A new book rehashes the sensational claims of L.A. private eye Fred Otash, but there's just one problem: There's a very good chance he made many of them up.
Reading this article makes me even more excited to read your book.
Also, in your research/writing have you found anyone whose published accounts didn't fabricate aspects of James Dean's life/their connection/experience with him? Maybe William Bast? I'm being a bit facetious since I have no reasons (to me) to doubt Mercedes McCambridge, or Carroll Baker, and Eartha Kitt's memoirs; but it just seems that out every 1 story that is true ---or at least accurate to how the narrator remembers it ---there are a dozen semi/completed fabricated stories.
It's very hard to say. I don't think most people set out to intentionally fabricate stories (though, certainly, some did), but memories change and distort over time. Bill Bast is generally accurate when facts can be checked; I don't think he fabricated events to spice them up. But he did alter facts for a long time to try to cover up Dean's sexuality, and contemporary notes show he didn't always remember the right facts decades later. Most of the people who outright fabricated material are those on the outer fringes who wanted to be seen as closer to Dean than they really were.
Reading this article makes me even more excited to read your book.
Also, in your research/writing have you found anyone whose published accounts didn't fabricate aspects of James Dean's life/their connection/experience with him? Maybe William Bast? I'm being a bit facetious since I have no reasons (to me) to doubt Mercedes McCambridge, or Carroll Baker, and Eartha Kitt's memoirs; but it just seems that out every 1 story that is true ---or at least accurate to how the narrator remembers it ---there are a dozen semi/completed fabricated stories.
It's very hard to say. I don't think most people set out to intentionally fabricate stories (though, certainly, some did), but memories change and distort over time. Bill Bast is generally accurate when facts can be checked; I don't think he fabricated events to spice them up. But he did alter facts for a long time to try to cover up Dean's sexuality, and contemporary notes show he didn't always remember the right facts decades later. Most of the people who outright fabricated material are those on the outer fringes who wanted to be seen as closer to Dean than they really were.