A Walk On The Wild Side With Andy Warhol's Most Fabulous Superstar
Memoir / Biography
Date Published: 02-11-2025
Publisher: Feral House
A young, aspiring writer desperate for a break…and the legendary
Andy Warhol superstar who gave him the story of a lifetime.
“Jeff's affection for Holly, even as she drunkenly claims, ‘You
ruined my life!’ makes this romp worth the journey.”
—Michael Musto
By the mid-1980s, Holly Woodlawn, once lauded by George Cukor for her
performance in the 1970 Warhol production and Paul Morrissey directed Trash,
was washed up. Over. Kaput. She was living in a squalid Hollywood apartment
with her dog and bottles of Chardonnay. A chance meeting with starry-eyed
corn-fed Missouri-born Jeff Copeland, who moved to Hollywood with dreams of
‘making it’ as a television writer, changed the course of BOTH
of their lives forever.
Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a story of how an unlikely friendship
with a young gay writer and an, ahem, mature trans actress and performer
created the bestselling autobiography of 1991, A Low Life in High Heels.
This book about writing a book is a celebration of chutzpa and love as
Holly, the embodiment of Auntie Mame, introduces Jeff to the glamorous (and
sometimes larcenous) world of a Warhol Superstar. In turn, Jeff uses his
writing (and typing) talent to give Holly the second chance at fame she
craved.
In turns hilarious and heartwarming, Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a
portrait of the real Holly who loved deeply, laughed loudly, and left mayhem
in her wake.
Interview
What was your main drive to write this book?
My intent was to celebrate the crazy, hilarious times I had with Holly Woodlawn, who was one of Andy Warhol’s transgender superstars that Lou Reed sang about in Walk on the Wild Side. I met Holly in 1988 and co-wrote her memoir, A Low Life in High Heels (published by St. Martin’s Press in 1991). It was a magical time and something I never wanted to forget. So my goal was to honor Holly and commemorate that special time in my life.
Also, most show biz memoirs are about winners. My story is about an underdog loser who is struggling to be a winner. So it’s very different from most Hollywood stories.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a comedy of errors so it’s very funny, but there are also very important lessons in the story. One of my favorite is how my mother brilliantly inspired me, a bullied awkward kid, to achieve my career goals… with flowers in a soda bottle! Okay, that story alone is worth the price of the book.
Another lesson that’s important to know is the work and nerve it takes to break into Hollywood. It is a hard, arduous slog. There are many courses and seminars you can take on how to write books or scripts. But how many people give you the real inside scoop on the hell you have to go through in order to get your story read? It’s quite horrible. And then there’s the whole nightmare of having your book optioned and developed into a movie. So… if you want a career in Hollywood, or if you’re a parent or teacher inspiring kids to go down this path, you really should read this book so you know what it takes to survive the Hollywood machine.
Also, a lot of people don’t follow their dreams because they’re afraid they’ll fail. I wanted to show readers that it’s okay to fail. The important thing is you tried. The disappointment of failure is temporary. But the regret of having not tried… that lasts a lifetime. So I hope my story inspires people to sa, “Fuck fear! I’m pursuing my dreams.”
Did you do much research when planning this book?
I reviewed notes, letters, audio tapes and videotapes that I had in storage. I also consulted with people who were part of the scene to make sure my depictions were accurate.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it? I sent individual chapters to friends for feedback during the writing off the story. But it was my friend, Tam Warner, who read the manuscript in its entirety in 2021 and gave me serious notes. So she was the most influential person and she was the one who said, “This has merit. You’ve got something here and it’s not just a book. It belongs on the stage!”
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to getting publish?
I got the thought in 2013 and banged out several drafts in 2016. Nobody was interested in it back then. In 2020, I started a serious rewrite and the story evolved. I probably did five drafts that year. In 2021, I started shopping it. Then in 2022, I rewrote it again based on feedback. Cut out about 100 pages. And in 2023, Feral House expressed interest but wanted some fixes with the direction and tone. So I took eight weeks to do those fixes and after that, landed a deal.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
Not the same topic, but the same theme. Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a memoir about lost, broken people trying to find their way. Lost broken people resonate with me. So right now, I’m working on a novel about lost, broken losers who can’t do anything right.
About the Author
For nearly 30 years, Jeff Copeland worked as a show biz hobo, hopping from
one gravy train to the next. He was nominated for an Emmy (yay!) and lost
(boo!), and has enjoyed working on fun, interesting, and exciting content
for a variety of TV networks and film studios, including ABC, FOX, and
HGTV.
Contact Links
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
BookShop
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posts
0 Comments