Big Bosoms and Square Jaws : The Biography of Russ Meyer

Jimmy McDonough’s biography of Neil Young, Shakey was hailed as ‘one of the most penetrative studies of a rock icon ever written’. bringing his anecdote-and-action-packed biographical style to another renegade of popular culture, McDonough offers a wild portrait of Russ Meyer, the director, writer, producer and commando movie-making force behind such sexploitation classics as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Beginning in 1959, this former combat photographer put his personal sexual obsessions (mostly involving women with huge breasts) on screen, creating a body of work that has influenced a legion of rock bands, filmmakers and even the occasional feminist. Meyer viewed male-female relations in the same way as he viewed World War II – as a fight to the death – and his bombastic, frequently hilarious, sex-and-violence-drenched pictures wowed mainstream movie audiences from drive-ins to arthouses. Rich with wicked observations and memories from Meyer’s friends, lovers, leading ladies, fellow filmmakers and fans, Big Bosoms and Square Jaws tells the full story of Meyer’s life and his volatile marriages, his battles with censorship and his clashes with the Hollywood establishment. What is the key to profitable movie-making, according to Meyer? ‘Big bosoms and square jaws.’ This is a story of greed, lust and the American way. It will thrill film fans and appeal to anyone who likes a good yard with plenty of sex, booze and rock’n’roll.