Books about Cabaret from Amazon.com

Decreed by David Letterman (tongue in cheek) on CBS TV’s The Late Show to be the pick of “Dave’s Book Club 2006,” Candy Girl is the story of a young writer who dared to bare it all as a stripper At the age of twenty-four, Diablo Cody decided there had to be more to life than typing copy at an ad agency. She soon managed to find inspiration from a most unlikely source— amateur night at the seedy Skyway Lounge. While she doesn’t take home the prize that night, Diablo discovers to her surprise the act of stripping is an absolute thrill.

This is Diablo’s captivating fish-out-of-water story of her yearlong walk on the wild side, from quiet gentlemen’s clubs to multilevel sex palaces and glassed-in peep shows. In witty prose she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at this industry through a writer’s keen eye, chronicling her descent into the skin trade and the effect it had on her self-image and her relationship with her now husband..
Price: $5.19 [Notify me when price goes down.]

First song, dress on…

“It sounds like an obvious statement when I say that girls don’t grow up wanting to be strippers, but you’d be surprised Most people – civilians that is – seem to think that even in the cradle we were wrapping ourselves around a greasy pole and grinding our hips to Britney Spears.…When we get drunk the regrets come out. ‘I’m a good girl, really I am,’ sighs one. She takes a drag of her cigarette and I think to myself, I’m not a good girl. Not really. Not anymore. But I sure as hell would like to be.”

With forty-three countries, twelve boats, dozens of flights, a fistful of “life experience” behind her and a lot of ambition fueling her dreams, twenty-five-year old Ruth Fowler arrives in New York City. A Brit with a Cambridge degree and a middle-class background, she doesn’t think it will be too hard to start a new life. But getting a work visa in post-9/11 U.S.A. proves to be tricky, and to kick-start a writing career, Fowler starts documenting her experiences. She funds her efforts with cash-in-hand jobs and a stint writing for The Village Voice, but it doesn’t take long for funds and hope to run out – sending her to the heart of Manhattan's dark underbelly, the strip clubs and “Champagne Rooms” of Times Square. As “Mimi,” she has a chance of survival. But when this persona threatens to consume every vestige of Fowler’s identity, when her life spirals out of control and her true self remains so deeply buried that it seems impossible to resurrect, relying on “Mimi” seems like the biggest mistake she has ever made. No Man’s Land is a shocking, raw account about losing identity—and finding it again..
Price: $10.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Murder Was Never So Much Fun!

When Disco Bloodbath was first published, it created a storm of controversy for its startlingly vivid, strikingly fresh, and outrageously funny depiction of the hedonistic world of the New York City club kids, for whom nothing was too outré -- including murder. Nominated for the Edgar Award for best true-crime book of the year, it also marked the debut of an audaciously talented writer, James St. James, who himself had been a club kid and close friend and confidant of Michael Alig, the young man convicted of killing the drug dealer known as Angel.

Now the book has been brought to the screen as Party Monster, with Macaulay Culkin playing killer Michael Alig and Seth Green as author/celebutante James St. James..
Price: $8.05 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Liz Goldwyn's lifelong fascination with the inimitable glamour of classic burlesque inspired her to spend the past eight years corresponding with, visiting, interviewing, receiving striptease lessons from, and forming close relationships with the last generation of the great American burlesque queeens. Goldwyn invites us to step back into an era when the hourglass figure was in vogue and striptease was a true art form.

Meet Betty "Ball of Fire" Rowland, who was known for her flaming red hair and bump–and–grind routines. (It turns out she once sued the author's grandfather, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., for using her stage name and costume in his Hollywood picture, Ball of Fire.)

Meet Sherry Britton, who, with her long black hair and curvy, trim physique, was among the most stunning of the burlesque stars before Mayor LaGuardia outlawed burlesque in New York.

Meet Zorita, whose sexually explicit "Consummation of the Wedding of the Snake" dance (performed with a live snake) and other daring performances earned her legendary status.

Goldwyn draws back the curtain to reveal the personal journeys of yesteryear's icons of female sexuality and power, restoring their legacy to an age that has all but forgotten them–despite today's resurgence of burlesque.

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Price: $13.84 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This Boston-based alternative pop/German-like cabaret duo hand-designed this book which includes art, photos, commentary and 11 songs from their 2004 release Songs included are: Bad Habit * Coin Operated Boy * Girl Anachronism * Good Day * Gravity * Half Jack * The Jeep Song * Missed Me *Perfect Fit * Slide * Truce..
Price: $21.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Hilly Kristal originally intended his club to showcase the type of music his venue's notorious letters stand for: Country, Bluegrass, Blues. Little did he know his club on the Bowery would be the birthplace of a new era of music in New York City: Punk. While CBGB ultimately didn't describe the music the club was known for, OMFUG (Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers) still represents what the club provides for all voracious "eaters" of music.

CBGB & OMFUG is a musical and cultural landmark, recognized worldwide and visited by countless tourists and music lovers each year. In these luminous pages, CBGB's influence and legacy is honored with 200 photos of some of the most celebrated artists in music history. With an introduction by Hilly Kristal, an afterword by David Byrne, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and cofounder of Talking Heads, and additional commentary by numerous performers and patrons, CBGB & OMFUG features unforgettable images by the many photographers who documented an American institution. .
Price: $11.93 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Gorgeous, archival photographs of shows and architecture combined with authentic recordings bring the roaring twenties in Berlin to life. From Kurt Tucholsky to Marlene Dietrich: authors, composers and performers present an intimate view to a riotously comic and tragic era. Music CDs: No cultural history would be complete without the hit songs composed by Ralph Benatzky, Werner Richard Heymann, Friedrich Hollaender, Rudolf Nelson, and Mischa Spoliansky; presented here on four CDs with wonderful archival recordings of Marlene Dietrich, Curt Bois, The Comedian Harmonists, Trude Hesterberg and Margo Lion..
Price: $18.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

They were temptresses of tease and specialists in seduction—bawdy and beautiful burlesque performers Expertly twirling their tassels, these sexy stage professionals took cues from their vaudeville and variety show predecessors. Remembering the time when a striptease was a theatrical act complete with humor, live music, and skits, BURLESQUE: LEGENDARY STARS OF THE STAGE captures the spirit of the genre with photographs, interviews, and histories. The book is a tribute to the performers who shimmied and shook for countless crowds while striving to maintain a high level of artistry and professionalism. Author Jane Briggeman is the founder of the Golden Days of Burlesque Historical Society, whose mission is to unite former stage performers and promote the story of their craft. Spurred by the deaths of some of burlesque's greatest names, BURLESQUE captures the heart of this unique industry..
Price: $3.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]