Charles Casillo is a Marilyn Monroe fanatic; he’s written two books about her, The Marilyn Diaries (1999) and Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon (2018). He’s also written about a lot of other people and things, including a book of short stories, Boys, Lost and Found (2006), a biography of iconic queer novelist John Rechy titled Outlaw: The Lives and Careers of John Rechy (2002) and Elizabeth and Monty: The Untold Story of Their Private Friendship (2021). Nothing if not eclectic, Charles has also made short films, including one starring Joan Collins called Fetish (2010). But Marilyn is his deepest love.
I met Charles when he interviewed me for the L.A. Times on the publication of my novel Veronica (2005). He arrived at my house wearing a dark suit and what looked like a ministerial collar; I asked him about that and he said he felt it appropriate to the occasion (!) He asked me unusual questions (the best one being "Before you became a writer, what were your fantasies about being a writer?”) and also some very personal questions, one of which made me snap at him. But we got over it and I liked the piece he wrote; I called him to thank him and we became friends. I felt an affinity for him in part because, like me, he’d had no formal training as a writer and had made his career experientially, following his own determined, sometimes quixotic path. He started out in the 80s writing for small, mostly queer publications—The New York Native, Christopher Street and The Advocate—developing the more conventional mastery required for The New York Times, New York Magazine and The LA Times.
This conversation came about because of an article in Airmail that a friend of mine sent me: it was an account of Monroe’s marriage to Arthur Miller by John Lahr which pretty much confirmed the portrayal of the actress in the movie Blonde, i.e. that she was a shivering wreck. I wondered what Charles would have to say so…
One more thing before you click: I suppose because we are friends, the talk was slightly less structured than the other audios I’ve done here. It ends very abruptly, without the usual “thank yous.” But that doesn’t mean we didn’t care!
Just imagine: Thank you for speaking with me Charles! Thank you for having me!
Absolutely measures up to granularity of human emotion. Loved that holding her by the big toe.
Interesting instance of a complex person smudged into the impressionistic simple smear somebody thinks the public wants. Interesting and ugly.
This is a wonderful interview. A real conversation about Marilyn Monroe with no hidden agenda or axes to grind. Thank you. To me her most admirable quality was that her intelligence never failed her. Marilyn knew, I think, deep down, that she was responsible for her life, no matter how difficult it was. While I was listening, I kept wondering what she would have thought of your interview with Charles. I think she would have liked it.