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Not only is Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls the best book in recent memory on turn-of-the-'70s film, it is beyond question the best book we'll ever get on the subject. Why? Because once the big names who spilled the beans to Biskind find out that other people spilled an equally piquant quantity of beans, nobody will dare speak to another writer with such candor, humor, and venom again.
Biskind did hundreds of interviews with people who make the president look accessible: Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Geffen, Beatty, Kael, Towne, Altman. He also spoke with countless spurned spouses and burned partners, alleged victims of assault by knife, pistol, and bodily fluids. Rather more responsible than some of his sources, Biskind always carefully notes the denials as well as the astounding stories he has compiled. He tells you about Scorsese running naked down Mulholland Drive after his girlfriend, crying, "Don't leave me!"; grave robbing on the set of Apocalypse Now; Faye Dunaway apparently flinging urine in Roman Polanski's face while filming Chinatown; Michael O'Donoghue's LSD-fueled swan dive onto a patio; Coppola's mad plan for a 10-hour film of Goethe's Elective Affinities in 3-D; the ocean suicide attempt Hal "Captain Wacky" Ashby gave up when he couldn't find a swimsuit that pleased him; countless dalliances with porn stars; Russian roulette games and psychotherapy sessions in hot tubs. But he also soberly gives both sides ample chance to testify.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls is also more than a fistful of dazzling anecdotes. Methodically, as thrillingly as a movie attorney, Biskind builds the case that Hollywood was revived by wild ones who then betrayed their own dreams, slit their own throats, and destroyed an art form by producing that mindless, inhuman modern behemoth, the blockbuster.
When Spielberg was making the first true blockbuster, Jaws, he sneaked Lucas in one day when nobody was around, got him to put his head in the shark's mechanical mouth, and closed the shark's mouth on him. The gizmo broke and got stuck, but the two young men somehow extricated Lucas's head and hightailed it like Tom and Huck. As Peter Biskind's scathing, funny, wise book demonstrates, they only thought they had escaped. --Tim Appelo
Book Description
When the low-budget biker movie Easy Rider shocked Hollywood with its success in 1969, a new Hollywood era was born. This was an age when talented young filmmakers such as Scorsese, Coppola, and Spielberg, along with a new breed of actors, including De Niro, Pacino, and Nicholson, became the powerful figures who would make such modern classics as The Godfather, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, and Jaws. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls follows the wild ride that was Hollywood in the '70s -- an unabashed celebration of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll (both onscreen and off) and a climate where innovation and experimentation reigned supreme. Based on hundreds of interviews with the directors themselves, producers, stars, agents, writers, studio executives, spouses, and ex-spouses, this is the full, candid story of Hollywood's last golden age.
MARTIN SCORSESE ON DRUGS: "I did a lot of drugs because I wanted to do a lot, I wanted to push all the way to the very very end, and see if I could die."
DENNIS HOPPER ON EASY RIDER: "The cocaine problem in the United States is really because of me. There was no cocaine before Easy Rider on the street. After Easy Rider, it was everywhere."
GEORGE LUCAS ON STAR WARS: "Popcorn pictures have always ruled. Why do people go see them? Why is the public so stupid? That's not my fault."
Customer Reviews:
Couldn't put it down - I grew up admiring these characters..........2007-02-23
Firstly - I don't think that this book should be mistaken for a spiteful Paul-Johnson-type of takedown of Great Men...Biskind's not a curmudgeon, and I see no evidence of a Grand Thesis in this book smashing down facts to fit the preconceived mold...
I'm made to remember, as I first read & then occasionally re-read this book, that the Seventies was not just the time in which the putative counter-cultural forces stormed & took the tired old film studio citadel (and in the process became, many of them, boring old farts struggling for relevance); nor was it simply the time in which Spielberg & Lucas hatched the modern Big Blockbuster--but it was also the age of the invention of the super-auteur, the well-advertised & vaunting "maverick" filmmaker who compulsively pointed up to the stands every time he came up at bat (Bogdanovich & Coppola, most egregiously)...The super-stardom of these people arrives with the mainstreaming of know-how fetishism, and the over-valuation of the film artiste - the ascension of film-schools, making-of docs, horserace reports on box-office grosses, and so on...Much of what has been taken for slimy "gossip" in this book seems, on reflection, to be intimately connected with the films themselves: and in some wild cases ("Days of Heaven"; "Apocalypse Now"), the prodigal wasn't bankrupted & chastened, but came back home a star...
That said - I'm grateful for Biskind's hard treatment of Altman, and of Paul Schrader--they were begging for it...I don't understand why he treats Robert Towne's "Personal Best" as an ignominous all-'round failure--it REALLY wasn't that bad!
Juicy and exciting read.......2007-01-17
This book reads straight from the gossip columns. It's a fun, juicy read that you won't be able to put down. Peter Biskind gives you a sneek-peek behind Oz's curtain to see the nitty gritty lives of people like Scorsese, Speilberg, Copolla and Lucas. This won't be "classic literature," but you will find it exciting, addicting and a definate page-turner! Read this book just for the fun of it!
Not Recieved, No Refund.......2007-01-04
They say they sent it to my address, but i never recieved it. I called them. they told me they sent it, and did not offer further help.
Great in spite of itself.......2006-09-17
Peter Biskind's EASY RIDERS RAGING BULLS is destined to become a pop-culture classic, of a problematic sort for sure, but a classic still.
Biskind's research is formidable - the current academic revival of interest in the career of the late Hal Ashby was probably instigated by this book - this alone is an indication of how throrough a cultural chronicle of 70s 'New Hollywood' this work really is. It has obviously been taken very seriously in some quarters, and for all of its' academic impact, it also managed to become an improbable bestseller.
It's also one of those things that you love, and slot into a sort of 'guilty pleasure' category; Biskind balances his exhaustive cinema-historical research with equally exhaustive tales of sex-and-drug debauchery, though ultimately the avalanche of tittilating tawdriness does serve something of a purpose, in illustrating how certain individuals responsible for reinventing and reinvigorating Hollywood at the beginning of the 70s were also sowing the seeds of their own demise by the end of the same decade.
Biskind structures the book in emulation of one of the key players illuminated within - the entire book is structured like an Altman film, shifting gradually between a great cast of contradictory, combative characters (Hal Ashby as the moral center of it all), with the many historical narratives weaving together at the end. Along the way, he engages in a little bit of analysis (not enough, but understandable, given all else that is going on here), tracing the shadows of Nixon and Vietnam through films as seemingly disparate as "The Exorcist," "Jaws," "The Godfather," "Star Wars" and "The Conversation."
Overall, an essential piece of American cultural history.
-David Alston
The Godfather of New Hollywood Books.......2006-06-23
One can tell just by watching the films of directors such as Coppola, Scorcese, Friedkin and all the others that made up the New Hollywood of the 1970's, that they were infused with a streak of arrogance. Many films that were full of pretence and repulsive characters, but that nevertheless embodied a new spirit of American auterism, brought about by a new found European sensibility and a shift in power from producers to directors. So its no surprise that Peter Biskind's detailed and intriguing read, reveals these directors to be monstrous human beings. Power hungry, tin pot dictators fuelled by drugs, alcohol and sex. Somehow despite the lines of coke and the absurd sums of money that went flowing around, some of the greatest films in American cinema appeared. Biskind's enthusiasm for this period comes across and it helps that he lived through it and his book is filled with a great deal of insightful social commentary, his reading of STAR WARS for example is quite interesting. However he does tend to overcook the political and allegorical side of his critique. At times the book becomes a bit too gossipy and academics and film students might be put off by the tales of back stabbing and drug abuse. But, this does give the book a spark, which separates it from the more impenetrable and theory based books on the same subject. It is precisely because of Biskind's talky and down to earth prose that makes the book such a joy. There is a great deal of value to this book and after reading it you cannot view the films of this period in quite the same way. Enjoyable from start to finish.
Book Description
A healthy home is one that's free of toxins and stocked with natural materials that are as good for the body as they are soothing for the spirit. The Healthy Home Workbook leads the way to creating a space that is friendly to the environment, reflects the owner's personal style, and won't break the bank. With the same engaging approach and sophisticated style that makes her a such a popular guest star of HGTV's Curb Appeal, Kimberly Rider clarifies eco-friendly design and makes recycling chic. Dozens of projects, such as identifying and replacing harmful cleaning products, caring for pets without chemicals, and choosing furniture and flooring made with sustainable materials, can be completed in a few hours, a day, or over a weekend. Room-by-room health specifics, from mold in the bathroom to electromagnetic fields in the home office, are addressed in a practical way, while informative reference sections help decode chemical additives in everything from bug spray to shampoo, and highlight earth-friendly materials. Gorgeous interior photography shows how to incorporate these healthful habits without sacrificing style. A concealed spiral binding and tabbed sections complete this elegant, handy reference guide. Inspirational and informative, The Healthy Home Workbook is the blueprint for a clean, fresh, and harmonious home.
Customer Reviews:
An outline...........2007-03-09
That's not been filled in with content. If I just need a checklist, I'll make one myself. Definitely keeping Home Enlightenment. Sending this one back.
It's not easy being green!.......2006-12-18
Kudos to Mrs Rider, this book really helps sort out all the information being tossed our way. "Going green" can be a daunting task she has made it easy. I have become much more aware of the products I bring into my home. I also love the tabs they are great for easy refrence. I keep this book by my bedside and refer to it constantly.
AN IMPRESSIVE RESOURCE FOR THE HEALTHY HOME!! .......2006-04-05
Five Healthy Stars!! This may well be one of the most iMPORTANT books you buy this year, because it may significantly upgrade your home and your lifestyle. This is one of the most beautifully conceived and elegantly laid out workbooks I have seen. Lots of inspiring photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy. And it covers a multitude of topics on the home; some covered more in depth than others. Plus there are many resources listed beyond the scope of the book. The operative word here is "home", not house. It not only covers hazards, dangers, and other factors and practices that affect our health in our homes and yards, but there are suggestions on cures, safer substitutes, design and layout of areas of the home. There is also genuine concern for the mind and the spirit of the inhabitants. Even Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) is covered and other relevant or near-relevant factors that may have escaped our interests or concerns. Due to the extensiveness of the workbook, some of this may not work for some of us: feng shui, dream journals, and shoes banned in the home? I don't think so!! But so much else DOES work! The general nature of the workbook also invites us to dig deeper on many topics that are only briefly touched on here. So get with it !!
My greatest interest in the workbook is with 'the war' (my words) being fought in and around all homes, garages, gardens and yards. This war has many factors and concerns: germs, pollutants, pests, bad practices, the previously mentioned EMF, and toxins, much of which we bring into the home ourselves, and, after our usual appropriate cleaning, germs may be the least of our concerns. Kimberly Rider deserves a "Silver Star" medal for going through a typical home and analyzing problems and making suggestions in each area. Even practical ways to handle yard pests is worthwhile. My ant problem has been throttled thanks to Ms Rider. The enemy in the unseen war may well be generating toxins that greatly affect our health to the point of possibly setting us up for cancer, breathing disorders, skin diseases, and who knows what else.
There is some curiousness to the layout of the workbook. But that's because there is so much overlap in each area. We meet the term EMF in the bedroom but it's effects are glossed over. A later chapter explains the serious concerns of EMF. One EMF chapter might have done the trick because it's everywhere in the home. But the great thing is that the "workbook" aspect allows us to move these cleanable plasticized pages around for reorganization.
***UPDATE*** I was concerned enough from the EMF chapter to purchase a microwave oven detector meter and an EMF meter. The microwave detector showed safe levels around the oven BUT the EMF meter showed dangerous levels of EMF within two feet of the microwave oven, exactly where food is usually prepared while the oven is operating. Also dangerous levels were emitted from the backside of the microwave where a chair was located. These have been taken into consideration: no food is prepared in front of the microwave when the oven is operating and the chair has been moved to a safe zone. Also, a 'hot' electric clock/radio was moved away from the bed. Our iron and the hair dryer also emit dangerous levels and will be used as little as possible on low settings. The big HDTV and the computer with 20 inch monitor were totally safe. The 'jury is still out' on what these hot levels are doing to us, but why take the chance. Get the meters! Thank you, Kimberly!!!****
I've taken this book and evaluated many aspects of my home and it has definitely altered the way I use cleaning products. My enormous collection of electronic gadgets in the house and especially in the bedroom is now a major concern. Microwave oven cooking has been permanently altered, and certain plastic products used for cooking are now banned. The key word here is "Easy"; there is very little here that takes a lot of effort, just thought and action! (Like always close the basement door!) 179 pages absolutely loaded with ideas and recommendations, a somewhat weak glossary (but that's what Google is for) and three double-columned pages of resources. Thank you, ladies, I truly believe reading this book will have a positive effect on our lives. Five Healthier Stars!
Book Description
We all know the image: a big, burly guy on a motorcycle, clad in black leather and dark shades, with a red bandana knotted tightly around his head. His long hair whips around in the wind. It's just him and his Harley as he coasts down an open road on some deserted highway. But the so-called biker bad boys have come a long way from that typecast, tough-guy image, and cultural historian Bill Osgerby dispels these stereotypes--as seen in classic films like The Wild One, Wild Angels, and Mad Max--in
Biker.
Osgerby proves that biker groups are no longer limited to gangs of hell-raisers. For one thing, a lot more women now ride with the wind in their hair as well, and thousands of bikers ride across the country for special charity events. But don't be fooled; the rebellious riders do still exist, and
Biker gives equal time to the darker side of being a biker, exploring connections with the criminal underworld and the increasingly violent reality of rival motorcycle gangs.
Loaded with a mix of vintage and contemporary illustrations, old movie stills, posters, and magazine shots,
Biker offers a clever breakdown of motorcycle culture, both in real life and popular cultural myth. With a wealth of information--including chapters on "The Last American Hero," "The Making of the Myth," "The Biker Movie," "Bikes and the Counterculture," "Women and Motorcycle Culture," "Global Brotherhood," "Bikers at War," and "The Iron Horse Corral"--
Biker is surely a book everyone will get revved up about.
Customer Reviews:
While rebels do exist, BIKER covers both types of groups.......2007-01-07
Think 'biker' and you think of a tough outlaw - but cultural historian Bill Osgerby thinks otherwise, and dispels the common stereotype in his BIKER: TRUTH AND MYTH, a survey of how the original biker became the bad boy of the movies. Biker groups aren't limited to gangs: they can consist of seniors and other groups, especially today. While rebels do exist, BIKER covers both types of groups, packs in plenty of photos, and covers all kinds of details of motorcycle culture, from movies and magazines to stunt riders and beatniks.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Biker Overview Since WW II.......2006-03-09
I am a motorcyclist and I found little in there that I didn't already know although for a casual observer of the motorcycle scene or a new motorcyclist this book could be a good resource to describe the history of motorycling from WW II to the present. There is very little about motorcycling prior to WW II. The book tends to focus on the sensationalistic side of cycling with many pictures of old movie posters, paperback books, chopper magazines, etc. There is very little in here about motorcycles as a machine. It's more about the people. About a third of the books is about foreign (out of US) motorcyling which I really didn't want to read about. Good - the pictures of old movie posters. Bad - focuses on the sensational, not the everyday biker.
Excellent Overview - Great pics............2005-12-16
More a series of well done pictorial and historical essays and synopses than a book, this is nevertheless a great, quick overview of all things "Biker". This would be a fine addition to anyone's motorcyling collection but perfect for two things: 1) to provide a newbie with a quick, well written and interesting overview of motorcycling, key events, clubs, and social perceptions and 2) to see how many biker movies, or other collectable items you own that are pictured in the book!!!!
The book is written as a breezy account of the origins of motocycles, some of the key brands (H-D and Indian of course, but some others as well), the way groups and clubs developed, different biker "eras", the motorcycling press, Hollywood's use of the biker image for it's exploitation films, and some of the turf battles and results of various motorcycle club wars. It covers a huge amount of ground and doesn't miss too much. AAAA+ for layout, photos and images. Also covers the historical and now much growing interest by women in motorcycling.
The author describes himself as a hardcore biker and he has obviously done a great deal of reasearch and assembled the book's photographs and images (some very rare) in a splendid way. He is also spot on for historical accuracy. If your big slab is covered in snow, this is the book you want to be reading in between your winter projects!!!!
If you ride, this book shows you who and what traveled your road before....
Respects to All - Always in the Wind
The Big Boo
Average customer rating:
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X-Men - Ghost Rider: Brood Trouble in the Big Easy
Jim Lee , and
Scott Lobdell
Manufacturer: Marvel Entertainment Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 087135974X |
Customer Reviews:
A typical 90s Marvel.......2001-05-26
Not a bad story in and of itself. However it's nothing more than a typical crossover between two hot properties at the time. On the plus side it introduces Gambit's wife Belladona and sets the stage for a lot of the mutant Cajun's future development. On the downside it's somewhat tied into a confusing subplot from Ghost Rider at the time. A good read but there are better things featuring both the X-Men and GR out there.
Average customer rating:
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Easy Rider (Bfi Modern Classics)
Lee Hill
Manufacturer: British Film Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 085170543X |
Book Description
Released in 1969, Easy Rider broke the mold of Hollywood studio production, making stars of Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson and launching a new wave of radical and experimental American cinema. Easy Rider was one of the crucial films of the late 60s, a film that enshrined the ideals of the counterculture but also foresaw the demise of these ideals in the despair and paranoia of a nation rocked by Watergate and the Vietnam War. It was a seminal road movie and a massive financial success that spawned endless imitations. Few films since have been able to catch its particular blend of innocence and cynicism, hope and despair.
In his meticulously researched book, Lee Hill analyzes both the circumstances surrounding the making of Easy Rider and the social and cultural forces that found expression in it. Hill persuasively argues that the role of illustrious screenwriter Terry Southern in Easy Rider has been neglected as the exact circumstances of production, filming, and editing have become lost in mythmaking. Referring to little known archival material, Hill questions some of the legends that surround Easy Rider.
Customer Reviews:
hi lee.......1999-03-26
Lee - It's me! I've been trying to locate you in cyber-space (or elsewhere) for months!
Write back...
Warren Kinsella wkinsella@mcbinch.com
Average customer rating:
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Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Peter Biskind
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0747544212 |
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Movie Idols: The Easy Riders, The Raging Bulls, The Divas of the Silver Screen, The Premieres, The Hot Affairs, and the Hollywood Dream (The 21st Century Guides Series)
John Wrathall , and
Mick Molloy
Manufacturer: Main Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1402736746 |
Product Description
Bikers , Truth & Myth , & Motorcycle Movies - illustrated with photographs ... 8-1/4 x 9-1/2 "
Book Description
Here's a book you'll be pulling off the shelf for many Christmases to come. A Celtic Recorder Christmas is a treasury of 24 Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English holiday carols suitable for both soprano and tenor instruments. Simple duets for two recorders, a round for three, and arrangements for solo recorder with guitar chords are all printed on a large, easy to read staff and lavishly adorned with Celtic calligraphy. From the hauntingly beautiful melodies of the Hebrides, to the ancient airs of Ireland, to the familiar Yuletide tunes of Wales, England and Scotland, these songs are sure to warm your heart and rouse the spirit of this giving season in a way no other music can.
Customer Reviews:
Celtic Carols.......2005-12-15
I was very happy to come across this book for the recorder. It was shipped in a timely manner, perfect for the holidays. The collection of songs is very nice; however, I only wish they were accompanied by the words. This would help when there is a singer accompanying the recorder, and to better follow the music for newer recorder players.
I would recommend this book to other recorder players who have a flair for the Celtic.
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