Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi

by Bob Woodward

Book Overview

This reissue of Bob Woodword's classic book about John Belushi--one of the most interesting performers and personalities in show business history--"is told with the same narrative style that Woodward... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671473204
• ISBN13: 9780671473204
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 461 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.

Customer Reviews

great read

This was a great read. You get to see the inside life of an all time comic genuis, but you also get to see all kinds of details from the lives of other stars. I was shocked by what I read about Robin Williams. And the way Jack Nicholson treated Belushi. It was also entertaining and sad. You get a real insight into the lives of stars and, as they keep telling us, it's not as glamorous as it is supposed to be.

WIRED is a riveting book and not a mere celeb biography.

I've always been a huge fan of John Belushi's. He was a gifted performer and now twenty-two years after his death there still hasn't been another actor who's managed to capture John's unique presence. Jack Black really doesn't compare, in my opinion. With that being said, I think the book "Wired" should stand on its own as a great, cautionary tale of how ANYONE can be destroyed by a system, or a substance and ultimately by themselves. I think too much emphasis is put on the fact that this is strictly John Belushi's life and problems. Many have said the book exposes John's private behavior in an unfair, biased way and doesn't give any answers. I revel at how Woodward wrote the book in a creepy, detailed manner much like a police officer's report of a homicide or something. Towards the end of the book Woodward breaks down the chapters by Belushi's final days and then final hours so the reader feels an impending doom that makes turning to the next page truly dismaying. You know unfortunately how the story ends and it's so frustrating and sad. I think this method is much more effective then trying to tell this story with poetry or psychological analysis which is exactly where the dreadful film version in '89 went so wrong.The cold reporting of events again reiterates my point that this book shouldn't be looked at as a true biography of John Belushi. He's merely the source material for a lurid journal of Hollywood corruption. I don't think even John's wife Judy managed to get a truly revealing portrait of John. In "Samurai Widow" what you get is her biography basically. I guess John died too young and his behavior was either too mysterious or accidental in nature to really get a meaningful history of him. A person, especially a celebrity, in the end is frequently remembered for one entity sometimes even apart from the person they were in life. I think John Belushi's comic genius should be how he's remembered and not simply as a drug addict.

Hollywood Free Fall

I was a John Belushi fan from the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" and I think his performance in ANIMAL HOUSE puts him in the same league with the great film comedians of all time. I still vividly remember hearing about his death in March 1982 and still wonder what might have been if he was still around.And I've read WIRED several times.It's a horrible tragedy what happened to him, but hopefully some people can take something away from this book--see the warning and avoid the same the fate. I think the book is well-written and well-researched (I particularly liked how Woodward strictly reported the facts: someone saw Belushi in the company of a Playboy bunny and Woodward leaves it only at that--when other writers would've piled on leering speculations). If there is ever a reprint, I think there should be a new chapter by Woodward reflecting on his experience or at least the article (in ROLLING STONE?) that covered the controversy and fallout of the book's initial printing.Nothing can change what a great talent John Belushi was. The sad details of his final days haven't diminished his accomplishments--but they did make for a scary, compelling book about the underside of Hollywood and man overwhelmed by his appetites.(And stay way away from the obscene film version!)

Puts things in perspective

I read this book about once a year to remind myself of how much I want to live. For anyone caught up in the illusion of the glory of life in the fast lane, the second half of this book, dealing with Belushi's last great binge in minute-by-minute detail, should be a real eye-opener. Woodward paints a balanced portrait of a much-loved, charasmatic individual trapped by his own demons. Alternately fascinating and horrifying, this is perhaps the best celebrity biography I have read. I sincerely hope it comes back into print - if not, I suggest you try to hunt a copy down; it is worth your time.

IN-DEPTH TRAGEDY OF JOHN BELUSHI'S CAREER & LIFE

THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR ANY JOHN BELUSHI FAN. THE AUTHOR HAS PRESENTED US WITH A TOUCHING AND TRAGIC PORTRAYAL OF THE LIFE AND ALL TOO SHORT CAREER OF BELUSHI. IF EVER THERE WAS A GUIDE TO HOW TO MIS-MANAGE FAME,WEALTH AND SUCESS THIS IS IT. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A BELUSHI FAN,IT'S A ENGROSSING READ.