Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times--A Memoir [Hardcover]

Jimmie Walker (Author), Sal Manna (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Jimmie Walker was raised in a violent and abusive home in the Bronx. Starting in small clubs and eventually opening for Black Panther rallies, he ultimately became an icon playing J. J. Evans on Good Times. Walker was the first successful young black sitcom star, and his catchphrase--“Dyn-o-mite!”--remains an indicator of the era. He saw sudden and enormous fame in everything from comic books and a talking doll to pajamas, trading cards, a bestselling album, and TV Guide covers. In Dyn-o-mite!, Walker candidly talks about his rise and the considerable tensions on the set of Good Times that contradicted the show’s image of a close-knit, blue-collar family struggling to survive in the projects.

Walker made “Dyn-o-mite!” a catchword for the Baby Boomer generation. Today, Dyn-o-mite! will inspire that same generation to rediscover what once made America great--the freedom of thought, the freedom of speech, and the belief in the individual.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/12
“A fast, funny and informative stand-up routine/memoir from one of the major comic stars of the 1970s…A unique perspective on the perils of modern comedy from a survivor with a long memory.”

 

Publishers Weekly, 5/21/12
“A solid, thoughtful, and provocative memoir about [Walker’s] nearly four-decade long career.”

Spittake.com, 6/27/12

“Without a healthy dose of humility, he couldn’t draw such a painfully honest portrait of life as a comic on the road. Whatever his reputation, he has persevered, and his story is thought-provoking and well worth the read.”

Kingman Daily Miner

“A dyn-o-mite read about a true pop culture icon and comedy legend…This is a fun read, a book, which you will remember, and one that might make you stop and pause for a moment as you ponder some of his pithy sayings. This is a five star book and one you will want on your bookshelf.”

American Profile, 8/12/12

“Paints a revealing self-portrait that also depicts the changing times of a socially charged era….It’s a dyn-o-mite read.”

Cleveland.com, 10/2212

“[An] immensely insightful, humorous memoir.”

About the Author

Jimmie Walker was born in 1947 in the Bronx. At 22, he began performing as a standup comedian and was eventually discovered by the casting director for Good Times. He continues to tour the country doing stand-up and lives in Las Vegas. Sal Manna is a journalist who has written for magazines such as Time, Playboy, Los Angeles, and People, and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Herald, the San Jose Mercury-News, and Newsday.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (June 26, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306820838
• ISBN-13: 978-0306820830
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A show biz memoir that sharp, funny, honest! July 2, 2012

By Smart

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a no BS show biz memoir. Refreshingly honest -- and pointedly funny. The tone is conversational like chatting with Jimmie at Cantor's Deli after a late night spot at the Improv.
You get insider stories on the many show biz friends Jimmie helped. Jimmie is his own person and not afraid to give his own sharp opinions.
His philosophy is that we should feel free to laugh because we are free.
His book is sprinkled with jokes from his act.
If you have a chance to catch Jimmie in person on the road, do. I promise you will laugh.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting account of a fascinating life... July 9, 2012

By Chip Capelli

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been a Jimmie Walker fan since before I was a teenager. I had a dyn-o-mite t-shirt and watched Good Times each week.

Even now, I watch the Good Times reruns every night.

As an adult, I because fascinated by the behind-the-scenes stories I heard about this show and was disappointed that the show did not live up to its original promise due to a lot of behind the scenes politics and emotions.

Jimmie did a great job in this book of not trashing Esther Rolle or John Amos, even though it would have been easy to do so. He presented the facts, backed up with quotes, and did not spend any time telling tells out of school.

Rehashing Good Times took about 1/3 of the book, maybe less, the fuller story was Jimmie's life in ghetto, his success as a comic and his team of comrades, many of whom rose through the ranks with him. (I think I was expecting/hoping for more Good Times memories, but the book stood on its own without the Hollywood put downs.)

Jimmie was a gentleman in this book, even when he didn't have to. (Are you listening, Jay Leno?)

Jimmie told an interesting story that kept me going. I was up until 3am and read the book in one sitting...

The best thing about Jimmie's story is that it's not over yet...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good and Interesting Times! September 12, 2012

By Nicole Garrett

Format:Hardcover

Jimmie Walker's biography 'Dyn-O-Mite', was a book I had actually been waiting to read for awhile. Even before Mr. Walker wrote it. I am a very big fan of television from the 60's and 70's, and 'Good Times' was one of my favorite sitcoms to watch as a child(though I think the show was already in re-runs when I began watching it). So as I grew older, and good television comedy began to take a nosedive, I began to rewatch many of those beloved, old programs, but this time, from an adult point of view.

Mr. Walker has the rare talent of making his early life, before stardom, seem just as interesting as what came after and how his life ended up, when his star began to ebb.

I always try and keep in mind, that when a person is writing about themselves, it is their truth that they are trying to relate. Mr. Walker's memories of the 'Good Times' cast, the storylines and the dysfunction behind the scenes, were all things I had never quite heard before. I had heard things but not quite the way he put them(for example, I thought John Amos just up and quit. I had no idea he was fired).

Mr. Walker is also brutally truthful on the subject of race, though I personally disagreed with him on two subtopics- his standing in the Black community because of his conservatism, and his reasons for not dating Black women. On the latter, some underage, Black girl that he shouldn't have been seeing, told her parents on him, they sued and after that he never dated another Black woman(mind you, she was underage so he was never dating any 'women' in the first place). He just isn't attracted to Black women and for someone who is so frank about everything else in this book, I was surprised he couldn't just outright say that.

Also, I cringed whenever Mr. Walker revealed some of his stand-up jokes. I didn't find them funny and yet I thought he was hilarious on 'Good Times'. My point is though, that Mr. Walker seemed to believe that his conservative stance combined with what past co-stars had said about him, were the reasons fame eluded him after 'Good Times'.

Frankly, I think Mr. Walker either couldn't, or didn't have the talent, to change with the times, when it came to improving his stand up act so it was actually funny.

One other thing that the reader will probably find fascinating: Mr. Walker offers very detailed insight as to the beginnings of the Dave Letterman/Jay Leno friendship that eventually turned into a feud. In fact, I would say above everything, that was the most interesting part of this book.

I gave this book five stars because there was actually no part of this book that was ever boring. If you did deign to skip a page, you probably would've missed out on an important fact. Maybe writing this book will give his career a much needed boost.