Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates and Chippendales

by David Henry Sterry

Book Overview

A rollicking, hyper-fast paced front row seat to the iconic late-night celebrity-studded party of 80s New York, Master of Ceremonies is the compelling and often tender true story of a fledgling actor... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 184195876X
• ISBN13: 9781841958767
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Canongate Us
• Length: 381 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Loved rolling on ROLLERSKATES! Some spoilers ahead.

I loved this book. One of my favorite aspects is how emotionally human and vulnerable Sterry makes the beefcake sex symbol men, men who look so physically invulnerable. Prince Charming I find especially poignant. Even though I had wondered for a while whether Nick was gay, it still comes as a nice shock when the narrator and Johnny discover Nick's gay porn collection (nice touch that it's under tax returns). The romance with Johnny I find sweet and innocent, a nice contrast to the seedy surroundings. It brings to the surface an interesting fact--that beneath showbiz glamour everyone just wants to be safe and loved, and the Chippendales people were trying to mask that fact with sex, drugs, and big muscles. ROLLERSKATES makes clear how flimsy their mask really was while also describing that mask to the fullest vicarious extent. I find it fascinating that Nick de Noia established his company as a place for women to come and let loose, which is precisely what he would never let himself do. I see him as a sad, trapped person as well as a power-hungry tyrant. Sterry humanizes the Chippendales experience while simultaneously showing its faked, raunchy veneer. Each chapter of ROLLERSKATES had me flipping to the next one. Sterry's unflinching honesty makes the reader trust his narrative perspective completely. I find the part where Johnny has the abortion and Sterry goes to the prostitute searing, sad, and brave to share. What a raw portrayal of how someone lashes out when they are in emotional agony. It seems like a concentration of one of the main themes of the book--that people run from pain they can't control and seek refuge in extreme pleasure. The book is glitzy yet deep. Highly recommended.

Master of Ceremonies

Just finished and I thought it was faaaaaaaaaabulous! Favorite Line: But apparently he's too stupid to understand that, I, the Ugliest Man at Chippendales, am more important to the show than he, the second prettiest. Favorite Character Description: Nick sees himself as equal parts Julius Caesar, P.T.Barnum, the Marquis de Sade,and Bob Fosse. Favorite Object Description: An empty pizza box looks like a toothless empty mouth. Favorite Chapter: The Saddest Girl in the World Favorite Irony: Chippendales has been replaced by a Bed, Bath and Beyond. I felt the characters were all well drafted from Nick de Noia to Fingernails with no please in her please. The story was completely engaging. I read the book in three days.

PUMP IT UP

Inflation is a marvelous things. Human beings pumped to the max is a wonder to behold. In their glory days, the Chippendales jacked up the heat to unimaginable throbs. Nostrils bursting with cocaine, muscles ripped with flavor,the private parts elevated altars of glory. One day, we will run out of oil but we'll never run out of lust. Sterry's book is a catapult into the majesty of an era where lust was worshiped. It's a meteoric shower of brilliance. Baby, this book shines. Memoir at its best.

Library Journal

"Master of Ceremonies" is the dizzying, tender, and true story of a fledgling actor whose first break results in a two-year stint as the emcee at Chippendales, in this work that is resplendent with seedy glamour, hilarious backstage madness, and unflinching honesty. Sterry chronicles his adventures as a struggling comic after he is hired as the host of the popular all-male strip show Chippendales in the early Eighties. He more than delivers on the promise of his title, and readers looking for sex, drugs, and New York-style debauchery will find it in spades. There is a tabloid-level sleaziness inherent in the material, which Sterry utilizes for maximum entertainment value. He avoids providing direct sociological commentary on the sexual power dynamics at play in Chippendales, preferring to let events speak for themselves. There are two underlying love stories, one between Sterry and a coworker, and one between Sterry and his craft; both enrich the narrative with genuine heart. Sterry possesses an engaging writing style, and fans of his earlier memoir, Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent, will not be disappointed. Recommended for large public library collections and cultural and media studies collections.- Katherine Litwin, Chicago Library Journal (07/15/2008)

Sex, drugs and murder

My favorite scene from this book involves a woman who asks one of the Chippendale dancers if she can snort a line of cocaine off his erection. In that one moment, Sterry perfectly sums up this era in the timeline of America. He had the ultimate front row seat in this fantasy world where women - at least for a few hours - were allowed to be as base as men. It's a true story that makes Sex and the City look like an episode of Barney. ---Kemble Scott, author of SOMA