Kathie Bergquist had a dream: to publish a book by the time she turned 30. Just a couple weeks before her big three-oh, Bergquist’s first volume hits the shelves, right on schedule–Ricky Martin: An Unauthorized Biography. “This might not be what I had in mind,” she says, “but here it is!”
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Bergquist has been writing, and writing about music, for a long time. Years ago she cofounded the now-defunct queer punk zine Siren. She works as the publicist for local bands Evil Beaver and the Prescriptions, and she’s helping to produce the Second Annual Queercore Round-up and BBQ, a punk rock event to benefit gay youth services.
To stimulate her creative juices and get a feel for the pop bio form, Bergquist read a book about ‘N Sync and adjusted her radio dial to B-96. As fast as the chapters (“La Vida Ricky,” “Little Ricky,” “The Real Ricky,” and “The Romantic Ricky,” among others) appeared, Bergquist E-mailed them to her editor in London. “I felt very cutting edge,” she says. “Virtually all the research was done on-line, and I never needed a complete hard copy of the manuscript.”
The release party for Ricky Martin is at 7:30 Thursday, September 23, at Unabridged Bookstore, 3251 N. Broadway (773-883-9119). It’s free. The Queercore Round-up and BBQ starts at 3 this Saturday at 2849 W. Medill. Bands include Evil Beaver, the Prescriptions, Three Dollar Bill, Loraxx, the Traitors, and Igie. Admission is $5. Call 773-278-3541 for more information. –Robert McDonald
