February 4, 2008 — CONTROVERSIAL writer James Frey is back with a new novel, and he’s getting a little help from his friends in the art world.
Lunching with Page Six at Le Bernardin, where First Lady Laura Bush was at a nearby table with her daughter Jenna, Frey discussed for the first time some of the details related to the forthcoming release of “Bright Shiny Morning,” which is set in a fictional version of Los Angeles.
Frey described plans to take the book directly to his readers with a tour that sounded more like a concert tour. “We’re talking about having bands, other authors reading their work. We may try to include some pyrotechnics,” he said with a laugh.
The novel, due in May from HarperCollins, will feature a cover by his friend, famed artist Richard Prince – the first time Prince has done a cover for a book by anyone other than himself. Frey also plans to collaborate on a limited-edition companion book with Prince and photographer Terry Richardson that will incorporate excerpts from his novel with Richardson’s photographs of LA and Prince’s artwork.
Frey recalled, “When I called and asked Richard if he’d do the cover, he laughed and said something like, ‘[Bleep], yeah, I’ll do it.’ And most of Terry’s photos will be of girls, cars and guns. It’s going to be a really cool, interesting, edgy book.”