Death Valley Superstars: Occasionally Fatal Adventures in Filmland

In years to come this book will be valued as being the most pungent portrayal of American decadence that exists. The anecdotes that it relates reveal how abysmally decadent popular American culture has become. These stories take place in Holywood for the most part, but similar stories could come from any part of the United States. The reader is exposed to the violence, vulgarity, sexual promiscuity, drug consumption, alcoholism, suicides, murders, insanity and metaphysical confusion that characterize presentday American culture. The craziest person in the book is the man who thinks that he has made love with the Second Coming of Christ. I am referring to myself and the Messiah that I reveal is my first lover, Mark Frechette. Paul Tillich, the German Lutheran Marxist who mesmerized Americans of my generation and who was considered to be "the greatest theologian since Augustine" sincerely believed that the Second Coming of Christ would be a twentieth century American revolutionary. He would have been delighted with my discovery of Mark Frechette. Mark was thus discovered by two internationally famous European Marxists, Tillich and Antonioni. You can read this story in my book What Rough Beast by Robert Dole, published in London in 2017 by Austin Macauley.

A fun, interesting, fascinating and often moving book of essays about pop culture, movies, cult figures, LA and the author's personal experience with them. A few of my favorites: The chapter on Lee Harvey Oswald and how certain movies influenced his world view; an unusual, neglected take on the infamous assassin, who was famously apprehended in a Dallas movie theatre.The experience of writing for and acting in, a not-so-good Roger Corman movie, in the 1980s, and personal interactions with the renowned independent director/producer/studio head himself, who championed and promoted the film. Definitely of interest of the many Corman fans and film (history) students.A powerful and significant chapter on 1960s cult actor Christopher Jones, known to mainstream audiences for the Hollywood hit Ryan's Daughter (1970) and the author's conversations and relationships with those who knew Jones well after fame.Detailed research on another 1960s cult actor, Mark Frechette, tragic star of the cult film Zabriskie Point. (also 1970) Unfortunately Frechette was committed to the real life personality cult of Mel Lyman, which would sadly lead to the end of his relationship with beautiful co-star Daria Halprin, and to his own premature death in prison.A funny and captivating essay involving LA psychic mediums, The Doors, the ghost of Jim Morrison and a wild party in Morrison's old (and current?) sometimes room at the Alta Cienega.And much, much more than I can write here. A very high recommendation.

Duke Haney has joined the ranks of Gay Talese and Pete Hamill as the best of non fiction writers , his essays on Steve Cochran and Christopher Jones are brilliant.

D.R.Haney, one of my favorite writers, has produced yet another masterpiece. This time, Haney trains his one-of-a-kind vision on one of this signature obsessions: fading celebrity, of the kind peculiar to Hollywood. Each entry in this remarkable volume recalls a Los Angeles star, most that time has forgotten: Steve Cochran, Mark Frechette, Sean Flynn. He imbues each subject with such reverence that the pieces become a collective intonation, a summoning of dead spirits (in the case of Jim Morrison, quite literally!); reading, we feel that no one cares more about these people than Haney. Here is a writer at the peak of his powers, writing with care and precision about a subject that is his absolute forte. No one else has the dark genius to conjure up a book like this, a great American tragedy, endlessly interesting.

A deft writer, everyone should be so lucky as Haney writing posthumously of their life. If you're assuming this to be a Hollywood Babylon sort of book, think again. This book makes you smarter; not at all flashy or sensational, but rather informative and deep. So many ah-ha moments throughout the book from twists in perspective only Haney is capable of. He treats his subjects with a certain nonjudgmental compassion that is a pleasure to take in and each essay is filled with information never written about the subjects before. There is an often humorous self deprecation when writing about himself which I also find delightful and absolutely *laugh out loud* funny.Just buy this book, I guarantee hours of enjoyment and a ton of fresh stories to tell at cocktail parties.