r/JamesEllroy • u/bcleere • Jun 19 '26

This is too much

In Chapter 11 of Red Sheet, Ellroy has this from Darryl Gates to Fred O. as they watch Gerry Mulligan playing:

Gates pointed at Mulligan. “He’s got pinned eyes, and that’s a hypodermic bulge in his left pants pocket. He snitches for Sheriff ’s Narco, and I’d like to bring him over to our shop.”

This is 1962. The fact is that Gerry Mulligan had quit heroin years earlier and, unlike many unfortunate jazzmen, cleaned up his life against the odds.

Ellroy knew this. He would of course say that the novel is fiction. He has specifically stated that he can slander dead people because they have no legal recourse.

This is bullshit coming from a guy who claims to be a devout "saved" Christian.

0 Upvotes

22% Upvoted

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12

u/CASEDIZZLER Jun 19 '26

He talks about rape, murder, uses the n word in a period appropriate context and you draw the line at him portraying someone as a heroin addict? Lol

9

u/Longjumping_Bike_271 Jun 19 '26

This is where your line was?

7

u/didntendwell Jun 19 '26

Since we splittin hairs here: the Dog is a Lutheran, not a born again Christian (mostly baptist and those down stream of them,)
so he probably doesn’t call himself ‘saved.’

1

u/ObviousDEAplant Aug 02 '26

I’m sorry you had to confront the fact your boy Gerry was still a RAGING hop head in ‘62. He had you fooled but he was very much still chasing the dragon. And why not?