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| Warm Angora Wishes is an anthology inspired by the works of Ed Wood. |
Boy, the Ed Wood books just keep coming, huh?
There was a time when Rudolph Grey pretty much had the market cornered with Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). Apart from the crude but heartfelt 33-page chapbook Edward D. Wood, Jr.: A Man and His Films (1981) by Randy Simon and Harold Benjamin, Grey's quirky oral history was the first major volume dedicated to the director of Glen or Glenda (1953) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957). There had been numerous magazine and newspaper articles about Eddie, plus coverage of Eddie's movies in books like The Golden Turkey Awards (1980) and Cult Movies (1981), but nothing like this!
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| The latest Wood book. |
In addition to including quotes from many of Wood's professional and personal associates, Nightmare covered Eddie's life from beginning to end—from his childhood in Poughkeepsie in the 1920s and '30s to his ultimate descent into alcoholism and pornography in the 1960s and '70s. Previous to this book, articles about Ed Wood tended to focus on his 1950s heyday and the creation of his most famous films. Rudolph Grey showed there was a lot more to the story... and it wasn't all angora sweaters and plywood tombstones.
Nightmare of Ecstasy hit the market just before the internet gained mainstream popularity. I'd say that, more than any other factor, the 'net has accounted for the deluge of Wood books that we've seen in recent years. For one thing, information is a lot easier to find and share, giving fans access to films, books, and vintage articles that they wouldn't have had previously. Ed Wood fanatics, like so many people with extremely niche interests, also have instant access to each other nowadays, allowing them to compare notes, share information, and collaborate in ways that would have been impossible in decades past. Think back to the pre-internet days when fans really only had things like conventions and newsletters to keep in touch.
In 2024, we have another brand-new Wood-inspired book to dissect: Ed Wood's Warm Angora Wishes and Rubber Octopus Dreams, edited by prolific monster author Kurt McCoy and published by Arcane Shadows Press. I think the clunky name is a reference to Robin Leach's catchphrase from the 1980s syndicated series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: "Champagne wishes and caviar dreams!" In any event, that title is a mouthful, so I think I'll just refer to the book as Warm Angora Wishes from now on. The book's editor responds:
For the record, that title was not my choice. The original title was Ed Wood’s Haunted Worlds, which was a clear homage to the [1996] documentary The Haunted World of Edward D Wood Jr. Others thought that the title similarity might prove problematic, and I had to defer to their judgment. The title selection was overseen by our publisher, Brad Braddock, who is really responsible for pulling this thing together. The book wouldn’t exist without the vast amounts of labor he invested in assembling it.
I can’t say that I like that title or am happy about being sidelined for the selection process—but truthfully, I was too close to the project and too heavily invested in it to be objective. Health issues have kept me from being as active in the production side as I may have wanted anyway. An awful lot got dumped in Brad’s lap more or less at the last minute, but he handled it all effectively and professionally. I’m truly indebted to him for picking up my slack—on top of the usual work of being the publisher.
Thanks for the clarification Kurt.
But what is this thing, exactly? Warm Angora Wishes is chiefly an anthology of short fiction inspired by the work of Edward D. Wood, Jr. I say "chiefly" because the first—and longest—piece in the book is nonfiction and only tangentially about Ed. Mostly, though, the book contains stories that draw directly from Eddie's film work, largely Plan 9 and Glenda, plus Night of the Ghouls (1959), Bride of the Monster (1955), and a few others. In a way, Warm Angora Wishes feels like an attempt to create an Extended Ed Wood Cinematic Universe, connecting the films from Eddie's Golden Age so that they form a larger narrative.
In examining the contents of this book, I have concluded that there is no way to summarize or review Warm Angora Wishes in one blog post. Therefore, I have made the cataclysmic decision to cover this book the same way I have covered the Ed Wood anthologies in the past: one story at a time. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be making my way through this volume chapter by chapter and posting my reflections here. If you so choose, you may join me on this journey.
P.S. Here is how the book describes itself on its own back cover. This may convince you to read my upcoming reviews or to keep your distance from them. Either way, I thought it was only sporting to include it.
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| Bringing to life new webs of fiction. |