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Post by ripper on Mar 10, 2014 13:09:34 GMT
Timothy Lea-Confessions of a Pop Performer (Futura, 1975)
First published as Confessions from the Pop Scene in 1974, this edition was issued as a tie-in to the film with Robin Askwith, but as far as I am aware the two versions are identical story-wise.
This time, Timmy and Sid are plunged into the pop world, first trying to launch Sid and Rosie's young son as a mini David Bowie at a church hall variety contest, with predictably catastrophic results. Next, Sid signs up a band called "Kipper" and promotes them as the next supergroup, even though they have never actually played together. There are plenty of hi-jinks with Kipper making a record and appearing on a TV pop show. Eventually, Sid and Timmy attempt to conquer Europe by taking Kipper to a pop festival in Germany, but it turns out to be a meeting of neo-nazis. Along the way there are plenty of comedic erotic encounters for Sid and Timmy including meeting and trying to satisfy "Sadie's Ladies," the resident dancers of Pick of the Pops, the show on which Kipper appear briefly.
The title is a little misleading as Timmy doesn't do any pop performing at all; I have not seen the movie version so am not sure if that is different or not. As far as Confessions go, this was fine, I thought, and I had a pretty good time reading it. I've read around 6 of the Timothy Lea books and this one was probably above average. As usual, there are lots of references to people and events circa 1974...it really was a completely different world back then. If you like the Timmy Lea series then I think you will enjoy this one.
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junkmonkey
Crab On The Rampage
Shhhhh! I'm Hiding....
Posts: 98
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Post by junkmonkey on Mar 11, 2014 21:42:22 GMT
As far as Confessions go, this was fine, I thought, and I had a pretty good time reading it. I've read around 6 of the Timothy Lea books and this one was probably above average. Above average? Yikes!!! It's the only Confessions book I've read and the only laugh I got out of the whole book was reading on the back cover that Colombia's other 'major' films of the year included: Taxi Driver, and The Man Who Would Be King.... |
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Post by ripper on Mar 12, 2014 10:32:52 GMT
The Confessions series of books are, of course, of their time. Speaking frankly, I don't often get big laughs from them, but I do enjoy the situations and the verbal play between Timmy and Sid, plus in this particular instance the antics of Kipper. I also find a kind of naive innocence about the books. Certainly, I can't see anyone being offended by their contents; they are very mild when compared to the adult material of today, though I would not be surprised to find out that a large part of their readership were teenage boys.
Taxi Driver and Man who would be King? How can De Niro, Connery and Caine possibly compete with Robin Askwith as chirpy Timmy Lea? :-) Seriously, though, I haven't seen the film of Pop Performer, though the other three in the series I have seen. They are not really too good: sub-par Carry-Ons with naked ladies, and I suspect the amount of skin on view was instrumental in getting many patrons to part with their money. The most fun for me when watching a Confessions or Adventures etc is in spotting the well-known TV actors of that time who turn up quite frequently in these smutty comedies. It is a pity that the films didn't have better scripts given the talent that was on-screen.
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