Book Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a novel by Quentin Tarantino (2021)

 

The paperback cover of Quentin Tarantino's novel Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2021. I love that it's supposed to look like a 1970's paperback.

Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a bonanza for those of us, like myself, who are mildly obsessed with mid-century American pop culture. There have been rumors that Tarantino filmed way more footage than could have fit into a theatrically released motion picture, even with Hollywood running 2 hours and 40 minutes. The first evidence of that comes with the release of Tarantino’s novel of the same title, which greatly expands the story that the movie shows us.

The novel Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tells us way more about the lives of actor Rick Dalton and his stuntman and gofer, Cliff Booth. (Played in the movie by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, respectively.) We also get additional chapters focusing on Sharon Tate, Charles Manson, and the backstory behind Lancer, the TV pilot that Rick Dalton films during the movie. Personally, I found Rick to be a more compelling character than Cliff, in both the novel and the movie. In the movie, I’m pretty sure the only direction Tarantino had to give Brad Pitt was “Look cool in this scene.” Cause that’s all Cliff does. Even when kicking ass, the guy never breaks a sweat. Cliff has none of the self-doubts that plague Rick Dalton—and that makes Cliff far less interesting to me. In the novel, we learn a lot of terrible things about Cliff—he’s a murderer who was involved in illegal dogfights.

The time structure of the novel is odd, and non-linear, as the climax of the film is revealed to us in dialogue about a quarter of the way through the book. There’s also a weird digressive chapter late in the novel about the actor Aldo Ray. But the novel is filled with little eccentricities like that. Also, be on the lookout for all the times women go barefoot in the novel—it seems to be an obsession of Tarantino’s.

There were a couple of little errors I noticed in the novel, such as the mention of “platinum albums” on page 163. Platinum albums were not introduced as a certification until 1976, 7 years after the main action of the film and novel. A tiny detail, sure, but the sort of thing that I’d think a pop culture nut like Tarantino would notice. A more noticeable error is the discrepancy in the number of seasons of Bounty Law, the TV show that catapulted Rick Dalton to stardom. On page 23, Rick says, “I totally pissed away a fourth season of Bounty Law,” meaning that the show ended before the fourth season. Yet on page 11, we learn that Bounty Law went on the air in the fall of the 1959-60 TV season and went off the air in the middle of the 1963-64 season—that would be the middle of the 5^th season. Again, it’s a tiny detail, but in a universe as fully thought out as the one that Rick Dalton inhabits, a noticeable detail.

Sharon Tate plays a slightly larger role in the novel than she does in the movie, but I would have vastly preferred more Sharon and less Cliff Booth. Tarantino is obsessed with the macho world that Cliff inhabits, so that dominates the novel. It could also be that Tarantino finds it easier to inhabit totally fictional characters like Cliff and Rick rather than a real historical person like Sharon Tate.

The novel is steeped in misogyny. It’s tough to say how much of this is Tarantino being “true to the time period” and how much it reflects his own thoughts and attitudes about women. Whatever the case, readers may find it off-putting. There are odd moments that are just jarring, like when Trudi Frazer, the 8-year-old actress who plays Mirabella Lancer on the Lancer TV pilot, tells Rick that she thinks his bad guy character would marry Mirabella, whom he has kidnapped. Rick is appalled by the idea and tells Trudi this. Sure, for Trudi some of this is an acting exercise to think outside of the boundaries of the script, but it’s just creepy.

Cliff Booth is a misogynist through and through. (The novel clears up the mysterious circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.) Cliff likes sleeping with women, but really has little use for them other than sexually. Sample text: “To Cliff, pussy was pussy, but he did have a real fondness for Italian pussy.” Cool, bro. Two paragraphs later, Cliff tells his friends about Rick’s new wife, an Italian actress: “Out of the fucking blue, he fucking married the bitch.” (p.341)

One of the funnier moments of the novel deals with Roman Polanski’s paranoia that Sharon Tate may have slept with Steve McQueen before she was married to Roman. “He’s never confirmed this with Sharon…but McQueen makes a point of it by the way he smirks at Roman. Every glance of those blue eyes and grin of that little mouth seems to say, I fucked your wife.” (p.129) I can see Steve McQueen making that face. Steve McQueen would be a really intimidating guy to be friends with. Because unless you’re Paul Newman, Steve McQueen is always going to be way cooler than you are. Steve McQueen races motorcycles and cars in his spare time. Steve McQueen has piercing blue eyes. Steve McQueen is strong and silent and stoic. Steve McQueen always gets to play the coolest parts in ensemble movies: The Magnificent Seven? He’s the coolest one. The Great Escape? He’s the coolest one. Oh, and when he’s not in an ensemble movie, he’s being cool as hell in movies like Le Mans and Bullitt, where he does his own stunt driving! Or The Thomas Crown Affair, where he even looks cool playing polo. Trust me, you don’t really want your wife spending a lot of time around Steve McQueen. Or Roman Polanski, for that matter.

There’s a very funny scene where Rick Dalton breaks down in detail why he wouldn’t have gotten Steve McQueen’s role in The Great Escape. The rumor around Hollywood is that had McQueen turned down the part, Rick’s name was on a list with “the three Georges.” That would be George Peppard, George Maharis, and George Chakiris. (If you know who those guys are without Googling them, this is the book for you.) Rick tells actor Jim Stacy exactly why each of the three Georges would have been cast ahead of him. For the sake of argument, Rick raises the possibility that horrific accidents might have befallen the three Georges, leaving him as the last name on the list. “Do I get it now?” Rick asks Jim Stacy.

“Of course you get it, you’re the last guy on the fuckin’ list!”

“That’s just my point, Jim. When the fuck do they hire the last guy on the fucking list? When you get to the last guy on the fuckin’ list, you throw out the fuckin’ list and start a new fuckin’ list!” (p.376-7)

In that same scene, look for a cameo appearance by Tarantino’s stepdad, Curt Zastoupil. Supposedly, Tarantino has written a second novel detailing the film career of Rick Dalton. I’m looking forward to reading it. If you’re fascinated by Old Hollywood, and you enjoyed the movie, you’ll love the novel of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Album Review: Goats Head Soup, by the Rolling Stones (1973, remastered 2-CD edition 2020)

 

Goats Head Soup, by the Rolling Stones, originally released in 1973, remastered in 2020.

The Rolling Stones in 1973. From left to right: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Mick Taylor.

It’s hard to be the work of art that comes after an undisputed classic. This is the role that Goats Head Soup plays in the Rolling Stones’ discography. Released at the end of August 1973, the year after the classic double album Exile on Main Street, Goats Head Soup is an album that is often overlooked in the Stones’ catalogue. Goats Head Soup is usually seen as being close to the moment when the Stones’ “golden era” ended.

Recorded largely at Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, Goats Head Soup was the last album that Jimmy Miller produced for the Stones. Miller had been at the controls for the band’s run of classic albums: Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street.

In September 2020, the Rolling Stones released a remastered edition of Goats Head Soup. It’s available in three different versions: as a single CD, a 2CD Deluxe Edition, and a 3CD Super Deluxe boxed set. I’ll be reviewing the 2CD Deluxe Edition. What often gets lost is that Goats Head Soup is actually a very good album on its own. I’m not going to claim that it’s at the same level as Exile on Main Street, but it’s still quite good, and the album suffers from comparisons to Exile. I’ve found Goats Head Soup to be a grower—the more I listen to it, the more I like it. But on first listen, you might not be that impressed with the eclectic mix of songs on the album.

Goats Head Soup spent four weeks at Number 1 in the US, the same number of weeks that both Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street topped the US charts. Goats Head Soup was the third in a run of eight consecutive studio albums by the Stones that went to Number 1 in the US. In the UK, Goats Head Soup topped the charts for two weeks in 1973, and the 2020 remastered edition entered the UK charts at Number 1, giving the Stones Number 1 UK albums in six different decades.

Here are my thoughts on the 10 songs that make up Goats Head Soup:

“Dancing with Mr. D” has a typical Rolling Stones sound, built upon an ominous guitar riff. It tells the story of Jagger dancing with both the masculine and feminine versions of death in a graveyard. Jagger also lists several ways one might expire, including the esoteric line “a drink of Belladonna on a Toussaint night.” I incorrectly thought Mick was singing “Tuesday night” until I looked up the lyrics. So, what is Mick talking about? Belladonna is a poisonous flower, also known as deadly nightshade. And Toussaint is French for “All Saint’s Day.” The promo video is well worth watching, as it features Jagger at his most glam rock, complete with tons of makeup.

“100 Years Ago” is not the typical Rolling Stones sound or subject matter. It finds Jagger in a nostalgic mood, as he spins a tale of walking through the woods, and how it makes him feel like it was 100 years ago. It’s the kind of song you’d expect more from Ray Davies of the Kinks. The song changes tempo a couple of times, before speeding up for the last 90 seconds and turning into an up-tempo guitar rocker, with a terrific solo, presumably by Mick Taylor. This section is a great indication of how much Charlie Watts’ drumming could propel the band. Like Ringo Starr, I think Charlie Watts is often underrated as a drummer. Like Ringo, Charlie’s style is never about showing off, he plays whatever supports the song the best. Watts has never been a showy drummer, but he’s always in the pocket. “100 Years Ago” seems to me a relevant song in 2020—escaping to nature can make you feel like it’s 100 years in the past, as the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on our sense of time, and made it difficult to remember the days when life was “normal.” Disc two features a piano demo of “100 Years Ago,” with Jagger on piano. I found this version arguably more effective than the original, as it doesn’t have the guitar solo ending, so it keeps the nostalgic mood of the song intact throughout.

“Coming Down Again,” with Keith Richards on lead vocals, is my least favorite song on the album. Sorry, Keith. The song just doesn’t do a lot for me. Clocking in just shy of 6 minutes, it’s simply too long. Lyrically, it’s not terribly clever, as it features the rather obvious metaphor “slipped my tongue in someone else’s pie/tasting better every time.” Oh, Keith, you naughty lad!

“Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” is one of the Stones’ most underrated singles. Released as a single only in the US, it climbed to number 15 on the charts. It features fuzz guitars, Billy Preston’s wah-wah clavinet, a funky horn riff, and prominent backing vocals. Lyrically, the song tells of police brutality and drug addiction.

“Angie” is the beautiful, haunting ballad that was the lead single from the album. Jagger’s vocals are gorgeous, as they show a vulnerable side of his voice that’s rarely used. I think Mick Jagger is underrated as a vocalist. He’s not a virtuoso like Freddie Mercury or Robert Plant, but he’s an extremely effective vocalist at getting the feeling of the song across. Plus, Jagger has one of those voices where he sings three notes, and you know who it is. “Angie” spent one week at Number 1 in the US and peaked at Number 5 in the UK. Nicky Harrison did the lovely string arrangement.

“Silver Train” is a rollicking blues, featuring slide guitar and Jagger’s harmonica. It’s an excellent song, and an overlooked one, in my opinion. My favorite part of the song occurs about at about 2:40 in, when Jagger’s vocals get seriously intense and he practically screams the lyrics. It’s one of those electric moments when you want to get up and dance.

“Hide Your Love” is another bluesy song, opening with Jagger’s piano playing. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album—I love the loose, ragged quality it has, like it was a late-night jam that just happened to be put on tape.

“Winter” reminds me of “Moonlight Mile” from Sticky Fingers. Sonically, both songs are sprawling ballads with strings. I love the way Jagger sings the line “And I wish I been out in California/when the lights on all the Christmas trees went out.” Specifically, I love the way he drawls out “Cal-eee-fawn-ya.” Nicky Harrison arranged the strings on the song. There’s a kind of beautiful majesty to “Winter” at the end of the song as Jagger sings about the simple desire of wanting to wrap a coat around his companion.

“Can You Hear the Music” is an odd song. It starts off with chimes and a flute, sounding like it would have fit in amongst the psychedelic tunes on 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request. But eventually, like so many Rolling Stones songs, “Can You Hear the Music” crystallizes around a riff. There’s a four-note repeated figure that anchors the song throughout. The lyrics concern some of life’s deepest questions: “Love is a mystery I can’t demystify, oh, no/sometimes I wonder why we’re here/but I don’t care, I don’t care.” The Stones may not always have the answers for those questions, though. “Can You Hear the Music” is a song about the power of music, and I’m always a sucker for those. It’s a great example of a song that I totally dismissed the first time I heard it, but now I really enjoy it.

“Star Star” oh dear. One of the most notorious Rolling Stones songs, this tale of a young woman’s sexual adventures was originally titled “Starfucker.” This is a song that repeats the f-word 12 times in each chorus! Incredibly enough, “Star Star” was issued as a single in some European countries!

Understandably, Atlantic Records was rather nervous about putting this song out. There’s foul language, and references to living celebrities, who hopefully wouldn’t decide to sue Atlantic or the Stones. On the original US version, Atlantic tinkered with the mix, splicing in a second vocal line in the hopes to hide the word “pussy,” and adding tons of echo to the line “I’ll make a bet that you gonna get John Wayne before he dies.” I’d be surprised if John Wayne ever heard the song, or if he even knew who the Rolling Stones were.

Also of concern to Atlantic was the line, “Ali McGraw got mad with you for givin’ head to Steve McQueen.” I doubt that Steve McQueen ever thought of suing Atlantic Records or the Rolling Stones. As James Hector writes in his 1995 book The Complete Guide to the Music of the Rolling Stones “The line about ‘giving head to Steve McQueen’ rather tickled the actor, I’m reliably informed.” (p.92) Having a line like that about him in a Rolling Stones song just adds a couple more points to Steve McQueen’s coolness, doesn’t it? As though McQueen needed more cool points in addition to being a handsome movie star with ice-blue eyes who did his own stunts and raced cars and motorcycles in his spare time.

If Atlantic ever contacted McQueen before the record’s release, I’m pretty sure the telephone conversation went something like this.

Cast:

Nigel Smith-Jones: a lawyer for Atlantic Records. British, nervous, played by Eric Idle.

Steve McQueen: American movie star, known for his action roles in movies like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Thomas Crown Affair. An icon of masculine cool.

Steve: Hello?

Nigel: Ah, hello, yes, could I speak to Mr. Steve McQueen, please?

Steve: Speaking.

Nigel: Oh, hello Mr. McQueen, I hope you’re doing well today, my name is Nigel Smith-Jones, I’m a lawyer for Atlantic Records.

Steve: Uh-huh.

Nigel: I’m calling with regards to an upcoming record Atlantic is releasing by the band the Rolling Stones. Are you familiar with their work?

Steve: (chuckles) Yeah, I know their songs.

Nigel: Ah, you do, excellent! Well, there’s a song on their new album, it’s called, um, “Star Star,” and it’s about a…young lady that partakes of several…um, amorous adventures in California.

Steve: So, it’s about a groupie?

Nigel: Yes, yes indeed, I believe that is the term these days. So, anyway, there’s a line in the song that refers specifically to you, and I wanted to run it by you in the hopes of obtaining your assurance that you won’t sue the pants off of us. So, the line in the song in question goes like this (clears throat) “Ali McGraw got mad with you for giving head to Steve McQueen.”

Steve: (laughs) That’s it?

Nigel: Yes, and Mr. McQueen, I can assure you that the boys meant nothing harmful by it, you know how these rock and rollers are, always wanting to push the boundaries and such.

Steve: It’s fine with me.

Nigel: It is? Oh, that’s magnificent, Mr. McQueen, thank you so very much! Let me assure you that I very much appreciate your attitude in this matter.  

Steve: No problem. Hey, look, thanks for calling, but I gotta get back to racing cars and motorcycles and I need to study my script for this Towering Inferno movie.

Nigel: Well, you take care, Mr. McQueen, and please give my regards to Mrs. McQueen as well.

Steve: Will do. Bye.

 Disc two adds 10 previously unreleased tracks. The highlights are the three previously unreleased songs: “Scarlet,” a jangly rocker recorded in 1974, featured Jimmy Page on guitar, “All the Rage,” which was originally recorded as “You Should Have Seen Her Ass,” and given new lyrics and a new lead vocal from Jagger, showing how little his voice has changed over all these years, and “Criss Cross,” another groovy rocker.

Disc two also features a piano demo of “100 Years Ago,” which I thought was excellent, an alternate take of “Hide Your Love,” and instrumentals of “Dancing with Mr. D” and “Heartbreaker.” The instrumentals are presumably early backing tracks, and they show how the songs evolved on their way to the album versions. This version of “Dancing” features prominent slide guitar, which was dropped at some point. There are also three “Glyn Johns 1973 mixes” of “Dancing with Mr. D,” “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker),” and “Silver Train,” but honestly, I can’t hear any differences between those mixes and the album versions.

Goats Head Soup is an odd mix of sonic textures and styles, and perhaps that’s one reason why it hasn’t received a lot of critical acclaim over the years. But it’s an excellent album that deserves to be reappraised.