Midnight Mavericks: Reports from the Underground

by First Last, Chris Desjardins (Interview), Lydia Lunch (Interview)

The essential subterranean tract of 2005, Midnight Mavericks is a rollicking tour through the hearts and minds of today's most uncompromising artists from the lower depths of entertainment culture. Profiled are controversial underground icons, angry stand-up comedians, exploitation filmmakers, hardcore crime novelists and controversial cartoonists, including Abel Ferrara, John Waters, Andrew WK, Chris D, Mike Diana, Lydia Lunch and Jim Goad. Includes Sounds from the Underground, a bonus 70minute CD of interview excerpts and songs from the musicians featured in the book.

Genres: Film

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gene Gregorits is a really great writer, which is the only reason I made it through this compilation of interviews with "underground artists of the No Wave." Gene has a passion for the dark, disturbing, creepy underground and his interviewees reflect that. He also skates a thin line between blatant misogyny and being dazzled by his favorite female artists (and Lydia Lunch co-interviews with him in the John Waters interview). There were many artists featured in this book that were just too dark for me, and in fact, I think several are certifiable psychopaths. And I was a little disheartened that the photos included of the (very few) women interviewed featured them in various stages of undress. My favorite interviews were with Andrew W.K., Johnette Napolitano, Carla Bozulich, Rockets Redglare, Patton Oswald, and Lydia Lunch. And a *really* creepy footnote - there is a photo of the author at the end of the book, taken 1997, in which he's wearing a t-shirt with a swastika on it. Couple that fact with the fact that there are next to no people of color interviewed in this book and things get even more creepier. Read at your own risk.

[Joel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was into the book for the people interviewed. And then I realized the interviewer sexually abused an underage girl. And based upon how he's bragged about his previous beatings and rapes in literature, I'm guessing Gene's going to brag about his dirty no-no once he gets out of prison in 2024.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight Mavericks by Gene Gregorits
Reports from the underground (www.fabpress.com)

This book covers a lot of the artists covered in
the No Wave book but this time it is in the form
of in depth interviews from Gene's fanzine days
with Sex & Guts.
Gene's basic mission is to interview all his
heroes be they musicians like Steve Wynn and
Chris D or cartoonists like Stephen R. Bissette
or Mike Diana or actors and directors like
Rockets Redglare or Abel Ferrara, Gene likes to
try to get to the nitty gritty and does a lot of
the time in speaking to several of the last
people to see Sid and Nancy alive you get a good
idea of how screwed that whole scene was. Gene
manages to talk to Jamie Hince of The Kills
before notoriety shot him to tabloid infamy as
Kate Moss' current boyfriend and the Cd that
comes with the book has rare and unreleased
stuff on it by among others The Kills, Steve
Wynn, Sturges Nikides, Lydia Lunch and The
Flesheaters which makes this a great book to
find if you have an interest in any of these
artists oh and it is already changing hands
online for serious money for a book that only
came out in 2007 well worth seeking out a copy.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty good interviews in here. Best stuff are the introductions. But the interview where GG and Lydia Lunch take on John Waters weren't too hot.