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that it has been there all along. In the end, this era, with its emphasis on artifice, consumerism, and emotional narcissism, is a very gay time. In the end, I think it is truer than anyone realizes: We are all homosexuals. Or at the very least, as we embrace the gay aesthetic, we seem to be echoing Flaubert’s sentiments about his own conflicted character, Emma Bovary: “Homo, c’est moi.”

Acknowledgments

Thanks to all of the people who shared anecdotes, information, and encouragement.

The first serious debts of gratitude must be paid to my daughter, Kelly Forman Crimmins, the Junior Goddess and Hag-Fag, and to my mother, Betty Kelly Crimmins Lancaster, the Senior Goddess and Soother. They keep me going, that’s for sure, and so does Alan Forman, who has been a great support over the years.

I’d also like to thank my late father, David J. Crimmins, a man ahead of his time, who long ago explained male homosexuality to me while expertly quoting the Kinsey report.

Help arrived in astounding forms, and always right when I needed it, from my beloved friends and family: Sarah Babaian, Alexandra Mower, Robin Warshaw, Jimmy Schank, Anne Kaier, Barry Bergen, Joanne Babaian, Ronnie Polanezcky, Charisse Savarin, Stephanie Kahn, Kathy Romine, David Levy, and Mark Richard.

Many people were generous with time and interviews, including Nelson Aspen, Philip Gerson, John Kenrick, Luke Yankee, Sam Pancake, Gary Gates, Jeremy Wintroub, Daniel Coleridge, Dr. Bud Coleman, and Kenneth Quinnell.

My crack team of researchers included David Sinkler, Patty Quinn, Frank Garritty, and Tom O’Leary.

Joellen Brown, who’s been present at the birth of all my books, was once again an excellent midwife.

In addition to his helpful music research, Frank Garrity kept me alive. My dog would have eaten my face off during the writing phase if not for Frank’s help. Tom O’Leary kept me writing by passing along articles and encouragement throughout the process.

My agent, Susan Raihofer, was always most helpful and open to all my ideas. I’d also like to thank my editor, Mitch Horowitz, and my publisher, Joel Fotinos, for their patience and strong support of the book. Ashley Shelby deserves thanks for trying to make sense of my worm-ridden manuscript. Thanks also to my enthusiastic publicist, Kelly Groves.

If I’ve forgotten anyone, please forgive me. And please know that any errors or flaws in this book are mine, and mine alone.

Thanks, everyone!

—Cathy Crimmins, 2004

About the Author

Cathy Crimmins has written nineteen books, including When My Parents Were My Age, They Were Old, and Curse of the Mommy. Her most recent, Where Is the Mango Princess?: A Journey Back from Brain Injury, won the Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and is being made into a television movie. An award-winning educational screenwriter, Crimmins speaks frequently, keynoting conferences across the country, and has taught nonfiction writing at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in Literature. Crimmins now lives in Los Angeles and believes that English majors will someday rule the world.