Sway: A Novel by Zachary Lazar Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sway: A Novel
Book Review: Persuasive fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
In the opening pages of SWAY, author Zachary Lazar warns readers that "among other things, [the novel] is an examination of the way several public lives were detached from the realm of fact and became a kind of contemporary folklore."
Lazar, author of AARON, APPROXIMATELY, cleverly weaves three related stories that all contain larger-than-life characters and events that served to close the decade that was the 1960s. He tells how Bobby Beausoleil, a sometime musician and drifter, became a murderer under the spell of Charles Manson. Before his Manson family days, Bobby appeared in an experimental film by avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who went on to blend that movie with another he shot with the Rolling Stones. One story bleeds into the other, showing how artistic euphoria can easily lead to madness.
Bobby was a handsome drifter bouncing around California trying to pick up gigs with his rock band when he happened upon a commune of sorts, on a deserted ranch in the desert. Its inhabitants all were under the sway of a man who purported himself to be a prophet and, at times, even Jesus Christ. Manson controlled every move his underlings made and soon demonstrated his influence by having members of his "family" kill for him. Bobby, who had begun an ill-advised affair with one of the Manson girls, was talked into participating in the murder of music teacher Gary Hinman, which precipitated the Tate-LoBianca killings by a little more than a week.
Before his disastrous association, Bobby had lived in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco and made the acquaintance of Kenneth Anger, who was known for such controversial and artistic films as Scorpio Rising, and he wanted Bobby for his latest outing, Lucifer Rising. But after weeks of shooting, the tension --- sexual and otherwise (Kenneth, a somewhat closeted gay man, was attracted to the straight Bobby, and the two had several sexual encounters) --- took its toll. The pair had a falling out and Bobby fled with most of the film, forcing Kenneth to abandon the project and use what footage he had in his later film, Invocation of My Demon Brother, which also starred the Rolling Stones.
The Stones storyline begins just as the band, led by guitarist and founder Brian Jones, is starting to get a following in the clubs in the London suburbs. Brian had a strong vision for the band --- definitely more blues than pop --- but when fame and drugs came into the picture, that vision grew fuzzier, and exactly who was in charge of the band was up for debate. As Brian descended further into drugs and his destructive relationship with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, he found himself more and more estranged from the band. With a U.S. tour pending, the rest of the group --- led by Mick, emerging as the heir apparent, and Keith Richards --- fired Brian from the band. A little more than a month later, Brian was found dead in his swimming pool at the age of 27.
Although over the years the actual cause of death has been disputed (some say that a builder who was living at the house killed him and confessed to the crime on his deathbed years later), it was reported on the death certificate as "death by misadventure." Around this time, Kenneth had relocated to London and met the Stones through an associate. Anxious to capture their energy and raw power on screen, he broached the idea of doing a film with Mick. The filmmaker arrived on the scene, Mick's power usurped Brian's and the outlandish singer soon discovered that he and Kenneth shared the same fascination with the occult, namely with the concept of the Devil. But as with previous relationships, Kenneth's fierce intensity scares away his leading man, and he is alone once again.
SWAY deftly blends three key times and places, indicative of the turbulent '60s, almost as a signpost to the end of that era. The stories are all connected and steeped in fact, but Lazar takes the fact one step further and it becomes persuasive fiction. The title can have a multitude of meanings, including being the name of one of the Rolling Stones's songs, but I think it speaks primarily to the notion of the dangers of falling prey to someone else's influence and how being under the "sway" of somebody can lead you to ruin.
--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller
Book Review: Rolling Stones + Kenneth Anger + Manson Family = '60s Zietgiest?
Summary: 2 Stars
Maybe it's because I wasn't alive in the '60s, but I just don't get the point of this "novel." It takes as its subjects three icons of the era's pop culture: The Rolling Stones, underground/avant garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger, and Manson family member Bobby Beausoliel. The book alternates between this trio, basically providing a potted bio of Anger's life and career up until 1970, the early years of the Stones (focusing on the doomed Brian Jones), and Beausoliel's confused California existence (he is currently in jail but sells his art online). The three threads come together in Anger's 1969 film, Invocation of My Demon Brother, which starred Beausoleil, featured a Mick Jagger score, and included footage of the Stones.
The problem is, if I were interested in any of these subjects, there is plenty of nonfiction material I could read instead of this fictional recreation of conversations and situations. For example, there are any number of books about the Stones, and if I want to know about Altamont, I can watch the Mayles' excellent documentary Gimme Shelter. If I want to know about Brian Jones' excursion into Moroccan music, I can listen to The Pipes of Pan at Jajouka. And if I really want to get into Brian Jones, there are at least five biographies of him, and another five book purporting to unveil the "truth" of his "murder." Obviously there are a gazillion book about the Manson family and murders. And as for Kenneth Anger, I can go check out his work directly via the recently restored films collected on the DVDs The Films of Kenneth Anger, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. (the latter of which includes Invocation of My Demon Brother). Or I could turn to the back of the book and read the various books Lazar has cited as being useful to him.
Of course, presumably the idea is that fiction allows some kind of synthesis which in turn can lead to a greater understanding of the '60s zeitgeist (or something like that). I can't say that I particularly buy it in this case. The whole thing feels more like some kind of writing workshop exercise based on the unlikely connection between the Stones, Anger, and Manson family, than it doe a fully thought-out book. I'm not in any way opposed to historical fiction, or fiction that puts words in the mouths of real-life personages, but when it's not in the service of a narrative, I'm not sure what the point is. To be fair, the prose itself is assured and doesn't get in the way of the colorful material, and I'm sure there are others who will find it all greatly enjoyable and possibly perceptive. But I just didn't get it...
Book Review: Sway by Zachary Lazar is a fictionalized account that takes place in the late 60's.
Summary: 3 Stars
Sway by Zachary Lazar is a fictionalized account that takes place in the late 60's. Brian Jones was the lead of The Rolling Stones, Charles Mason was on the streets, and Kenneth Anger was making movies. I was in high school. I remember the Tate murders. The memory that stands out most in my mind was Charles Manson's eyes. Looking at him was like looking into the depths of hell. He had the ability to mesmerize those around him. His "army" apparently thought he was god. I believe he was pure evil. Sociopath is the title doctors would place on him; possessed is the title I would give him.
Lazar weaves treads of three stories together to create Sway. One thread is Manson, and another is Rolling Stones' original leader Brian Jones. Readers will be familiar with the names of Mick and Keith; they are very much a part of this story. The third strand is Kenneth Anger (whom I had never heard of). He is a creator of dark art films. Anger was from an abusive family. Perhaps that is why his films were so dark. I found the plot to be jerky. There was no real comfortable flow. I give Lazar credit; he did not make a hero of Manson, but neither did he truly capture the essence of the man. Fans of the Rolling Stones will enjoy this trip down memory lane. They will cherish the recounting of Mick, Keith and Brian.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for [...]
Book Review: its just this evil life that's got you in its sway
Summary: 5 Stars
this book is amazing.
why not just go into your room, put on 'exile on main st', and 'sticky fingers' while paging through 'hollywood babylon' with 'helter skelter' on dvd?
because you will just get the same old thing, the incredible yet now hopelessly familiar cultural artifacts of the '60's choked with history.
this book strips the sense of future from these now famous or infamous people and reading it you sense the ordinary, even pathetic aspects of the characters who are now in our pantheon of gods.
the economic and social forces of the '60's and their implications are endlessly discussed, yet the nature of humanity, the individual odd isolated person is the true actor of all times and of this book. lazar lets those real individuals speak for themselves in a way not possible in real life. the keith richards of 1964 has been completely obliterated by the one whose autobiography is coming out soon (which i am eager to read but for other reasons!).
one thing we should have learned from history by now is that while we never truly learn from it, we do find some eras are more interesting to wallow in.
i can't think of many more interesting than this.
Book Review: just imagination
Summary: 5 Stars
Why imagine the 60's? Because it makes a lot more sense than trying to define or analyze them. This was the decade that imagined itself into being and still imagines us today: "Sway" meets it on its own terms. Lazar's imagination is disciplined, precise, a living thing. His evocation of the entwined lives of the Stones, Kenneth Anger, and a Manson accomplice is a riveting read.
If you've ever wondered about how those dingy, brilliant boys channeled Delta blues in sub-middle class mid-Atlantic Home Counties accents and put the edge on a generation, read this book. Lazar has wondered too and he's really good at it.