A James Ellroy Playlist: The Loves of Freddy Otash Part I
The news that James Ellroy’s latest novel Red Sheet will be published in June of next year has inspired me to revisit my James Ellroy Playlist series. For those of you unfamiliar with this series it is, quite simply, an exploration of music that is important to the fictional world Ellroy has created in his novels.
Red Sheet is a continuation of Ellroy’s Freddy Otash series of novels. I wanted to explore the musical influences on the Otash novels, specifically by looking at songs by women who, for better or worse, could be considered the loves of Freddy Otash. As there was more material on this subject than I anticipated, I am splitting this post into two parts, with the second part to be published soon.
Wade in the Water
One of the most intriguing snippets from the Red Sheet synopsis came in this line, ‘the long-forgotten but still-stunning folk singer Judy Henske is on a collision course with the love of her life, the freewheeling Freddy O’. Judy Henske was born in Chippewa Falls in 1936. She moved to San Diego in 1959 and lived ‘on a sloop in a yacht basin’. Her singing career received a boost when she appeared on the musical variety show Hootenanny, and she became a prominent figure in the folk music craze of the early 1960s. Henske was noted for her booming voice. Crime writer, and for a time Ellroy confidante, Andrew Vachss noted in his novel Blue Belle that ‘If Linda Ronstadt’s a torch singer, Henske’s a flame thrower.’ In a recent interview with The Objective Ellroy said of Red Sheet, ‘Freddy meets a woman he can’t escape. She’s the folk singer, Judy Henske. She represents a kind of goodness he’s never encountered before and encourages him to tell the truth.’
The Red Sheet synopsis describes Judy Henske as ‘long-forgotten’, but the October-December 1962 setting of the novel covers a time-period when she was in her mid-twenties and her career was in its ascendancy. Below is a stunning Judy Henske performance of the African-American spiritual ‘Wade in the Water’ from her only film appearance, the 1963 musical Hootenanny Hoot.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President
It might be a stretch to consider Marilyn Monroe as one of the loves of Freddy Otash’s life, but it’s fair to say they had a mutually important, albeit indirect, impact on each other’s existence in Ellroy’s novel The Enchanters. Monroe was praised for her singing ability. Her rendition of ‘Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend’ in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a standout performance in her career. For this post though, I feel it most appropriate, given everything James Ellroy has written about the moral corruption of the Kennedy clan, to include Monroe’s performance of ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’, followed by a few lines of ‘Thanks for the Memory’, at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962. It is unforgettable performance made all the more poignant by the fact that Monroe died less than three months later on August 4, 1962. Were the Kennedys involved? Only Freddy O has the goods!
The Venetian Vase 
Dan, don’t know if you have read any Ellroy but they are all worth giving a try. He wrote the books that the movie “L.A. Confidential” is based on. I met him when I lived in Florida and had him sign 6 or 7 of his books. He comes across as a self centered jerk. I wanted to know if he was going to put Johnny Stompinato in any more of his stories. He responded “ Stomp is a clown”. Raining here. We are hoping to leave Saturday. Stay safe, Andy
Sent from my iPad
Monroe’s performance and the setting thereof are good for a book’s worth of pondering the state of affairs at that time on both micro and macro levels. And Judy’s “Wade on the Water” is great music for the pondering. Thanks as always, Steve. bz
Thanks Bill. I’m looking forward to Red Sheet. This one seems to have a buzz Ellroy’s novels have lacked of late. Have another music post coming including Julie London. Doris Houck and Lois Nettleton so stay tuned!
You are the man, Mr. Powell. Thank you for all your work and everything you do here and on the Ellroy Reads YT page. Magic, magic stuff.
As excited as I was to see the announcement for Ellroy’s new one, it was Judy’s name in the synopsis that really sent me over the moon. I’ve been in love with her music since Vachss made the intro about 15 years back. It was Down in the Zero for me because for some reason that was the first Vachss I got my hands on. But that flame thrower line is one I’ll never forget.
And I never realized Ellroy and Vachss were friends until I read your magnificent Love Me Fierce in Danger. Man, being in the same room as those two in conversation would be something else. Broke my heart when Vachss passed. A real life superhero. So glad you got to make it through the maze of his protective layers to talk to him.
Sorry for the length. Just wanted to say thanks and always looking forward to your next thing.
Take care,
Steve from South Florida
Steve,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I’m going to keep producing material here, on YouTube and books too I hope so stay tuned! Yes, Ellroy and Vachss made for an incendiary friendship. I’ve always been grateful that Vachss took the time to talk to me. He didn’t need to with everything else that he had going on and I had no idea he was so ill. A truly extraordinary man.
Steven