We Weren't Angels: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Crime in Boston's Combat Zone - Softcover

Geoff Alexander (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 147669205X ISBN 13: 9781476692050

Publisher: McFarland, 2023

Synopsis

A hub of sex, crime, and drugs, Boston's Combat Zone, the nation's largest adult entertainment district during the last half of the 20th century, lured white- and blue-collar workers, lawyers, professors, judges and cops to watch and chat up its adult performers, many of whom earned more than white-collar professionals. By 1985, its multi-decade run was over. Why did it last so long, despite constant attempts to destroy it? What drew thousands of women to perform there, despite the potential for danger? And what became of them, after the lights dimmed and the music stopped?

This first comprehensive history of the Combat Zone authored by an active participant, is told through the gritty perspective of a Boston cab driver married to a star dancer. It introduces the district's strippers, club owners, transgender performers, prostitutes and cops, depicting them as neither saints nor sinners as they fought for survival and success in a time of sexual revolution and political upheaval. This is their story, much of it told in their own words.

About this title

About the Author

Geoff Alexander has authored two books on cinema and has written on musical subjects ranging from jazz history to flamenco. He is the founder and director of the Academic Film Archive of North America, in San Jose, California, the first archive solely dedicated to the history, preservation, and scholarship of the classroom educational film.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 147669205X
• ISBN 13: 9781476692050
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 277