Man Enough to Be a Woman

Description

'If you stay alive long enough, people eventually catch up' Born in rural Georgia in 1947, Jayne moved to New York and became part of the 60s art scene surrounding Andy Warhol's Factory. Jayne's story follows the arc of LGBT liberation in the US - she came of age living hand-to-mouth, faced off against police at Stonewall and came out as a trans woman while she was touring Europe with her band. She went everywhere and met everyone and lived to tell the tale. Man Enough to Be a Woman is the funny, fierce memoir of Jayne's extraordinary journey, now including a new epilogue where she reflects on how the world has (almost) caught up with her.

Jayne County is an American singer, playwright, actress and artist. She was the vocalist of Wayne County & the Electric Chairs and went on to become rock's first openly transgender singer. Her most recent exhibition was Bastet, Goddess of Wet Dreams at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center in February 2020.

Read this book! Live and learn, suckers -- Debbie Harry Full of insights ... an enjoyable alternative to stories that prioritise a desire to fit into bourgeois norms. * Guardian * Rock's first openly trans singer. Jayne County took part in the Stonewall uprising and influenced artists like David Bowie, The Ramones and Patti Smith. * Stonewall's List of 13 LGBT Heroes You Should Know About * The saga of a true rock & roll eccentric ... hilariously brash, this autobiography offers a raw and raunchy tour of the underground music scene. * Publishers Weekly * I implore you, dear readers, think of all the things you could have been, if Jayne County were your mother. * Alternative Press * A rollickin' time capsule that reads like a dishy who's who of freakdom ... Inspired, intelligent storytelling ... spellbinding. Testifies to County's unflagging and inspirational courage. * Rolling Stone * Jayne County's autobiography is intelligent and thoughtful. Only she expresses compassion for the casualties of that era. * Guardian * A masterpiece of transsexual healing, a rock-and-roll Naked Civil Servant.' -- Tony Parsons An utterly shameless read, packed solid with superstar cameos ... a captivating, though often disturbing read. Probably the most honest, in-your-face rock book ever written. * Manchester Evening News * It's one of the most extraordinary sagas in rock history: you read her autobiography with your mouth hanging open, not least because, throughout it all, County never really stopped wrecking. No matter where she fetches up, she somehow manages to end up shocking not just the solids, but the other people intent on shocking the solids. -- Alexis Petridis * Guardian * Her revealing memoir Man Enough To Be A Woman moves through the most exciting counter-cultural scenes in the 20th century... fulfils its promise as an enthralling, riotous memoir by a truly radical individual. * Dazed * County wants to be herself, wants you to be yourself, and wants you to be so without apologizing or self-censoring. Man Enough to Be a Woman offers an alternative, less respectable, more punk blueprint for a new kind of trans and gender non-conforming liberation. -- Sam Moore * Frieze * Intimate storytelling from trailblazing trans singer ... inspiring, absorbing * Mojo magazine *