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Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi
By the same investigative reporter as "All the President's Men", this book enquires into the death by drug abuse of John Belushi. In his search for what went wrong in the comedian's life, the author uncovers the seedier side of the American star system. A film based on the book has been made.
460 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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About the author
Bob Woodward
108 books3,259 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Robert "Bob" Upshur Woodward is an assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. While an investigative reporter for that newspaper, Woodward, working with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein, helped uncover the Watergate scandal that led to U.S. President Richard Nixon's resignation. Woodward has written 12 best-selling non-fiction books and has twice contributed reporting to efforts that collectively earned the Post and its National Reporting staff a Pulitzer Prize.
Robert "Bob" Upshur Woodward is an assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. While an investigative reporter for that newspaper, Woodward, working with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein, helped uncover the Watergate scandal that led to U.S. President Richard Nixon's resignation. Woodward has written 12 best-selling non-fiction books and has twice contributed reporting to efforts that collectively earned the Post and its National Reporting staff a Pulitzer Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
April 4, 2008
Okay, so I knew that John Belushi did a lot of coke, but what I didn't realize was that he did, like, ALL of the coke. Sounds like just about every gram of blow that was shipped to the US in the late 70s and early 80s found its way into Belushi's system, one way or another. This guy did more nose candy than all of Weimar Germany, and they did a whole hell of a lot of coke in Weimar Germany. No one sets out to have their life story become a cautionary tale, but if this isn't, I'm not too sure what is. The book is well written and compelling, and also serves as a "who's who" of Hollywood drug use during that time period (De Niro, Robin Williams, Dan Akroyd, Ed Begley Jr., et al). Super tragic stuff.
October 16, 2013
The problem with this book is not that Woodward is too tough on Belushi. He's too easy on his sources. The breakdown is this:
Belushi, being dead, can't tell Woodward what happened to him. However, there are (literally!) hundreds of dope pushers, groupies, strippers, bikers, has-been comics, bar flies, scum bags, scrounge artists, movie directors, session musicians, and network television executives, who are HAPPY to sit down and tell Woodward THEIR version of John Belushi. And each and every one of these people has only ONE objective -- cover his own rear end. In other words, EVERY person here has to explain how HE didn't make John flip out, it was those other guys! The book reads like this for two hundred pages --
"Joe Blow had never made it as an actor, but now he liked to think of himself as a dope dealer with heart. It caused him a lot of pain to see John out of control, begging for more dope. Joe felt bad about selling to him, but what could he do? If he didn't, some other guy would -- some guy not as talented and well meaning."
Or it goes more like this --
"Harvey Katzenberg knew there was a good chance John would die before the film wrapped -- he was doing too much dope. On the other hand, if Harvey complained about the constant dope, the crowd of bikers and strippers, John might get mad and leave the set early. Then Harvey would be out millions. It was better, he thought, to let John keep on doing his drugs, at least until the film wrapped. At least then the film would get made and Harvey's daughter could get that new Porsche."
The book is so dry that you can't tell if Woodward is allowing these slimy parasites to kid him along -- or if he's laughing at them the whole time. I did read a fascinating PLAYBOY interview with Woodward some years later, where he indicated the whole Hollywood community hated him for showing them up --showing how they let their good buddy John kill himself right in front of them. Problem is, the book itself is dull because Woodward never imposes any kind of authorial voice or objective truth. All we get are 101 lying parasites rationalizing away, with Belushi's corpse stinking up the back room.
Belushi, being dead, can't tell Woodward what happened to him. However, there are (literally!) hundreds of dope pushers, groupies, strippers, bikers, has-been comics, bar flies, scum bags, scrounge artists, movie directors, session musicians, and network television executives, who are HAPPY to sit down and tell Woodward THEIR version of John Belushi. And each and every one of these people has only ONE objective -- cover his own rear end. In other words, EVERY person here has to explain how HE didn't make John flip out, it was those other guys! The book reads like this for two hundred pages --
"Joe Blow had never made it as an actor, but now he liked to think of himself as a dope dealer with heart. It caused him a lot of pain to see John out of control, begging for more dope. Joe felt bad about selling to him, but what could he do? If he didn't, some other guy would -- some guy not as talented and well meaning."
Or it goes more like this --
"Harvey Katzenberg knew there was a good chance John would die before the film wrapped -- he was doing too much dope. On the other hand, if Harvey complained about the constant dope, the crowd of bikers and strippers, John might get mad and leave the set early. Then Harvey would be out millions. It was better, he thought, to let John keep on doing his drugs, at least until the film wrapped. At least then the film would get made and Harvey's daughter could get that new Porsche."
The book is so dry that you can't tell if Woodward is allowing these slimy parasites to kid him along -- or if he's laughing at them the whole time. I did read a fascinating PLAYBOY interview with Woodward some years later, where he indicated the whole Hollywood community hated him for showing them up --showing how they let their good buddy John kill himself right in front of them. Problem is, the book itself is dull because Woodward never imposes any kind of authorial voice or objective truth. All we get are 101 lying parasites rationalizing away, with Belushi's corpse stinking up the back room.
July 5, 2025
Apparently, it's meticulously researched, although some people really take issue with Woodward's characterization of Belushi. I liked the level of detail, even if toward the end, it started reading like a Smoking Gun dossier.
Now, this book was like a dream come true for me, in theory: drug addiction, real-life assholes (including Bill Murray! and Chevy Chase!), Hollywood goings-on, Chateau Marmont bungalows, Robert DeNiro going apeshit for heroin!, seedy folks plying Belushi with blow. And I am totally the kind of person who goes nuts over tidbits like, "That girl he's hanging out with toward the end? That is totally Richard Dreyfuss' ex-wife. The one with lupus who was in 'Last House on the Left.'"
And Woodward's depiction of those final days is just so vivid. You can imagine what the bungalow smelled like, what Belushi looked like, and how horribly pathetic junkies turn out to be.
But, you know what? I had one big stumbling block with this book: I really hated Belushi. Just couldn't stand the guy, the way he treated people, the way he has somehow been lionized as this tragic, sweaty teddy bear or whatever. Give me a break. He treated everyone like shit, especially those poor gals on Saturday Night Live (he didn't believe women could be funny. At all.)
Now, this book was like a dream come true for me, in theory: drug addiction, real-life assholes (including Bill Murray! and Chevy Chase!), Hollywood goings-on, Chateau Marmont bungalows, Robert DeNiro going apeshit for heroin!, seedy folks plying Belushi with blow. And I am totally the kind of person who goes nuts over tidbits like, "That girl he's hanging out with toward the end? That is totally Richard Dreyfuss' ex-wife. The one with lupus who was in 'Last House on the Left.'"
And Woodward's depiction of those final days is just so vivid. You can imagine what the bungalow smelled like, what Belushi looked like, and how horribly pathetic junkies turn out to be.
But, you know what? I had one big stumbling block with this book: I really hated Belushi. Just couldn't stand the guy, the way he treated people, the way he has somehow been lionized as this tragic, sweaty teddy bear or whatever. Give me a break. He treated everyone like shit, especially those poor gals on Saturday Night Live (he didn't believe women could be funny. At all.)
February 8, 2013
Why did Bob Woodward do this book? It's like his others: reconstructed events and conversations based on numerous interviews, many of them conducted by an assistant of the author. But unlike the other, political, books, Woodward has no insight whatsoever into the drug culture, no personal familiarity with Belushi, no hint of a sense of humor. Rather than a biography, this is more an account of the subject's progressive degeneration, justified perhaps as a moral tale about what the temptations of success and an access to money can do to a person.
I found reading it depressing, although the references to Chicago, to Second City, to Saturday Night Live and to seventies pop culture were, given my background, interesting. SNL along with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was about the only '70s tv show I actually watched with some regularity, SNL coming on while I was on duty as a security guard in seminary and the security center having a small b&w set.
Friends of Belushi objected to Woodward's treatment. One can see why. His portrayal is two-dimensional and invites no sympathy. Although drug abuse is mentioned ad nauseum, sexual excess and infidelity is only, albeit frequently, alluded to. Presumably this was done to protect the feelings of Belushi's widow and perhaps the reputations of some of his informants.
I found reading it depressing, although the references to Chicago, to Second City, to Saturday Night Live and to seventies pop culture were, given my background, interesting. SNL along with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was about the only '70s tv show I actually watched with some regularity, SNL coming on while I was on duty as a security guard in seminary and the security center having a small b&w set.
Friends of Belushi objected to Woodward's treatment. One can see why. His portrayal is two-dimensional and invites no sympathy. Although drug abuse is mentioned ad nauseum, sexual excess and infidelity is only, albeit frequently, alluded to. Presumably this was done to protect the feelings of Belushi's widow and perhaps the reputations of some of his informants.
February 25, 2019
An awful piece of crap, rightfully hated by friends and family of Belushi. He doesn't describe the artist, he doesn't describe the man. He describes every single time Belushi got high. The worst is Belushi's final days, which seem to take like a quarter of the book: a ridiculous hour by hour account (by questionable sources) of how the guy got too high and overdosed. Anybody that didn't know Belushi on screen and on record would wonder, by reading this turd of a book, how the hell this guy got famous, if he was the talentless, insufferable drug addict twat described here. Avoid at all costs.
August 28, 2021
Dave made me watch Animal House when we were first dating. I didn't like the humor (especially at the expense of women). I didn't get Bluto, and I didn't really care to see more of Belushi. The Blues Brothers is OK, I guess.
I read this book because I read a puff-piece history of the Chateau Marmont, and it specifically criticized this book as being, basically, too mean. So in an effort to get some perspective on THAT book and to see what Belushi's real deal was, I picked this up.
It's NOT too mean: it's a meticulous and painstakingly-researched book. And in places it is actually painful: sometimes the level of detail is unnecessary (reading recaps of SNL skits is BORING) and other times it's just so sad. I think the author of the Chateau Marmont book didn't like it because it called the hotel "seedy" and "musty" whereas that author wanted it to be "quaint" or "historical" or "iconic."
I guess you're not supposed to criticize Woodward's style, because, you know, he's so impressive and whatever. But sometimes the writing threw me: pronouns with no clear subject, often mixing last/first names in lists, so it becomes "John and Aykroyd," odd slang that made the writing unclear, weird punctuation that sometimes puts dialogue in quotations and sometimes does not (maybe that's a direct quotation thing? But if so, why use the same construction of so-and-so SAID for both?), the division of the book into sections with no clear reason (Part 3 starts almost a "countdown" to Belushi's death, but I can't figure out the break. There was no precipitating incident, he was already in L.A., and he hadn't met Cathy Smith yet [whose introduction going back over her whole life doesn't fit in the countdown-style day by day when he goes back for her whole history]). And, again, there's a lot of piling up of detail that doesn't always seem to serve a larger purpose, just that he had such detail from his research and put it in. He rarely editorializes on this, which I found frustrating, but THAT I get as an authorial choice: the point is to collect the evidence and report it for the audience to follow and draw their own conclusions. But then there's a big long footnote on Belushi's spending habits (again violating the countdown style) that very clearly suggests the pressure he was under to support his family and hangers-on as well as the tight timeframes for making Hollywood deals while one is "hot." So a lot of the structure and writing I did not care for.
But what a portrait! I still don't care for Belushi. He sounds like a bully and a selfish man. Still don't get the humor, but I grudgingly accept that he was great at physical comedy and improvisation and that he had a lot of fans who thought he was talented. I spent a lot of time wondering why anyone would waste their time on such a guy who would come in uninvited, break your stuff or eat it or snort it, dominate the conversation, play music so loud and turn it up further if you told him to turn it down, and abruptly leave (or conversely show up hours late). But I think Woodward does a good job of pointing out the guy's complexity. He was magnetic--I think that's the best word for him. He drew everyone's attention, in person, on screen. He had that charisma that lets some people do outlandish things while the rest of the world laps it up or tolerates it at least. And he wasn't JUST a lumbering lummox, he had tenderness and generosity and TONS of self-doubt and talent and big ideas.
I think the most haunting thing running through the book is how many people justified not saying something or doing something more about his drug use. Person after person rationalized it away "John's indestructible," "He won't listen anyway," "He'll get mad at me," "What good would it do," "He needs drugs for his work," "He'll stop when he's ready," "It's not all the time," "It's not my place [I do drugs, too]." Woodward has a little throwaway line pretty early about how everyone knew cocaine was not addictive, and I was like, "Is that sarcasm?"
So I spent a lot of the book trying to understand Belushi's relationship to drugs, what the pull was. Because he didn't always do drugs--he got his initial breaks before all that. The talent was there, so the "I need them for my work" is not entirely true. But I think part was the pervasiveness and the culture of using: SO MANY PEOPLE in the entertainment industry and beyond were doing them. And part was the schedule he kept--cocaine could help him stay up for longer, be on for longer. And the pressure to BE "up" and "on" so much. And the ideas and collaboration--drugs are fun and everyone was doing them. And covering for self-doubt, busting through it like he bust through so many other social situations. I don't know. I guess I felt sorry for him and understood him more, but I still didn't like him. He seemed like a horrible person, even knowing WHY he was like that.
And the people around him who suffered because of him, or had a job because of him. There's an undercurrent of need and toleration of his excesses because of his talent and a lot of people depended on him and were thus compromised and unable (unwilling) to say/do more because they needed something from him. And even when people spoke up or tried to keep drugs out of his hands, it didn't last. He made his own decisions. He made himself suffer, too.
Woodward does a great job piecing together all the wheeling and dealing of Hollywood, the various levels of how pictures get made. The agents and the apparatus for getting a person's name out there and circulating for work. The producers who want to make money and good projects. The other talent from directors to actors to music folk who want to collaborate and/or have different visions or motives. The media reflecting and shaping all of this. And by focusing on one man's career, he gives a good sense of how limited the window is for making money, taking advantage of being "hot," and how quickly that might disperse after a few flops or lousy projects. He shows how ineffable the formula for Hollywood success is: who knows? Who can describe it? And all of that uncertainty plays out in the background of all the decisions Belushi made.
I read this book because I read a puff-piece history of the Chateau Marmont, and it specifically criticized this book as being, basically, too mean. So in an effort to get some perspective on THAT book and to see what Belushi's real deal was, I picked this up.
It's NOT too mean: it's a meticulous and painstakingly-researched book. And in places it is actually painful: sometimes the level of detail is unnecessary (reading recaps of SNL skits is BORING) and other times it's just so sad. I think the author of the Chateau Marmont book didn't like it because it called the hotel "seedy" and "musty" whereas that author wanted it to be "quaint" or "historical" or "iconic."
I guess you're not supposed to criticize Woodward's style, because, you know, he's so impressive and whatever. But sometimes the writing threw me: pronouns with no clear subject, often mixing last/first names in lists, so it becomes "John and Aykroyd," odd slang that made the writing unclear, weird punctuation that sometimes puts dialogue in quotations and sometimes does not (maybe that's a direct quotation thing? But if so, why use the same construction of so-and-so SAID for both?), the division of the book into sections with no clear reason (Part 3 starts almost a "countdown" to Belushi's death, but I can't figure out the break. There was no precipitating incident, he was already in L.A., and he hadn't met Cathy Smith yet [whose introduction going back over her whole life doesn't fit in the countdown-style day by day when he goes back for her whole history]). And, again, there's a lot of piling up of detail that doesn't always seem to serve a larger purpose, just that he had such detail from his research and put it in. He rarely editorializes on this, which I found frustrating, but THAT I get as an authorial choice: the point is to collect the evidence and report it for the audience to follow and draw their own conclusions. But then there's a big long footnote on Belushi's spending habits (again violating the countdown style) that very clearly suggests the pressure he was under to support his family and hangers-on as well as the tight timeframes for making Hollywood deals while one is "hot." So a lot of the structure and writing I did not care for.
But what a portrait! I still don't care for Belushi. He sounds like a bully and a selfish man. Still don't get the humor, but I grudgingly accept that he was great at physical comedy and improvisation and that he had a lot of fans who thought he was talented. I spent a lot of time wondering why anyone would waste their time on such a guy who would come in uninvited, break your stuff or eat it or snort it, dominate the conversation, play music so loud and turn it up further if you told him to turn it down, and abruptly leave (or conversely show up hours late). But I think Woodward does a good job of pointing out the guy's complexity. He was magnetic--I think that's the best word for him. He drew everyone's attention, in person, on screen. He had that charisma that lets some people do outlandish things while the rest of the world laps it up or tolerates it at least. And he wasn't JUST a lumbering lummox, he had tenderness and generosity and TONS of self-doubt and talent and big ideas.
I think the most haunting thing running through the book is how many people justified not saying something or doing something more about his drug use. Person after person rationalized it away "John's indestructible," "He won't listen anyway," "He'll get mad at me," "What good would it do," "He needs drugs for his work," "He'll stop when he's ready," "It's not all the time," "It's not my place [I do drugs, too]." Woodward has a little throwaway line pretty early about how everyone knew cocaine was not addictive, and I was like, "Is that sarcasm?"
So I spent a lot of the book trying to understand Belushi's relationship to drugs, what the pull was. Because he didn't always do drugs--he got his initial breaks before all that. The talent was there, so the "I need them for my work" is not entirely true. But I think part was the pervasiveness and the culture of using: SO MANY PEOPLE in the entertainment industry and beyond were doing them. And part was the schedule he kept--cocaine could help him stay up for longer, be on for longer. And the pressure to BE "up" and "on" so much. And the ideas and collaboration--drugs are fun and everyone was doing them. And covering for self-doubt, busting through it like he bust through so many other social situations. I don't know. I guess I felt sorry for him and understood him more, but I still didn't like him. He seemed like a horrible person, even knowing WHY he was like that.
And the people around him who suffered because of him, or had a job because of him. There's an undercurrent of need and toleration of his excesses because of his talent and a lot of people depended on him and were thus compromised and unable (unwilling) to say/do more because they needed something from him. And even when people spoke up or tried to keep drugs out of his hands, it didn't last. He made his own decisions. He made himself suffer, too.
Woodward does a great job piecing together all the wheeling and dealing of Hollywood, the various levels of how pictures get made. The agents and the apparatus for getting a person's name out there and circulating for work. The producers who want to make money and good projects. The other talent from directors to actors to music folk who want to collaborate and/or have different visions or motives. The media reflecting and shaping all of this. And by focusing on one man's career, he gives a good sense of how limited the window is for making money, taking advantage of being "hot," and how quickly that might disperse after a few flops or lousy projects. He shows how ineffable the formula for Hollywood success is: who knows? Who can describe it? And all of that uncertainty plays out in the background of all the decisions Belushi made.
May 17, 2011
If you ever want your kids to stay away from drugs, it might be a good idea to hand them this...
Knowing that Belushi died a seedy death from acute toxicity due to cocaine and heroin, it came as no surprise to me that he did drugs. What did come as a shock was just how many he did - so many that I'm surprised that I wasn't high just from reading about it, and the real shock came to be not that he died so young, but that he managed to last as long as he did (especially considering his last 2 month frenzy).
Belushi was a talented comedic performer who could swing easily from charming to intimidating (if not downright terrifying), a trait he also had in his personal life, and Woodward captures the out-of-control scary side extremely well. He didn't do quite so well with the charm so at times Belushi came across as so unlikeable (as a boorish, obnoxious, selfish, mysogynist egomaniac, just a few of his worse traits...) that it was hard to see how he had so many friends. It was only the depth of feeling that they're described as having for him that gave us any insight into his softer side.
That said, his friends (and in particular his Hollywood friends) don't come off particularly well either. It's one thing to sit by and let somebody make their own decisions (which adults are entitled to do, nobody but me after all is responsible for my actions) which a few did, stepping in occasionally to try and talk some sense into him, but frequently it seemed he was being encouraged into more and more drug use just to enable the studios decisions, something which leaves rather a bad taste in my mouth. The amounts being confiscated from John by Smokey, his part-time drug enforcer were terrifying enough early on - I can only imagine what he might have taken from him in the later stages of the book.
Hugely informative, this definitely gave me what seemed like a real window into Belushi's life - albeit a horrifying one.
Knowing that Belushi died a seedy death from acute toxicity due to cocaine and heroin, it came as no surprise to me that he did drugs. What did come as a shock was just how many he did - so many that I'm surprised that I wasn't high just from reading about it, and the real shock came to be not that he died so young, but that he managed to last as long as he did (especially considering his last 2 month frenzy).
Belushi was a talented comedic performer who could swing easily from charming to intimidating (if not downright terrifying), a trait he also had in his personal life, and Woodward captures the out-of-control scary side extremely well. He didn't do quite so well with the charm so at times Belushi came across as so unlikeable (as a boorish, obnoxious, selfish, mysogynist egomaniac, just a few of his worse traits...) that it was hard to see how he had so many friends. It was only the depth of feeling that they're described as having for him that gave us any insight into his softer side.
That said, his friends (and in particular his Hollywood friends) don't come off particularly well either. It's one thing to sit by and let somebody make their own decisions (which adults are entitled to do, nobody but me after all is responsible for my actions) which a few did, stepping in occasionally to try and talk some sense into him, but frequently it seemed he was being encouraged into more and more drug use just to enable the studios decisions, something which leaves rather a bad taste in my mouth. The amounts being confiscated from John by Smokey, his part-time drug enforcer were terrifying enough early on - I can only imagine what he might have taken from him in the later stages of the book.
Hugely informative, this definitely gave me what seemed like a real window into Belushi's life - albeit a horrifying one.
September 15, 2016
Hooper: Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. -JAWS (1975)
I was thinking about this quote about half way through the reading of Wired. It is the perfect quote to describe John Belushi, without the "make little sharks" line. Belushi was beyond an addict, he was a drug shark. All he did was move around and take drugs. Reading this book is an exhausting experience because the man never slept, and reading the book delivers that exact experience. Long chapters end with new chapters beginning a few hours later, there is no peace for the reader much in the same way Belushi couldn't find peace in his daily routine. I felt wiped out when it was over.
It's a great book about a sad story, with an ending we all know. Woodward does a real nice job constructing the narrative and keeping the interest level constant and the intensity peaking till the end. He tackles the story by using investigate journalism techniques to see if there were any other possible resolution to the John Belushi story. It's an effective technique because it asks the question could anything have been done?
9-15-2016:
I guess there is a general opinion out in the world that this book is not very accurate, or respected as a true or accurate account of Belushi's life. Just putting that out there.
I was thinking about this quote about half way through the reading of Wired. It is the perfect quote to describe John Belushi, without the "make little sharks" line. Belushi was beyond an addict, he was a drug shark. All he did was move around and take drugs. Reading this book is an exhausting experience because the man never slept, and reading the book delivers that exact experience. Long chapters end with new chapters beginning a few hours later, there is no peace for the reader much in the same way Belushi couldn't find peace in his daily routine. I felt wiped out when it was over.
It's a great book about a sad story, with an ending we all know. Woodward does a real nice job constructing the narrative and keeping the interest level constant and the intensity peaking till the end. He tackles the story by using investigate journalism techniques to see if there were any other possible resolution to the John Belushi story. It's an effective technique because it asks the question could anything have been done?
9-15-2016:
I guess there is a general opinion out in the world that this book is not very accurate, or respected as a true or accurate account of Belushi's life. Just putting that out there.
March 6, 2009
I guess Bob Woodward's talent does not lie in constructing compelling or readable prose, but in digging for and collecting details. This is very apparent in this documentation of the years leading up to John Belushi's death. The dry, plodding style, a reading of the facts, may lend itself well to a political investigation, where the facts themselves are the drama. But when discussing an interesting man's life, the effect of this method is to take what may have been a good yarn, dissect it, and transmit it in a style reminiscent of a coroner's report.
August 14, 2009
pretty horrible, and i felt dirty after reading it. just because it was 25 cents at the thrift store doesn't mean one has to read it, i guess... that said, while i was reading it i couldn't look away - like a car accident. when i was done, i was like, Well, he wasted a lot of time doing drugs... but look at all the time i just spent reading this clueless book!
February 18, 2024
I can’t collect my thoughts into a traditional review. I really, really hated this book. I might even hate it more than I hate Ayn Rand and I REALLY hate Ayn Rand.
I didn’t grow up with John Belushi; he wasn’t really a cultural touchstone for me. When I finally saw his stuff it was as someone might watch a silent movie or an otherwise designated “classic.” This was something that was great because it was great. That’s not to denigrate John Belushi. He was extremely talented. It’s just in picking up this book I was more detached from its subject than if I had picked it up when it was first written.
This book is older than John Belushi ever got to be and yet, it still has the power to disgust the reader.
I can’t believe that Bob Woodward would put his name to something so fundamentally tasteless, and exploitative. Even in books that I hate I don’t feel the same kind of…sick that I did after finishing this one.
It simply should not have been written. Civilization does not need an anti-drug screed from Bob Woodward. John Belushi was more than a sum of every gram of cocaine.
I didn’t grow up with John Belushi; he wasn’t really a cultural touchstone for me. When I finally saw his stuff it was as someone might watch a silent movie or an otherwise designated “classic.” This was something that was great because it was great. That’s not to denigrate John Belushi. He was extremely talented. It’s just in picking up this book I was more detached from its subject than if I had picked it up when it was first written.
This book is older than John Belushi ever got to be and yet, it still has the power to disgust the reader.
I can’t believe that Bob Woodward would put his name to something so fundamentally tasteless, and exploitative. Even in books that I hate I don’t feel the same kind of…sick that I did after finishing this one.
It simply should not have been written. Civilization does not need an anti-drug screed from Bob Woodward. John Belushi was more than a sum of every gram of cocaine.
March 20, 2021
Compelling.
I didn't love the book, because it's hard to love a book about drug addiction where the person dies and has few redeeming qualities along the way (besides his "comic genius"). I'm not saying the book wasn't riveting and factual, but I like to feel inspired on some level whenever I read a biography. I recently read a biography about Chris Farley, who followed in John Belushi's tragic footsteps, but that book left me feeling sad and uplifted. I felt as if underneath it all, Chris wanted to overcome his addictions and had many redeeming qualities.
I don't think this book gives a complete picture of John Belushi (I'll be reading the biography by his widow soon), but it definitely gave a complete breakdown of his career, the timeline of it, and an in-depth look at his final days.
I didn't love the book, because it's hard to love a book about drug addiction where the person dies and has few redeeming qualities along the way (besides his "comic genius"). I'm not saying the book wasn't riveting and factual, but I like to feel inspired on some level whenever I read a biography. I recently read a biography about Chris Farley, who followed in John Belushi's tragic footsteps, but that book left me feeling sad and uplifted. I felt as if underneath it all, Chris wanted to overcome his addictions and had many redeeming qualities.
I don't think this book gives a complete picture of John Belushi (I'll be reading the biography by his widow soon), but it definitely gave a complete breakdown of his career, the timeline of it, and an in-depth look at his final days.
August 3, 2009
Man, THIS is what I'm talking about. Great summer read. Great read for anyone with addicts in their family or friend-circles (or self). Straight-forward, non-mythologizing, fascinating, horrifying. I'm so glad I came across this beat-up paperback in a record store...only 75 cents and it's the best thing I've read in weeks. As far as I can tell, it's the only non-Washington thing Bob Woodward ever published.
December 25, 2017
Frankly I was a little tired of John Belushi after finishing this book.
There's lots of name-dropping here for fans of 1970s Hollywood and popular music in particular. It fascinated me that Belushi was hired to do his Joe Cocker routine at Paul McCartney's birthday party. Man, I would pay good money to see a tape of that.
Bob Woodward's writing credentials are clear, but it was vastly amusing how he would over-define random things. Honestly, would anyone reading a biography on John Belushi need to have the following subjects defined for them: Cher, the Eagles, the Muppets, "All in the Family," LSD, Mr. Spock?
There's lots of name-dropping here for fans of 1970s Hollywood and popular music in particular. It fascinated me that Belushi was hired to do his Joe Cocker routine at Paul McCartney's birthday party. Man, I would pay good money to see a tape of that.
Bob Woodward's writing credentials are clear, but it was vastly amusing how he would over-define random things. Honestly, would anyone reading a biography on John Belushi need to have the following subjects defined for them: Cher, the Eagles, the Muppets, "All in the Family," LSD, Mr. Spock?
June 9, 2011
So far it's hypnotic...
April 25, 2022
“he had so much courage and he was so dangerous. he took so much energy, patience, understanding; he almost stole them from you.” -carly simon on john belushi
a guy i had been seeing let me borrow this book. his old best friend gave him the book. the original owner of the book had glaringly tragic similarities to belushi. he’s charming, exuberant, talented, and often misunderstood. there’s no one quite like him. i caught myself reading this and wondered if he found inspiration for his character while reading this.
woodward isn’t shy to expose the darkness that made up belushi. i wonder though if there was more to him though. wired is such a morbid character analysis with sparse redemptive qualities. having known and loved people with addictions in my own life, we often make up excuses for them. the people in john’s life didn’t want him to lose his vibrancy and at times enabled his behavior/habits. the life of an addict is extremely precarious, though. what’s to happen if you don’t allow their behavior to continue? will they drop you just as easily?
there’s no pretty way to put it. belushi was abusive and manipulative. he knew how to make people feel special. he used his power and talent as leverage in relationships. he knew the value and survived off the attention others gave him. if a collective support group had recognized this earlier, maybe his demise could have been prolonged, but that’s an issue to be taken up with elizabeth kübler-ross.
overall an excellent book. i wish there was more to it than the excessive drug use and a washed up SNL cast member because i want to believe there was more to belushi than that. it sucks even more reading this and knowing actors/musicians are still actively trying to emulate him in all his harmful habits.
a guy i had been seeing let me borrow this book. his old best friend gave him the book. the original owner of the book had glaringly tragic similarities to belushi. he’s charming, exuberant, talented, and often misunderstood. there’s no one quite like him. i caught myself reading this and wondered if he found inspiration for his character while reading this.
woodward isn’t shy to expose the darkness that made up belushi. i wonder though if there was more to him though. wired is such a morbid character analysis with sparse redemptive qualities. having known and loved people with addictions in my own life, we often make up excuses for them. the people in john’s life didn’t want him to lose his vibrancy and at times enabled his behavior/habits. the life of an addict is extremely precarious, though. what’s to happen if you don’t allow their behavior to continue? will they drop you just as easily?
there’s no pretty way to put it. belushi was abusive and manipulative. he knew how to make people feel special. he used his power and talent as leverage in relationships. he knew the value and survived off the attention others gave him. if a collective support group had recognized this earlier, maybe his demise could have been prolonged, but that’s an issue to be taken up with elizabeth kübler-ross.
overall an excellent book. i wish there was more to it than the excessive drug use and a washed up SNL cast member because i want to believe there was more to belushi than that. it sucks even more reading this and knowing actors/musicians are still actively trying to emulate him in all his harmful habits.
June 13, 2016
John Belushi was a hero of mine. He wasn't handsome or fit. He was round and hairy and talented. It gave something for the other guy to look up too, except for the drugs.
I loved the comedy of John Belushi. I saw the wired movie when It first came out, but remembered only that Michael chiklas was in it.
I thought I knew a lot. I didn't even know the tip of the iceberg.
This is fascinating look into his life, hollywood and the couple years of SNL. I highly recommend it. I read it on a 6 hour bus trip.
I loved the comedy of John Belushi. I saw the wired movie when It first came out, but remembered only that Michael chiklas was in it.
I thought I knew a lot. I didn't even know the tip of the iceberg.
This is fascinating look into his life, hollywood and the couple years of SNL. I highly recommend it. I read it on a 6 hour bus trip.
August 1, 2019
Thoroughly researched and detailed, this is a story without a reason for existing. Woodward is obsessed with recreating specific moments leading up to & including Belushi’s overdose- and yet has nothing interesting to say about it. I have no sense of Belushi the man, someone who changed the landscape of comedy. I know a lot about Belushi, the drug addict though, seems like a real sad person.
If you like meticulous descriptions of drug use, rooms where drugs are being used & situations where drugs are discussed before being used- might I recommend this soulless excuse for a biography?
If you like meticulous descriptions of drug use, rooms where drugs are being used & situations where drugs are discussed before being used- might I recommend this soulless excuse for a biography?
September 2, 2016
Maybe the ultimate cautionary tale and, at the most basic, such a sad story.
June 12, 2016
Wow, what a ride that was! Will review.
January 1, 2020
This is pretty much a blow-by-blow description of Belushi's last year, detailing practically every step he took. It's full of crazy fucked up levels of drugs and partying. It's a product of its time in that Belushi died before friends or family were taking steps to intervene on someone using drugs at this level. He had as much money as he needed to go to outer space every night, and no one really told him no - even more told him yes and provided free drugs ad libitum. Plenty of his friends said, you should consider slowing down, knowing full well he was not capable of hearing any of those messages.
The book itself, subject matter aside, is almost too much on the reporting/facts side. It almost devolves into static. I would have liked to have seen a bit more examination into what drove Belushi to make the decisions he made...but I suppose by the time this book was written, it was too late to ask.
The book itself, subject matter aside, is almost too much on the reporting/facts side. It almost devolves into static. I would have liked to have seen a bit more examination into what drove Belushi to make the decisions he made...but I suppose by the time this book was written, it was too late to ask.
July 22, 2023
Overall a good biography on comedian John Belushi who died from a drug overdose at age 33.
The best chapters are about Belushi's early life and his rise to fame. However, the last chunk of the book chronicles Belushi's final week in excruciating, mind-numbingly boring detail. Every day, every hour, every minute is recorded. Who called who, who visited who, who went where, etc. By the end the book felt like a rough draft and lacked a considerable amount of needed polish.
I feel conflicted because there is so much great stuff in here and Belushi was truly a hilarious genius, and that leaps out of the page. But I can't help but feel that this book was rushed in publication to capitalize on his fame. The ending left me with a sick, sordid feeling.
The best chapters are about Belushi's early life and his rise to fame. However, the last chunk of the book chronicles Belushi's final week in excruciating, mind-numbingly boring detail. Every day, every hour, every minute is recorded. Who called who, who visited who, who went where, etc. By the end the book felt like a rough draft and lacked a considerable amount of needed polish.
I feel conflicted because there is so much great stuff in here and Belushi was truly a hilarious genius, and that leaps out of the page. But I can't help but feel that this book was rushed in publication to capitalize on his fame. The ending left me with a sick, sordid feeling.
September 12, 2020
Read in 1984. Fascinating portrait of late actor/comedian John Belushi. Goes to a lot of dark places and speculates on his death. One of my favorites that year.
May 29, 2025
I devoured this book as an avid fan of SNL but upon finishing I was like… that’s it? I enjoyed the systematic style of the book but it didn’t reflect at all on his relationship to Judy or his relationship to women, period. There were large gaps that I think a 400+ page novel should have addressed.
August 30, 2012
Bob Woodward became famous during the aftermath of the Watergate burglary. The unraveling of the Nixon presidency, the discovery of the presidential "enemies list" had its origins at his desk, and that of his reporting partner, Carl Bernstein.
Here he turns to celebrity reporting, but once again he uses his investigative powers to find out just exactly what happened to one of young America's most popular comedians (at the time of his death). The story is riveting and tragic. Even though we know at the outset that the man is dead, we keep turning the pages, addicted ourselves as we tell the printed page, "NO! Don't have anymore cocaine! NOOO!!! Listen to your doctor!"
Many young people go through a period when I think they really believe deep down that they cannot die. My own daughter, recently hit by a car at age 17 (and recovered, fortunately) is living proof. We see it all the time, especially near high school and college campuses. That car is a car length-and-a-half away from them, and they step out into the crosswalk as though it had a force field around it, or worse yet, step out from between parked cars where there is no cross walk. They go without sleep for crazy amounts of time, yet drive or operate machinery as though their brain was fully functional. And amazing numbers of them come out of it intact, and get to grow older and saner.
Belushi took risks that far surpass those of the average youth, and the Grim Reaper came out and nailed him to the wall. It's a tragic thing; why do we want to read about it?
Woodward makes it worth our while. Highly recommended!
Here he turns to celebrity reporting, but once again he uses his investigative powers to find out just exactly what happened to one of young America's most popular comedians (at the time of his death). The story is riveting and tragic. Even though we know at the outset that the man is dead, we keep turning the pages, addicted ourselves as we tell the printed page, "NO! Don't have anymore cocaine! NOOO!!! Listen to your doctor!"
Many young people go through a period when I think they really believe deep down that they cannot die. My own daughter, recently hit by a car at age 17 (and recovered, fortunately) is living proof. We see it all the time, especially near high school and college campuses. That car is a car length-and-a-half away from them, and they step out into the crosswalk as though it had a force field around it, or worse yet, step out from between parked cars where there is no cross walk. They go without sleep for crazy amounts of time, yet drive or operate machinery as though their brain was fully functional. And amazing numbers of them come out of it intact, and get to grow older and saner.
Belushi took risks that far surpass those of the average youth, and the Grim Reaper came out and nailed him to the wall. It's a tragic thing; why do we want to read about it?
Woodward makes it worth our while. Highly recommended!
July 15, 2010
I picked up this book about ten years ago at a used bookstore in Dallas, and for some reason it fascinates me. I've read it about four times since then, about every other year I'll re-read it. It's a pretty drugged out book, it almost seems at times, especially when talking about Belushi following "Animal House's" success, like cocaine is going to fall off the pages. It's a fast-paced book with a lot of dialogue that I have to believe is not verbatim; it's hard to believe that some of the people Belushi associated with could tell you what day of the week it is, let alone something they discussed stoned several years before. But the dialogue does help the book read like a novel.
Keep in mind the book isn't that popular with Belushi's widow, Judy. It does make him out to be an out-of-control hoover. I'd say that's probably why she wrote her own book, "Samurai Widow." But it does give a good overall biography, and does a good job explaining his relationship with Dan Akroyd. If Belushi interests you I'd say this is probably the book to start with. The movie of the same name (starring a pre-"Shield" Michael Chiklis) is pretty dreadful if you can even find it, since it hasn't been released on DVD. Start here, read Judy's book, and there was a good coffee table book published in the last few years I came across at the local library. And of course, check out his movies. "Continental Divide" is an underrated flick.
Keep in mind the book isn't that popular with Belushi's widow, Judy. It does make him out to be an out-of-control hoover. I'd say that's probably why she wrote her own book, "Samurai Widow." But it does give a good overall biography, and does a good job explaining his relationship with Dan Akroyd. If Belushi interests you I'd say this is probably the book to start with. The movie of the same name (starring a pre-"Shield" Michael Chiklis) is pretty dreadful if you can even find it, since it hasn't been released on DVD. Start here, read Judy's book, and there was a good coffee table book published in the last few years I came across at the local library. And of course, check out his movies. "Continental Divide" is an underrated flick.
October 22, 2017
Je n'ai pas du tout été convaincue par les intentions de l'auteur à écrire ce livre : était-ce pour nuire à la mémoire de John Belushi ou quoi ? L'ouvrage est journalistique, purement dans le constat et les faits, sans aucune âme, sans une once de tripes dans le récit, c'est froid, implacable, sans aucune explication un tant soit peu fouillée sur les origines de Belushi et le pourquoi du comment, avec des détails complètement inutiles (Mme Machin qui bouffe des crevettes à midi, et j'en passe et des meilleures). Un peu de psy peut être ? D'humanité ? L'auteur nous présente Belushi comme un être profondément narcissique, puant, misogyne, sans aucune qualité (ou presque), et à TOUTES les pages on parle de drogues : oui ça va on a pigé, Belushi était drogué jusqu'aux yeux et en est mort, on a compris hein. Quel est l'intérêt franchement ? Heureusement de temps en temps, entre des paragraphes et des paragraphes entiers sur la compta de l'auteur et ses modes de défonce, nous avons des informations fort intéressantes sur les tournages de films en cours, et leur préparation. Mais c'est tout. Je déconseille fortement.
March 16, 2025
Absorbing. Not for the prose - Woodward's writing is bland/vanilla - but for the details about Belushi's drug usage and death. SNL in its first five years, made a LOT of jokes about drug use. Heroin, Cocaine, MJ, etc. Taking it was against the law, but SNL acted like only squares objected. All the cool kids were Coke heads.
I often wondered why. And why so much of the late 70s and early 80s movie comedy was 2nd rate. And this book shows why. Everyone in Hollywood, especially Belushi, was doing drugs 24/7, and thought it perfectly normal to spend $500 a night getting high. But Cocaine doesn't make you smarter, you just think you're smarter.
People have objected to Woodward's portrayal of Belushi. But its not really that negative. Woodward paints him as an Out-of-Control teenager. 33 going on 16. A teenager that no one says "no" to. He even goes to "Daddy" (his agent) and gets cash for drugs. He had it all, fame, fortune, talent, youth. But he needed someone to intervene and get him help. But no one would.
Recommended for Belushi fans. No one else will care.
I often wondered why. And why so much of the late 70s and early 80s movie comedy was 2nd rate. And this book shows why. Everyone in Hollywood, especially Belushi, was doing drugs 24/7, and thought it perfectly normal to spend $500 a night getting high. But Cocaine doesn't make you smarter, you just think you're smarter.
People have objected to Woodward's portrayal of Belushi. But its not really that negative. Woodward paints him as an Out-of-Control teenager. 33 going on 16. A teenager that no one says "no" to. He even goes to "Daddy" (his agent) and gets cash for drugs. He had it all, fame, fortune, talent, youth. But he needed someone to intervene and get him help. But no one would.
Recommended for Belushi fans. No one else will care.
July 25, 2011
A very sound piece of journalism. Biographies are difficult and I do not envy the job of the biographer, especially a biographer of the deceased - if you are too soft and glaze things over the reader will be angry, if you are hard and honest those involved the subjects life will be angry.
This struck me as a very thorough piece of work. I have heard many complaints that this book focused on the negative aspects of John Belushi's life and career but I don't think I agree with that. Despite the emphasis on the drug problem that killed him, this is the story of a potentially brilliant man who was adored by almost everyone he knew which in fact contributed to his downfall because he was so loved and sheltered by everyone around him.
i thought this was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a big admirer or the short career of John Belushi and after reading this I am very sad that a person which such potential and the ability to make people laugh could be so self-destructive.
This struck me as a very thorough piece of work. I have heard many complaints that this book focused on the negative aspects of John Belushi's life and career but I don't think I agree with that. Despite the emphasis on the drug problem that killed him, this is the story of a potentially brilliant man who was adored by almost everyone he knew which in fact contributed to his downfall because he was so loved and sheltered by everyone around him.
i thought this was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a big admirer or the short career of John Belushi and after reading this I am very sad that a person which such potential and the ability to make people laugh could be so self-destructive.
August 4, 2015
For some reason I never got around to reading this book, although I read Samurai Widow several years ago. If you have read Belushi, or Samurai Widow, this will give you a flipped perspective. A lot of fans find this book offensive (I have seen several reviews complaining that it only portrayed him in the worst possible light and situations). I, however, found it to be a more objective perspective and found it to be a necessary companion read to the two books put out by his widow. She definitely attempts to display to readers the good and the bad of John Belushi, but try as she may, she was still a person who was very much in love with him. I feel this book provides a viewpoint of someone viewing his worst possible drug-addled moments--and this view may very well be the only side of him seen by some people who crossed paths with him. It was just very objective in my opinion, and although there are many claims of inaccuracies, I enjoyed this book very much.
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