Escape From Houdini Mountain

by Pleasant Gehman

From the glittering debauched nights of 1980s Hollywood ("Escape from Houdini Mountain") to the festering bowels of New York's Lower East Side ("Must Have Been Love"), these 23 mind-bending tales chronicle a young woman's quest for romantic adventure. Spun from her experiences in the L.A. underground, the stories are infectiously entertaining. Pleasant's eye for the human condition is pristine. Her heart shines as she revels in a carnival of delicately drawn characters. Some are sad, some sick, some brilliant, but in Pleasant's world they are all appreciated equally. Ultimately this book, for all it's wildly funny tales, is an evolved praising of feminine beauty and it's power in a world gone mad.

Pleasant Gehman has been writing about L.A. for more than 20 years. She has appeared on E!'s Wild On Tinseltown, MTV, VH-1, and CNN. The author of several books including Senorita Sin and Princess of Hollywood, her work has been widely anthologized.

141 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Pleasant Gehman is a true renaissance woman: writer, dancer, actor, musician and painter.A Hollywood icon, during the 1970′s, she was one of the first punks in Los Angeles, documenting the scene she helped create in her fanzine “Lobotomy”. During the 1980′s, she toured across North America fronting her three bands, all of whom released recordings: The Screaming Sirens, The Ringling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. She was also the booker for the seminal Los Angeles clubs Cathay De Grande and Raji’s.

Since the early 1990′s, under the stage name Princess Farhana, she has appeared internationally and a professional belly dancer and burlesque performer and teacher. She has danced and acted in numerous motion pictures, in music videos and on television. She has appeared in many documentaries on belly dance and burlesque, performing and as an interview subject. In 2009, she was the star of Steve Balderson’s film “Underbelly: A Year In The Life Of Princess Farhana“ which was released worldwide in theaters as well as on DVD.

Reviews

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOLLYWOOD + leopard print pants, zombies, a lot of sex, a lot of drinking and sneaking into places called Houdini Mountain and meeting "wild" characters and having moments of reflection or something and just super parties peoples gods. Everything about this book reminded me of a Gemini I used to know which is so funny, how two people could be—and write—so alike. I loved this book at first, like it was fun(ny) but then I just lost energy and enthusiasm so I had to put it aside until ~24 days later. "Intense" (?)

[Steve Balderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most hilarious true-to-life stories EVER. A great memoir.

[C.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something very human and juvenile that I liked very much in that book. I spent a good time inr eading it.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Michelle Tea, Pleasant Gehman can tell a good story about crazy times (think drag queen boyfriends, theme parties, pranks gone wrong). I loved reading about Hollywood's trashier days, when the hills abounded with formerly glam ruins. But in some of the pieces, I longed for Michelle Tea's vulnerability and ability to apply a long view to her youth. For better or worse, sometimes Pleasant Gehman seems like she's still at the party.

[Maan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #57 for 2012: I needed something to read in transit, grabbed this book from my TBR pile and it was a pleasant surprise. :) I enjoyed the party girl stories, trashy accounts, leopard prints. The short stories were okay.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! The stories are great. Pleasant is amazing!

[Leenda dela Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of short stories from a female LA punk rocker.

I generally enjoy anything published by Manic D Press.