Louis
Edmonds' death in early 2001 robbed Dark Shadows fandom
of its elder statesmen. Of all the Dark Shadows cast,
Louis Edmonds at times managed, perplexingly, to simultaneously
be the most ubiquitous
and elusive. On one level, Louis the showman remained a distinct
and vibrant personality, very much admired by fans, yet one
that at times seems difficult to extracate from the vestiges
of Roger Collins and a handful of humourous anecdotes. To
many Dark Shadows fans, this persona is arguably as
familiar as any of the characters Louis portrayed on the show.
Author
Craig Hamrick does much to redress the balance with the new
edition of his biography Big Lou: The Life and Career of
Louis Edmonds. With a respectable period having elapsed
since Louis' death, the book is able to take a more rounded
look at its subject, and the results are frequently illuminating.
Unlike the first
book, which took a more formal approach, the new edition is
told very much through its author's eyes, and arguably as
much Craig Hamrick's story at times, as it is Louis'. From
the pair's initial meeting, to Louis' funeral nearly a decade
later, the reader is given a very honest appraisal which doesn't
attempt to reconcile the contradictions it throws up, and
indeed is all the more enjoyable for doing so. Louis' faults
are lain bare and the author isn't afraid to note these -
for example, his recounting of Louis' pre-occupation with
money and occasions of professional arrogance go a long way
to explaining why he perhaps never attained the widespread
success his talent deserved.
Louis himself emerges
as a somewhat melancholy soul in the process, battling the
twin demons of alcohol and depression. Noting a suicide attempt
along the way, it adds a certain grim undertone to the exuberant
public personality so many of us knew. Yet, for all the sadness
depicted, there's still plenty of humour and warmth, and perhaps
this is Louis' most admirable quality. Louis' final years
are perhaps the saddest, yet it is during these that he hearteningly
seems to find a sense of peace that had eluded him so badly
in the past. Particularly poignant are his indulgement predictions
of his own self-dramatised demise, which seem all the sadder
when juxtaposed with the quiet exit he eventually makes.
Throughout the book
are sprinkled little novelized vignettes of key moments in
Louis' life, which work with mixed results. At best, they
succeed in painting out Louis' journey in broad strokes, and
the passage where he reflects on the drastic effects of his
cancer surgery is particularly moving and tragic. An undoubtedly
cinematic device, at times they seem forced, yet one feels
it is an indulgence of which Edmonds himself would have heartily
approved.
As a biography,
this is an excellent work of reference and research, but on
a broader level, it is a wonderful personal account of a unique
performer and individual that manages to strike that rare
balance between pragmatism and celebration.
Order
this book from Amazon.com
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