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Friday Reading Meme..
Recently finished Alec Baldwin's memoir, Nevertheless, which, while moving and compelling in places, is a book in desperate need of a good editor. Also yet another example of how the US trade publishing industry is failing in the editing department. Carrie Fisher's memoir, The Princess Diarist had some of the same issues.[deleted rant].
Baldwin meanders, rambles, and repeats himself. I really wanted to edit the hell out of it. He also seems to have a fondness for gushing over people -- with the words, "I fell in love with so and so".
That said? There are passages that are rather compelling, not mention inspiring, and hopeful. The writer, Baldwin, went through a lot of pits and valleys...stumbling through a nasty divorce and an even worse custody battle, which had left him bereft at various points, along with a drug addiction and not one but several career set-backs.
Coming from low middle class roots, he dreams of becoming a lawyer and pursuing a life of public service specifically in politics, yet ends up falling into the acting profession to make money. And along the way, falls head over heels in love with the craft. Theater is the place he feels the most at home, the least appears, surprisingly enough, to be film. In the early pages of the book, he details in rather poetic and somewhat straight-forward prose how his father labored to make ends meet, as a poor high school teacher in Massapequa, Long Island. While his mother suffered alone with six kids, the father took on extracurricular activities with the school, and went out of his way to ensure his kids achieved a decent education. All of them, except for the daughters, went on to become film or television actors, probably for the same reasons Alec did, money.
Baldwin's parents break up at some point during Baldwin's twenties, and shortly thereafter, his father at the age of 55 or thereabouts, dies of cancer. Baldwin is in the middle of filming Knots Landing at the time. Baldwin recounts his father taking the entire family to Robert Kennedy's wake, and how they filed through the church...until a reporter pulled Alec aside and asked if he was going to prayer for Senator and if so, what prayer would he recite. Alec proceeds to recite the Hail Mary.
Then we get a chronicle of sorts of Baldwin's lengthy and layered career, dotted with ancedotes. Including what happened regarding the casting of the Jack Ryan films that took place after Hunt for the Red October. Apparently the studio had decided to go with Harrison Ford, but didn't quite know what to do with Baldwin who was in the first film. Instead of being grown-ups about it, this is Hollywood after all, they threw Baldwin under the bus so to speak, and made his fault for not resigning. Baldwin, at the time, had been in negotiations to be in a Broadway Play, Streetcar Named Desire -- portraying the iconic role of Stanley Kowalski, and merely wanted to know the shooting schedule so he could fit in both roles. Paramount used it to manipulate him out of the role and Ford in. Ford a screen-actor, who to my knowledge has never appeared on stage, grabbed the part and basically stated Fuck Baldwin. (I can totally see Ford doing that. Ford fought tooth and nail to get into the movie business. Taking on horrible roles along the way. He had zero sympathy for a guy ten years younger who jumped into the biz from a soap opera.)
For the most part, the story flows up until Baldwin marries Kim Basinger, then it begins to meander and the writer seems to repeat himself or ramble. At the end there's an odd index of stars that Baldwin adored and possibly met. He's the original fanboy. We forget that movie stars are fans themselves.
That said, it is a compelling read in places and very moving. Also I found the idea of a second chance, and how things can turn around when you're ready, reassuring and comforting. Also, Baldwin's ability to pick himself up off the proverbial pavement, after falling flat on his face...is commendable. His self-destructive behavior, his words not mine, has knocked him for a loop more than once. And he freely admits that he is his own worst enemy and often got in his own way. But he does manage come through it all, okay, no worse for wear, with his ideals intact.
Baldwin, unsurprisingly, is a hard-core Democrat and liberal, who despised Trump. There's a lengthy political rant at the end of the book which may or may not turn off some readers. I agree with him and I found it to be a bit long-winded and somewhat preachy. He's not a writer, he's an actor and a consummate performer. But then he freely admits as much, and he states...you can pretty much accomplish things you never dreamed of, if you decide you want to, badly enough.
So not a bad read. Just wish he had a better editor.
Baldwin meanders, rambles, and repeats himself. I really wanted to edit the hell out of it. He also seems to have a fondness for gushing over people -- with the words, "I fell in love with so and so".
That said? There are passages that are rather compelling, not mention inspiring, and hopeful. The writer, Baldwin, went through a lot of pits and valleys...stumbling through a nasty divorce and an even worse custody battle, which had left him bereft at various points, along with a drug addiction and not one but several career set-backs.
Coming from low middle class roots, he dreams of becoming a lawyer and pursuing a life of public service specifically in politics, yet ends up falling into the acting profession to make money. And along the way, falls head over heels in love with the craft. Theater is the place he feels the most at home, the least appears, surprisingly enough, to be film. In the early pages of the book, he details in rather poetic and somewhat straight-forward prose how his father labored to make ends meet, as a poor high school teacher in Massapequa, Long Island. While his mother suffered alone with six kids, the father took on extracurricular activities with the school, and went out of his way to ensure his kids achieved a decent education. All of them, except for the daughters, went on to become film or television actors, probably for the same reasons Alec did, money.
Baldwin's parents break up at some point during Baldwin's twenties, and shortly thereafter, his father at the age of 55 or thereabouts, dies of cancer. Baldwin is in the middle of filming Knots Landing at the time. Baldwin recounts his father taking the entire family to Robert Kennedy's wake, and how they filed through the church...until a reporter pulled Alec aside and asked if he was going to prayer for Senator and if so, what prayer would he recite. Alec proceeds to recite the Hail Mary.
Then we get a chronicle of sorts of Baldwin's lengthy and layered career, dotted with ancedotes. Including what happened regarding the casting of the Jack Ryan films that took place after Hunt for the Red October. Apparently the studio had decided to go with Harrison Ford, but didn't quite know what to do with Baldwin who was in the first film. Instead of being grown-ups about it, this is Hollywood after all, they threw Baldwin under the bus so to speak, and made his fault for not resigning. Baldwin, at the time, had been in negotiations to be in a Broadway Play, Streetcar Named Desire -- portraying the iconic role of Stanley Kowalski, and merely wanted to know the shooting schedule so he could fit in both roles. Paramount used it to manipulate him out of the role and Ford in. Ford a screen-actor, who to my knowledge has never appeared on stage, grabbed the part and basically stated Fuck Baldwin. (I can totally see Ford doing that. Ford fought tooth and nail to get into the movie business. Taking on horrible roles along the way. He had zero sympathy for a guy ten years younger who jumped into the biz from a soap opera.)
For the most part, the story flows up until Baldwin marries Kim Basinger, then it begins to meander and the writer seems to repeat himself or ramble. At the end there's an odd index of stars that Baldwin adored and possibly met. He's the original fanboy. We forget that movie stars are fans themselves.
That said, it is a compelling read in places and very moving. Also I found the idea of a second chance, and how things can turn around when you're ready, reassuring and comforting. Also, Baldwin's ability to pick himself up off the proverbial pavement, after falling flat on his face...is commendable. His self-destructive behavior, his words not mine, has knocked him for a loop more than once. And he freely admits that he is his own worst enemy and often got in his own way. But he does manage come through it all, okay, no worse for wear, with his ideals intact.
Baldwin, unsurprisingly, is a hard-core Democrat and liberal, who despised Trump. There's a lengthy political rant at the end of the book which may or may not turn off some readers. I agree with him and I found it to be a bit long-winded and somewhat preachy. He's not a writer, he's an actor and a consummate performer. But then he freely admits as much, and he states...you can pretty much accomplish things you never dreamed of, if you decide you want to, badly enough.
So not a bad read. Just wish he had a better editor.