Poppy Z. Brite, Plastic Jesus (Subterranean Press, 2000)I tried not to be negatively influenced when reading Plastic Jesus by the fact that it is, essentially, a piece of fan fiction about one of the most ridiculously hyped, and the single most overrated, band in music history. Unfortunately, I don't think I succeeded.Plastic Jesus is the story of the two founding members of a sixties rock sensation called the Kydds. (Oh, let's drop it. It's John and Paul. I mean, even the illustrations are... you know.) The book jacket gives away the whole thing, but I'll just sketch here; the story opens with one of them being shot dead in New York in 1980. (Guess which?) It then goes back and traces the genesis of the band to that point, while attempting to explain why he got shot. The fictional part of it is that, pursuant to Brite's usual obsessions, he's shot because of homophobia, because the two of them are gay.Well, little surprise there. And when I can divorce myself from the subject matter, it's workable, if workmanlike, Brite; quick, easy reading, pages turning at a decent pace. The characters are believable (though one tends to suspect that's because they're based on real people here, rather than any native authorial skill), the plot plausible. The theme less so, but then, this is a work of fantasy, so we'll allow a little leeway. On this level, at least.And this is where it breaks down. The line between professional work and fan fiction is usually more a chasm than a line, but sometimes it gets blurry. Plastic Jesus is very much one of those times. While it's quite obviously the work of Poppy Z. Brite (and thus as polished and professional as anything she puts out), it still treads uncomfortably close to the slash line too many times.(Again, I cause myself to wonder if I'd have had this problem were it, say, X-Files fan fiction or John Lee Hooker fan fiction or... you get the idea.)The bottom line is it's readable. Whether you will find its subject matter to your taste is likely a matter of personal choice. I can't stand the Beatles, never could, and that negatively affected my ability to read this. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. ***
Plastic Jesus is an off the beaten path tale of two men who form one of the most influential bands in the history of Rock and Roll, and fall in love...I discovered this story years ago when I was in the height of my Beatles craze. Of course, the main characters in the book and the band names are all changed, but if you know anything about the Beatles, it is clear to see who the characters in this story are based on. This book was written as a what if story about John and Paul falling in love. I know, I know. Sounds stupid right? I was skeptical about it myself but there is something about this book that always has me smiling. Taking place right after Joh--- sorry, Seth's death, this story is told through a flashback. It's short and its sweet but what I love most about it is how raw it is. It doesn't make any excuses for itself nor does it pretend to be doing something it's not. Also, I think it's safe to say that the confrontation between the killer Peyton (Paul) at the end, is what we all wished could have really happened.Overall, Plastic Jesus is an interesting read. It takes two people who, in reality, shared a bond that most don't ever form, and dramatized it in such a way that you actually find yourself believing it could be true. I tip my hat to you, Poppy Z Brite. You are a brave woman for writing this and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Another great book by Poppy Z Brite. I always loved her books about the two young gay guys in New Orleans that grow up together and realize they are gay and love each other and then end up cooking together; Ricky and GMan. And I always thought it amazing that a women could so capture how a gay guy thinks but reading up on Poppy a biography says he now identifies as a gay male and his name is Billy Martin so now it does make sense. :-) This is kind of a retelling of the John Lennon story but just imagine that he and Paul are gay and fall in love. Its a novella but I wished it were longer.
—Jim
Based on the Beatles, I found this a very interesting "What if..." Wonderfully written, fairly short, and the edition I read had some pen-drawn illustrations.A quick-read, it's one of those books that everyone should read once. If you like the Beatles anyway, and really wish that John and Paul could be more than friends. Though this isn't the Beatles, of course, this is Seth and Payton. Two guys that just seem very familiar.If you don't like m/m, then this is not for you. If you do like m/m, this is an interesting story.
—Harper Kingsley
