Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is the unauthorized autobiography of Chuck Barris. Mr. Barris is probably best known as the creator of several popular games shows including the Dating Game, the Newlywed Game and the Gong Show. In this autobiography he also makes the claim that he was one of the CIA's most successful assassins. Although his claim is highly dubious, Mr. Barris has a knack for spinning it into one hell of a story.

In the first chapter we are introduced to the 1980 version of Chuck Barris playing the role of the reclusive and paranoid millionaire. A burnt out, former international celebrity best know for serving up some of the schlockiest television shows in the pre-reality television era.

Chuck, plagued by nightmares and consumed by his phobias, attempts to exorcise his demons by authoring the book "Confession of a Dangerous Mind" which he refers to an "act of catharsis". However, before he can finish this story and free himself he must complete the now all too clich' "final mission" for the CIA. As formulaic as this premise may sound I can guarantee that Chuck has you completely snared by the end of the first chapter.

Chuck tells the tale of himself as the proverbial young man down on his luck trying to find his place in the world. He is unable to hold a job, or maintain a stable relationship when he answers a newspaper ad that reads: "COLLEGE GRADUATE: FREE TO TRAVEL". As difficult as this is to believe, he is promptly recruited into the CIA and embarks on his new career as an international assassin. As luck would have it, he simultaneously creates several hit television shows and becomes one of the most successful producers in television for more than a decade. Through out the book the author struggles to intertwine the two disparate careers.

Ok, I know this sounds like the plot for a B movie but surprisingly the story actually works. Mr. Barris is effective because he plays upon the fantasies of our culture. Aren't we all longing for a life-changing event that sweeps us away from our mundane existence into a titillating new life? Isn't that the reason we go to the movies or read books, in order to escape the routine for a few hours? I resisted reading this book because I thought it would be too farfetched and the spy plot would be too distracting but. However I found the blend of fiction and non-fiction to be both audacious and compelling. Even if you unable reconcile the fictional aspects from the "true" anecdotes, this tale remains an insightful and entertaining glance into the mind of a creative yet disturbed man.

Chuck Barris has often been criticized for the quality of the body of work he has created, but you do have to give Chuck some credit. He knows what the masses want and he consistently delivers it and this book is no exception.

My rating: I gave it 5 stars just because I had a great time reading this book on the train into work every morning for a week, which does not happen that frequently.

By the way, I hate this "out of 5 stars" thing. It doesn't really tell me anything. So I will just rate this book a 270 out of a possible 538 Electoral College votes. My reasoning is that this book is would be good enough to elect for as Leader of the Free World for 4 years but it probably won't change the way you live your life.

Was Chuck Barris an agent for the CIA? Maybe. Its impossible to tell for sure. And from the standpoint of the entertainment value of this book, it really doesnt matter. Chuck Barris does a great job of detailing his rise as one of the most prolific creators of game shows in our nations History. Barris, despite his reputation on "the Gong Show" is a highly literate, intelligent, Ivy League educated man. I read this book taking the train from New York to Washington, and I couldnt stop turning the pages. This read is fast, entertaining, and insightful. I cant wait for the movie to come out

I saw the movie "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" first and then I read the book. As interesting and well made as the movie is, the book is actually better. I was a regular viewer of Mr. Barris's television programs and watched them quite a bit when I was growing up along with millions of other boomers.

It is a strange leap from producing "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" to being a contestant in Barris' real life version of "The Homicide Game." Yet, this is precisely what this story from Mr. Barris asks the reader to believe. Yet something in the back of my mind tells me that it is not actually all that difficult to imagine Mr. Barris actually saying, "And now here's a prize selected especially for you. It's a three-eighty hollow-point!"

I always thought Chuck Barris did not deserve all the vile and spiteful things that were said about him during his television producer days by critics and so-called media experts. He was just giving America what it wanted. Compared to the infantile sitcoms of the day, his game shows were far more mentally engaging. The first book I read by Barris was "The Game Show King: A Confession" and I was amazed at how well he wrote. But then again, this is a well educated, well traveled mature man who has lived life above and beyond the everyday Joe since 1965, so I should not have been as surprised as I was. "Game Show King" is a better insight into his complex and fascinating personality than "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and does not get into the CIA angle at all.

That Barris is just plain wired differently from normal people is obvious to anyone who ever saw "The Gong Show." However accepting that what he wrote in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" could all be true is certainly a stretch. Yet Mr. Barris is clever enough to make his story very convincing and extremely entertaining. There are very few clues here that he could be making the entire thing up, but they are there for informed readers. For only one example, he writes about CIA operations which happened in the USA. Of course, this is specifically forbidden by law and they simply wouldn't do that. They would get the FBI to do it. There are other very minor details that are also questionable.

The true mystery of this book and its sequel "Bad Grass Never Dies" isn't whether or not the CIA angle is true. The real mystery is that since Barris doesn't need the money why does he bother to write these books at all? As of yet his true motivation remains a mystery, but I wouldn't be surprised if his next book is about why he wrote the "Sunny Sixkiller" books. I've seen him interviewed and he's been extremely evasive when directly questioned on the story's validity. None the less, this is one very enjoyable book that I had trouble putting down and finished in no time flat. I was left wanting more. I really enjoy Barris's writing style. I think he could have been an everyman's Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming if he'd really wanted to be. Instead of carving a literary legacy for himself, he will be remembered primarily as "Chuckie-Baby" Barris, the apparently deranged master of disaster on "The Gong Show." This is a pity as he writes so well. The ending of this book is really very good. The ending of the film it is just not as good. I would have enjoyed reading an entire "Sunny Sixkiller" series if he had written one.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind surprised me in a number of ways. As someone who enjoyed the Gong Show in its heydey, I thought I'd be in for a few chuckles. As a voracious reader of fiction, I found a book that is more than satisfying--every bit as fun as James W. Hall, Elmore Leonard, Dean Koontz and others.

Barris is brutally honest about himself and his achievements, bringing humor into almost every vignette. Although I'm not sure I believe his story (I was sent scurrying to the 'Net to check various references--all my queries were inconclusive), his writing is excellent! Always engaging with a great sense for transition, Barris writes a great book. Whether you opt in to the spy story or not, this is a fascinating, enjoyable read!

Who knows if this book is true or not (some of the game show anecdotes, by the way, sound just as unbelievable as the CIA stuff), but it does work as a kind of offbeat, arthouse-style mystery/thriller. One thing's for sure, though... Mr. Barris went right to the classics (a mystery classic, anyway) to draw inspiration for his ending. The final confrontation in this book effectively emulates the memorable final confrontation in Mickey Spillane's "I, The Jury". Of course, Barris adds a feel-good epilogue, but even that's a little off-center and edgy. All in all, an entertaining read.

The book is a well-written, fast-paced narrative of Chuck Barris' bizarro, manic depressive alternative universe.

Barris was a television game show producer and he relates the history of his most successful programs -- The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show. He also, briefly, mentions his less successful programs, like The Mother-In-Law Game.

What gives the book its punch is Barris's claim that while he was a TV producer, he was also an assassin for the CIA. He relates that he murdered people, bad guys, all over the world at the behest of the U.S. Government. Fact or fiction? Who cares! It makes for a great read.

The humor-challanged should skip this book.

Once I started this book, I didn't want to stop reading it. Once I was done, I searched out his other books and love them too. Absolutely entertaining and extremely well written. And for the person who didn't "get it," how embarrassing for you. What's to get? I mean, there's really nothing confusing about it.

I can't wait for the sequel.

I have a confession to make: I've never seen "The Gong Show," not even one episode. I'm aware of the basic premise and I know (being somewhat odd myself) that this odd little show would be one I would like, but I've just never seen an episode, not even on Nick at Nite. That show, of course, is Chuck Barris's claim to fame. That could change very soon, however, when George Clooney's new movie "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" hits a theater near you. It is a movie based on Barris's "unauthorized autobiography," where he relates tales of being a hit on television and being a hit (man) for the CIA. Chuck Barris, you see, is not only the creator of "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game," and "The Gong Show" --- he spent nearly two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA. CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND is his story.

The book itself is a bit weird (much like a slew of the contestants on his game shows), but he makes it interesting with his spicy writing style, his candor and his filthy mouth because, boy, Chuck Barris can swear like a sailor! It starts innocently enough with him discussing aging as an old television superstar and then quickly moves into killing people --- bad guys like Mario Moretti and Salvador Panagra Renda. CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND makes for a somewhat intriguing read, as Barris alternates between discussing his game shows and his travels overseas to kill various criminals. It is filled with some fun and some double-crossing and some sex and some shootings (sounds like a good movie!).

"Brazioni's shoulders were hunched together. He was shooting from the hip. Soledad's right arm was fully extended, unloading his gun at point-blank range, the end of the barrel just inches away from Renda's face. All I heard were little popping sounds. Renda slumped to the back of the bench, his head flopping to the side. Someone screamed." Barris's writing is quick, succinct and to the point. As you're reading it, you can imagine Barris telling the story to you face to face in conversation, perhaps over a couple of martinis at a late night party catered with little quiches and shrimp cocktails. For that, the book makes its mark.

But, just as successful as he is in telling his life story, you can't help but think, particularly with a subtitle like "unauthorized autobiography," that it's a bunch of bunk. It would be fun to think that a game show host could also be an assassin (can you imagine the patriot Bob Barker knocking someone off with a .22-caliber automatic with silencer)? But at the same time, can we believe that a game show host COULD be an assassin? It's a stretch. Also, he writes the details of the murders, the spy games and the double-crosses in a very cool and matter-of-fact way. Wouldn't the CIA not want people to know the kind of information that he's giving freely to whoever picks up his book (or, in the coming months, to whoever goes to the movies)?

Overall it is a fun diversionary read, but after finishing it, you feel a little duped (like Dorothy felt when she realized the Wizard of Oz was just a smart guy behind a curtain) and a little put on, like perhaps someone should have gonged Chuck Barris when he started talking about his whirlwind adventures of killing enemies of the state. Can it be true?

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Shipley

Chuck Barris - the guy responsilbe for producing tv shows such as The Gong Show, Newlywed Game, Dating Game and others tells all in this fast paced thriller. The way Barris writes is similar to some of the old hard boiled detective novels of years gone by. He writes from a first person view and takes you down the road of his strange and fascinating life. While it is odd to think of Chuck Barris as fascinating instead of just plain weird, the life he unfolds will astound you. It will also have you scratching your head about the authenticity of his story. But it is so outrageous that it has to be true. Chuck Barris - out of work bum, video producer, CIA agent, hitman. Yes, you heard correctly. Mr. Barris was once a bonefide hitman for the CIA. He tells his story with great detail, emotion and honesty. (He continually lied to a CIA recruiter to get hired) Eventhough he was at the zenith of pop television culture, Barris tells of the turmoil in his life and the strange worlds he had to step back and forth from to make a living. I really enjoyed the whole book. It not only tells of an off the wall guy who made it big in television production, but it is a good story about life and how unusual it can be. I wished that the book were longer because it was such a fun read.

Having seen the movie of the same name, I checked out the book. It's a funny account of Barris's life. I don't believe the CIA stuff for a minute, but it's fun to to see someone sort of create a new life story for themself because they weren't happy with the truth.

Note to parents: there is a fair amount of sexual content in this book (I would've preferred more Gong Show anecdotes!) and a TON of foul language. Depending on their age, I would keep this book away from children, or at least read it first before letting them.