G. K. Stritch

Cbgb Was My High School: a Rose Comes of Age on the Razor's Edge G. K. Stritch

Will dangers, dalliances, and delights ensnare a young innocent on a rocking-and-roiling, art-felt journey of self-discovery? Difficult 1970s high school days lead to New York City adventure with time spent growing up at fabled Manhattan hot spots CBGB and Max's Kansas City as a ladylike young beauty learns the ways of the world yet keeps her own quiet counsel in this coming-of-age memoir. She flirts with the rock 'n' roll world of Johnny Thunders, the Ramones, Patti Smith, and an assortment of downtown types including Andy Warhol, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Vincent Gallo. After traveling with the Ramones, she tires of the club scene and her tastes turn uptown. As a makeup artist at a well-known shop on Fifty-fifth Street, she meets many beauties and stars of stage and screen, most notably Cher but including everyone from Lena Horne to Ronnie Spector. The highlight of her adventures is an encounter with Jackie Onassis in the 1980s. The author becomes enamored of Café Carlyle chanteuses, but ultimately her sights soar to the truly sublime. Recollections of an introspective young life emerge throughout the book. It's not all frippery. The writing delivers a gentle, cautionary tale in a fast and amusing read.