Lyx Robinson’s Reviews > The Queen of the Damned > Status Update

I feel like it was good in the movie version but makes no sense at all in the book (to the plot at least). The movie felt like a really cool nu metal video. Sometimes I wonder if Anne Rice thought making Lestat a rock/metal star would bring in new readers to her series since that scene was so big in the 90s

Clarice wrote: "I feel like it was good in the movie version but makes no sense at all in the book (to the plot at least). The movie felt like a really cool nu metal video. Sometimes I wonder if Anne Rice thought ..."

Oh gosh I haven't watched the movie in so long that I've totally forgotten it! I still listen to the OST though, it's amazing. In the book I do believe there's /meant/ to be a certain narrative continuity between Lestat's human life as a theatre actor, and then him becoming a rockstar: as a human he wanted to act in the theatre ever since adolescence, and he managed it once he ran away to Paris with his best friend, performing comedia dell'arte improvisations as "Lelio the lover" - there's a whole part of The Vampire Lestat which is named "Lelio" for this. But then a few years later, when he returns on stage as a freshly made vampire, he performs vampire feats and scares everyone; it's a part of the book where he's trying to "reconnect" with his human life, but the vampire nature spoils everything, and he has to come to terms with the fact that he must leave that life behind.

So... you'd think that him becoming a rockstar 200 years later would be a form of "coming onstage again" and taking back this thespian part of his life that he loved? After he grieved so much for his theatre family, he could've wanted to build a similar community with other vampires, or with his fans. But those aren't his motivations; he justifies his own actions very confusingly, and there are a few other things too that spoil it for me.

1. After the events of Interview, Lestat goes into the earth in deep depression/distress once the 20th century rolls around. The Vampire Lestat opens on a short monologue where he tells us in about a page or so, that while in the earth he listened to people living their lives & it just fascinated him. And so he rises again after this singular page, and he does a huge 180° turn from depression to jaunty excitement about motorbikes, leather jackets and the 80s in general. And this is how The Vampire Lestat opens; with American slang and a sudden enthusiasm for rock & biking, after the historical tone of Interview, which is super jarring and happens way too fast for you to really believe or feel what you're reading. Also, this is before you even know his backstory as a Parisian actor of the 18th century, so it really comes out of left field. You are then plunged into his backstory, spending time in 18th century France for 80% of the book, which is amazing. And then the book abruptly ends on a similarly jarring jolt into the 20th century, where he's a sudden rockstar, Louis doesn't hate him any more, and he's being adored by thousands. I admit I skim-read this part because I just wasn't interested lol. But then Queen of the Damned /forces/ you to linger on this damn concert because it's this enormous pivotal moment in all vampire kind :'D

2. His reasons for becoming a rockstar are explicitly that "he wants to be worshipped as a symbol of evil", and to spur on a human/vampire war, just for the mischief of it (because he's "the brat prince", as everybody wants to remind you in this book). And this seems totally disconnected from the motivations that spurred his theatre acting as a human? Human!Lestat wanted to be "good" even after he lost his faith, therefore through acting/entertainment, he decided he'd bring people joy. He was a deeply optimistic person even though he struggled with faith & his enormous fear of death and judgment day. But vampire!Lestat doesn't let himself agonise over what it means to be "good" as a vampire, he just wants to live his life & move forward, so the brattish, "symbol of evil" motivation seems like a sudden offshoot of his character that's disconnected from the rest? The whole "ah I don't care, I just do things for the fun of it now, I'm an agent of mischief" just feels forced after his fantastic tortured backstory. I feel like I have to do mental gymnastics to try and connect the interesting, relatable 18th century man to the 20th century "brat prince" you're very obviously meant to love.

ANYWAY sorry for the wall of text haha, there's just a lot that these books are trying to do and I feel like the rockstar persona just doesn't quite gel as well as it might've done, had it been developed more. I think you're right re: rockstar vampires bringing in new readers - and as a goth herself, it seems clear that Anne Rice herself loves goth/rock music just as well and so includes it in her books (and it seems a good fit for her vampire-loving audience). I'm just kind of sad that it seems like most of the rest of the books are about Lestat when he is the most disjointed character of them all & I really want to move on from him :'D

Did you read any of the other books?? I'm thinking of reading just Armand & Marius' books and leaving out the rest tbh.