Read For FreeNew York Times bestseller
One of my dad’s favorite jokes about getting older was: “I went out for coffee when I was twenty-one and when I got back I was fifty-eight!”
I get what he meant now. Time flies. My first book, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a "B" Movie Actor, was published back in 2001 and it chronicles the adventures of a “mid-grade, kind of hammy actor" (my words), cutting his teeth on exploitation movies far removed from mainstream Hollywood.
This next book, an “Act II” if you will, could be considered my “maturing years” in show business, when I began to say “no” more often and gravitated toward self-generated material. Taking stock in the overall quality of my life, I fled Los Angeles and moved to a remote part of Oregon to renew, regroup and reload.
If that sounds tame, the journey from Evil Dead to Spider-Man to Burn Notice was long, with plenty of adventures/mishaps along the way. I never pictured myself hovering above Baghdad in a Blackhawk helicopter, facing a pack of wild dogs in Bulgaria, or playing an aging Elvis Presley with cancer on his penis - how can you predict this stuff? The sheer lunacy of show business is part of the fun for me and I hope you'll come along for the ride.
– Bruce “Don’t Call Me Ash” Campbell
An icon of B movies and a champion of independent filmmaking, Bruce Campbell is an actor, director and writer best known for his roles as Ash in the Evil Dead franchise and Sam Axe on the hit TV show Burn Notice.
Written and read by Bruce Campbell. Co-written with Craig Sanborn. Recording and sound design by Sean McCoy at Oregon Sound Recording. Read less Free with Audible Trial $0.00
Read any book for free!
Reviews :
Yodamazon. 5.0 out of 5 stars "Klaatu barada nikto" Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2019 Verified Purchase I’ve been a fan of Bruce (don’t call me Ash) Campbell since he first stuck that famous chin out to get smacked around by Deadites. He might be a B budget actor to some but he’s A-Ok to me.
Corny comment?
You bet, Bruce... now shut up and enjoy your well deserved tequila martini and be happy that I bought this book for my coffee table AND the audiobook from audible.
Read this book, folks.
Where else will you find what it was like to play the role of an aging Elvis Presley who wakes up from a coma in an East Texas nursing home, only to fight out that a mummy (Bubba Ho-Tep) is killing residents.
I’m not making this up.
Bruce goes into significant details over his prep for the role from an Elvis impersonator who really gets into “sweat” and the memories of colognes gone by.
No spoilers here, but it’s hilarious.
And that’s just one reminiscent story from the Bruce Campbell school of autobiographies.
In this one, we learn what made Bruce... well, Bruce.
If you haven’t bought his first book, “If chins could kill...” get that as well.
His down to earth style of writing and the fact that he narrated both of them on audible is worth every penny.
“Hail to the king!”
And a tip of the glass to Bubba Ho-Tep, wherever he is... Read more 7 people found this helpful Helpful
Zeke 4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2017 Verified Purchase I love all things Bruce Campbell. I've watched more movies that sucked than I have that were good, just because of Bruce Campbell.
When I heard this one was coming out, I pre-ordered on Amazon. Opened it the day I received it. Took me longer than it should have to read, but life happens.
I liked the look into his later life, post Army of Darkness and Brisco County. The anecdotes about The Man With the Screaming Brain (a movie that sucked, but it had Bruce Campbell) were funny as hell.
His talk of Comic-Cons was good. I loved his description of an jet as containing "a geek's wet dream - Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker, Jon Berenthal, Dean Cain and that Evil Dead guy." Bruce, as much as I love Walking Dead and Norman Reedus, I wouldn't give them a second glance if you were there. 12 people found this helpful Helpful
Bodkins 4.0 out of 5 stars Groovy Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2021 Verified Purchase FIRST LINE REVIEW: “My mom, even though raised in the Midwest, was a huge fan of Westerns and had a deep fondness for the world to the west of Detroit.” So Bruce heads West and away we go! I’ve been a huge Bruce fan ever since the first Evil Dead film back in the 80s. His spot-on comic ham delivery always works for me. And his memoirs fit his style just right. He and his oeuvre isn’t for everyone, but if you find him as “groovy” as I do, then you’ll love this Second Act to his life story. 2 people found this helpful Helpful
Stephen Staver 5.0 out of 5 stars Very Groovy Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2017 Verified Purchase I stumbled upon Bruce Campbell rather recently. On a lark, I watched The Evil Dead, and fell in love with the goofiness of it. After watching the rest of the movies, and Ash vs Evil Dead, I grew to appreciate Bruce Campbell's unique style. I then found out he had been in several of my favorite tv shows. After re-watching those episodes, I further grew to love everything associated with Bruce Campbell. So when I found out he was releasing a new book, I had to buy it. I was not disappointed. It is really quite something getting an inside look at all the going ons that he's dealt with, and been a part of. It's a fun insight of an actor's life, and all it entails. 7 people found this helpful Helpful
Chazz McCloud 5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book! Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2017 Verified Purchase I am biased in this review. I've been a Bruce Campbell fan ever since I was 6 or 7, when I snuck out of bed and secretly watched Evil Dead with the babysitter who had no idea I was there. Of course I had nightmares for weeks after, but I was a fan. Don't get me wrong, you don't need to be a fan to get a kick out of this book. It's entertaining and has a lot of insights for anyone interested in movie making. Not much of a review, I know. Not much review needed; it's Bruce Campbell! 6 people found this helpful Helpful
Adrian Rodriguez 5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up to "If Chins Could Kill"! Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018 Verified Purchase Great follow up from his first book, "If Chins Could Kill", essentially fills in where he left off from his last book up until the present time with some overlap to the early 1990s. Yes, he did have a second book, "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way", but that was satire and does not fit the biography/memoir status of this and his first book.
Just like with his first book, he goes into lots of detail about his personal life and his dealing with Hollywood while dealing with the fact that he has risen to "Legend" status due to his horror movie work and his role as Ash. A great and fun read, Bruce tells his story with much vigor and on a very personal level. An absolute must read, especially for any Bruce Campbell fan! 2 people found this helpful Helpful
Richard Chandler 5.0 out of 5 stars Hail to the Chin-- Bruce Campbell Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017 Verified Purchase Wonderful book==part memoir, part industry critique; especially fun for the sections on My Name is Bruce (Campbell's own film), and the cable series Burn Notice. Highly recommended! 3 people found this helpful Helpful
Nemo 5.0 out of 5 stars I want more Bruce Campbell! Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2017 Verified Purchase I have always liked Bruce Campbell. After loving the original If Chins Could Kill, this gave even more information on BC's personal life and continuing career as an actor. It also made me realize that while the lifestyle seems intriguing, I am glad I didn't go in that direction post High School Drama. 3 people found this helpful Helpful
No comments:
Post a Comment