Book summary

After his auspicious debut novel, Glasgow Phillips ventured into the surreal world of Los Angeles in the 1990s, a time of arty exuberance, debauched parties, unabashed hustling, and supposedly easy money for anyone with the right image and idea. Phillips took advantage of this milieu by starting a "naming company" to help startups find the perfect look. Then he embarked on a raucous film production company responsible for such memorable films as CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL, ORGAZMO, and a martial arts flick featuring himself as a monk who fights with his genitals. As he works on a faux-snuff film, Phillips has a crisis of conscience, and begins to wonder where his writerly talents have led him. THE ROYAL NONESUCH, Phillips's memoir of Hollywood's outlandish underbelly, is written with a perfect mix of hilarity and soul searching.

Media reviews

"[A] hilarious coming-of-age memoir....[Glasgow Phillips] surveys the [Los Angeles] freak show with a mordant, cutting wit that delivers insight and pathos along with the laughs." (starred review)