Book Description
Why can none of us hear our own recorded voice without wincing? Why is the telephone still full of such spookiness and erotic possibility? Why does the metaphor of ventriloquism, the art of 'seeming to speak where one is not', speak so resonantly to our contemporary technological condition? These are the kind of questions which impel Steven Connor's wide-ranging, restlessly inquisitive history of ventriloquism and the disembodied voice. He tracks his subject from its first recorded beginnings in ancient Israel and Greece, through the fulminations of early Christian writers against the unholy (and, they believed, obscenely produced) practices of pagan divination, the aberrations of the voice in mysticism, witchcraft and possession, and the strange obsession with the vagrant figure of the ventriloquist, newly conceived as male rather than female, during the Enlightenment. He retrieves the stories of some of the most popular and versatile ventriloquists and polyphonists of the nineteenth century, and investigates the survival of ventriloquial delusions and desires in spiritualism and the 'vocalic uncanny' of technologies like telephone, radio, film, and internet. Learned but lucid, brimming with anecdote and insight, this is much more than an archaeology of one of the most regularly derided but tenaciously enduring of popular arts. It is also a series of virtuoso philosophical and psychological reflections on the problems and astonishments, the raptures and absurdities of the unhoused voice.
Customer Reviews:
How can this volume possibly sell for $96.00?.......2006-07-10
Does it come with a ventriloquist dummy... AND a ventriloquist?
HUH?.......2005-07-07
This book is an example of psuedo-intellectual overthinking of the highest order. It's dense, wordy and unreadable in every way. Why would any writer spend what appears to be LOTS of time and energy on this of all subjects: Ventriloquism's effect on CULTURE?!
The resultant product amounts to little more than an uninteresting mess.
Skip it.
cultural ventriloquism suddenly verrrry interesting.......2004-10-11
I enjoyed this text, recommended by a colleague, for other reasons, but thought of it immediately when the possibility of George W. Bush's use of a wire and "ear" during the first debate with John Kerry began to surface on the internet in the last day or so. Talk about the "vocalic uncanny"! Is "wiregate" merely(!) a part of the trend of increasing technological possibilities for problematizing the relation between voice and body?
Are you talking to me?
Is this thing on?
Steven Connor should write the next chapter. Meanwhile, read his deft connections and analysis of diverse phenomena associated with "cultural ventriloquism" and think about the (allleged) voice in our president's ear, and what that does to the (alleged) significance of his speech as he (allegedly) addresses the citizenry.
Is ventriloquism more acceptable if we are in on the trick?
Are we in on this (alleged) trick, anyway? I mean, we all know how packaged and predicted and rehearsed the responses to the questions posed in the debates are anyway--but a line has been (allegedly) crossed here, and that's the line Connor's book charts. Good stuff, and timely.
Book Description
At last. A how-to book by someone who actually knows how to. -- Larry Gelbart
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Learning Tool.......2007-06-02
This book is a bit of a contradiction, insofar as it is very entertaining reading, yet you learn a great deal almost by accident. I also intuitively feel I'd like the author; whether as an instructor or just a nice guy to share a cold beer with. If you are interested in how to make humor "click," this is the place to look. Highly recommended.
Who, me?!.......2005-08-23
So someone once asked me, "Pamela, do you write comedy?". "Not on purpose", I replied.
But now, with the help of a really funny guy who wrote a really helpful book, I can make a good go at it.
Like Brad Schreiber himself, this book is intelligent, witty, accessible, inspiring, and fun.
It offers overviews of various forms of humor, theories of humor, examples of humor, excerpts from humorists, practical advice on writing funny, and even provocative exercises that guarantee at least a giggle, most often a guffaw.
As a story consultant myself, I recommend Brad's book to my writing clients.
As a reader, I recommend Brad's book to anyone -- writer, speaker, performer -- who wants to lighten their life and the presentation of their message with humor.
Over 70 excerpts from top screenwriters .......2005-02-10
Produce winning comedic screenplays using fiction and nonfiction alike with Brad Schreiber's What Are You Laughing At?: How To Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, & More. Included are over 70 excerpts from top screenwriters and pairing them with writing exercises and details on the differences between writing comedy for TV versus stage. There are eleven modes of comedic dialogue, 13 common problems screenwriters encounter and valuable insights into the rhythm and sound of words in What Are You Laughing At? Brad is himself a L.A. screenwriter, so his tips come from an insider's hand.
an example of what it teaches.......2004-06-11
This book is funny -- even if you don't feel like learning anything from it, you'll laugh. Writers will recognize themselves in the examples for sure. I like that the book is about *writing funny* as opposed to writing screenplays or columns or novels or [insert genre here]. Schreiber breaks down the principles of humor writing and gives you guidance on applying them to any type of project.
Brad Schreiber: WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?.......2004-04-09
This is a wry, dry, witty and comprehensive piece of work which is excellent reading in itself as well as being essential for the aspiring writer. Schreiber draws on his experience as TV development executive, teacher, script consultant and actor to hand on a wealth of useful information on everything from Aphorisms to Yiddish Sound Theory and from the Author's Voice to Vulgarity - and for the really keen student there are 'Do This Now' exercises at the end of every section. This is a high quality publication by Michael Wise Productions. It has a useful index and an excellent introduction by Christopher Vogler. I enoyed it hugely.
Average customer rating:
- My Favorite in the Genre
- FUNNIEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE!
- Hilarious Tale of Jay's Rise
- His personal stand-up comes through
- Hilarious, incredible, great book
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Leading with My Chin
Jay Leno
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
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Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy
ASIN: 0694517534 |
Amazon.com
So what do you expect from a celebrity autobiography? Tales of an impoverished childhood and an unappreciated early career? Angst-ridden revelation? In Jay Leno's take on the genre, tales have only one purpose--laughs. This is a book of jokey anecdotes and humorous stories marking the comedian's progress to the top. The persona of the young Leno is not so different and just as likable as the one appearing nightly on television. Whether it is his mother's advice, his teachers' complaints, or the awkward situations he finds himself in (for example, standing before an Orthodox Jewish audience who have been mistakenly led to expect a Yiddish storyteller) Leno always sees the funny side.
Book Description
The king of late-night television and America's hardest-working comedian delivers the monologue of his life.
Against the odds Jay Leno has emerged as the undisputed king of late night television as host of the # 1 -rated The Tonight Show. His twenty-year stand-up career; working alongside the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Carry Shandling, and David Letterman, was a long, hard, and laugh-filled battle to the top. In this entertaining, anecdote-filled book, Leno delivers the monologue of his life, leaving readers admiring his unstoppable wit and tenacity.
Customer Reviews:
My Favorite in the Genre.......2007-06-08
As a comedian starting the biz in 1990 myself, I enjoy reading these comedian autobiographies. It is very interesting to see how different the industry was back when some of these guys, who paved the path for the rest of us, started. I've always heard great things about Leno, that he is the hardest working guy in show business and one of the friendliest guys in the industry. He is supposedly very supportive and I know he did a free show every year at Zanies in Chicago for all unemployed people, who showed their unemployment checks to get in.
The book tells some of the best stories I've heard of coming up in the business. Leno started back when there weren't comedy clubs, more playboy rooms and strip clubs. He was one of the first club regulars and no doubt his skill, along with the others at that time, helped make the comedy club scene big. (Although I've heard criticisms about his Tonight Show monologues, Jay is known in the industry to have been one of the most talented comedians ever back when he was touring regularly.)
Jay recalls episodes of his life in an easy-to-read style and isn't afraid to tell stories revealing his strong respect and love for his parents. My favorite story wasn't a funny one at all; it was the one where Jay got his first car, even a passion back then, spent lots of time and money to get it all fixed up and was sitting in his high school classroom, staring out the window at impending sudden doom of rain, looking at his convertabile with the top down. He couldn't get to it. Suddenly, his parents drove up and... you'll have to read the book for the rest of the story.
It's also really cool to read about the other up and comers Jay came in contact with in his early years, as well as those who didn't make it or passed before their time. Among them are Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams. A fun, quick read for anyone who enjoys standup comedy or wants to read about a grateful star, of which there is a great shortage of today.
FUNNIEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE!.......2006-06-08
I have read this book at least THREE times. I've given it to almost everyone I know. I gave it to my nephew when he was 14. One day, we saw him shaking and crying on his bed. When I asked what was wrong, he rolled over and handed me this book!!!! He couldn't even speak, he just pointed to the part he wanted me to read. It is soooo funny. Whenever my mother feels down, she just opens it up to any page and it cheers her up. If I ever met Jay, I'd tell him this is my favorite book. I made the mistake of taking it when I was waiting to see if I would be picked for jury duty. I kept laughing out loud and everyone kept looking at me. It really is funny. I don't know if his life was this funny, or if he left out most of the bad stuff, but if you have ANY sense of humor at all, GET THIS BOOK!
Hilarious Tale of Jay's Rise.......2006-02-14
Jay Leno has been entertaining the world as host of The Tonight Show every weeknight for over 13 years. His monologues covering current events are consistently funny. But his rise to this pinnacle did not come overnight. In fact, all the way up to his surprise crowning (over David Letterman) as the replacement for the retiring Johnny Carson in 1992, he was still known for little more than being a respected stand-up comedy veteran who had gained an extra reputation as a solid guest host for the show when Johnny was on vacation, as well as for his funny visits to (former) good friend Letterman's Late Night program that followed Carson.
This autobiography tells in hilarious detail, through a series of anecdotal episodes, how he struggled for years to make it in show business. From humble beginnings as the son of Italian/Scottish immigrants in Boston, through experiences with various shady characters on the mean streets of Boston, New York, LA and other places- agents, club owners, hippies, mobsters, strippers, prostitutes, johns, hustlers, rednecks and con men of every stripe- as well as discrimination in LA-LA land against his trademark chin-strong image- Leno shows how perseverence and hard work can succeed in the end, and how his desire to make people laugh kept him driven to make it, despite the odds and endless obstacles.
There is also a bit of a stand-up comedy history interwoven in the narrative, describing the rise of comedy clubs like The Comedy Store and The Improv during the 70s and the concurrent rise (and sometimes fall) of Jay's contemporaries like Letterman, Richard Lewis, Freddie Prinze, Jimmie Walker, Andy Kaufman and others.
The book winds down with the story of how he met and bonded with his wife Mavis, his ascension to the peak of the late night talk show mountain, and a touching dedication to his deceased parents. The laughs don't come quite as often, but it is a good way to finish off the tale.
Whether or not all of these occasionally hard-to-believe stories are the whole truth is moot- it's all a riot, and will have you rolling.
His personal stand-up comes through.......2004-11-23
I love Jay Leno. I've always found Letterman a bit too smug and self-consciously hip--except for moments with his mom and the Top Ten Lists. And for critics who derided Jay Leno's championing of Schwarzenegger, Jay, a dyslexic, has a tendency to promote the guy everyone else laughs at (and who Jay laughs at too, but never mean-spirited).
There's plenty of comedy here but what I find most touching is Jay's courtship with his wife Mavis, his relationship with his Italian father and Scottish mother, and the loving way he chronicles his parents' eccentricities. This is the same spirit in which he memorialized his father and mother on-air. Jay Leno truly is Mr. Nice Guy.
Hilarious, incredible, great book.......2004-06-29
Since buying this book I re-read it almost every other week, and I still laugh hard at all those stories. A collection of incredibly hilarious stories of Jay Leno's life. Many of them hardly believable and probably exaggerated, but still hilarious as hell.
The book also provides a great opportunity for learning about other comedians of his age that younger generation may not heave heard about, such as Andy Kaufman and Freddy Prinze, not to mention legends such as Johnny Carson and Merv Grifin.
I learned from this book that contrary to popular belief, most of the successes in the entertainment field have been achieved through hard work, not pur chance-of-a-life-time or being-at-right-time-at-right-moment. But Seinfeld and Leno are proofs that just "being funny" is not sufficient to become a successful comedian. Boy, how hard working Jay Leno was in all those years.
Strongly Recommended.
Average customer rating:
- Very Entertaining
- Great!!
- Great read...lousy title ):
- PIMP, HOS, PLAYA HATAS, AND ALL THE REST OF MY HOLLYWOOD FRIENDS: MY LIFE JOHN LEGUIZAMO
- Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life
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Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life
John Leguizamo
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 006052071X
Release Date: 2006-10-31 |
Book Description
John Leguizamo defies easy categorization. Fans of his smash-hit one-man shows (Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, and Sexaholic) have gotten a glimpse into his life, but this book tells the whole story, taking readers on a journey from his childhood in Queens ("my father was a strict autocrat-totalitarian-despot-dictator-disciplinarian") to his current home at the top of the Hollywood pyramid—actor, director, producer, one of the highest-paid Latin actors in the world, with the clout to shape every aspect of his own career.
Beginning on the classic New York comedy club circuit, where he made the rounds with Ray Romano, Mario Cantone, and Chris Rock, through his disastrous one-night run as Puck in Joseph Papp's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, to his brief go at Method acting with Lee Strasberg (who died the next day; "I have that effect on people") and his hit Broadway debut with Freak, the protean performer shares the stories behind his many roles—what inspired them and what transpired as he created them. Never shy, he dishes on his personal relationships with his family, friends, and colleagues, including Spike Lee, Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis, Sean Penn, Harrison Ford, Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Baz Luhrmann, and Nicole Kidman.
Keenly intelligent and insanely funny, this book offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the magic and chaos of stardom, as well as an intimate portrait of John Leguizamo's greatest achievement—to grow up Latino in America and to succeed on his terms.
Customer Reviews:
Very Entertaining.......2007-08-31
This book is very much like John Leguizamo's show's - introspective and intersting. While I didn't think it was too hard-hitting against his fellow thespians, I enjoyed an inside perspective into the real lives of Hollywood actors. I also really enjoyed that Leguizamo shared his failures and weaknesses. It was clever, funny, and sad all at once. A true John Leguizamo experience.
Great!!.......2007-03-09
I can't complain at all about this book. John Leguizamo is hilarious. I felt like I was sitting front row at one of his stand up comedies. He talks about his struggles and some 'beefs' he has with actors I certainly never knew about. I also admired the way he was completely honest about every role he played and every person he worked with.
Great read...lousy title ):.......2007-03-04
I am a huge John Leguizamo fan. My son introduced me to him because of his love for Leguizamo's short lived TV show House of Buggin. In addition to his films, we have seen him perform Freak on Broadway and John Leguizam Live before it was renamed Sexaholic. With a background like that, I found this autobiography to be very revealing and entertaining. However, as a long time librarian I am very familiar with how people react to book titles when they are unfamiliar with the author or the subject matter. And just as Leguizamo acknowledges bad career choices and mistakes that he has made in his career to date, I am afraid that he will have to eventually accept the fact that his unfortunate title choice has repelled rather than attracted many potential readers. By doing so, he has missed a golden opportunity to use this entertaining vehicle to expand his fan base.
PIMP, HOS, PLAYA HATAS, AND ALL THE REST OF MY HOLLYWOOD FRIENDS: MY LIFE JOHN LEGUIZAMO.......2007-01-16
THIS BOOK WAS NOT AS JUICY AS I WAS ECPECTING.... IT WAS FUNNY AND READ WITH ENJOYMENT BUT IT WAS EASY TO PUT DOWN AND FORGET ABOUT! IT WAS OK
Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life.......2007-01-10
I bought this book for my husband for his birthday -He is not much of a reader -We really like John Leguizamo as an actor and saw him on David Letterman promoting the book -It sounded so interesting and my husband was like -I want to read that -I was kind of surprised because he rarely ever reads. He loves the book -He's even got me reading it -John did a great job -If you like John and movies -You will love this book -It's got a lot of dirt on celebrities -But done in a playful way -Even some of the names have been changed -I would recommend this book -Excellent work John!
Customer Reviews:
How bright I am.......2004-06-25
This book is not for filmgoers. Its focus is geared to the elite and erudite college student who will be impressed by name dropping of prominent philosophers in Western Lit. To be polite, it is dripping in stream-of-consciousness commentary that wreaks of self-indulgence, suggesting adult attention deficit problems. It is not uncommon to find sentences in excess of 50 words long, that if grammatically diagrammed would make Watson and Crick's double helix look like a straight arrow. Save time and save money. The clip art of movie scenes is primitive and should have been a clue as to the author's intent. A great disappointment.
A great book for lovers of classical American movies........1997-12-29
The goal of this book is to show that the classic American film comedies of the 30's and 40's are worthy of the best criticism. The author succeeds. If you love movies, and want to think about them seriously, this is your book. The films in it star Hepburn, Grant, Tracy, Gable, Stanwyck. This is a sophisticated book for a sophisticated film audience. The author is one of America's leading philosophers. Cavell brings his knowledge of concepts of friendship, conversation, gender, parenting, sexuality, fun, and adventure to bear on each of the romantic comedies he discusses. The genre explored here continues in GROUNDHOG DAY, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, ALL OF ME, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. This book is serious, and well worth it. It explores everything important to every romantic relationship. I highly recommend it to everyone.
A critical appreciation of film's greatest romantic comedies.......1996-05-18
Cavell identifies the "comedies of remarriage," those romantic comedies and comic romances that lit the screens and the hearts of the audiences of the 1930's and 40's. With the mind of a philosopher and scholar and the passionate appreciation of a true fan, he examines classic romantic comedies (and comic romances), including "The Lady Eve," "The Awful Truth," and "The Philadelphia Story." In a classical context (he compares the role of the woods in Shakespeare to the role of Connecticut in "Bringing Up Baby") he manages to illuminate the films without disturbing the gossamer that holds them together. The best that can be said is that he does justice to these lovely films, and makes us understand how smart we were to adore them
Book Description
As computer games become more and more like Hollywood productions, the need for good story lines increases. Research shows that stories are highly valued by game players, so today's studios and developers need good writers. Creating narrative - a traditionally static form - for games is a major challenge. Games are at their heart dynamic, interactive systems, so they don't follow the guidelines and rules of film or T.V. writing. Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames addresses these issues and is the first book written to demystify this emerging field. Through the insights and experiences of practicing game writers, the book captures a snapshot of the narrative skills employed in today's game industry. This unique collection of practical articles provides the foundations to the craft of game writing. The articles, written by member of the International Game Developer's (IDGA) Game Writer's SIG, detail aspects of the process from the basics of narrative and non-linear narrative to writing comedy for games and creating compelling characters. Throughout the articles there is a strong emphasis on the skills developers and publishers will expect a game writer to have. The book is suitable for both beginners and experienced writers, and is a detailed guide to all the techniques of game writing. This book is an essential read for anyone wishing to get into this exciting field, particularly for new game writers wanting to hone their skills, and film and T.V. scriptwriters who want to learn how to transfer their skills to the games industry.
Customer Reviews:
Great for knowledge on how video games are made.......2007-03-12
Great book for seeing how video games are made!
Good, but Focused.......2006-12-30
This is a good book. It suffers from having multiple authors in that it lacks the consistent tone that most writng books have, but all the writng is still good.
It is focused on the interface betwen the writer, the game, and the team, and is long on cautionary points. It will be of value to anyone who is writing, producing, or leading all or part of a game team, particularly if they lack practical experience.
If you are only interested in a book about writing for games, Lee Sheldon's 'Character Development and Storytelling for Games' is probably a better choice, but if you are intending or actually writing game, or working with a game writer, this is a good read and a potentially vital resource.
A 'must' for any video or computer game writer........2006-10-14
Computer games are becoming more like Hollywood productions, requiring good plots and valued story lines which use good narrative styles. In Chris Bateman, Editor's Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames are practical articles on how to do so, written by members of the International Game Developer's Association and covering all kinds of game writing, from comedy to plots. A 'must' for any video or computer game writer.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Bringing a Story to Computer Games.......2006-08-10
The days of the super simple games like Pac-Man are long gone. Today's games must entertain with all the finesse and skill of a Hollywood movie. This is not to say that a game must be all narrative, neither is a movie.
This book is the first complete guide to writing stories for games. They are not stories alone, that would just be a book. But nor are they just action games. They are games with a story.
The book is edited by Chris Bateman, an expert in market oriented game design and narrative. He has gotten an even dozen of game developers to contribute in various aspects. They range from game developers to writers, to educators, to journalists. Each is able to bring his/her own insight to the book and to the writing profession.
As computers, software, game engines (and always more memory) develop, games can grow more powerful, more lifelike, more movie like.
Average customer rating:
- Carson & Letterman Together is Worth the Price of Admission
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The Rolling Stone Book of Comedy
Bonnie Schiffman , and
Bill Zehme
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0821218484 |
Customer Reviews:
Carson & Letterman Together is Worth the Price of Admission.......2004-05-25
This stunning collection of photographs by Bonnie Schiffman features the best of American comedians from the past 40 or 50 years. Large, full color images throughout, with appropriate (brief) commentary. If you've laughed with Whoopi, Soupy, Chevy or the Smothers Brothers, you've gotta have this one on your coffee table.
Book Description
A loving yet brutally honest memoir by the daughter of comedy legend Richard Pryor
Rain Pryor was born in the idealistic, free–love 1960s. Her mother was a Jewish go–go dancer who wanted a "tribe of rainbow children," and her father was Richard Pryor, perhaps the most compelling and brilliant comedian of his era.
In this intimate, harrowing, and often hilarious memoir, Rain depicts a disturbing childhood in the shadow of her celebrated father. Rain's memoir is a complicated all–American tale: She embraced her African–American heritage while she longed to be part of the Jewish family perplexed by her mother's fascination with minority culture. She was equally at home shopping with her mother for bargain brisket and flying to France with her father. Her home life was infused with drugs and sex; at age eight she sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with the words, "Daddy, the whores need to be paid."
Jokes My Father Never Taught Me is both lovingly told and painfully frank: the story of a girl who grew up adoring her father even as she feared him–and feared for him, as his drug problems grew worse. In 1980 he was nearly killed in a "revolutionary suicide attempt"–the explosion of cocaine and ether that he told his daughter was an "explosion of milk and cookies." And in his later years, as he succumbed to multiple sclerosis, Rain saw her father reduced to watching the Comedy Channel for hours on end.
Customer Reviews:
Disturbing but frank.......2007-05-08
If you want to know what this book is about check out the editorial review. If you want to know about Richard Pryor behind the scenes than read this book. It is unflaterringly frank and shows Richard Pryor to be a narcissistic individual who demonstrated some of the worst traits an individual can have. While reading it I felt bad for the daughter(Rain, the author) and some of the women in his life. He was really screwed up but a brilliant comedian. He was the the tragic figure that in the end was a pathetic, helpless person struck down with MS. I think this book was a cathargic release for Rain because I can't help but wonder why she wouldn't be as screwed up if not worse than her dad. I think writting this book released some of her demons. Some of the things that go on in the book are unreal to the average person. Some of the contents are so whacky that you actually feel sorry for Pryor and all the people he affected. On the other hand he made people laugh. Sometimes you have to cry to laugh. The book is a curious bit of writting, an easy read and somewhat entertaining; that is if you don't mind looking at other peoples dirty laundry. It's like looking at a car wreck on the freeway; sometimes you see things you wish you hadn't. The photographs were pretty cool and complimented the story so you could put a face to the story. If you like memoirs of Hollywood celebrities than you will like this book. It is almost like peeking into the National Enquirer; some of the stories are hard to take. There is lots of cursing since that was a staple of the Pryor lexicon. Read at your own risk.
Moving and Loving Tribute.......2007-04-11
I enjoyed this novel for its honesty and moving tribute to a man deeply loved but flawed man. I think nobody could do it better than his daughter Rain Pryor. Some of the accounts are disturbing but still she pulls no punches about his absent and lack of love affect her even more so from her mother who in her own way tried but fail.
Sometimes hard to read, but interesting throughout.......2007-03-21
Cons: From the end of the book, I'm pretty sure the author expected me to have this newfound respect for Richard Pryor, but instead, I felt indifference. It's disrespectful to say that about the deceased, but this book gave so many examples of Richard Pryor beating women, abusing his children, cursing at toddlers, and cheating. Those are four things I don't dig and they were pointed out repeatedly throughout the memoirs. Instead of wanting to know more about Richard Pryor, I found myself wanting to know less. There were some photos of Richard Pryor with his mouth wide open and looking sick; if I were him, I wouldn't be too thrilled to have those in a book for all to see.
There were also some unnecessary spots, like the journal entries with all of the misspellings. They did nothing to help with the growth of the book. The dialogue with her during her "Fried Chicken..." performances were unnecessary for a reader considering everything in it was already explained in detail throughout the book, so it was like rereading the book again. I was glad those didn't last too long.
Pros: I didn't know much about Richard Pryor before I read this book, besides knowing he was a controversial comic who used the n-word excessively and talked about sex a lot. This is why I picked up the book. I was interested in learning more about him because I know a couple people who are fans of his. Even though there was a lot of bad childhood memories, it was interesting to hear his daughter's take on the situation. And I was too excited when I figured out why she looked so familiar to me. I remember her from "Head of the Class" with the forever pouty lips and wild hair. The pictures were great to look at and she definitely made me rethink wishing I had curly hair. I enjoyed getting a better feel for how it was to grow up as the child of a comedian, who obviously didn't always want to be funny. I'm actually relieved that she made it through such a tough situation and I wish her the best of luck with her future in acting.
Not the book it could have been.......2007-02-21
I remember watching Johnny Carson (The Tonight Show) when Richard Pryor came on and talked about his "freebasing accident." The thing I remember most was Pryor indicating how surprised and loved he felt at the outpouring of support and concern he received from fans. He seemed a humble and likeable man. This man does not appear in Rain Pryor's book.
I have to say, it didn't take reading very far into this book to have no feelings of respect for the Richard Pryor she portrays. He was a brilliant comic, but, according to his daughter, he was a lousy human being. He brutalized women on a regular basis (including her). He was an absolutely horrible father. He abused drugs and alcohol. What is amazing to me is Rain's continued professions of love for him throughout the book.
I was raised in a family where my step-father was an alcoholic. He was occasionally violent. My mother was a classic enabler. Once I left home, I got a lot of therapy. I was able to admit to myself that I didn't like either of my parents. They didn't deserve my love. I took care of my mother in her old age, but I had no delusions about her being a good person. For these reasons, I have real trouble following Rain's rationalizations about her father, her constantly saying, "he was despicable but I still loved him." Maybe she is actually harboring some unresolved ill feelings about him, however, because she put some really awful, even embarrassing pictures from the end of his life in this book. Shame on her co-writer and shame on her editors for allowing it.
As far as the book itself goes, it is not well written. This Cathy Crimmins, who helped Rain write the book, should be hiding her head. The book is repetitious. It has editing errors. It is often self-indulgent. It is essentially a one note samba: my parents didn't give me enough love. I kept the copy I had in the bathroom, where I could read it in little snippets. That's about all I could take.
I think for a view of some of Richard Pryor's life it has some interest. I also think it is a great example of someone who went through life thinking only of himself and someone who had no clue how to love anyone else. I wish it had been less of a breathless Hollywood tell-all, however. It would have served both Richard and Rain better if it had delved more deeply into either or both of their characters.
Very good book.......2007-02-02
This book was done very well. I enjoyed learning new things about the late Richard Pryor and finding out new things about his daughter Rain whom, I really didn't know much about.
Thank you.
Amazon.com
"Americans had never seen a grown man behave this way before," notes Shawn Levy. From Lewis' upbringing as the son of a struggling show biz dad, to his heyday as one half of the Lewis and Martin team that was the hottest act in the business, to his career as the host of charity telethons, Levy presents Lewis in all his comic glory and horror. There's his inspired work with Dean Martin at Atlantic City's 500 Club in 1946; the "Jewish Bataan death march" promotional tour for the movie "The Nutty Professor"; and, later, Lewis, star of movies for kids, who mistreated his family.
Customer Reviews:
An encyclopedia in story form.......2007-07-16
Jerry Lewis' films represent to me the best and the worst of that genre: at times he's able to evoke the most joyous emanations from the human voice box, in individual scenes, projecting through brilliant technique and artistic temperment some of the most beautiful, balletic images ever captured in that medium; at other times, he seems to trash the entire industry by indulging himself in some of the most laborious and unfunny bits one can imagine - the "what was that?", "why didn't he just..." response from the fans inevitable.
On the small screen, he could host and perform in greatly successful fund-raisers, singing, dancing, ad-libbing at a level most comedians could only dream of; and at the same telethon, drop his pants while a diva sings.
This book effectively brings out such artistic (and personal) highs and lows.
For this historians, Levy writes of events I had long ago aassumed never could have taken place, i.e. a 1958 and 1961 stage reunion with Dean Martin.
But through all the twists and turns, the wonderment and the disappointment, Jerry emerges as the natural successor to Chaplin and Laurel. At the end of that charity event with the the embarrassing boxer display interlude, he sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" with enough emotion and grace to temporarily make fans of his most carping critics.
The Day The Clown Cried.......2004-09-25
Jerry Lewis is a genius, pure & simple. Read this tome & you'll discover a man as complex (and misunderstood) as Wagner. This IS Wagnerian... absolute glory & absolute dispair. It encapsulates what Jerry has always been about, but this isn't just shtick. It's the real deal. One would wish for someone as hell-raising & life-affirming as Lewis to lead a life-as-party existance--- he hasn't. And you'll read why. Still & all, he's called the shots for however many decades straight & how many people can say THAT? This man is a giant, & shall be remembered as such. I love you Mr. Levitch!!!
The Lives of Buddy Love.......2003-11-29
We all grew up watching Martin & Lewis movies and Jerry's solo projects, but there were those National Enquirer stories in the 1970's about Jerry being nasty to old people. Then a good friend of mine told me about when he worked at the Vegas Aladdin and saw Jerry Lewis completely lose his mind on a group of little children who'd talked their way backstage during a telethon to give him a donation. Jerry screamed every type of profanity at them. (A humiliated Chad Everrett hustled the kids to his limo for a ride home and my friend said he trembled in rage to keep from throttling Jerry).
When I saw Jerry on stage in the 1990's, I was stunned by the amount of swearing he did--even as I've seen him in interviews swear he never cusses on stage!
Obviously, any honest account of Jerry Lewis will have to try to reconcile the sweet, clumsy "nine-year-old" clown and the rampaging, egocentric monster. Shawn Levy has done that and I admire his book for not going too far one way or the other. I picked up the book to read about the unseen film, THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED, and for any insight into the Martin & Lewis split (I'd also read Nick Tosches' DINO), and I'm glad I did.
For the people (including Jerry himself) who would dismiss this book as a "hatchet job," you only have to look at Jerry's behavior and quotes himself to see both sides of him: Jerry not only disowned one of his sons for talking to the Enquirer, he completely wrote him out of every biography of him ("Love hard, hate hard"); Jerry's dismissal of all women comics as "unfunny" and "predominately here to have children"; his recent interview with Bill O'Reilly where he declares that JFK never had an affair with Marilyn Monroe--because Jerry did! (Even O'Reilly, a man not known to be caught unawares, blinked, speechless).
Jerry's wretched behavior, whether drug-induced or simply chosen, can't diminish his contribution to entertainment, only diminish one's opinion of him as a human being. And I don't think Jerry cares what you think about him.
I can just see him as Buddy Love (a creation mistaken for Dean when it was really Jerry), lighting up a smoke and saying, "I've done it all, baby."
Compulsively readable, very detailed and fair.......2003-09-05
Whether you love Jerry Lewis or hate him, you won't be able to stop reading this definative biography that corrects years and years of misinformation and paints a brutally honest picture of the entertainer. It's certainly a warts-and-all bio, filled with unflattering information, but its leveled with a real appreciation for Lewis's work as a comedian, actor and director. This biography gets beneath the skin and gives you a real insight to Lewis. He's not a monster but he's also not someone you'd want to spend a lot of time with off the pages of this excellent biography.
Yes and no.......2003-07-16
On the one hand, this was immensely readable. On the other hand, the negative things Levy has to say turn out to be for personal reasons. You have to wait for the afterword at the back of the book to find out that he and Lewis didn't see eye to eye and Levy felt hurt by this. Hence, the dirt. It's the Mommie Dearest Syndrome. Christina Crawford, we learn when we read that book, actually had made up with and was very close to her mother at the time of Joan Crawford's death. Then, inexplicably, Crawford left Christina out of her will. Hence, the dirt. So if Levy had (a) just skipped the afterword altogether, (b) put it up front as a preface so we could go into the book knowing the motivation, or (c) eased up on some of the vitriol, it would have been a better book. I'll read more books on Lewis, but I won't be reading anything else by Levy.
Average customer rating:
- Lenny Bruce is Not Afraid
- "I am influenced by every second of my waking hour."
- you don't even have to know who he is
- A poet posing as a comedian
- Very good read
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How to Talk Dirty and Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Amazon.com
In 1963, before the law and his drug habit brought the curtain down on the comedian, Hugh Hefner asked then-superstar Lenny Bruce to write his autobiography. Lenny hired writer Paul Krassner to help him edit the book, which appeared in Playboy over the next two years. Though it's uneven, and somewhat dated, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People deserves a look, if only to balance the movie Lenny, which many of the comedian's friends say missed the man entirely. The book is, simply, Lenny Bruce riffing on his life--from a drab childhood in Brooklyn, to stints in the navy and merchant marine, and finally to the nightclub circuit and eventual stardom. Of course, the veracity of any single anecdote is highly questionable, but How to Talk Dirty and Influence People rises above that, revealed as a fascinating expression of how this comedy icon wanted to be seen. Namely, as a rough-and-tumble kid from the streets, as a hustler and ladies' man, and, finally, as a fearless detonator of society's hypocrisy. (Notice that addict and dissolute don't make the list.)
In the movies ... Everett Sloane was a tycoon. He would get his gun off disillusioning Joel McCrea, who wanted to publish a newspaper that would make a statement, and telling him: "M'boy, you'll see when you get old that it's all a game." And I used to think, "No, it's not that way, this cynical old bastard is bullshitting, there are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, the liars and the truth-tellers."
But Everett Sloane was right. There is only what is. The what-should-be never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it. There is only what is.
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People doesn't catch Bruce's charisma and vaguely sinister electricity--no book could--but it is an interesting, lively read. Bruce was one of the first performers to usher in the new, more honest, more permissive, and more indulgent brand of American art. For anyone who wants to understand our comedy and culture, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is well worth reading. --Michael Gerber
Customer Reviews:
Lenny Bruce is Not Afraid.......2007-01-05
I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. Lenny Bruce is an interesting guy and I think it's very insightful just of life and society in general and of all their inconsistencies. Though today, I'm sure, is much different than Lenny's era, most of what he has to say still applies. He can be really funny at times, but I'd say its a darker humor. I remember thinking it dragged just a bit when he gets deep into his legal battle near the end of the book but overall it kept me entertained.
"I am influenced by every second of my waking hour.".......2006-06-03
You could be forgiven for thinking that this book is by Eric Bogosian. Although generally okay, the Fireside edition spends more time talking about Bogosian on the front cover than it does talking about Bruce himself.
Too bad. But luckily for the reader, this book is pure Lenny.
More readable than the transcripts of his performance (since he intended this to be read)-- How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is part autiobiography and part diatribe. Bruce explains, jokes, cajoles and convinces as he writes. This is the story of his life from his birth until 1963 when it was written.
Lenny Bruce is a very important figure in the histories of performance and free expression. This book is a little bit sketchy to be a final remembrance, but is still worth the time and effort that it takes to read. In particular, the beginning sections of the book are magical-- funny, wry and moral. It loses the thread a little bit towards the end, as Bruce is more and more obsessed with the legal wars that he was then fighting on every front. Certainly understandable, but the latter chapters are much less open for the reader and seem to have been written in a much bigger hurry than the rest of the book.
If you are interested in Bruce, this book is a must-read. The Fireside edition is bound with an introduction by the aforementioned Bogosian and with a preface by Kenneth Tynan.
you don't even have to know who he is.......2004-08-16
You don't have to be a fan of Lenny Bruce to love this book, you don't have to really know who he is (I really only know him from a few recordings and by reputation). This book is funny. This book is still a valuable piece of social satire and criticism. This book is an interesting story. This book is a piece of history. This book is great. This book should be read.
A poet posing as a comedian.......2004-07-27
Lenny Bruce may have been the greatest poet of mid-Twentieth Century America, 'though he never wrote a poem, because he did what poets ought to do--make you see, make you feel, make you realize that "the great" did things that they didn't want you to know about. He alienated President Kennedy so much that J. Edgar Hoover was unleashed to pressure local police to bird dog Bruce's nightclub act. The cops would lurk in the back, wait till Bruce said something vulgar, then bust him for obscenity. In court, the fuzz would do Bruce's act so badly that Bruce was convicted for their lack. He beat the rap, at the U. S. Supreme Court, but it took a lot out of his native optimism. He shot up on heroin till he overdosed--assuming it WAS suicide. Remember Marilyn Monroe? What's easier than knocking off a junkie with an overdose? With Oscar Levant and Alexander King, Bruce is one of the three great wits of America at mid-century. Worth your time, because he repays you with insight wrapped in laughter.
Very good read.......2004-07-25
Lenny Bruce was pretty rare in that he always called it how he saw it. No, I don't agree with absolutely everything he says. (After all, no two people can concur on every possible subject) But, he always told the truth as he believed it to be without fear of repurcussion. Bruce did more for the first ammendment than anyone else in the 20th century and strongly influenced later comics such as Richard Pryror, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks.
How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is his autobiography. It reveals how ahead of his time, moral, courageous, humanly flawed, smart, and most of all how funny Lenny Bruce was. The majority of his assaults on how farcial organized religion and American justice can be still hit the mark even after more than forty years of elapsed time. This is counterbalenced by moving stories of his youth, time in the Navy during World War II, his ultimately failed marriage, and other aspects of his personal life. I won't go into too much detail as to ruin the book for others.
Bruce writes in a very concise manner, but not in a way that leaves the material short on content. You can probably finish this book in a day or two, but there's enough food for thought in How To Talk Dirty And Influence People to last for ages.
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