Free The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, The Music, The Seventies In San Francisco Ebooks To Download
Imagine a pied piper singing in falsetto, wearing sequins, and leading the young people of the nation to San Francisco and on to a liberation where nothing was straight-laced or old-fashioned. And everyone, finally, was welcome--to come as themselves. This is not a fairy tale. This was real, mighty real, and disco-sensation Sylvester was the piper.Yale-trained sociologist Joshua Gamson uses Sylvester's life to lead us through the story of the 1970s, when a generation took off its shame. Celebrity, sociology, and music history mingle in this endlessly entertaining story of a singer who embodied the freedom, spirit, and flamboyance of a golden moment in American culture.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Picador; Reprint edition (January 24, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312425694
ISBN-13: 978-0312425692
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #756,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > LGBT > Gay #74 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Dance #1313 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Gay & Lesbian
Sylvester was a beloved figure inside his circle of admirers; he received cautious regard at best from outside that circle. Now, along comes a long overdue biography, and what a volume. The timing couldn't be more right, as the US has finally put to rest most of the putrid disco backlash. In the stores are not only decent compilations of the disco music but also books like this one that reflect the reality of the subculture. Not the bandwagon that pop radio jumped on, not the Arthur-Murray style competitions, not the faux-glamour suburban nightclubs, but the real deal. Sylvester was both artist and participant in the disco culture-- singer, performance artist, club dancer. The author of this book captures Sylvester in all his complexity and drives home the important part he played in the subculture that was disco.Gamson is an academic, which means that he has been thorough in locating good sources of information. He seemed to have access to so many of the important persons and institutions that played a part in Sylvester's life. He is able to provide a well-rounded depiction of the man's personality, warts and all. He does a good job laying out the formative experiences in this colorful life, be it a mother who role-modeled an imperious love of fashion but later derided a child who followed her example, or a church community that would exploit Sylvester's temperament but denounce him for acts its other members could get away with if they kept hypocritically silent. Sylvester's complicated relationship to the gay community of 70s San Francisco is fascinating. The author does a great job bringing all the early elements around in the end of the book, showing how lasting the formative events are and how much a person can fill in the voids during adulthood.
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it twice,then a year later, read it again!!---FANTASTIC!!It captures the times, the people, places and things thatmade Sylvester, San Francisco, that music and that erasuch a golden & magical time!I love the stories of the young Sylvester growing up inSouth Central L.A. in the 50's and 60's, FLAMING THE CHILDREN!!Giving them fabulousness and outrageousness at every turn,from his soul-stirring falsetto rendition of the black gospelclassic "Never Grow Old", to the rawkus "DISQUOTAYS", a rag-taggang of young black drag queens that he hung out with, to theoff-the-charts outfits that must've stopped traffic inthe hood big time! (LOL!!)It was evident to all who knew him even then, that thispretty black child with the high voice was way differentand way way special!! (-:Some didn't know how to take Sylvester or even know what todo with him, yet he pressed on!---Carving out his own spacewithin the harsh realities of ghetto life as best he could.Sylvester was a true pioneer in every way!He didn't see race, gender, the expectations of others,the taunts of hateful & ignorant people, etc.,as obstacles or boundaries he needed to respect.He was a true original!--Uncut, undiluted, young, black,gay, gifted, stylish, full of charm and ambition,with the soul of a torch singer or a blues shouterinfused by a rock-n-roll rebel spirit and soul singer's chops!What a combination!I myself can attest to Sylvester's impact, as both a fanand as young gay black kid who was coming of age and intoself-awareness at the very time that his star was reaching it's zenith!
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