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mschlat's review
4.0
Unlike the relentless nature of [b:Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi|264827|Wired The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi|Bob Woodward|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347592356s/264827.jpg|2417385], this biography does much more to celebrate Belushi's life. Of course, when your format is oral history with excerpts from interviews of friends, family, and fellow actors, that's to be expected. I was struck by how often Belushi was described as a ringleader and catalyst --- not just of parties and adventures, but of artistic endeavors. The section on the National Lampoon radio show illustrates how Belushi was bringing along friends and talented actors from venue to venue towards the explosion that was Saturday Night Live. In addition, there's a lot of praise heaped on Belushi for the blues revival he sparked (including James Brown stating that the Blues Brothers movie saved his career). There's also an interesting focus on Belushi's physicality and improv skills --- he wasn't a talented writer, but he made characters work through his presence, not his words (e.g., the Samurai sketches). A good read with a lot of interesting perspectives.
caramm's review
5.0
This book really made me appreciate the art of biographies. Before reading it, I had no idea who John Belushi was (which is hard enough to believe), but I was soon attached to his story. I love this book.
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