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Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange-- How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos
After the sexual revolution came the sexual explosion.
The six years between 1968 and 1973 saw more sexual taboos challenged than ever before, and likely ever since. Film, literature, theater and music simultaneously broke through barriers previously unimagined, giving birth to what we still consider to be the height of sexual expression: The Joy of Sex, Myra Breckinridge, Hair, The Boys in the Band, Midnight Cowboy, Playgirl, and Deep Throat.
In Sexplosion, Robert Hofler weaves a lively narrative linking many of the writers, producers, and actors responsible for creating these controversial works, placing them within their cultural and social frameworks. While the Stonewall Riots violently ravaged Greenwich Village, and Roe v. Wade reached the Supreme Court, a group of daring artists where challenging the status quo and defining the country’s concept of sexual liberation. Hofler follows the creation of and reaction to these groundbreaking works, tracing their connections and influences upon one another and the rest of entertainment.
Always colorful and often unexpected, Sexplosion is an illuminating work about the origins of sexual expression in popular culture and the power it continues to hold after forty years.
The six years between 1968 and 1973 saw more sexual taboos challenged than ever before, and likely ever since. Film, literature, theater and music simultaneously broke through barriers previously unimagined, giving birth to what we still consider to be the height of sexual expression: The Joy of Sex, Myra Breckinridge, Hair, The Boys in the Band, Midnight Cowboy, Playgirl, and Deep Throat.
In Sexplosion, Robert Hofler weaves a lively narrative linking many of the writers, producers, and actors responsible for creating these controversial works, placing them within their cultural and social frameworks. While the Stonewall Riots violently ravaged Greenwich Village, and Roe v. Wade reached the Supreme Court, a group of daring artists where challenging the status quo and defining the country’s concept of sexual liberation. Hofler follows the creation of and reaction to these groundbreaking works, tracing their connections and influences upon one another and the rest of entertainment.
Always colorful and often unexpected, Sexplosion is an illuminating work about the origins of sexual expression in popular culture and the power it continues to hold after forty years.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2014
12 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 23, 2014
It's weird to think that not too long ago, intelligent and well-respected people in the media cavalierly used the words "queer", "fag", and "faggot" to describe homosexuals---without any thought or consideration of the derogatoriness of the terms---on the one hand, while on the other hand lambasted and censured those who cavalierly referred to black people as "niggers" or women as "bitches" or "cunts". The hypocrisy aside (an all-too-easy criticism for those of us living in a more "enlightened" era), this fact simply demonstrates how challenging and awful it was for many openly-gay people, as the general (straight) public viewed homosexuality in one of two ways. Homosexuality was either: 1) immoral and/or a mental illness, or 2) non-existent.
For those in the latter camp, ignorance was a bliss that was perpetuated by the long-standing taboo in literature and film regarding homosexuality, in which homosexuality was simply not discussed or represented in any way, and, if it was referred to, it was always negatively. (Gays in most books and films were either the stereotypical limp-wrists who provided comic relief, or they were frightening sexual deviants who almost invariably died violently in the end. Rarely were they ever portrayed as sympathetic characters.) There was, of course, a very strong homosexual underground media, but it stayed relatively underground up until the late-1960s.
Robert Hofler's fascinating and entertaining book "Sexplosion" is about this exciting time (1968 to 1973, specifically) after the Sexual Revolution as an era in which many cultural and societal taboos were challenged and destroyed, paving the way for more acceptance and compassion as well as the predictable knee-jerk reactions of conservatives.
Starting with Andy Warhol and the output of his Factory, especially in regards to his notorious art films, Hofler gives an overview of the significant literary, filmic, and television contributions that helped shatter these taboos.
From Gore Vidal's novel "Myra Breckenridge" (the first novel to feature a transgendered person as the protagonist) to Mart Crowley's stage play "The Boys in the Band" (the first play to feature an all-gay cast of characters) to John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning film "Midnight Cowboy" starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, about two male street hustlers who fall in love, "Sexplosion" chronicles all of the significant ground-breakers of the time. Some of them, to be fair, were dubious: Warhol's film "Trash", for example, which is the first film to feature an actress (Holly Woodlawn) graphically masturbating with a beer bottle.
Of course, one must take the good with the bad (and the ugly) when shattering taboos. In the end, taboos must be destroyed if we continue to believe that we live in a free society. Taboos are nothing more than restrictive and destructive attempts to govern our thoughts. To that end, Hofler's book celebrates, commemorates, and critiques these taboo-breakers.
For those in the latter camp, ignorance was a bliss that was perpetuated by the long-standing taboo in literature and film regarding homosexuality, in which homosexuality was simply not discussed or represented in any way, and, if it was referred to, it was always negatively. (Gays in most books and films were either the stereotypical limp-wrists who provided comic relief, or they were frightening sexual deviants who almost invariably died violently in the end. Rarely were they ever portrayed as sympathetic characters.) There was, of course, a very strong homosexual underground media, but it stayed relatively underground up until the late-1960s.
Robert Hofler's fascinating and entertaining book "Sexplosion" is about this exciting time (1968 to 1973, specifically) after the Sexual Revolution as an era in which many cultural and societal taboos were challenged and destroyed, paving the way for more acceptance and compassion as well as the predictable knee-jerk reactions of conservatives.
Starting with Andy Warhol and the output of his Factory, especially in regards to his notorious art films, Hofler gives an overview of the significant literary, filmic, and television contributions that helped shatter these taboos.
From Gore Vidal's novel "Myra Breckenridge" (the first novel to feature a transgendered person as the protagonist) to Mart Crowley's stage play "The Boys in the Band" (the first play to feature an all-gay cast of characters) to John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning film "Midnight Cowboy" starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, about two male street hustlers who fall in love, "Sexplosion" chronicles all of the significant ground-breakers of the time. Some of them, to be fair, were dubious: Warhol's film "Trash", for example, which is the first film to feature an actress (Holly Woodlawn) graphically masturbating with a beer bottle.
Of course, one must take the good with the bad (and the ugly) when shattering taboos. In the end, taboos must be destroyed if we continue to believe that we live in a free society. Taboos are nothing more than restrictive and destructive attempts to govern our thoughts. To that end, Hofler's book celebrates, commemorates, and critiques these taboo-breakers.
December 22, 2020
An instance in which what might have been an idea suitable for a magazine piece benefits by being stretched to book-length. Still, this is most likely only ideal for film / theater / tv history buffs.
In his usual breezy style, Hofler concentrates on a specific period in time (1968-1973) when the 'love generation' pushed the sexual revolution envelope for the purpose of thwarting puritanism. His focus is on particular films, theater pieces (i.e., 'Hair', 'Oh! Calcutta!'), and a specific PBS tv show ('An American Family') which forced people to look at or think about sex in ways generally foreign to them.
Hofler offers up a ton of fun-fact dish: i.e., the studio suggestion that 'Midnight Cowboy' might have been even more successful than it was if it had been fashioned as a musical for Elvis Presley (!). Almost all of the works brought forth here were (or remain) fairly controversial, whether their intent was to instruct (i.e., Ken Russell's 'The Devils', John Schlesinger's 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday') or disgust (i.e., Cammell and Roeg's 'Performance' - which I've still never been able to get through - or Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange', a film I detest).... or which, in some cases (i.e., 'Myra Breckinridge', 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls') seem to only exist for their considerable, pre-determined camp value.
Overall, it's a fun, informative read. On this subject, I could have a read a book twice its size.
In his usual breezy style, Hofler concentrates on a specific period in time (1968-1973) when the 'love generation' pushed the sexual revolution envelope for the purpose of thwarting puritanism. His focus is on particular films, theater pieces (i.e., 'Hair', 'Oh! Calcutta!'), and a specific PBS tv show ('An American Family') which forced people to look at or think about sex in ways generally foreign to them.
Hofler offers up a ton of fun-fact dish: i.e., the studio suggestion that 'Midnight Cowboy' might have been even more successful than it was if it had been fashioned as a musical for Elvis Presley (!). Almost all of the works brought forth here were (or remain) fairly controversial, whether their intent was to instruct (i.e., Ken Russell's 'The Devils', John Schlesinger's 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday') or disgust (i.e., Cammell and Roeg's 'Performance' - which I've still never been able to get through - or Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange', a film I detest).... or which, in some cases (i.e., 'Myra Breckinridge', 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls') seem to only exist for their considerable, pre-determined camp value.
Overall, it's a fun, informative read. On this subject, I could have a read a book twice its size.
February 28, 2014
Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to Clockwork Orange-- How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke all theTaboos by Robert Hofler is a 2014 IT Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Over a six year period of time, movies, stage, books, music, art, and in some ways television began to bring subject matter that was previously buried way underground out into the open. From 1968 to 1973 stage productions like Hair and movies like Midnight Cowboy placed nudity, including male frontal nudity before the public eye as well as openly homosexual characters in film. Laws still prevented a lot of experimentation in stage and film from going mainstream, but not for a lack of trying.
Sexual games such as wife swapping and group sex hit it big at the box office with superstar cast such as Natalie Wood. Many risque and taboo busting stage shows and movies began to use language previously unuttered in on the big screen and dropped the dreaded F bomb more and more often as well as other slang terms.
On television All in the Family also explored unchartered territory on many scales also addressing homosexuality with Archie's friend being gay. Apparently this even got a comment out of President Nixon who was not amused.
While in books, Philip Roth broke barriers and did so successfully, The Happy Hooker became mainstream reading material.
Many laws in this period were quirky. No alchohol to be served to gays in New York City was one odd fact, nudity was allowed on stage as long as the nude person was standing still and not dancing or moving about, which made it illegal.
Just because the topics were now addressed in pop culture didn't necessarily make them tasteful. Some people went for shock value in films, or art or whatever and weren't really good, just controversial.
The author has a couple of films he used as standard setting and refered to them a bit too frequently . Mrya Breckenridge and Midnight Cowboy were two that seemed to be points of reference perhaps a bit too often.
While this was interesting, some subject matter was more than taboo and I for one found it disturbing and I think it would remain shocking even today. I do agree with the author that this six year period did pave a path for risk takers for years to come. Most of the actors, and film makers etc. made names for themselves during this time either because they managed to come up with an X rating or for stirring up some controversy. People flocked to stage and film to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. While MOST of the subject matter was nothing new it just wasn't ever talked about and it certainly never appeared on the silver screen.
Sometimes I miss the old glamour of Hollywood. I often wish we could recapture the magic of the days before movies became all about shock value and less about writing a good screenplay. I do applaud the risk takers who did bring subjects out of hiding . Just because you don't talk about it doesn't mean it's not there. So, there were some good things that happened and some I could have done without.
The book wasn't entirely what I expected as I had no idea the author would delved into certain subject matter, although I should have known better judging by the title. Still I did find some of the information revealing and the book was certainly an eye opener and I did get quite an education.
Organizing material for this type of book is not easy, but I must say the topics at time became repetitive and could have been organized a little better.
Overall this one gets a B-/C+ or 3.5 stars.
Over a six year period of time, movies, stage, books, music, art, and in some ways television began to bring subject matter that was previously buried way underground out into the open. From 1968 to 1973 stage productions like Hair and movies like Midnight Cowboy placed nudity, including male frontal nudity before the public eye as well as openly homosexual characters in film. Laws still prevented a lot of experimentation in stage and film from going mainstream, but not for a lack of trying.
Sexual games such as wife swapping and group sex hit it big at the box office with superstar cast such as Natalie Wood. Many risque and taboo busting stage shows and movies began to use language previously unuttered in on the big screen and dropped the dreaded F bomb more and more often as well as other slang terms.
On television All in the Family also explored unchartered territory on many scales also addressing homosexuality with Archie's friend being gay. Apparently this even got a comment out of President Nixon who was not amused.
While in books, Philip Roth broke barriers and did so successfully, The Happy Hooker became mainstream reading material.
Many laws in this period were quirky. No alchohol to be served to gays in New York City was one odd fact, nudity was allowed on stage as long as the nude person was standing still and not dancing or moving about, which made it illegal.
Just because the topics were now addressed in pop culture didn't necessarily make them tasteful. Some people went for shock value in films, or art or whatever and weren't really good, just controversial.
The author has a couple of films he used as standard setting and refered to them a bit too frequently . Mrya Breckenridge and Midnight Cowboy were two that seemed to be points of reference perhaps a bit too often.
While this was interesting, some subject matter was more than taboo and I for one found it disturbing and I think it would remain shocking even today. I do agree with the author that this six year period did pave a path for risk takers for years to come. Most of the actors, and film makers etc. made names for themselves during this time either because they managed to come up with an X rating or for stirring up some controversy. People flocked to stage and film to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. While MOST of the subject matter was nothing new it just wasn't ever talked about and it certainly never appeared on the silver screen.
Sometimes I miss the old glamour of Hollywood. I often wish we could recapture the magic of the days before movies became all about shock value and less about writing a good screenplay. I do applaud the risk takers who did bring subjects out of hiding . Just because you don't talk about it doesn't mean it's not there. So, there were some good things that happened and some I could have done without.
The book wasn't entirely what I expected as I had no idea the author would delved into certain subject matter, although I should have known better judging by the title. Still I did find some of the information revealing and the book was certainly an eye opener and I did get quite an education.
Organizing material for this type of book is not easy, but I must say the topics at time became repetitive and could have been organized a little better.
Overall this one gets a B-/C+ or 3.5 stars.
Read
February 8, 2014Sexplosion is a bona fide page-turner. Hofler’s extensive research into a relatively short period of time bursts forth on the page like a swinging period film. Think Boogie Nights without the “bad-time” consequences in the latter half of the narrative. To be fair, Hofler does present the troubles these trailblazing authors and auteurs met, both from censors and certain sects of the populace not ready for all that taboo-breaking, but overall their efforts are presented in a positive light. Fascinating, funny, and thorough, this book is a must for anyone interested in media studies and our not-too-distant cultural past.
While Sexplosion covers all aspects of sexuality during the period, perhaps the most eye-opening narrative involves the homosexual revolution in novels, non-fiction, plays, and films. I had no idea that The New York Times was such a gay-bashing, socially conservative publication, throwing around the word “faggot” without blinking an eye. Ditto for studio executives and film crews, who were clearly uncomfortable with gay themes in the works of Schlesinger, Vidal, and a host of others. Though we still have some distance yet to travel, overall we’re doing well where cultural acceptance of homosexuality is concerned, and Sexplosion tells the story of the people who made our current enlightenment possible.
I’m honestly hard-pressed to find any flaws with this book. There aren’t many female voices explored, but Hofler addresses this in his epilogue (unfortunately, much of the mainstream media was still dominated by men at the time, even if some of them were members of a minority as well) and overall the text is decidedly not anti-feminist in nature. For example, the author sympathizes with actresses Susan George and Maria Schneider, whose misgivings about scenes of rape and sodomy were cruelly dismissed by their respective male directors and co-stars. He also dedicates significant chunks of the book to other actresses with “controversial” viewpoints on sex (Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, etc.) as well as prominent female critics like Pauline Kael. This plus his epilogue show me that while Hofler’s lens may be focused on a particular group of artists who crossed certain boundaries in mainstream media, and those particular artists all happened to be male (because sexism), the author is no less concerned with women and their experience during this culturally transformative period.
In short, Sexplosion is pretty damn good. Check it out!
--
Review by Christopher Shultz
Check out more from this review at LitReactor (http://litreactor.com/reviews/booksho...)!
While Sexplosion covers all aspects of sexuality during the period, perhaps the most eye-opening narrative involves the homosexual revolution in novels, non-fiction, plays, and films. I had no idea that The New York Times was such a gay-bashing, socially conservative publication, throwing around the word “faggot” without blinking an eye. Ditto for studio executives and film crews, who were clearly uncomfortable with gay themes in the works of Schlesinger, Vidal, and a host of others. Though we still have some distance yet to travel, overall we’re doing well where cultural acceptance of homosexuality is concerned, and Sexplosion tells the story of the people who made our current enlightenment possible.
I’m honestly hard-pressed to find any flaws with this book. There aren’t many female voices explored, but Hofler addresses this in his epilogue (unfortunately, much of the mainstream media was still dominated by men at the time, even if some of them were members of a minority as well) and overall the text is decidedly not anti-feminist in nature. For example, the author sympathizes with actresses Susan George and Maria Schneider, whose misgivings about scenes of rape and sodomy were cruelly dismissed by their respective male directors and co-stars. He also dedicates significant chunks of the book to other actresses with “controversial” viewpoints on sex (Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, etc.) as well as prominent female critics like Pauline Kael. This plus his epilogue show me that while Hofler’s lens may be focused on a particular group of artists who crossed certain boundaries in mainstream media, and those particular artists all happened to be male (because sexism), the author is no less concerned with women and their experience during this culturally transformative period.
In short, Sexplosion is pretty damn good. Check it out!
--
Review by Christopher Shultz
Check out more from this review at LitReactor (http://litreactor.com/reviews/booksho...)!
August 11, 2016
Yes, there was a cultural change in the air from 1968 to 1973, but this poorly edited, poorly researched account lazily assembled from news clippings and ghost-written celebrity memoirs does a poor job of explaining it. Never raising itself above the merely anecdotal, you begin to wonder if the author even took the time to watch half of the films he writes about.
November 10, 2016
What a fun read - it takes place from 1968 - 1973 - during a few of those years, I was working as an usher at a movie theatre, so I saw a bunch of the films mentioned in this book. This was a fascinating description of a particular time I remember well.
July 13, 2017
Sexplosion by Robert Hofler was about the taboos that were broken, on stage, screen, and the page, in the 5 year span from 1968 to 1973. Those were my teenage years, and many of the films, plays, and books that Hofler profiles in Sexplosion were ones that had a profound impact on my development as a writer and philosopher. In particular, the films: Clockwork Orange, Trash, and Performance.
1968 was such a turbulent year. The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy happened that year. There were riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Lyndon Johnson would not seek another term, and they ended up nominating Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who lost to Nixon.
At the Summer Olympics two Black Athletes raised their fists in protest, after winning the gold and bronze medals, as the Star Spangled Banner played.
The Apollo 8 orbited the moon, and as it passed over the hitherto unseen dark side, astronaut Lovell announced to the world, "Houston, please be informed there is a Santa Claus."
On "Star Trek" in an episode entitled "Plato's Stepchildren," Enterprise Captain James Kirk, a white man played by William Shatner, was telekinetically forced to kiss Nichelle Nichols' character, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a black woman.
North Korea captured the Navy ship the Pueblo, and in Viet Nam the Tet Offensive began.
In music, Rock was really getting big, and the Woodstock festival was in 1968.
In the Art World, Valarie Solanas shot Andy Warhol on June 3, 1968. Talk about harsh critics!
As if that weren't enough, my brother Kevin was born that year, on January 5th, 1968.
Sexplosion explores these turbulent years, with a focus, as I have stated previously, on the taboos that were broken in films, plays, books, and films. Robert Hofler zeroes in on the gay aspects, a little more than I'd like--NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT! After all, that was a big part of what was going on. The Stonewall Riots began on Jun 28, 1969 and continued until Jul 1, 1969. What happened was, with the news of the death of Judy Garland on June 22, 1969, the Gay community held an extended wake at the Gay bars in Greenwich Village, but it was illegal for homosexuals to drink alcohol, so the police started raiding the bars. These police raids were routine. It was illegal to be Gay in public back then. This was par for the course back then, but when one brave lesbian broke away and bolted, rather than be thrown in the paddy wagon, the sympathetic crowd cheered and began pelting the police with bricks, rocks, and debris. Things escalated, leading to a stand off. Surrender, Dorothy!
My beef with Hofler is that he over dramatizes the Gay stuff. Yes, I said it. Hofler is a Drama Queen! For instance, he puts Lance Loud up on a pedestal, and while he no doubt was brave and set an example for a lot of Gay youth by appearing in the reality program, An American Family, Hofler kind of places him as the cherry on the cake of all that happened. He makes the point that Lance Loud and Edie Sedgewick are the only Warhol superstars that had films made about them. But what about Valerie Solanas, who wrote the S.C.U.M. Manifesto, and shot Andy Warhol on June 3rd, 1968? They made a movie in 1996 about her called I Shot Andy Warhol, starring Lili Taylor as Valerie.
Other than those minor quibbles I really enjoyed Sexplosion. I finished it in only 2 days, and was riveted the whole time, except of course those times I mentioned when I was rolling my eyes. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there about Women in Love, based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, a film called The Devils, based on a book by Aldous Huxley and directed by Ken Russell, and another film, called The Damned, about decadent Nazis, directed by Luchino Visconti. Gore Vidal made the best seller lists with his novel, Myra Breckenridge, but the film, starring Raquel Welch and Mae West, was a flop. Barbarella, Candy, Midnight Cowboy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Deep Throat, and Last Tango in Paris are dished about. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth and Couples by John Updike are some of the books that came out in this time period. In the theater, there was Oh, Calcutta!, Hair, and Boys in the Band. To bring this review full circle, after meandering somewhere over the rainbow, the title of The Boys in the Band was taken from something James Mason said to Judy Garland in A Star is Born:
"You're playing for yourself and the boys in the band."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wa...
1968 was such a turbulent year. The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy happened that year. There were riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Lyndon Johnson would not seek another term, and they ended up nominating Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who lost to Nixon.
At the Summer Olympics two Black Athletes raised their fists in protest, after winning the gold and bronze medals, as the Star Spangled Banner played.
The Apollo 8 orbited the moon, and as it passed over the hitherto unseen dark side, astronaut Lovell announced to the world, "Houston, please be informed there is a Santa Claus."
On "Star Trek" in an episode entitled "Plato's Stepchildren," Enterprise Captain James Kirk, a white man played by William Shatner, was telekinetically forced to kiss Nichelle Nichols' character, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a black woman.
North Korea captured the Navy ship the Pueblo, and in Viet Nam the Tet Offensive began.
In music, Rock was really getting big, and the Woodstock festival was in 1968.
In the Art World, Valarie Solanas shot Andy Warhol on June 3, 1968. Talk about harsh critics!
As if that weren't enough, my brother Kevin was born that year, on January 5th, 1968.
Sexplosion explores these turbulent years, with a focus, as I have stated previously, on the taboos that were broken in films, plays, books, and films. Robert Hofler zeroes in on the gay aspects, a little more than I'd like--NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT! After all, that was a big part of what was going on. The Stonewall Riots began on Jun 28, 1969 and continued until Jul 1, 1969. What happened was, with the news of the death of Judy Garland on June 22, 1969, the Gay community held an extended wake at the Gay bars in Greenwich Village, but it was illegal for homosexuals to drink alcohol, so the police started raiding the bars. These police raids were routine. It was illegal to be Gay in public back then. This was par for the course back then, but when one brave lesbian broke away and bolted, rather than be thrown in the paddy wagon, the sympathetic crowd cheered and began pelting the police with bricks, rocks, and debris. Things escalated, leading to a stand off. Surrender, Dorothy!
My beef with Hofler is that he over dramatizes the Gay stuff. Yes, I said it. Hofler is a Drama Queen! For instance, he puts Lance Loud up on a pedestal, and while he no doubt was brave and set an example for a lot of Gay youth by appearing in the reality program, An American Family, Hofler kind of places him as the cherry on the cake of all that happened. He makes the point that Lance Loud and Edie Sedgewick are the only Warhol superstars that had films made about them. But what about Valerie Solanas, who wrote the S.C.U.M. Manifesto, and shot Andy Warhol on June 3rd, 1968? They made a movie in 1996 about her called I Shot Andy Warhol, starring Lili Taylor as Valerie.
Other than those minor quibbles I really enjoyed Sexplosion. I finished it in only 2 days, and was riveted the whole time, except of course those times I mentioned when I was rolling my eyes. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there about Women in Love, based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, a film called The Devils, based on a book by Aldous Huxley and directed by Ken Russell, and another film, called The Damned, about decadent Nazis, directed by Luchino Visconti. Gore Vidal made the best seller lists with his novel, Myra Breckenridge, but the film, starring Raquel Welch and Mae West, was a flop. Barbarella, Candy, Midnight Cowboy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Deep Throat, and Last Tango in Paris are dished about. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth and Couples by John Updike are some of the books that came out in this time period. In the theater, there was Oh, Calcutta!, Hair, and Boys in the Band. To bring this review full circle, after meandering somewhere over the rainbow, the title of The Boys in the Band was taken from something James Mason said to Judy Garland in A Star is Born:
"You're playing for yourself and the boys in the band."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wa...
August 30, 2023
Robert Hofler looks at the revolutionary period in American culture - from 1968 to 1973 - when movies, theater, books and most other pop culture became much more sexually explicit. We go from the production of ‘Midnight Cowboy’ in 1968 - which was considered one of the most risqué movies in Hollywood history - to the production and release of ‘Deep Throat’ in 1972 which was the first widely exhibited hard core pornographic film. Hofler also looks at huge best selling novels by major writers which were all about sex, including ‘Portnoy’s Complaint,’ ‘Myra Breckinridge’ and ‘Couples.’ Theater also grew up during this period with shows like ‘Hair,’ ‘The Boys in the Band’ and ‘Oh! Calcutta!’
Hofler combines deep research with expert analysis at this look at the fervent period when sex went mainstream in our culture.
Hofler combines deep research with expert analysis at this look at the fervent period when sex went mainstream in our culture.
June 17, 2017
I feel like this book was written without the consideration of people unfamiliar with this time period. It seemed like it was by and for people who instantly understood the term "Chelsea Girls" and its implications. I also was disappointed that for a book that has a subtitle mentioning Clockwork Orange, there was actually very little about it. There wasn't really any analysis and it more seemed to be a muddled re-telling of cinematic history.
October 25, 2024
A fascinating account of the impact of the sexual revolution on film in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Stylistically the book feels choppy, no doubt attributable to the author having to jump from film to film. it is a good read though.
June 20, 2016
I vividly remember the advertising for many of the films mentioned in this book from the years 1968 to 1973. They were legendary (even when terrible) and everyone was talking about them. Like most of the underage youth of this period, I was too young to see most of them ... especially A CLOCKWORK ORANGE which intrigued me no end, but I was too young to see an X-rated film. I also remember one Sunday service when our minister suggested to the congregation that they see the X-rated film playing down the street from the church, MIDNIGHT COWBOY, because it so effectively brought home the story of marginalized people.
The amazing thing about these movies was that the furor was often over what went on in the mind rather than what was seen in the screen. BLOW UP, for instance, showed 2-seconds of a woman's pubic hair. Today, MIDNIGHT COWBOY has gone from an X-rating to an R-rating with nary a frame removed. A recent viewing of CANDY in Blu-ray surprised me that it was still rated R. (I'm guessing no one got around to reviewing it again.)
Yet, it wasn't all for the sake of titilation. The pace of these shows was notably slower than is usual in the exploitation films of today. They also had much stronger stories in most cases. The cost of seeing a woman's bare breasts was that your mind actually had to do some thinking on the way there.
This book takes a deep dive into those years, and it also explores other "sexual" releases in literature (COUPLES and PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT are examples) and in theater (particularly THE BOYS IN THE BAND and HAIR ... oh, yes, and OH! CALCUTTA!). It was a time when the world struggled with sexuality and equality, dropping the safety of FATHER KNOWS BEST for AN AMERICAN FAMILY.
The stories are fascinating, and the writer's style is incredibly engaging. I looked forward to every reading session, and it brought back so many memories of that time. I also learned so many things that I hadn't known before, such as President Richard Nixon becoming apoplectic over a gay scene in ALL IN THE FAMILY or the court case in Italy that threatened incarceration of the two stars and director of LAST TANGO IN PARIS.
The writer explores many, many ground-breaking moments when we began seeing, hearing, and reading about things that had been taboo for so many years. Was the freedom worth it? I suppose so, although the level of introspection is gone in most of today's offerings. WOMEN IN LOVE would barely cause a ripple today, except yawns from those who are "waiting for the action."
This is a very worthy read, and eye-opening to consider where such daring has taken us. I've read numerous books about the 60's and 70's. This one is right up there in the rarified air at the top. I strongly recommend it.
The amazing thing about these movies was that the furor was often over what went on in the mind rather than what was seen in the screen. BLOW UP, for instance, showed 2-seconds of a woman's pubic hair. Today, MIDNIGHT COWBOY has gone from an X-rating to an R-rating with nary a frame removed. A recent viewing of CANDY in Blu-ray surprised me that it was still rated R. (I'm guessing no one got around to reviewing it again.)
Yet, it wasn't all for the sake of titilation. The pace of these shows was notably slower than is usual in the exploitation films of today. They also had much stronger stories in most cases. The cost of seeing a woman's bare breasts was that your mind actually had to do some thinking on the way there.
This book takes a deep dive into those years, and it also explores other "sexual" releases in literature (COUPLES and PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT are examples) and in theater (particularly THE BOYS IN THE BAND and HAIR ... oh, yes, and OH! CALCUTTA!). It was a time when the world struggled with sexuality and equality, dropping the safety of FATHER KNOWS BEST for AN AMERICAN FAMILY.
The stories are fascinating, and the writer's style is incredibly engaging. I looked forward to every reading session, and it brought back so many memories of that time. I also learned so many things that I hadn't known before, such as President Richard Nixon becoming apoplectic over a gay scene in ALL IN THE FAMILY or the court case in Italy that threatened incarceration of the two stars and director of LAST TANGO IN PARIS.
The writer explores many, many ground-breaking moments when we began seeing, hearing, and reading about things that had been taboo for so many years. Was the freedom worth it? I suppose so, although the level of introspection is gone in most of today's offerings. WOMEN IN LOVE would barely cause a ripple today, except yawns from those who are "waiting for the action."
This is a very worthy read, and eye-opening to consider where such daring has taken us. I've read numerous books about the 60's and 70's. This one is right up there in the rarified air at the top. I strongly recommend it.
July 20, 2016
Great non-fiction read about the rise of taboo (thought to be during the time) Broadway shows and movies in the 60's and 70's and how those involved tried very hard to allow the public access to these creations, although they were breaking some laws during that time. Most were for shock and awe and not for any real artistic merit. My favorite sections were Hair, including the decision for nudity on stage, and that of Midnight Cowboy. Also Andy Warhol was once freak, obsessed with sex. He's not portrayed in a positive light here.
History movie and theater buffs will want to read this one. Chock full of great information.
History movie and theater buffs will want to read this one. Chock full of great information.
March 21, 2014
An excellent pop-culture read focused on the period from the late 60s to the early 70s when movies, books, and theater all "grew up" at least in terms of treatment of sexuality. I like that the author is wildly inclusive, bopping around chronologically from Hair and Oh! Calcutta! (on stage) to Updike's Couples and Roth's Portnoy's Complaint (in literature) to a wide range of movies--The Graduate, Barbarella, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Deep Throat, and even to the portrayal of Lance Loud on the TV show An American Family. Easy to follow, well-written and clear.
November 13, 2013
Entertainment journalist Robert Hofler (a senior editor at Variety) presents an entertaining account of the revolutionary changes in the world of theatre, books and movies between 1968 and 1973. A highly readable cultural history about a time of massive change that affected the sort of content we could read, watch, see and hear.
Read
May 1, 2014Skimmed.
The content would make for an interesting class, interactive digital book, or documentary. Since the topic concerns films (none of which I have seen), I'd appreciate more visuals than the few pages of stills included in the book. I'm sure licensing would make such an endeavor prohibitive, though.
The content would make for an interesting class, interactive digital book, or documentary. Since the topic concerns films (none of which I have seen), I'd appreciate more visuals than the few pages of stills included in the book. I'm sure licensing would make such an endeavor prohibitive, though.
May 2, 2021
I finished this in one sitting. I came of age in this era and it brought back plenty of memories. Good Goddess, the present generation would still be in a state of PC shock. Once upon a time, freedom of speech was a real concept. The Seventies were not for the faint of heart. Read it .
April 7, 2014
Good subject, but nothing ground-breaking here.
Read
April 18, 2014Terrible. Find something else to read.
April 14, 2014
3.5
I did really enjoy the book, but it's not quite what I was expecting. Still a great read for anyone interested in the historical aspects of the sex explosion in pop culture.
I did really enjoy the book, but it's not quite what I was expecting. Still a great read for anyone interested in the historical aspects of the sex explosion in pop culture.
August 15, 2014
A light read, didn't go as in-depth as I would like but overall it's pretty interesting. A breezy, gossipy read.
October 14, 2014
Not bad, although reading about nudity (and homosexuality) in film and theatre is somewhat alienating. Lucky there are many anecdotes to make this dry stuff somewhat spicier.
April 2, 2015
Interesting facts and opinions about censorship and pushing the boundaries during the 1970's.
September 12, 2015
Fascinating look at a period of about five years when all forms of entertainment changed forever. I couldn't put it down.
August 15, 2016
In the 1960's there was the sexual revolution with the coming of the 1970s there was a sexplosian in art , movies, literature and fashion!
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