Gypsy & Me: At Home and on the Road with Gypsy Rose Lee

by Erik Lee Preminger

Erik was 12 when Gypsy decided she was through with striptease—'I’m forty-two years old. Too old to be taking my clothes off in front of strangers.' Her endless schemes for staying famous and maintaining their extravagant lifestyle—a best-selling writing career, a musical based on her life, a disastrous attempt to turn her home movies into a blockbuster—make for comedic yet poignant reading. My G-String Mother is a stylish, incisive portrait of two an awkward adolescent who was as much confidante, co-conspirator, and companion as son, and the legendary woman who told police at a raid at the famous Minsky’s burlesque house, 'I wasn’t naked. I was completely covered by a blue spotlight.'

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Media Tie In, Autobiography

277 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1984

Reviews

[Sammi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erik is son of the burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee and this is his memoir.

This memoir reads more like a sequel to Gypsy Rose Lee’s Gypsy: A Memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee and i would not suggest going into this book without knowing all about Gypsy (because this book gives no background and there's a lot of holes to fill).

As a personal fan of Gypsy I loved being introduced to Erik and seeing his perspective on life with Gypsy. He honestly shows her flaws with love and its clear he is and was devoted to her.

Recommended only for "super fans" of Gypsy that already know her story.


At the start of 2021 this book was the oldest on my goodreads TBR so I'm glad to have finally cleared it from my shelf!

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great companion book to her autobiography, what a determined, driven, cheap and eccentric woman. i loved it

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sequel to Gypsy Rose Lee’s memoir. Eric Preminger is very honest in his writing. He shares his mother’s good points and her flaws as well as his own. Like all parents, Gypsy tried not to make the mistakes her mother did but she did make a few of her own. I liked both Gypsy and Eric. It was a flawed relationship but in the end love was strong.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this on my shelf for a while & it was time to read it & set it free. It's quite an interesting look at her life through the eyes of her son & begins when she retires from her strip career. Which makes sense because he is about 12 & the rest is what he remembers & lived. She has quite the ups & downs in her fortunes and they have a roller coaster relationship that ends poignantly.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating behind the scenes look at the later years and unusual family life of an American icon.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor little Erik. Not only is he the son of famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, but the son of Otto Preminger, movie mogul. What’s a guy to do but rebel a lot through alcohol, drugs, sex and joining the army? Actually, the book is pretty well written and a great read. Although it was kind of all over the place – I couldn’t decide if he was trying to write an “Auntie Mame,” (who Gypsy did play several times) or “Mommy Dearest.” It’s clear he loved his mother; I don’t think he could decide if his typical rebellion against his parent was due to teen angst or her unique lifestyle. Having read Gypsy’s memoir (as well as her two murder mystery’s: “The G-String Murders” and “Mother Finds a Body” -- both of which I highly recommend just for the fun of it) I found this to be a great sequel to what his mother started in “Gypsy.” Basically what happened after Mama Rose sang “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Interestingly enough his grandmother, Mama Rose is barely mentioned in this memoir.

[Kristina Hoerner · Rating 1 out of 5]

While it was interesting to learn a bit more about Gypsy Rose Lee, this was a poorly written, whiny description oh what a tough time it was to be her kid. I get it that life on the road was a famous stripper mom is weird but not very compelling from the way this story is written. Too much complaining about his lack of allowance. I am looking forward to a better perspective in a new Gypsy Rose Lee bio.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great story of the pioneering Gypsy Rose Lee as told by her son, a boy so close to her that at times it is a tad creepy. The story picks up the day after Gypsy's own autobiography is complete and has a hockey-stick ramp-up at the end when their is a breathless denoument of Erik's paternity revealed and Gypsy's fate.

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look into the life of gypsy lee rose. The story is told by her son and I found his insight interesting and I enjoyed seeing how his mother changed over the years. Overall this was a solid book about one of the most successful performers of her time.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real life Auntie Mame.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

She sounds like a wonderful woman and an average mother. Fun read.

[Molly Oswaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erik is a gifted story teller with an impeccable memory and wry sense of humor. What a treat to live in his and his mother’s singular world in these pages.