A Walk On The Wild Side With Andy Warhol's Most Fabulous Superstar
Memoir / Biography
Date Published: 02-11-2025
Publisher: Feral House
A young, aspiring writer desperate for a break…and the legendary
Andy Warhol superstar who gave him the story of a lifetime.
“Jeff's affection for Holly, even as she drunkenly claims, ‘You
ruined my life!’ makes this romp worth the journey.”
—Michael Musto
By the mid-1980s, Holly Woodlawn, once lauded by George Cukor for her
performance in the 1970 Warhol production and Paul Morrissey directed Trash,
was washed up. Over. Kaput. She was living in a squalid Hollywood apartment
with her dog and bottles of Chardonnay. A chance meeting with starry-eyed
corn-fed Missouri-born Jeff Copeland, who moved to Hollywood with dreams of
‘making it’ as a television writer, changed the course of BOTH
of their lives forever.
Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a story of how an unlikely friendship
with a young gay writer and an, ahem, mature trans actress and performer
created the bestselling autobiography of 1991, A Low Life in High Heels.
This book about writing a book is a celebration of chutzpa and love as
Holly, the embodiment of Auntie Mame, introduces Jeff to the glamorous (and
sometimes larcenous) world of a Warhol Superstar. In turn, Jeff uses his
writing (and typing) talent to give Holly the second chance at fame she
craved.
In turns hilarious and heartwarming, Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a
portrait of the real Holly who loved deeply, laughed loudly, and left mayhem
in her wake.
Interview
Can you tell us a little about the process of getting this book published?
That was a long, horrible slog. The rejections weren’t so bad because those came with constructive criticism that helped me hone the story. It was the lack of response that was most difficult. Those agents and publishers who didn’t respond were like slaps in the face because for me, the underlying message was ‘You don’t matter.’
I discovered Feral House by reading Glamour Ghoul, which I loved. So I sent them a query, and when they didn’t respond, I reached out to them through their licensing portal. My request was legit. I requested rights information about a Vampira photo. When the publisher, Jessica Parfrey, responded, I engaged her about Love You Madly Holly Woodlawn. Basically, she said the story would have to be reworked to suit their needs. So, I chewed on that thought for about a year, as I sent out more queries and waited for other responses. Meanwhile, I was rewriting my manuscript. I was always polishing, working on structure and pacing. I’d gotten an offer from another publisher, but my intuition told me to keep pushing for Feral House. So a year later, I resubmitted a new-and-improved manuscript to Feral House. It took several weeks to get a response. In fact, I was so discouraged I almost took the other deal. But thankfully, Jessica responded. She was encouraging, but said there was still more work to do with the direction and tone. I was impressed that she wanted to make the story better. I loved that! So, I hunkered down for eight weeks and made those fixes, and about three months later I got a contract.
How did you come up with the idea and how did you start?
Well, I moved to Los Angeles in 1985 to pursue a career in TV and film, and didn’t get a really good break until I was 30. It was a crazy, precarious journey filled with hardship and struggle, and in the middle of that bullshit was my adventure with Holly Woodlawn. So I was inspired to write this story because I didn’t want to forget all the wonderful, harrowing and crazy times that Holly and I shared. Working with Holly on her autobiography, A Low Life in High Heels, was by far the most wonderful experience of my career. And I worked in entertainment for nearly 30 years. I had fun experiences with Paul Reubens and Garry Shandling, met lots of famous people. But it was Holly Woodlawn that, for me personally, was the most fantastic and magical. Probably because Holly was the first person in Los Angeles to go to bat for me as a writer. So I wrote this book because I didn’t want to forget all that she meant to me, and all the ups and downs that we shared. Whenever Holly talked about how Low Life came to be in the press, she never told the whole story. It was usually one line, “Jeffrey called me up and said I should write a book.” What really happened is that we were discovered in the trash by a literary agent’s assistant. And that’s what jumpstarted our crazy adventure, which just got more ridiculous over time.
What surprised you most about getting your book published?
That just because I was published and getting good reviews didn’t guarantee a spot in Barnes & Noble! I’ve also been surprised at how much work it takes to get a book reviewed, and how non-responsive some booksellers can be when you reach out and want to do a signing. But at the end of the day, that’s their loss. Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is a quality book that took years to complete. It’s well-written and beautifully designed. So, if this is the last thing I write, I can honestly say this swan song is ending on a very high note.
Tell us a little about what you do when you aren’t writing.
I work as a stock clerk in a grocery store. After 35 years in TV, I chucked it all for a menial, no stress, no pressure union job that gives me incredible health insurance. And I enjoy my carefree days putting cans on a shelf because it soothes my mind and jumpstarts those creative gears. In fact, journaling about the absurd craziness I saw in the grocery store is what inspired me to pull Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn out of a box and rewrite it. I literally thought, Why are you writing about the grocery store when you should finish that wonderful story about Holly Woodlawn? So… who knew a shit job in a grocery store could lead to this kind of success!
As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?
When I made the conscious decision to turn my back on being a writer-for-hire. I write because it feeds my soul and gives me joy. But for years, I exploited that gift. Sometimes I got myself involved with projects that I really shouldn’t have taken on because I wasn’t the right type of writer. I didn’t know that at the time. I was just thrilled to be offered a great opportunity. I mean, how do you turn down a book deal with a major publisher? Or a 60-episode deal for a TV series? So I was grateful to get those deals and tried my best to do a good job, but I failed at them because I wasn’t the right fit. I didn’t have the right voice. And those were hard, painful lessons to learn.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
My best ideas come to me usually when I’m doing some menial chore, like scrubbing the bathtub or working in the grocery store. The stories I write are inspired by personal experiences, usually based in some sort of trauma. So for me, writing really is about confronting those awful experiences of the past, finding humor in them, and turning that nightmare into something really good. For instance, when I was in 7th Grade, I was attacked in the school hallway and sucker punched because I was an ugly fag. Fifty years later that memory still makes me cringe because it was so painful. But the pathos is rich and the humor is there, it just needs to be mined.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
The toughest was about 25 years ago when I was engaged by a publisher to write someone else’s story, and when I finally turned in the manuscript, the editor had a fit and said, “This is shit!”
What has been your best accomplishment as a writer?
I think Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn is my best accomplishment because I took one of my worst experiences as a writer and turned it into a wonderful, hilarious story.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have one half-finished book. I don’t have any unpublished books because for most of my career, I aspired to write movies. So I have six screenplays that are all waiting to be novelized.
About the Author
For nearly 30 years, Jeff Copeland worked as a show biz hobo, hopping from
one gravy train to the next. He was nominated for an Emmy (yay!) and lost
(boo!), and has enjoyed working on fun, interesting, and exciting content
for a variety of TV networks and film studios, including ABC, FOX, and
HGTV.
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