How much of the writings in Cottonmouth Kisses are autobiographical?
The majority of them, I’d say 90 percent or so, but then again I’m rotten at math. The pieces that aren’t autobiographical are biographical; they’re composites. I’ll use the story “Metaphor & Remorse” as an example: I’ve never had a boyfriend who turned tricks to pay my college tuition, though I did have a friend who had a boyfriend who did. On the other hand, I did have a completely chemical-fueled “romance” (talk about using a term loosely!) similar to that of the narrator and the character Gavin. Incidentally, a dear chum & drug buddy of mine chose the moniker “Gavin” to use when she stripped at the Century and Market St. Theaters, two locales buzzing with insanity and illegal behavior. I’ve never had a dealer slice a gouge in my shoulder, though several friends & a couple of lovers have obliged me this way. Anyone who’s ever seen the photography book True Blood or Badlands by Charles Gatewood will know I was into some pretty heavy-duty territory: ritualistic cuttings, performance a
