Description:
The story of cult figure Cookie Mueller's life through an oral history composed of more than 80 interviews with those who knew her, with photographs by David Armstrong, Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Hujar and others
Cookie Mueller (1949-1989) was a firecracker, a cult figure, a wild child, a writer, a go-go dancer, a mother and a queer icon. A child of suburban 1950s Maryland, she made her name first as an actress in the films of John Waters, and then as an art critic and columnist, a writer of hilarious stories and a maven of New York's downtown art world. Edgewise, by Berlin-based actress and writer Chloé Griffin, tells the story of Cookie's life through an oral history composed of more than 80 interviews with the people who knew her, including John Waters, Mink Stole, Gary Indiana, Sharon Niesp, Max Mueller, Linda Yablonsky, Richard Hell, Amos Poe and Raymond Foye. The contributors take us from the late-1960s artist communes of Baltimore to 1970s Provincetown and New York, through 1980s Berlin and Positano. Along with the text, Edgewise includes artwork, unpublished photographs and archival material and photography by Philip-Lorca diCorcia, David Armstrong, Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Hujar and others.Review Quotes: Mueller's tale was too rich to capture in a traditional, linear biography, and knowing that wouldn't do a free spirit like her justice, author Chloé Griffin took a different approach in her new book, Edgewise: A Picture of Cookie Mueller. Griffin labored for years, traveling and conducting extensive interviews with Mueller's friends, family and former colleagues for their intimate accounts. The book includes interviews with John Waters, Mink Stole, and Mueller's only child, Max. Through oral history and photographs, Griffin weaves together a more complete look at the elusive legend's life, and it's as heartfelt and sincere as it is badass.--Lydia Siriprakorn "Frontier LA"