As a child, Ellroy was exposed to his mother's boozy promiscuity and his father's slovenliness and womanising. Armand Ellroy was Rita Hayworth's manager and, he claimed, her lover. His dying words to Ellroy were : "Try to pick up every waitress who serves you".
As a teenager Ellroy postured as a neo-nazi and was kicked out of school. He burgled his female classmates' homes to steal their panties. He became a booze and drug fiend. Later he faked insanity to escape the army, after which he was often homeless or in jail for petty crimes. He worked in a porn store. He lost his virginity to a communist whilst high on cough syrup. When he was aged 27, substance abuse nearly killed him. In between all this he found time to read hundreds of detective novels.
Dark Obsessions of the Demon Dog
Dan Jones
The Critic
2023
Dan Jones
The Critic
2023
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