-
Two Brian Wilson Autobiographies?
The late, great Brian Wilson (June 20, 1942-June 11, 2025) released two autobiographies.
The first, called “Wouldn’t It Be Nice: My Own Story”, was released in October of 1991.
The second, called “I Am Brian Wilson”, was released in October of 2016.
Both are very much worth reading, but both are very different too.
The first one is quite detailed and frankly wild at times.
I believed most of it when I read it, but as it went on, I began to wonder.
I say this because Brian was still under the care of a Dr. Eugene Landy at the time this book was being written.
Also, this book is controversial because Todd Gold, who “Brian” (I put his name in quotes because Dr. Landy supposedly had a big hand in this book too.) told his story to, supposedly plagiarized other sources of biographical information and Brian even disowned the book at one point.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it if you’re a fan and/or just want to know more about Brian.
I truly believe a lot of it is true, but again, did Brian really tell all of this and was Dr. Landy basically telling it instead?
You be the judge.
Now, the second book, which Brian told his story to Ben Greenman, is a lot more positive and still tells the story that is in the first book, but nowhere near as much detail.
However, I believe the second book is really coming more from Brian or he just put more of a filter on himself for this book.
Also, though, since this book was released many years later, Brian tells more of his story about what happened after being under Dr. Landy’s care and about his later albums that he made.
In fact, in this book, he bad mouths Dr. Landy quite a bit, which he did not in the first book.
I think both books are very good and worth reading, but the second book I think gets my vote ultimately as the best one, although the first one has more detail. But I question some of it.
Either way, check them both out and see what you think.
Rest In Peace Brian Wilson. A phenomenal talent.
-
Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me Book Review
Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid 1, 2, and 3, The Outsiders, My Cousin Vinny, Cobra Kai, Karate Kid: Legends and more) released his biography Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me in 2022.
It’s definitely a biography, but it is not a full on autobiography because even though he touches on his life a fair amount, the majority of the book is about his experiences making the first The Karate Kid movie.
If you are a fan of The Karate Kid, you must read this book.
Ralph tells you everything you want to know about the making of the movie.
He also talks about the other movies and Cobra Kai quite a bit and some of this other movies and shows.
Like I said, it is definitely a biography, but it’s not a full on one.
But it is an amazing and quick read and I love it.
And thank you Ralph for signing it (via Talk Shop Live).
-
The Queen Of The Ring Book Review
I saw the movie Queen Of The Ring and enjoyed it, but it made me want to read the book about it.
Called Queen Of The Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend (released in 2009, author Jeff Leen went into a lot more detail about the life and times of wrestler Mildred Burke.
This book talks about how Burke got into wrestling and her relationship with her manager Billy Wolfe, both good and bad.
It talks about various wrestlers Burke faced and knew over the years, holding the women’s championship for many years, eventually getting away from Wolfe and training wrestlers, and so much more.
The movie is very good, but as usual, books cover a lot more, and this book is no different.
I highly recommend it. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, that’s OK. This is a book about a person who wanted to achieve something and she achieved more than she could have ever imagined.
Seek out this book.
-
Ric Flair To Be The Man Book Review
Two time WWE Hall of Famer and 16 time (I think 21 time) world champion Ric Flair released his book, To Be The Man, in 2004.
Written by Flair and Keith Elliott Greenberg (and edited by Mark Madden), To Be The Man tells Ric’s story from birth, getting into wrestling, the 1975 plane crash he was in, recuperating from the crash and returning to wrestling, many of the feuds he had with many different wrestlers, title wins, and so much more.
If you are a fan of Ric Flair, you must read this book.
I got my copy signed by Ric when I met him in 2009.
WOOOOOOO!!!!!
-
Val Kilmer: Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman/Citizen Twain: A One-Man Play Written, Produced, Directed And Performed by Val Kilmer Book Reviews
The phenomenal Val Kilmer (1959-2025) has released a few books.
One his autobiography, a few poetry books (all in a picture below) and a book of his one man play called Citizen Twain.
This review is about one of his poetry books called Val Kilmer: Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman, as well as his book Citizen Twain: A One-Man Play Written, Produced, Directed And Performed by Val Kilmer.
As I said, Val Kilmer: Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman is a series of poems Val wrote between the 1970s all the way to 2020.
I’ve never had the greatest understanding of poems, but I think if you can write poetry, that is quite a talent.
And Val, being the extremely talented artist he was (He sadly passed away April 1 of this year, actually four days before I’m typing this.), he seems to have written poems effortlessly.
I’ve included pictures of two of his poems from the book as examples of his creativity as a poet.
If you are a fan of poetry and of course a fan of Val’s then this book is for you.
In the book Citizen Twain: A One-Man Play Written, Produced, Directed And Performed By Val Kilmer, Val takes the reader through the script of his one man play Citizen Twain, which is a fictionalized tale of Mark Twain.
Val toured this show around the United States (I wish I could’ve seen a show!!) and actually filmed it too and called it Cinema Twain. However, Cinema Twain has yet to be released, outside of screenings that Val put together.
I hope Cinema Twain will come out someday because just from reading the script and seeing pictures from the play Citizen Twain, it really shows off Val’s acting craft and creativity as a writer.
I’ve been a fan of Val’s for many years, but it never truly dawned on me until a few years how creative Val was.
The word genius or icon are used too often and is not always deserved.
However, for Val Kilmer, those words and so many more great words are deserved.
Val was and always will be one of the best at what he did.
I know he rubbed some people the wrong way and I’m sorry about that.
But he did things his way and he did it extremely well.
If you can find both of these books (I purchased both of them for my girlfriend Mariah. I actually got one of the last copies of the Citizen Twain book available on Val’s website before they sold out, and Val signed it!!) please get them.
They really showcase Val’s talent beyond just acting.
Val was and always will be a truly brilliant artist.
We will forever miss you Val!!
-
Rest In Peace Val Kilmer (1959-2025). The Man That Brought Mariah and I together.
This post will be a little different.
I will be talking about a book, but I will be talking about a lot of things here.
But mainly, all of this is a tribute to an actor I’ve admired since I was a kid.
That actor is Val Kilmer.
He’s known for such movies as Top Secret, Real Genius, Top Gun, Willow, The Doors, Tombstone, Batman Forever, The Saint, just to name a few.
But beyond that, Val Kilmer was a true artist in pretty much all walks of his life.
He started making home movies when he was a kid (many clips show up in his amazing documentary “Val” on Amazon Prime), he wrote poetry, he painted, and yes he was an actor.
He was what is called a method actor, in which he really got into his roles more than others did.
That rubbed some people the wrong way, but that was his method.
And it worked.
Look at his body of work.
He played Madmartigan in Willow, one of my favorite movies as a kid, and he’s one of the big reasons why I loved it so much then and now.
He played Doc Holliday in Tombstone (he should’ve won an Oscar for this). Maybe his most famous role and deservedly so. PHENOMENAL.
He played Jim Morrison in The Doors, and did it perfectly, as far as I’m concerned. You don’t have to be a fan of The Doors to appreciate his performance in the movie because it is stunning.
He played Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever, which I love. I know some don’t like it, but many do. He did a great job.
He played Simon Templar in the movie The Saint. Based on a series of books and a TV show, this is one of my favorite Val roles.
So much so that when I met him in 2019, I had him sign a picture of himself as The Saint.
But hey I’m getting ahead of myself.
He did some really funny movies in the 1980s, like Top Secret and Real Genius. Seek these out please. You’ll laugh a lot trust me.
He was Iceman in the iconic movie Top Gun. He even reprised the role briefly in Top Gun: Maverick many years later.
He starred in Heat w/Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and a string of all-stars and carried his weight extremely well in one of my favorite longer movies.
He starred in some underrated movies in my opinion.
Movies such as Thunderheart, The Ghost And The Darkness (w/Michael Douglas), At First Sight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (w/Robert Downey Jr., another HILARIOUS movie), Wonderland, Deja Vu (w/Denzel Washington), The Island Of Dr. Moreau (w/Marlon Brando), Red Planet, and The Prince Of Egypt (playing the voice of God and Moses), just to name a few.
He also did a lot of movies that maybe you’ve not seen or heard of. Movies such as Blind Horizon, Conspiracy, Columbus Day, Spartan, The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, The Salton Sea, The Traveler, Twixt, Felon, The Chaos Experiment, Pay Dirt, Stateside, Deep In The Heart, and The Super. All of which are worth seeing.
He did a lot!! He truly is a movie icon.
He even wrote his autobiography, called “I’m Your Huckleberry”, which is why I put this in my Book Reviews section.
Val chronicles his life throughout the book. Talking about growing up (actually living on property that had been owned by actor Roy Rogers), being the youngest student enrolled in Julliard at the time, many of his movies, people he worked with, his relationships, being a Dad (he has two kids, Jack and Mercedes), overcoming throat cancer, and more.
My only complaint with his book is that I wanted even more stories about his work. But that’s OK. I still really enjoyed it and it’s very easy to read.
I said earlier that this post is different because I found out when I woke up this morning (April 2 of 2025 when I’m typing this) that Val passed away the day before (April Fools Day of all days) of pneumonia at the age of 65.
I’m not crying, but this is a big loss.
Not only because I love his work.
Not only because I did get to meet him at Lexington Comic And Toy Convention in 2019 (more on that here).
But especially because as I said in the title of this post, that Val Kilmer is the one that brought my girlfriend and partner in life and this website, Mariah Startzman, together.
This may sound weird, but I was on Twitter one day early on in the 2020 pandemic just browsing around when I saw this post by a Mariah Rose talking about Val Kilmer.
Curious, I responded to her about him and we started chatting about our admiration for Val’s work.
And for the most part, we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Obviously we found other things in common and to talk about and love, but it really all started with our love for Val Kilmer and his work.
I’m sorry if that sounds weird, but that’s our story and I am grateful for it.
I’m sorry that he is gone, but his body of work will live on for us to enjoy and for more people to discover and enjoy.
Thank you Val for everything.
You were a positive light in a very dark world and brought happiness to many, including myself and Mariah. We literally have you to thank for initially bringing us together.
We love you very much and we will forever thank you.
-
Gregg Allman w/Alan Light My Cross To Bear Book Review
Singer/songwriter/musician Gregg Allman, of The Allman Brothers Band and solo artist, collaborated with Alan Light to put out his book “My Cross To Bear” in 2012.
This is about Gregg’s life growing up, his relationship with his older brother Duane (also in The Allman Brothers Band), good and bad times with the band, breakups and reunions, deaths (including his brother Duane and bassist Barry Oakley, and unfortunately in 2025 as I type this, most of the members of the band are gone including Gregg), substance abuse, relationships and marriages Gregg had (including with Cher), and all kinds of rock and roll stories.
If you are a fan of Gregg’s and The Allman Brothers Band, I don’t know how you could not read this book.
It’s got it all and then some.
I wish Gregg and most of the guys in the band were still here, but thank goodness for the music they made, together and separately, and for this document of a lot of their history, told by the very talented Gregg Allman, or as his friends called him Gregory.
-
Bob Daisley For Facts Sake Book Review
Bassist Bob Daisley has done it all.
For many music fans, they know him as the bassist on many of Ozzy Osbourne’s biggest albums, but many may not know that Bob wrote many of Ozzy’s lyrics and he played in other bands before and after working with Ozzy.
If you are a music fan, this is a MUST READ book.
Bob tells it all. Not necessarily dishing dirt, but just tells the truth.
He played in the bands/artists Kahvas Jute, Widowmaker, Chicken Shack, Rainbow, The Blizzard Of Ozz (what Ozzy’s group was supposed to be called), Uriah Heep, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath, and more.
But as I said, many know of his work with Ozzy.
He wrote the lyrics on all of the albums he worked on with Ozzy and was the bassist.
There have been efforts to try to discredit him for some of his work, but you cannot argue with the truth, and that is: Bob Daisley is an extremely important person in the career of Ozzy Osbourne (who I am a fan of too).
I don’t want to say too much because I’ll be giving it away, but I’ll just say read the book because Bob tells all.
He talks about working with Lee Kerslake (another hugely important person in Ozzy’s career), Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde, and many others he has worked with including Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio (I did not know he briefly played in the Dio band for a short run of tour dates), Cozy Powell, Gary Moore, Jon Lord, and so many more.
He has tons of pictures throughout the book too. My gosh it’s worth getting just for the pictures.
As a music fan, reading the story of him being around the Led Zeppelin guys and ultimately getting all of their autographs on their Led Zeppelin IV album to give to his sister for Christmas is phenomenal to me.
Bob has so many stories (this book is set up like a big coffee table book but is so easy and great to read) so I cannot say enough: GET THIS BOOK! You will not regret it.
Rock on Bob.
-
Eric Roberts Runaway Train Or The Story Of My Life So Far Book Review
Eric Roberts may bet the busiest actor on Earth.
He is constantly working and I mean that.
Movies (Runaway Train, King Of The Gypsies, Star 80, Best Of The Best 1 and 2, The Specialist The Dark Knight, The Expendables and soooo much more), TV (In Cold Blood, Less Than Perfect. Heroes, Suits, Grey’s Anatomy, and soooo much more), music videos (appearing in videos by The Killers, Mariah Carey, Rhianna, and more) reality shows (Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Dancing With The Stars), everything.
He’s even an author now.
Eric released his autobiography, “Runaway Train Or The Story Of My Life So Far”, written w/Sam Kashner, on September 27 of 2024.
In the book, Eric talks about many things.
His childhood, his relationships with his family (particularly his father and sisters, including his other famous younger sister Julia), starting acting as a kid and moving to NY to continue acting, many projects he’s done and his thoughts on them, his battles with substances, marriages (And how cats caused the end of one marriage. Read the book and you’ll understand.), stories about people he has worked with and learned from, an example of a week schedule in his life, and so much more.
Sorry that was a lot, but there is a lot in this book.
I really like Eric Roberts. He, like everyone is not perfect and he admits that, but I like him. I think he’s cool.
If you are a fan or just want to read a quick, but detailed book about a great talent and cool person, then read this book.
I hope I can meet Eric someday at a personal appearance because he does those too.
If you ever read this sir, just know I have all the respect in the world for you and I wish you well always.
Oh and when bought this book at a book store, it was already signed by Eric!! Thank you sir!!
-
Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica Book Review
Metallica ultimately became probably the biggest heavy metal band ever, but like all bands, they started small.
This book Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica, written by music journalist Mick Wall, came out in 2011 and it chronicles pre-band days of members growing up, how the band got started, and a lot of other times from then on up to 2010.
Metallica are still growing strong in 2025, and to quote music journalist Lonn Friend “they are the Led Zeppelin of this generation”. Lonn said this in the 90s, but I believe he is correct.
Who knew that a band that heavy would ultimately become the biggest band out of the music scene they came out of, and really became a U2 level size band.
But they did it and they did it by working very hard and with a lot of luck and great timing.
Sadly, not everyone made it through the whole thing. Bassist Cliff Burton tragically passed away in a band bus accident in 1987. Original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, who later formed the great metal band Megadeth, was fired in 1983, and bassist Jason Newsted quit after 14 years of being in the band in 2001.
But three out of the four core members, singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist/occasional lead guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett are still there, and bassist Robert Trujillo has been in the band for almost 22 years as of this writing.
And through all the ups and downs (going through therapy and rehab) and controversies among fans (the band cutting their hair and eventually making different sounding albums, especially in the 90s, fighting against Napster and ultimately fans who used Napster), Metallica have ultimately stayed strong, still make what I think are very good albums, and still are playing stadiums and frankly don’t need an opening act to sell that many tickets, but they still have openers and usually are great ones.
Not many bands can play stadiums, but Metallica can.
And they do it very well.
They’ve earned their success and this book chronicles all of this.
It’s not an official autobiography, but Mick Wall, the author, has interviewed most of the band members over the years and has used quotes from said interviews, along with quotes from other people who knew/know them and he put together what I consider to be an almost official autobiography.
My only complaint is that he puts his opinion in the book sometimes too much, but otherwise, it’s a great book and I highly recommend it.
I’ve been a Metallica fan for over 25 years and I always will be.
