[ebooktalk] FW: RIVER PHOENIX AND THE HOLLYWOOD HE LEFT BEHIND

From: "Elaine Harris \(Rivendell\)" <elaineharris@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:47:57 +1100
 

 

From: Courtenay, Kate [mailto:Kate.Courtenay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, 25 October 2013 11:23 AM
To: Courtenay, Kate
Subject: RIVER PHOENIX AND THE HOLLYWOOD HE LEFT BEHIND

 



HarperCollinsPublishers Australia colour logoRELEASE DATE: November 2013


Contact: Kelly Fagan, Publicity Manager


T: 02 9952 5079

E: kelly.fagan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


 


MEDIA RELEASE


 

LAST NIGHT 

AT THE VIPER ROOM

RIVER PHOENIX AND THE HOLLYWOOD HE LEFT BEHIND

By Gavin Edwards

Timed to the 20th Anniversary of the Death of River Phoenix (October 31,
1993)

 

viper.jpgA teenage River Phoenix took Hollywood by storm; when he was just
18-years-old, he won an Oscar nomination for Running on Empty. Praised by
his peers as the most talented actor of his generation, River came of age in
the spotlight-a teen idol on the fast track to Hollywood royalty, a fervent
defender of the environment, and a vocal proponent of veganism. But as the
spotlight shone ever brighter on him, Phoenix succumbed to addiction,
escaping into drink and drugs.


Uncovering parts of Phoenix's past for the first time, Edwards looks deeply
into his family's commitment to the Children of God religious cult. Tracing
the family's travels from Madras, OR (his birthplace) to Caracas, Venezuela
(where as a child, Phoenix had to busk for change so his family could eat)
and to Gainesville, FL (where he spent his late teenage years), Edwards
gives an in-depth look at the burdens Phoenix carried of supporting his
impoverished family from a young age.

 

 

 

With never-before-seen insights into Phoenix's brief but incandescent life,
Edwards explores: 

 

-              Why, when River died, it was generally assumed that he would
become the "vegan James Dean"-a star even better remembered in death than in
life, but why he faded from people's memories instead (and why Montgomery
Clift might be a better comparison to River than Dean)

-              The Children of God beliefs that young River grew up
amidst-the Bible approved of adultery and incest, that children should be
raised as sexual beings-and how his parents' commitment to the religious
lifestyle put a strain on River and all of his siblings

-              The 1,000 mile motorcycle trip Keanu Reeves took to deliver
the treatment for My Own Private Idaho to Phoenix, when no one else would -
and why the project was opposed by both actors' agents, managers, and other
handlers

-              River's dangerous preparations for My Own Private Idaho,
including learning the tricks of the hustler trade by watching boys in the
"Vaseline Alley" of Portland 

-              The roles that would have been Phoenix's in films that never
came to fruition - like a Gun Van Sant film about Andy Warhol (for which
Phoenix had already bleached his hair to play the artist) 

-              How and when the Viper Room became trendy, who its biggest
regulars were, and why Johnny Depp lost interest in running the bar so
quickly

 

Toggling between the tragic events at the Viper Room in West Hollywood on
that fateful Halloween night in 1993 and the story of an extraordinary life,
Last Night at the Viper Room is part biography, part cultural history of the
1990s - but, above all, is a celebration of River Phoenix, a Hollywood icon
gone too soon.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gavin Edwards is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and has written for
Details, Spin, and The New York Times. He is the author of six books
including the forthcoming VJ; Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?:
Music's Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed; and 'Scuse Me
While I Kiss This Guy and Other Misheard Lyrics.  He Lives In Los Angeles,
CA.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Kelly Fagan, Publicity Manager,  <mailto:kelly.fagan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
kelly.fagan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or 02 9952 5079

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________

LAST NIGHT AT THE VIPER ROOM by Gavin Edwards

Published: November 2013

Imprint: HarperCollins 

Format: Trade Paperback; RRP: $29.99; ISBN: 9780062313867

e-book available

harpercollins.com.au   


 

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[ebooktalk] FW: RIVER PHOENIX AND THE HOLLYWOOD HE LEFT BEHIND

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