In 2023, I immersed myself in the media of my childhood listening to nothing but eighties tunes and rediscovering some of the iconic films of the decade. I’ve now segued to recapturing my teenage years and waxing nostalgic on the last decade before the internet (and later social media) took over our lives. It may not have been perfect at the time … but it was. The next series of books all brought me back to the nineties and the culture that provided backdrop to my formative years.
Last Night at the Viper Room
Written by Gavin Edwards
River Phoenix is often touted as the original Leonardo DiCaprio: an amazing actor who also happened to be a Teen Beat heartthrob to young women but was ultimately revered (and remembered) for talent and humanity beyond his years. Last Night at the Viper Room explores his trajectory from being raised in a cult to starting out in Hollywood, playing roles in iconic films such as Stand By Me and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The book also examines the history of the infamous Sunset Boulevard nightspot The Viper Room and the characters that frequented it during an era when hard drugs were becoming harder. River’s legacy, unfortunately, will forever be tied to this location as the place of his death on Halloween, 1993. A sad narrative of what could have been.
Say Everything
Written by Ione Skye
Actress Ione Skye was never the top billed star but she was definitely part of the popular crowd throughout her career and has a lot interesting stories and observations to share. Her father was 60s folk singer Donovan. He never claimed her and she spent a lifetime learning how his absence and treatment of her mother was being repeated in her own life in relationships with people as varied as a Beastie Boy to an arrogant man of generational wealth to fully adult Anthony Kiedis (and also Flea) whom she had a toxic relationship with while underaged. This autobiography is perhaps the most self-reflective I’ve read from a celebrity. Her memories, praise and regret for marital discretions towards ex-husband Adam Horowitz being especially poignant.
Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival
Written by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
Lollapalooza defined the nineties in the same way that Woodstock defined the sixties. A festival curated with the hottest acts of the era bringing youth together through music, politics and people who can lift dumbbells with their penis (i.e. the Jim Rose Circus). This book is of my new favourite genre, an unfiltered oral history on everything that happened by the people who were there. From the festival’s humble beginnings to how it became a business conglomerate used to market alternative culture, this book is an excellent collection of sometimes bitter, sometimes hilarious tidbits about the personalities that played the Lolla stage. Reading about Courtney Love’s antics were a particular highlight as the shy, introverted teenage version of me was in awe of her and the strong, uncompromising woman I wished to become.
