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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind #1)
by
Chuck Barris
Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography- the tale of a wildly amboyant '70s television producer nationally known as the host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris also spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA, claiming to have killed over thirty people. Honestly....more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
November 27th 2002
by Miramax Books
(first published 1984)
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A week ago, I happene to catch a little-known movie called "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" -- George Clooney's directoral debut. The movie also had Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore in it, and although I'm not a movie-goer, I was surprised I had never heard of it. Then I realized that it was based on the "autobiography" of Chuck Barris, creator of "The Dating Game", "The Newlywed Game," and "The Gong Show" among others. Being a child of the 1970s, I remembered those games fondly, and watched th...more
Jul 31, 2011
Christopher F.
added it
"'Why you?' Lucy Sue Glopp had asked while spreading Borden's canned whipped cream on my pecker. 'Why do YOU want to host "The Gong Show"?' We were lying naked atop my massive four-poster bed. 'Greed,' I answered, my arms clasped behind my head. 'Pure and simple greed.'" That's just a sample from an entertaining but ultimately baffling autobiography by the creator of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game and creator and host of The Gong Show. For one thing, this is a sad individual whose whole s...more
Was Chuck Barris, creator of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show actually a hit man for the CIA? Stranger things have occurred. After all, Julia Childs was a CIA agent but she never killed anyone...I think. I wonder if Valerie Plame ever offed someone?
I think it is safe to say Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is purely fiction or, at the most, a figment of Barris' manically creative mind. The surprising thing is that it is a very funny book with the type of humor you would expect...more
I think it is safe to say Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is purely fiction or, at the most, a figment of Barris' manically creative mind. The surprising thing is that it is a very funny book with the type of humor you would expect...more
The idea of the host of The Gong Show actually being a secret agent and Barris actually playing it completely straight the whole time sounds a lot more intriguing than it actually ends up being on paper. Given how outrageous a claim he's making, I expected the story to be more, well, outrageous.
Freakin' hilarious! Barris explains how he was both the host and creator of popular tv shows and a hit-man for the CIA. What more could one ask for from life?
He answers a simple ad, desperate for cash. What does he get himself into? Nothing more than the CIA! At the same time, his star in Hollyweird starts taking off. What are the odds?? Globetrotting, he gets to kill people. The luck! But.... he can't get close to people. Everyone is annoying. The Soviets are out to kill him!! He has to do a fi...more
He answers a simple ad, desperate for cash. What does he get himself into? Nothing more than the CIA! At the same time, his star in Hollyweird starts taking off. What are the odds?? Globetrotting, he gets to kill people. The luck! But.... he can't get close to people. Everyone is annoying. The Soviets are out to kill him!! He has to do a fi...more
So unbelievable I totally believe it! I LOVED THIS BOOK! It goes down as one of my all time favorites, in part because it so zany and so hard to believe. The premise is that Chuck Barris, the creator of such cheesy game shows, like The Gong Show, was actually a CIA hitman and the whole time his TV show personae was a front. I know, if you're like me right now your saying "what the hell?" I know I still am as well. The book reads as a memoir and a Mea Culpa as Barris confesses to murdering dozens...more
This may be the most bizarre book I've ever read. A well-respected writer friend gave it to me as a present, so I muddled through the beginning. By the middle of the book, I was rubberneck reading--the book was such a catastrophe I couldn't look away. Where to begin with everything that's wrong with this memoir? Well, we can begin with the biggest, most-obvious flaw: an utter lack of true self-awareness, half-masked by an awareness of the lack of self-awareness. Reading the words of someone who...more
Whether or not you believe the veracity of this supposed autobiography isn't really important. What is important is how the interpretation of it changes if you assume it's true, compared to if you assume it's a fabrication. It's more interesting to assume it's a fabrication, because it begs the question of "why?"
Is the assassination double life just a clever way to make an autobiography more interesting? To find a publisher for what might otherwise be seen as a therapy session, an outlet to vent...more
Is the assassination double life just a clever way to make an autobiography more interesting? To find a publisher for what might otherwise be seen as a therapy session, an outlet to vent...more
I finished the book this morning and then watched the movie, (made from a Charlie Kaufman screenplay adaptation) tonight after the Super Bowl. I can tell you that the film was a lot more edgy, dark and less fun than the book. Although both representations are meritorious. I've come to idolize Chuck Barris since I read You and Me, Babe years ago. The whole thing is an interesting read what with the whole fantasy about Chuckie Baby doubling as a CIA assassin. But, Barris' real life stuff is what f...more
1 like · like · see review
Jul 22, 2009
Brandon Will
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
memoir-biography
Ladies and gentlemen...I'd like to introduce to you Mr. Chuck Barris, ladies and gentlemen: pop-song one-hit wonder writer, lothario, creator of numerous hit TV game shows, host of the skewed variety show The Gong Show, wearer of many goofy hats, living national joke, and...according to this debatable tell-all from the 70's, also a government hit-man.
Written so conversationally, constructed so flawlessly - at the time it was first published this fantastical yarn couldn't be proven nor dis-prove...more
Written so conversationally, constructed so flawlessly - at the time it was first published this fantastical yarn couldn't be proven nor dis-prove...more
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is one weird book. Chuck Barris subtitles it as an "unauthorized autobigraphy". That should begin to give you an idea that this guy isn't exactly shooting ducks with a completely loaded gun. But it is an entertaining read. Ever wonder what Chuck Barris; creator of the Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show, did in his spare time? Me niether... But apparently he killed enemies of the good old US of A during the height of the Cold War. Like I said: it is...more
I haven't seen the film, and frankly I can't really see why they would make one based on this book. It was only mildly entertaining.
The premise sounds interesting and exciting: the creator of The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, etc. was an assassin for the CIA.I guess it's possible; Julia Child was a secret agent back in the day, so stranger things have happened.
Based on this book, neither the CIA nor the KGB seem to be particularly well-organized or intelligent operations. Barris...more
The premise sounds interesting and exciting: the creator of The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, etc. was an assassin for the CIA.I guess it's possible; Julia Child was a secret agent back in the day, so stranger things have happened.
Based on this book, neither the CIA nor the KGB seem to be particularly well-organized or intelligent operations. Barris...more
Das hier soll eine Autobiographie des erfolgreichen Showmasters Chuck Barris sein, der nebenbei ein Doppelleben als CIA-Auftragskiller führte. Seine Erfolge beim Fernsehen entsprechen - meines Wissens - der Wahrheit. So hat er z.B. "Herzblatt" erfunden, hieß bei ihm "The Dating Game". Auch andere Familienshows, die so ähnlich dann im deutschen Fernsehen liefen, stammen aus seiner Feder.
In wie weit aber seine CIA-Erlebnisse der Wahrheit entsprechen entzieht sich meiner Kenntnis. Ich gebe nur mal...more
In wie weit aber seine CIA-Erlebnisse der Wahrheit entsprechen entzieht sich meiner Kenntnis. Ich gebe nur mal...more
As a child of the 21st Century I didn't know who Chuck Barris was until I typed his name in on Google, and apparently nobody really knew who Chuck truly was until the publication of this novel.
This story provides a interesting peak into the mind of a man that most people feel was responsible for the degradation of television and yet you can't help but sympathize with his struggles and laugh at his mistakes
If the story proves to be true, then life is truly stranger than fiction.
This story provides a interesting peak into the mind of a man that most people feel was responsible for the degradation of television and yet you can't help but sympathize with his struggles and laugh at his mistakes
If the story proves to be true, then life is truly stranger than fiction.
I know it's been out for a while, but we were watching a Netflix and saw a preview for this film, which made me think of the book. So, I read it. I've noticed that I read a lot of books that eventually are made into films, but I tend to read the books AFTER the movie's been produced. Odd. Like, for instance, I'm adding Into the Wild to the list of books to read (though this is the rare exception when I've first seen the movie then decided to read the book). And, when we were at the movies on Sun...more
laughed out loud in some places, which is always great. I thought there were some particularly descriptive sections that could have been great in the film, but they did not get used (loved the film, though). (overall thought it was a good adaption, though...it was charlie kaufman, after all! want to see the movie again now.)looking forward to reading the follow-up book...
A book that will astonish you with its audacity. One is never really sure if the great huckster Barris is pulling one's leg, but the impression, due to the visceral writing about brutally violent topics, leads one to believe that the book is the absolute truth. It is a completely brilliant story, well-executed, it was actually exceeded in quality by the recent film version.
A really fun piece of reading. I don't believe a word of the spy stuff, but it's a great story, and you do get some insight into Barris' mind, as well as insider information about the iconic Gong Show that seems to be drawn from fact (or at least from Barris' actual memories). Very enjoyable if you don't take it too seriously.
I did not find the spy side of the story very suspenseful. Nor did I think the seemingly true to life particularly engaging. However, it's the combination of the two and the absurdity of their juxtaposition that had me rolling on the floor laughing. Highly entertaining with a decent amount of witty dialogue.
Could the zany doofus who cavorted with the Unknown Comic, Gene-Gene the Dancing Machine and the parade of mid-70s "personalities" on the panel merely be an alter-ego for a trained CIA killer? Chuckie Baby says yes!
I have actually never seen the movie, although it has been on my list for years. Many people here comment that the movie is better than the book. (And we all know how bibliophiles hate to cop to that.) I'll have to bump the movie up a few notches on my list of things to do.
I have no c...more
I have actually never seen the movie, although it has been on my list for years. Many people here comment that the movie is better than the book. (And we all know how bibliophiles hate to cop to that.) I'll have to bump the movie up a few notches on my list of things to do.
I have no c...more
Jun 27, 2010
J. Robert Ewbank
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
a-good-read
Don't know what to call this book. Don't know whether or not to believe the premise of the book or whether it is all a joke or a hoax. It made for interesting reading even though you are scratching your hand throughout.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
Lots of fun to listen to. Well done. Summary: Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography--the tale of a wildly flamboyant TV producer nationally known as the host of "The Gong Show." He was also a trained assasin for the CIA.
This book was disappointing to me. Given Chuck Barris's claims of being a CIA spy with his life in danger, I expected the book to be more exciting. I still wonder if he was a lunatic with false claims or if he really had the double secret life. I will still probably watch the movie to see if it does the idea behind this book any justice, or is as pale and thinly written as the novel.
If all true, it is an incredible story and a CIA/game show creating bad ass. The shit you see about assassins and moles in the movies is for real. And once again the cliche about the book being better than the movie is true, but watch the movie anyway. I'm amazed Barris was never taken out.
I love this book. It is funny and sad and horrible and ironic all at the same time (very much like life). I read it years ago and still wonder not how much of it is true but how much of it Chuck Barris actually believes himself.
It's funny, I had a big time crush on Chuck Barris when I was younger (it was around the time this movie came out) and I remembered him being a good writer. I still think he was a good writer, and I'd love to read his newer stuff, but I hadn't realized what a total tool he was. Just a really horrible person.
Anyway, when I saw the movie I figured it was possible that he did all that stuff, but I think anyone who reads the book will quickly rule out any possibility of it being true. That being sai...more
Anyway, when I saw the movie I figured it was possible that he did all that stuff, but I think anyone who reads the book will quickly rule out any possibility of it being true. That being sai...more
Speaking of up-front honesty, this is a hell of a read. Whether or not you believe Mr. Barris ever killed anybody, his unapologetic romp through his life and career is very entertaining, indeed.
Watched a lot of The Gong Show when I was a kid. I read this book a year or two before the Clooney-helmed movie of it was released. I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography. A very fun read.
Sep 10, 2011
John Sorensen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
auto-biography
This book is just hilarious. It is not at all clear if this thing is made up or true, BUT - who cares if it is true or not. It is just too funny. The veracity of the book is secondary.
Chuck Barris, host of The Gong Show (and creator of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and many other game shows, including The Gong Show) wrote an autobiography about his making the shows, as well as being a hitman for the CIA.
Yeah, really.
It's an entertaining read. I seriously doubt that he was an agent for the CIA, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.
Yeah, really.
It's an entertaining read. I seriously doubt that he was an agent for the CIA, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.
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27. Juni, 13:31 Uhr