Anarchy in High Heels: A Memoir

by Denise Larson

Overview

Anarchy in High Heels is not a state of dress; it’s a state of mind.

A San Francisco porno theater might be the last place you’d expect to plant the seed of a feminist troupe, but truth is stranger than fiction.

In 1972, access to birth control and a burn-your-bra ethos were leading young women to repudiate their 1950s conservative upbringing and embrace a new liberation. Denise Larson was a timid twenty-four-year-old actress wannabe when, at an after-hours countercultural event, The People’s Nickelodeon, she accidentally created Les Nickelettes. This banding together of ¬¬like-minded women with an anything-goes spirit unlocked a deeply hidden female humor. For the first time, Denise allowed the suppressed satirical thoughts dancing through her head to come out in the open. Together with Les Nickelettes, which quickly became a brazen women’s lib troupe, she presented a series of feminist skits, stunts, and musical comedy plays. In 1980, The Bay Guardian described the group as “nutty, messy, flashy, trashy, and very funny.”

With sisterhood providing the moxie, Denise took on leadership positions not common for women at the time: playwright, stage director, producer, and administrative/artistic director. But, in the end, the most important thing she learned was the power of female friendship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647421366
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	07/27/2021
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Denise Larson is a native Californian: she went to elementary school in the Los Angeles suburb town of Torrance and high school in the San Joaquin Valley city of Manteca, and finally, after college, she put down roots in San Francisco. With a BA in theater from San Francisco State University, she pinned her dreams on becoming an experimental theater artist in the ’70s counterculture milieu of the Bay Area. Along that path she founded Les Nickelettes. For thirteen years, she helmed the feminist theater company and assumed the role of actress, playwright, producer, stage director, and administrative/artistic director. Then she gave it all up to become a mother and teacher. After a twenty-year career in early childhood education, she retired and took up writing. Denise still lives in San Francisco with her husband and their cat. She has also returned to her first love: theater. She is taking an improv class, and collaborating with other performers to form a new theatre group: Cosmic Elders. The author resides in San Francisco, CA.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Behind the Green Door: Virgins! 1

Chapter 2 Urban Guerrilla Sorority Pledges 29

Chapter 3 So Far Underground, We Get Wet 57

Chapter 4 Mabuhay Gardens 78

Chapter 5 Liberating Peter Pan 102

Chapter 6 Nothings Sacred 127

Chapter 7 Cockroach in High Heels 147

Chapter 8 Peter Pan Catches a New Wave 175

Chapter 9 Spaced Out: A Sci-Fi Musical 204

Chapter 10 "I'd Rather Be Doing Something Else"-The DiDi Glitz Story 231

Chapter 11 New Yawk 258

Chapter 12 Anarchy in High Heels 288

Chapter 13 Oh Goddess! 313

Editorial Reviews

2022 IPPY Awards Silver Winner in Women’s Issues

“The engrossing book addresses the importance of empowering marginalized individuals, who have so much to say ... A meaningful, feminist joyride that travels back in time.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The best thing about the Nickelettes was the way they resisted compromising to fit into acceptable norms for women at the time. Using humor and theatre, the affinity of this zany girl family sustained them as they embraced an aesthetic of anti-seriousness through play and laughter. And in the process, they learned to value themselves and each other.”
—Ilene English, author of Hippie Chick: Coming of Age in the ‘60s

“Pluck and gumption animate Larson's telling. If you, too, fantasize about an art project that seems far away or impossible, just somehow throwing your zany ideas out there and making them happen, you'll likely find a primer and an inspiration in Anarchy in High Heels.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“An intriguing, humorous, poignant dive into the origins of modern female comedy and friendship. For a funny ride worthy of multiple reads, classroom study, or book club feature, Anarchy in High Heels: A Memoir by Denise Larson should be at the top of your list.”
—Reader’s Favorite 5-STAR Review

“This is a delightfully nostalgic peek into the Baby Boomer-era of funny, feminist Americana.”
—Anna Fields, author of The Girl in the Show - Three Generations of Comedy, Culture, and Feminism

“Denise Larson proves a wise and witty guide to the taboo-busting, iconoclastic underground scene of '70s San Francisco, charting the development of her own artistic growth and confidence through spearheading the subversive, ground-breaking ensemble Les Nickelettes, who served notice that women could be outspoken, raunchy, and above all funny.”
—Ellin Stein, author of That's Not Funny, That's Sick: The National Lampoon and the Comedy Insurgents Who Captured the Mainstream

From the Publisher

2021-03-11
A debut memoir focuses on a young woman performing, making lifelong friendships, and finding herself during the 1970s.

Larson’s book is a feminist coming-of-age story about breaking free from the conservative ethos of the ’50s. The author, who grew up in a Los Angeles suburb, believed she would end up as a housewife, secretary, nurse, or teacher. But she had a taste of show business as a child, when she appeared on a daytime variety show, and it left a mark. While studying drama as an undergraduate in San Francisco, Larson began working as a cashier at a “porno theater.” (“Porn is no big deal anymore,” a friend assured her.) The author began performing in an after-hours event at the theater and formed a feminist comedy troupe called Les Nickelettes. Larson wrote the satirical plays as well as directed and produced the shows, which were popular among critics and audiences. Les Nickelettes had a stint in New York City, but their reception was lukewarm, and they returned to California in debt and overwhelmed. Still, their bonds remained strong, and the author returned to New York to continue performing with her friends years later. Larson’s memoir deftly captures the countercultural energy of the ’70s. The bawdy performances included skits of the women “as cowgirls riding stick ponies and singing ‘Deep in My Solar Plexus.’ ” But the story is also a stark reminder of the sexism that women experienced in that era. “Until Les Nickelettes asked for my opinions, I didn’t think my thoughts mattered,” explained one of the performers. Similarly, while auditioning in New York, Judy, a biracial Nickelette, experienced startling racism: “They’d say: ‘Are you a little Asian?’ ‘You’re not Spanish looking enough.’ ‘Can you be Black?’ ” Larson recounts key events without glamorizing or dramatizing the highs and lows of this time in American history. Instead, she celebrates the power of friendship and the critical role of art to push boundaries: “Here’s the premise: Would religion and culture change if God were perceived as female instead of male?” In addition, the engrossing book addresses the importance of empowering marginalized individuals, who have so much to say.

A meaningful, feminist joyride that travels back in time.

Kirkus Reviews