Re: RARA-AVIS: Ellroy's World

Dave (birdlives@earthlink.net)
Mon, 18 May 1998 10:53:57 -0700 Certain plot and background stories concerning real characters in
Ellroy's books are based in fact -- whether it be Spade Cooley, Johnny
Stomp, etc. A real-life sensational story is always the pre-requisite.

Then there's the "fictionalization" of real characters that he likes to
do -- Dick Contino is an obvious example of this process ... certainly
none of the events in the novella actually occurred. And he likes to
litter the stories with real characters, though not necessarily based in
fact ...ie; Dot Rothstein, the bulldyke screw at the Tehachapi, (or
whereever she is,) and Howard Hughes.

Lastly, Ellroy is in love with specific names. "Buzz Meeks" is a good
example. The Meeks in the Dahlia is definitely NOT the same Meeks in The
Big Nowhere, (or whatever that book is.) He just likes the sound of the
name. Some names are references to friends of his -- one of his friends
is Joe Stinson, a writer, so "Stinson" almost always shows up. Some are
references to his past ... I believe "Whitey Haines" from Blood On The
Moon was a guy he knew as a kid, who vowed to become a gynecologist --
and apparently, he did.

Dave

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