Dandy in the Underworld: An Unauthorized Autobiography

Amusing, appalling, and occasionally hard to read, this is the autobio of Sebastian Horsley, a "dandy" and artist/prostitute/junkie whose entire life was driven by the horrifying damage his narcissistic, alcoholic, violent parents committed on their children. Horsley's career as an artist was derailed constantly by his addictions to drugs and sex; he slept with men and women, often at the same time; worked as a male prostitute for women; ran a brothel out of his home; and patronized at least 1,000 female sex workers by his own count. Horsley leaves almost literally nothing to the imagination in the recounting of his sexual activities and drug use; we read about every bodily function occurring, sometimes several at once.He also had himself crucified in the Philippines and dove with sharks. These two episodes, and his clarity of mind attained by each experience, cause the reader to wish that Horsley had participated in more of these extreme activities, and less in whoring and shooting up.His recollection of the blissful "death" of the heroin needle demonstrates the allure of that drug, and his recounting of bodily decay as an active junkie certainly shows the horror of addiction.Horsley's dead, of course, of an overdose of heroin and cocaine, taken the night of the premier of a play based on his life. This fact makes the end of his book--in which he declares that he is finally clean and will stay clean--much sadder. It's difficult to guess whether the genetic tendency toward addiction both sides of his family had or his frightful childhood experiences weighed more heavily on the scale.It's worth the read, but knowing the man's dead by his own frailty is sobering.

A very disturbing memoir, about a drug addict, that is also outrageously funny. If you have a few kinks and quirks, and enjoy the company of the "twisted" (and the lost) within book covers, I say: try this.

A modern English dandy circa 1982 makes a ton of cash on stocks and blows it all on the high life, eventually spiraling into drug abuse and falling so hard that he is forced into rehab ... This was a great read. Full of many quotable lines that would have made Oscar Wilde proud. The (true life) story behind the book is tinged with sadness but this was still a cracking read. Hard to get a hold of a copy but worth it.

Finally got around to reading this, and now regret not having done so sooner – have had it at hand for a decade at least. Harsh and funny, delightful nihilist, at times hard to stomach, but always with a raffish air, it is dandyism at its finest.

Nothing really outrageous or shocking. I wonder if most of this comes from the authors imagination, rather than an actual account of his life, to date. I don't know how anyone can draw inspiration from this guy. Almost everything is entirely self inflicted. A little rich boy that wants to hang out with the underbelly of society, purely as a self serving form of ego gratification. A little rich boy looking for kicks. The book is extremely drawn out and most of the good quotes are nicked.I very much doubt little of what is supposed to have happened actually did...the guy would have been too stoned to have remembered most of it, if it was true!It all seems to be a cheap publicity stunt from a guy who, sadly, thinks he is shocking and outrageous....and actually isn't.Terminal boredom!

Seeing mention of Horsley's being denied entry to the US by our insane regime led me to recall some amusing piece of his in the British press and I picked up this book on a whim. Dry British accounts of depravity are common enough, but I was not prepared for this very well written and touchingly sincere account of such fundamental perversity. Mr. Horsley may declare himself a useless Dandy, but this book made me blow coffee through my nose and that is useful indeed....

This is one of the best books ever written by a super lovely man who lived very much on his own terms. Very very dark on occasion and my Scottish friend who read it threw it across the room in disgust. . . something that Sebastian found highly amusing when I told him before he died.It is a fast highly amusing read. Totally recommend it.

Works perfect great gift, thank you.

These memoirs trace the decline and fall of this scion of a well heeled if dysfunctional family. By his own account, Horsley was a narcissist and fantasist from an early age with Marc Bolan and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols casting their spell on him, followed by the French Romantics, Charles Baudelaire (inevitably), Huysmans as well as British wits Oscar Wilde and Quentin Crisp.A failed and frustrated artist, these memoirs appear to be his most successful performance. The chapters from childhood through to his twenties are the strongest. There’s much hilarity in the depiction of his hapless family, his rebellion (dressed as a punk, he’s picked up from boarding school in a Rolls Royce) and his attempts to cut it as an artist.The often self-lacerating epigrams come thick and fast. Highlights include his spending £100,000 on clothes in a short time in the 1990s, his pushing at his limits by going on a shark cage diving expedition and being crucified (and barely escaping death) in the Philippines.A degree of tedium and repetitiveness sets in from the point Horsley describes going to a clinic for rehabilitation to break his drug addiction. While the reader will not be expecting insights on a par with Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Horsley’s flippancy as a defence mechanism starts to wear a bit thin.The work is a prolonged exercise in the classic wager entitled members of the privileged classes make: how offensive and destructive can you get away with being while defusing any pushback by getting everyone else to laugh along with you? As Horsley can deliver genuinely witty lines and craft some more extended anecdotes, I’d say he succeeds most of the time.I think the fascination of the book lies in the enduring myth into the present of the dandy – transgression as aesthetic revolt, moral squalor and a warped form of social conservatism. Baudelaire would approve.I wasn’t left adoring Horsley as he says the reader would do having got to the end. It comes as no surprise that Horsley passed away from an overdose a few years after the publication of his memoirs. I found his self-destruction a diverting spectacle and he clearly wouldn’t want our pity.

I’d been meaning to read this for years so I knew the basic summary of the book beforehand. I read a lot of biographies and I’ve never read one quite like this. It’s certainly not for everyone! It’s a rollercoaster of self-destruction, funny, exaggerated, utterly gross and wilfully shallow. Although he self-constructs a petulant, posturing and vain character, Sebastian Horsley somehow manages to come across at the same time as very likeable. Obvious nods to the style of other writers: Wilde, Patrick Hamilton and a dash of that other infamous Soho resident Jeffrey Bernard - and yet still the end result is quite personal.Overall, an entertaining, sad and funny read if you have a strong stomach.

Horsley was clearly an extraordinary character (& actually a damn good writer) & this an entertaining & occasionally harrowing account of his decadent descent into oblivion. However, there are a number of anecdotes purportedly about himself & his family that he nicked. I could list them but enjoy the book for what it is & don't believe a word

Remarkable- depressing and probably just what he would have wanted- ably assisted by Rachel no 1 also afflicted with different affectations.Sordid details of his life- desperate for attention- a crazy mixed up character .Altogether a very truthful account of his sad life.

I bought this book in a HMV sale and loved it so much I bought it again for my sister. Within the first few paragraphs it had me laughing out loud. I didn't know who Sebastian Horsley was at the time of reading, but by the end I was looking him up and his work. Sadly he's dead now, so there won't be any more tales to add ... but you'll be glad he put together this little gem.As a brief synopsis, this is the life of an artist, a rebel, a madman, a genius and quite possible a pervert, or perhaps sex addict, all of which is put out there without the slightest bit of shame and without the feeling anything is being held back. If you want a guide book about how to life life for its opportunities then you should take a look at this.