homosexual relationship with Rob Henley, and his experimentation with heroin, culminating in his December 1980 suicide. It is titled after the first track on the Germs' 1979 album (GI).
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