> >I'm really intrigued by this. So, basically, Laura
> >Albert, a 40 yr old failed rock musician, created this
> >fictional entity, "JT LeRoy," which was played at
> >public appearances by her step sister, so that she
> >could get a career in film and publishing? "JT LeRoy"
> >is now an associate producer and has written for
> >Deadwood, etc., novel contracts, scripts, etc. Weird.
> >http://www.jtleroy.com/
>
> Evidently. But I was also wondering if there was an intention to
> put one over on on the liberal cultural elite - to reveal how their
> political sympathies would overwhelm their weak intellects showing
> them as hopeless softies, etc.
Although the final expose came out this year, some of the cultural elite were already suspecting that they were being played several years ago: Mary Gaitskill said in 2001 "It's occurred to me that the whole thing with Jeremy [J.T.] is a hoax, but I felt that even if it turned out to be a hoax, it's a very enjoyable one. And a hoax that exposes things about people, the confusion between love and art and publicity. A hoax that would be delightful and if people are made fools of, it would be OK -- in fact, it would be useful" (qtd. Joy Press, "The Cult of J.T. LeRoy," Village Voice, 13-19 June 2001, <http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0124,press,25519,1.html>). Maybe Susie Bright is a lot sweeter person than Mary Gaitskill is.
The expose written by Stephen Beachy last year does come to a very useful conclusion: "For all its abuse and kinky sex, the JT story is really just another heartwarming rags-to-riches tale for the punk generation. But what if America isn’t really the sort of place where a street urchin can charm his way to the top, through diligence and talent; what if instead it’s the sort of place where heartwarming stories of abused children who triumph through adversity are made up and marketed?" ("Who Is the Real JT LeRoy?," New YOrk, 17 October 2005, <http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718>).
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>