Guru: My Days with Del Close [Hardcover]

Jeff Griggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2005

A legend of improvisational theater, Del Close is best known for discovering and cultivating the talents of John Belushi, Chris Farley, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, and countless other comedy giants. He was resident director of Chicago's famed Second City and "house metaphysician" for "Saturday Night Live," a talent in his own right, and one of the brightest and wackiest theater gurus ever. Jeff Griggs was a student of Close's at the ImprovOlympic in Chicago when he was asked to help the aging mentor (often in ill health) by driving him around the city on his weekly errands. The two developed a volatile friendship that shocked, angered, and amused both of them—and produced this hilarious and ultimately endearing chronicle of Close's last years. With all the elements of a picaresque novel, Guru captures Close at his zaniest but also shows him in theatrical situations that confirm his genius in conceptualizing and directing improvisational theater. Between comic episodes, Jeff Griggs gives the reader the essentials of Close's biography: his childhood in Kansas, early years as an actor, countercultural exploits in the 1960s (he toured with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and designed light shows for the Grateful Dead), years with the Compass Players and then with Second City, and continuing experimentation with every drug imaginable, which pretty much cost him his health and ultimately his life. He was comedian, director, teacher, writer, actor, poet, fire-eater, junkie, and philosopher. "Being a really good actor does not necessarily guarantee that you will be a very good improviser," Close liked to say. "Being an actual, complete, hopeless, wretched geek in real life doesn't disqualify you from being a solid improviser, either." He approached improv the same way he conducted his life—in bizarre, dark, and dangerous fashion. Guru captures it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The father of improvisational theater and an inspiration for such comedians as John Belushi, Bill Murray and Chris Farley, Close was once called "the Ted Kaczynski of modern comedy," and his alternately brilliant and self-destructive personality is compellingly recorded in this anecdotal biography. Griggs, a friend and former student of Close's who assisted the ailing artist with his errands during the latter years of his life, takes readers on a jarring and otherworldly journey through the byways of Chicago, recounting the conversations and wild experiences that he shared with the eccentric comedian. Tales of Close's explosive, sometimes harsh teaching style (he was fond of yelling and of cutting people up with criticism when they made mistakes) will make readers cringe in sympathy for his students, but Griggs's description of the relationship between Close and Farley brings out the artist's humanity. By the end, Close emerges as a complex figure-a dedicated teacher, a brilliant comedian, a lonely artist and a suicidal misfit who was consistently outrageous and seemingly obsessed with himself. (Before his death on March 4, 1999, Close made Griggs promise to find a way to keep his skull and ashes in the Del Close Theater at Improv Olympic so that he could still "affect the work.") Griggs's descriptions of Close's filthy living habits and his obscene bombast will put some readers off their lunch and, by focusing almost exclusively on private, affectionate anecdotes, Griggs is rarely able to convey the enormity of Close's talent. However, this book succeeds as a personal tribute to a tortured but beloved friend.
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Actor, director, and improv guru Del Close is best remembered as teacher, director, and mentor of several generations of much more famous comic actors, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, John Candy, and Chris Farley. Griggs' memoir recounts Close's last year, during which Griggs was a combination errand boy, chauffeur, and man Friday for Close. Griggs took the job in return for free acting classes with Close at Close's theater, the Chicago-based ImprovOlympic. Griggs' account follows a predictable, if natural, arc. Early on, the notoriously prickly and sharp-tongued Close holds the only somewhat less prickly and sharp-tongued Griggs at a distance and cuts him no slack. As time goes on, however, Griggs earns Close's begrudging trust as Close takes Griggs on a series of unlikely adventures in the most mundane locations: bank lobbies, grocery stories, city streets at night. Griggs alternates his recollections with chapters devoted to Close's life and work; his troubled youth in Manhattan, Kansas; his days as a director for the Committee and the Second City; and his many experiments with turning Viola Spolin-style theatrical improvisation into an art. Griggs writes like an inspired amateur, and much of the book reads like a series of quickly written blog entries. Griggs' prose may be rough, but it is also energetic and heartfelt, honest and utterly riveting. Jack Helbig
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (April 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566636140
• ISBN-13: 978-1566636148
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great portrayal of Del, and of Improvisers in general, March 24, 2005

By 

L. E. Pearlman (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guru: My Days with Del Close (Hardcover)

What impressed me most about this book was not Griggs' compelling portrayal of Del Close (although I loved it), nor the way that it filled in gaps in Close's biography that I only had to guess at before. What I liked most about it was Griggs' descriptions of what it's like to be an improviser in the scene; taking classes, being in ensembles and learning from giants. I certainly can relate, and that's what helped make this book such an essential read for me. This book is a must for disciples of Close. It's funny, touching, wonderfully human, highly informative. It made me feel like I had gotten to know Close well. After reading this book, I truly wish I had that honor.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Wonderful Right Away..., March 23, 2005

By 

Mac Antigua (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guru: My Days with Del Close (Hardcover)

I couldn't put the book down. I loved Mr. Griggs' invocation of Del Close.

For improvisers it's a must-read: you witness Del's clarity and passion regarding the craft.
For you pop-culture buffs, it's a must read: you get to learn of Del's impact on American comedy, and his intersections with 1960s counterculture.
For those who love a good story, it's a must read: I loved how seemingly innocuous errands became adrenaline rushing adventures, and was fascinated by the reflections of a man who lived a tremendously full life.

With his book, Mr. Griggs took me back to when I studied under Del in 1998. Seven years later, his teaching is very much vital and relevant to us as we are building a longform improv community in Houston, TX. Thanks for your work, Jeff. Well done!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, Loved it., March 7, 2005

By 

Jokey McJokes-a-lot "jon" (Bottom of Lake Michigan, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guru: My Days with Del Close (Hardcover)

This book is such a good read, you'll be hard pressed to put it down once you pick it up. The essence of Del is so meticulously laid in front of you, that you truly feel you knew him by the book's end. All of the true life stories presented by Griggs hit home and give insight into the fearless, crazy, and sometimes lonely world of an incredible genius. If you have enjoyed any comedian or comedic actor in the past 35 years, then you must read this book, as Del has been noted by nearly every one as a person of influence and inspiration. Kudos to Griggs for bringing this to us.