"Who Is the Real JT LeRoy?" asks New York Magazine. The answer may be a 40-year-old writer named Laura Albert. Journalist Stephen Beachy searches through interviews, profiles, and photographs of the author of Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things in an attempt to discover if LeRoy is the ambi-sexual wunderkind writer who worked as a lot lizard for his own mother that he claims to be. Along the way, Dennis Cooper, Mary Gaitskill, and the author's own agent debate whether or not the bewigged public persona seen over the last several years posing as LeRoy is, in fact, LeRoy, or if the supposed LeRoy is, in truth, a puppet stand-in for the person who claims to be LeRoy on the phone and in email. In the end, the answer, like its subject, remains enigmatic.

I asked to speak to Laura or Geoffrey, but my request was denied. Astor and Speedie will not say that they are me, s/he told me eventually. We are a Von Trapp kind of family. We are a family and we create together in many, many ways, and that is our right. I reserve the right to grow and change my identity. S/he spoke of JT as a kind of collective and mentioned Andy Warhols Factory. By the end of the interview, we were back on a less confrontational basis; s/he even suggested I could read at a hoax reading when my article came out. Im not sure hoax is exactly the word, I said. I think its more like a lifestyle. S/he wondered if Id seen Todd Solondzs film Palindromes, in which the main character is played by seven different actresses and one actor. I love Palindromes, s/he said. That is ideal to me. S/he said, I would like for this to be a door for other people to get heard. On that point, at least, we had come to agreement.

Keith

Hooker, OK

August 2002

OCT 12, 2005 07:32 PM

Who is the fake JT LeRoy? I've never heard of this before.

big_trouble

Plymouth, MI

OLD SKOOL

OCT 12, 2005 08:30 PM

This whole thing has always been fascinating and creepy at the same time. Part of me wanted to call bullshit and the other half wanted to believe.

The part of me that wants to call bullshit on this is currently gloating to the side that wanted to believe. It's not pretty.

AndersWolleck

Astoria, NY

February 2003

OCT 12, 2005 08:44 PM

sounds like horseshit

hes a real person, who is nutty

LizFitts

USA

May 2003

OCT 12, 2005 09:50 PM

If he's NOT for real, someone's got a lot of explaining to do for the Schizophrenic Crackwhore Mother Anti-Defamation Society........

So sorry.........so lame.

Edited to add, the journalism in the New York magazine story is really well done.

[Edited on Oct 13, 2005 by mrsMF]

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH

April 2004

OCT 12, 2005 10:28 PM

I hear his next book will include a Jandek sampler.

Fredantes

Long Beach, CA

June 2004

OCT 12, 2005 11:01 PM

I already saw JT Leroy - it's true he always wears a wig, a hat, big sunglasses and has a weird voice...so you get the feeling that it could be anybody "acting". But he's also supposed to be the father of Asia Argento's kid.. so it's doubtful he's a chick..I think he's just a social freak who needs to hide behing his disguise.