Collateral Stardust
Chasing Warren Beatty and Other Foolish Things
Nikki Nash’s frank, funny memoir Collateral Stardust is about growing up in an offbeat Los Angeles family.
Nash was the sensitive oldest child in an unconventional family in the 1960s. Her father was a show-business trombonist and her mother was engaged in left-wing politics. Their epic, boozy house parties included Hollywood types and countercultural activists. Her mother was smart but unfulfilled and depressed, and Nash’s understanding and compassion for her developed over the decades.
Nash got into teenage mischief: When the habits shucked by rebellious nuns were left at their house, she and a friend put them on and hit the liquor store. She applied for jobs whose circumstances were sleazier than the postings let on. She drifted through relationships and jobs and ended up working in television production. Drugs and alcohol played a role in her life until she got help to quit and recovered from an eating disorder.
Nash’s adventures in dating and personal growth are covered in a self-aware manner. While others in her generation just dreamed of Warren Beatty, she concocted a plan that led to a real, lasting relationship with him. He is but one among the book’s frequent celebrity cameos, though: Director Robert Altman was a frequent guest at the Nash family’s parties, as were members of the Black Panthers. Once, Nash and her fiancé padded down a hotel hallway in pajamas to watch football with Frank Sinatra. She also met Ann-Margret, whose independence she admired and whose song lyrics are the framework for a chapter.
A cool and entertaining coming-of-age memoir, Collateral Stardust relays good times and hard ones with insight and style.
Reviewed by
Meredith Grahl Counts
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
