First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People Who Happen to be Famous, the debut memoir from queer author and philanthropist Salah Bachir, is now available to purchase.
A vivid testament to his remarkable journey through life, the book promises an intimate glimpse into the world of stardom through the lens of a man who’s had a front-row seat to history. Not only does it detail Bachir’s career, personal moments, and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, but it also chronicles his interactions with some of Hollywood’s most iconic figures including Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, and Sean Connery – just to name a few.
The memoir was co-written with acclaimed former New York Post and Daily News film critic Jami Bernard, and is the first to feature pronouns on the cover, an unmistakable sign of the progress being made with embracing diversity and inclusion.
An accomplished entrepreneur, Bachir began his career in publishing as the publisher of Canada’s first consumer video magazine, Videomania, and founded the trade publication Premiere to serve the video distribution and retail sectors. For 16 years, he acted as president of Cineplex Media and was the head of Cineplex Magazine, which was the most-read magazine in Canada with over 4.3 million readers per issue at its peak.
Today, he runs the multimedia company Phamous Characters, an entity created to manage his business, art, and philanthropic ventures.
Continuing to leave a significant mark on the world of media and entertainment, Instinct had the opportunity to catch up with Bachir and talk more about his book, as well as his career in publishing, using his voice to amplify the LGBTQ+ community, upcoming charitable events and campaigns he’s working on, and his prized art collection of over 3,000 pieces.
Check out the full video interview below.
Salah Bachir…
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First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People Who Happen to be Famous is now available at all book retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the LGBTQ+ rights program at Human Rights Watch.
