"Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra" by George Jacobs
"Johnny Carson" by Henry Bushkin
Best autobiography is "Open" by Andre Agassi. I never imagined liking that book at all, but so many of my friends recommended it, I gave it a shot. It's fantastic. I'd love to meet him now.
This is an old one, but I really enjoyed Candice Bergen's autobiography. (Her first one; I think she has two.) It brought me to tears in some places, and I still remember it, which is a miracle for me.
I thought Bill Russell's "Russell's Rules" was very good at outlining how his 11 championships were a result of making his teammates better at what they did.
Years ago a friend of mine stumbled upon an unauthorized biography of David Bowie in a 99¢ bin. I quite enjoyed it. Poor guy was screwed over big time by Main Man management.
I also really enjoyed Slash's autobiography, if that counts.
My least favorite are the celebrities who are contracted to write about their career & instead write all about substance abuse recovery. Kristen Johnston & Belinda Carlisle are the worst examples. I'm still waiting on a memoir about the Go-Go's by a member of the Go-Go's. I know all about Belinda's 40 year cocaine habit. Anybody can start using drugs or drinking too much. Only five people became Go-Go's. That's what makes your story interesting, write about that.
I hated Belinda Carlisle's autobiography as well. I had high expectations for Grace Slick's autobiography (Somebody to Love) but it was also a disappointment.
If anyone is looking for a fun fast summer beach read and was into the Hollywood 80's and early 90's hair metal scene there, definitely check out Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City by Anne Thomas Soffe. You can get it on Kindle or for you more traditional readers many libraries have it.
The two books by Candace Bergen; Murder, Money and Dominic Dunne; the two books by Rob Lowe; the biography of Prince Charles by Sally somebody; Sachi Parker's autobiography; Tom Brokaw's "A Lucky Life Interrupted".
I'm not really a Jane Fonda fan, but I did enjoy her autobiography, which I thought was intelligent and honest. I had actually just started listening to the audio version when Peter Fonda came out with his most recent dumb statements, about wanting to put Republican women naked in a cage in the town square so people could whip them. Somehow after that I lost interest in Jane's stories about Peter's sweet childhood moments.
Agree that both Slash's and Duff's GnR autobiographies were excellent. Everyone is waiting on the Great White Whale, of course - Axl Rose's autobiography. It's sure to be as much of a mess as the man himself.
For 80s music fans, I can also recommend John Lydon's second autobiography, Jah Wobble's book, and Adam Ant's autobiography. He's very frank about his struggles with mental illness.
Peter Hook's book about Joy Division and Ian Curtis is very good; his New Order book less so.
I've recently recommended it, but "Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild" is the best celeb bio I have ever read. She had an incredible and incredibly sad life, filled with scandal, success, and mental illness. It is infinitely fascinating.
"I Am Ozzy" is highly entertaining. Ozzy Osbourne is quite the raconteur and has a lot of fantastic stories to tell. I loved all of Sharon Osbourne's memoirs as well.
@a beautiful virago: Oh yes, I read Million Dollar Mermaid years ago. It really was good. Esther Williams is very funny and a great storyteller.
And Shout! is probably the definitive and best book on the Beatles ever written, until McCartney writes his memoirs. I read and re-read it multiple times when I was a teenager.
No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman. The updated paperback had just come out (1995) and was really popular in my high school for personal reading.
I had sex with a Chinese guy last night. An hour later, I was horny again.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X
ReplyDeleteNight Stalker. Chilling
ReplyDeleteGoldman's bio of Kenny Bruce.
ReplyDeleteMore recently, "Dancing with Myself," by Billy Idol.
Bruce Lee - A life. Matthew Polly
ReplyDeleteJust finished reading it, ironically because of the CDAN blind, and I really enjoyed it.
Fiction or Non??
ReplyDeleteHamilton by Ron Chernow
ReplyDeleteDo best non-fiction next!!
Agree - Billy Idol.
ReplyDeleteJohn Taylor from Duran Duran was excellent.
"Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra" by George Jacobs
ReplyDelete"Johnny Carson" by Henry Bushkin
Best autobiography is "Open" by Andre Agassi. I never imagined liking that book at all, but so many of my friends recommended it, I gave it a shot. It's fantastic. I'd love to meet him now.
This is an old one, but I really enjoyed Candice Bergen's autobiography. (Her first one; I think she has two.) It brought me to tears in some places, and I still remember it, which is a miracle for me.
ReplyDeleteI am really curious where NE peanut gallery would go with a non-fiction bio. Interview With a Vampire?
ReplyDeleteHave A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
I thought Bill Russell's "Russell's Rules" was very good at outlining how his 11 championships were a result of making his teammates better at what they did.
ReplyDeleteOkay, not so much of an autobiography.
=)
“And I Don’t Want to Live This Life” about Sid & Nancy
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Keith Richards' book.
ReplyDeleteMe, by Katherine Hepburn
ReplyDeleteJust Kids, by Patti Smith
Moonwalker, it's an autobiography though
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of them. Right now, I'm digging Everywhere Hollywood," by Gerald Ayres
ReplyDeleteYears ago a friend of mine stumbled upon an unauthorized biography of David Bowie in a 99¢ bin. I quite enjoyed it. Poor guy was screwed over big time by Main Man management.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed Slash's autobiography, if that counts.
Life by Keith Richards
ReplyDeleteAndre Agassi's book - Open
ReplyDeleteLife by Keith Richards
ReplyDeleteI'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres
It's So Easy by Duff McKagan (Guns N Roses bassist)
I also enjoyed And I Don't Want to Live This Life By Deborah Spungen (Nancy's Mom)
My two favorite autobiographies are "The Moon's a Balloon" by David Niven & "Knock Wood" by Candice Bergen.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite are the celebrities who are contracted to write about their career & instead write all about substance abuse recovery. Kristen Johnston & Belinda Carlisle are the worst examples. I'm still waiting on a memoir about the Go-Go's by a member of the Go-Go's. I know all about Belinda's 40 year cocaine habit. Anybody can start using drugs or drinking too much. Only five people became Go-Go's. That's what makes your story interesting, write about that.
ReplyDeleteYes, I loved Duff McKagan's autobio!
ReplyDeleteAlso loved Bob Evans's The Kid Stays in the Picture and some book about Don Simpson, maybe by a Rolling Stone guy, can't remember was fascinating.
I liked the Schwarzenegger bio but I much prefer his 1970s opus 'The Education of a Bodybuilder'. Seriously, I love it.
Bios I DIDN'T like: Steve Jobs. I love Apple and look up to him but that book was one dry dry read.
Also I flicked through Keith Richards' bio hoping for some fascinating stuff and it didn't appear to be there, so I left it on the shelf.
ReplyDeleteHOW CAN I FORGET!!! PICASSO! And me an artist...
ReplyDeleteJohn Richardson's Picasso bio-in-3-parts. And Van Gogh's letters count as a bio, surely?
And I never quite finished Joe Eszterhas, but was interesting. The Bob Evans parts had me rolling on the floor.
ReplyDeleteI hated Belinda Carlisle's autobiography as well. I had high expectations for Grace Slick's autobiography (Somebody to Love) but it was also a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is looking for a fun fast summer beach read and was into the Hollywood 80's and early 90's hair metal scene there, definitely check out Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City by Anne Thomas Soffe. You can get it on Kindle or for you more traditional readers many libraries have it.
ReplyDeleteI read one in the '80's about Ted Bundy that was fascinating and scary. Can't remember the name.
ReplyDeleteAndre Agassi's book was really good
ReplyDeleteMost books about Freddie Mercury, some aren't exactly truthful, but his life was certainly interesting.
ReplyDeleteNo One Here Gets Out Alive - the doors
ReplyDeleteI am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action
ReplyDeleteThat was a fantastic book! I tell people about it all the time and I read it many many years ago 😀
DeleteThe two books by Candace Bergen;
ReplyDeleteMurder, Money and Dominic Dunne;
the two books by Rob Lowe;
the biography of Prince Charles by Sally somebody;
Sachi Parker's autobiography;
Tom Brokaw's "A Lucky Life Interrupted".
Almost twenty years and nobody can part me from my dogeared copy of Courtney Love by Poppy Z Brite
ReplyDeleteFull Service and Ian Mcclagen
ReplyDeleteI miss Dominick Dunne's books and articles for vanity fair.
ReplyDelete'I Blame Dennis Hopper' by Illeana Douglas is pretty amusing
ReplyDeleteWired about John Belushi was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Scott Weiland's book.
ReplyDeleteMia Farrow’s autobiography is probably my favorite of all time.
ReplyDeleteThe book by Esther Williams is a fun read. She blossomed Old Hollywood tea.
ReplyDeleteFfs. *spilled some
ReplyDeleteWhere do I begin? I’m a bookworm....I usually choose the Audio Book, if possible, love to hear the story in Author’s voice.
ReplyDeleteDavid Spade “Almost Interesting”
Joan Rivers “Diary of a Mad Diva”
Trevor Noah “Born a Crime”
Willie Nelson “It’s a Long Story: My Life”
David Sedaris, Leah Remini, Kate Mulgrew, McKenzie Phillips, Rob Lowe, Tatum O’Neal, Allison Arngrim, etc
If you haven’t been to your Public Library lately, you are seriously missing out!
PegD, was the book "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed "Wallis in Love" this Spring. I little different take on her than most books pursue.
-Shout: The Beatles in their Generation- Philip Norman
ReplyDelete-"The Only Way I Know"- Cal Ripken Jr.
Uhhh??? No one has yet said, "The Dirt"? Motley Crue's autobiography? By the band about the band? It's a trip!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a Jane Fonda fan, but I did enjoy her autobiography, which I thought was intelligent and honest. I had actually just started listening to the audio version when Peter Fonda came out with his most recent dumb statements, about wanting to put Republican women naked in a cage in the town square so people could whip them. Somehow after that I lost interest in Jane's stories about Peter's sweet childhood moments.
ReplyDeleteAgree that both Slash's and Duff's GnR autobiographies were excellent. Everyone is waiting on the Great White Whale, of course - Axl Rose's autobiography. It's sure to be as much of a mess as the man himself.
For 80s music fans, I can also recommend John Lydon's second autobiography, Jah Wobble's book, and Adam Ant's autobiography. He's very frank about his struggles with mental illness.
Peter Hook's book about Joy Division and Ian Curtis is very good; his New Order book less so.
I've recently recommended it, but "Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild" is the best celeb bio I have ever read. She had an incredible and incredibly sad life, filled with scandal, success, and mental illness. It is infinitely fascinating.
ReplyDelete"I Am Ozzy" is highly entertaining. Ozzy Osbourne is quite the raconteur and has a lot of fantastic stories to tell. I loved all of Sharon Osbourne's memoirs as well.
@a beautiful virago: Oh yes, I read Million Dollar Mermaid years ago. It really was good. Esther Williams is very funny and a great storyteller.
ReplyDeleteAnd Shout! is probably the definitive and best book on the Beatles ever written, until McCartney writes his memoirs. I read and re-read it multiple times when I was a teenager.
Shelley Winters, she slept with everyone!
ReplyDeleteGreat Quotes
ReplyDeleteFitness Quotes
Success Quotes
Best Quotes
Positive Life Quotes
Images Bank
Future Quotes
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No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman. The updated paperback had just come out (1995) and was really popular in my high school for personal reading.
ReplyDelete