Helpful Score: 3
There is interesting biographical detail in these last memoirs; enjoyed the TV show host Merv Griffin's interview with Orson Welles and his then biographer, Barbara Leamer (liked her a lot). It was witty repartee and very sympathetic to the artist as public figure. Fink's essays are compassionate and revealing; not dirt digging by any means. I did learn a lot about the celebs'lives in the biographical pages: John Ritter, John Denver, David Bloom, John Lennon, and Arthur Ashe are some of them.
In detailing the activities of celebs at the end of life, Fink writes of some somber cautionary tales replete with piquancy and perversity. The notorious tabloid attributes of John Belushi are well known; retold with sad insight into addiction; and a sad story of the comic's friends fighting and then losing the battle for his life. and Fink's style owes a bit to the supermarket tabloids
That is, Fink's light enough to entertain, thorough enough to satisfy our curiosity. John Lennon, and Lyle Alzado are among the subjects of 15- to 20-page chapters. Ted Williams, he of the court battles among his offspring and the cryogenically necessitated portmortem decapitation, makes for an especially savory essay, while the rather charming and inspirational fade-out practiced by Warren Zevon is another story. And when Fink quotes an expiring Lucille Ball remarking, "I'm so tired of myself" (to which veteran couch potatoes may breathe a silent "You and me both"), he imparts insight into what it must be like to end life with a celebrity-crazed public raptly watching. This could be called " the last word in celebrity biography."
In detailing the activities of celebs at the end of life, Fink writes of some somber cautionary tales replete with piquancy and perversity. The notorious tabloid attributes of John Belushi are well known; retold with sad insight into addiction; and a sad story of the comic's friends fighting and then losing the battle for his life. and Fink's style owes a bit to the supermarket tabloids
That is, Fink's light enough to entertain, thorough enough to satisfy our curiosity. John Lennon, and Lyle Alzado are among the subjects of 15- to 20-page chapters. Ted Williams, he of the court battles among his offspring and the cryogenically necessitated portmortem decapitation, makes for an especially savory essay, while the rather charming and inspirational fade-out practiced by Warren Zevon is another story. And when Fink quotes an expiring Lucille Ball remarking, "I'm so tired of myself" (to which veteran couch potatoes may breathe a silent "You and me both"), he imparts insight into what it must be like to end life with a celebrity-crazed public raptly watching. This could be called " the last word in celebrity biography."
