I Used to Be Charming: The Rest of Eve Babitz (New York Review Books Classics)

Previously uncollected nonfiction pieces by Hollywood’s ultimate It Girl about everything from fashion to tango to Jim Morrison and Nicolas Cage. Eve Babitz knew everyone, tried everything (at least once), and was never shy about sharing her thoughts on any subject, be it sex, weight loss, drug use, or her ambivalence toward New York City. From the 1970s through the 1990s, Babitz wrote on a wild variety of topics for some of the biggest publications around, from Esquire to Vogue to The New York Times Book Review . I Used to Be Charming brings together the best of this nonfiction work. All previously uncollected, these pieces range from sharp personal essays on body image and the male gaze to playful meditations on everything from ballroom dancing to kissing to perfume. There are breathtaking celebrity profiles, too. In one, Nicolas Cage takes her for a ride in his ’67 Sting Ray and in another she dishes about dragging Jim Morrison to bed before the The Doors had even settled on a band name (“Jim was embarrassing because he wasn’t cool, but I still loved him,” she writes). In another essay, the author ponders her earliest days in the spotlight, posing nude with Marcel Duchamp in that famous Julian Wasser photo, and in another, the title essay, she writes about the tragic accident that compelled her to leave that spotlight behind forever. With Eve's Hollywood Eve Babitz Lit Up The Scene In 1974. The Books That Followed, Among Them Slow Days, Fast Company And Sex And Rage, Have Seduced Generations Of Readers With Their Unfailing Wit And Impossible Glamour. What Is Less Well Known Is That Babitz Was A Working Journalist For The Better Part Of Three Decades, Writing For The Likes Of Rolling Stone, Vogue, And Esquire, As Well As For Off-the-beaten-path Periodicals Like Wet: The Magazine Of Gourmet Bathing And Francis Ford Coppola's Short-lived City. Whether Profiling Hollywood Darlings, Getting To The Bottom Of Health Crazes Like Yoga And Acupuncture, Remembering Friends And Lovers From Her Days Hobnobbing With Rock Stars At The Troubadour And Art Stars At The Ferus Gallery, Or Writing About Her Beloved, Misunderstood Hometown, Los Angeles, Babitz Approaches Every Assignment With An Energy And Verve That Is All Her Own. I Used To Be Charming Gathers Nearly Fifty Pieces Written Between 1975 And 1997, Including The Full Text Of Babitz's Wry Book-length Investigation Into The Pioneering Lifestyle Brand Fiorucci. The Title Essay, Published Here For The First Time, Recounts The Accident That Came Close To Killing Her In 1996; It Reveals An Uncharacteristically Vulnerable Yet Never Less Than Utterly Charming Babitz. All This And The Godfather Too -- My God, Eve, How Can You Live Here? -- Needles In The Land Of Fruits And Nuts -- My Life In A 36dd Bra, Or, The All-american Obsession -- No Onions -- On Not Being A Tomboy -- Losing Weight Made Me A New Person, A Novelist -- Shopping -- Sunday, Blue Pool, Sunday -- Venice, California -- Honky-tonk Nights : The Good Old Days At L.a.'s Troubadour -- A Californian Looks At New York -- Anna's Brando -- The Girl From Gold's Gym -- The Tyranny Of Fashion -- Tiffany's Before Breakfast -- Skin Deep -- Out Of The Woods -- The Path To Radiant Pain -- Sunset Tango -- Sober Virgins Of The Eighties -- Attitude Dancing -- Ronstadt For President -- Rapture Of The Shallows -- The Sexual Politics Of Fashion -- Gotta Dance -- The Soup Can As Big As The Ritz -- Blame It On The Vcrs -- Jim Morrison Is Dead And Living In Hollywood -- I Was A Naked Pawn For Art -- Life At Chateau Marmont : The Sequel -- They Might Be Giants -- Great Legs -- Chairmen Of The Board -- Party At The Beach -- Hippie Heaven -- Billy Baldwin -- The American Scene -- A City Laid Out Like Lace -- Hello Columbus -- Nicholas Cage -- Girls' Town -- The Manson Murders -- Jackie's Kids -- Keeping Time In Ojai -- Santa Fe : Angels We Have Heard On High -- Love And Kisses -- Scent Of A Woman -- I Used To Be Charming -- Fiorucci : The Book. Eve Babitz ; Edited By Sara J. Kramer ; Introduction By Molly Lambert. Previously uncollected nonfiction pieces by Hollywood's ultimate It Girl about everything from fashion to tango to Jim Morrison and Nicholas Cage. With Eve’s Hollywood Eve Babitz lit up the scene in 1974. The books that followed, among them Slow Days, Fast Company and Sex and Rage , have seduced generations of readers with their unfailing wit and impossible glamour. What is less well known is that Babitz was a working journalist for the better part of three decades, writing for the likes of Rolling Stone , Vogue , and Esquire , as well as for off-the-beaten-path periodicals like Wet: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing and Francis Ford Coppola’s short-lived City . Whether profiling Hollywood darlings, getting to the bottom of health crazes like yoga and acupuncture, remembering friends and lovers from her days hobnobbing with rock stars at the Troubadour and art stars at the Ferus Gallery, or writing about her beloved, misunderstood hometown, Los Angeles, Babitz approaches every assignment with an energy and verve that is all her own. I Used to Be Charming gathers nearly fifty pieces written between 1975 and 1997, including the full text of Babitz’s wry book-length investigation into the pioneering lifestyle brand Fiorucci. The title essay, published here for the first time, recounts the accident that came close to killing her in 1996; it reveals an uncharacteristically vulnerable yet never less than utterly charming Babitz. Previously uncollected nonfiction pieces by Hollywood's ultimate It Girl about everything from fashion to tango to Jim Morrison and Nicholas Cage. Eve Babitz knew everyone, tried everything (at least once), and was never shy about sharing her thoughts on any subject, be it sex, weight loss, drug use, or her ambivalence toward New York City. From the 1970s through the 1990s, Babitz wrote on a wild variety of topics for some of the biggest publications around, from Esquire to Vogue to The New York Times Book Review. I Used to Be Charming brings together the best of this nonfiction work. All previously uncollected, these pieces range from sharp personal essays on body image and the male gaze to playful meditations on everything from ballroom dancing to kissing to perfume. There are breathtaking celebrity profiles, too. In one, Nicholas Cage takes her for a ride in his '67 Sting Ray and in another she dishes about dragging Jim Morrison to bed before the The Doors had even settled on a band name ("Jim was embarrassing because he wasn't cool, but I still loved him," she writes). In another essay, the author ponders her earliest days in the spotlight, posing nude with Marcel Duchamp in that famous Julian Wasser photo, and in another, the title essay, she writes about the tragic accident that compelled her to leave that spotlight behind forever An NYRB Classics Original With Eves Hollywood Eve Babitz lit up the scene in 1974. The books that followed, among them Slow Days, Fast Company and Sex and Rage , have seduced generations of readers with their unfailing wit and impossible glamour. What is less well known is that Babitz was a working journalist for the better part of three decades, writing for the likes of Rolling Stone , Vogue , and Esquire , as well as for off-the-beaten-path periodicals like Wet: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing and Francis Ford Coppolas short-lived City . Whether profiling Hollywood darlings, getting to the bottom of health crazes like yoga and acupuncture, remembering friends and lovers from her days hobnobbing with rock stars at the Troubadour and art stars at the Ferus Gallery, or writing about her beloved, misunderstood hometown, Los Angeles, Babitz approaches every assignment with an energy and verve that is all her own. I Used to Be Charming gathers nearly fifty pieces written between 1975 and 1997, including the full text of Babitzs wry book-length investigation into the pioneering lifestyle brand Fiorucci. The title essay, published here for the first time, recounts the accident that came close to killing her in 1996; it reveals an uncharacteristically vulnerable yet never less than utterly charming Babitz. My life in a 36DD bra, or, the all-American obsession -- Losing weight made me a new person; a novelist -- Shopping -- Venice California: boom-town by the sea -- Honky-tonk nights -- Californian looks at New York -- Anna's Brando -- The girl from gold's gym -- The tyranny of fashion -- Tiffany's before breakfast -- Ingrid Bergman: my story -- Out of the woods -- The path to radiant pain -- Sober virgins of the 80's -- Attitude dancing -- Ronstadt for president -- Blame it on the VCRs -- The sexual politics of fashion -- Why you should -- Jim Morrison is dead and living in Hollywood -- I was a naked pawn for art -- Life at Chateau Marmont: the sequel -- They might be giants -- Great legs -- Chairmen of the board -- Party at the beach -- Hippie heaven -- Billy Baldwin -- American scene -- A city laid out like lace hello Columbus -- Nicholas Cage -- The Manson murders -- Jackie's kids -- Love and kisses -- Scent of a woman -- In a trance again -- Fiorucci -- I used to be charming **Previously uncollected nonfiction pieces by Hollywood’s ultimate It Girl about everything from fashion to tango to Jim Morrison and Nicolas Cage.**__Esquire____Vogue____The New York Times Book Review____I Used to Be Charming__