Society has allowed and often encouraged outrageous behavior from creative types. As a society we will go to greater lengths to tolerate these fetishes and compulsions so long as the peaks of their genius surpass the abyss of their peculiarities.
One such example of credentials not surpassing the depths of lunacy are these spoken word recordings that actress Judy Garland made before her early death. These recordings were encapsulated on tape for an autobiography that was later shelved due to the fact that content of the recordings only consisted of drug induced tirades. On the eve of these recordings, “America’s Sweetheart” was swindled financially for the CBS television program that she never wanted to do, her ex-husband’s huge gambling debts, fighting for the custody of her children, not to mention a lifetime of exploitation and drug abuse.
These two tracks included here serve as so-called highlights of her downward spiral. The track “Plane Crash” showcases Garland as deeply entrenched in the throes of narcissism. She declares that her life has been filled with “success, failure, fatigue, overweight (sic), thin, tears, laughter and… Halloween.” She admits she’s “never met a cast of actors worth dying with” and demands top billing even in her time of dying.
The track “Get The Hell Out Of My Life” displays Judy full of piss and vinegar… and apparently barbiturates and alcohol to boot. This entry is crowded with vitriol toward her foes. Lost in tragically hazy resentment, Garland admits she’s doing it “purely for money” and how she deserves it. This track culminates in poor Judy boiling over, exclaiming her pain in pleasing her audience and how her enemies belong in the La Brea tar pits and should get the hell out of her life. Amen to that.
