Customer Reviews

Guru: My Days with Del Close

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

True genius - that of visionary and driving force caliber - is rarely seen and even less seldom acknowledged during one's own lifetime. Del Close, the father of long-form improvisational theatre and the idea of improv as an art form, casts a long shadow as the central figure of Guru: My Days with Del Close, by Jeff Griggs.

In a mentor/protégée dynamic reminiscent of Ronald Harwood's "The Dresser", Griggs - a young, talented performer - finds himself entrusted with, at first, weekly errands for the slowly ailing Close. A somewhat odd pairing from the start - the ever-rebellious, outspoken and temperamental Close and the somewhat reserved, patient Griggs - find they are alike at the very core as both are insightful, driven and passionate about the work on stage. In his teachings at IO (formerly ImprovOlympic) in Chicago - along with Charna Halpern - Close taught, mentored and sometimes fought fiercely for honesty and intelligence onstage.

Through Griggs we are privy to the secrets, insights and, oftentimes, despair that accompanied a mind of such magnitude. The critiques of class work, for instance, are priceless for anyone who has taken an improvisational stage class: Take it seriously. Commit. Think of your stage partner and your relationship together, over yourself. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have been fortunate to have studied with teachers mentioned in this book, including Jeff Griggs, who is remarkably insightful as a teacher and tremendously talented as a performer. Being taught by a mentored student of Close's gives me a kind of "Closean Pedagogical Contact Buzz" - a metaphor Mr. Close might have enjoyed. Or not.)

Deftly interweaving Close's biographical facts with the continuous and growing narrative bond, Griggs establishes a private - and oftentimes poignant - look at a psychologically complex man and we are all the wiser and more mature for it. For baby improvisers to seasoned vets to actors who may still think improvisational games are just for warming-up before acting, to those who simply love the theatre, this book is necessary because it is a part, a record, of our theatrical history.

I suspect that a live radio interview with author Jeff Griggs on The Sound of Young America (Jesse Thorn's podcast program) helped my enjoynent of this book. I had never heard of Del Close, but appreciated a look into the world of Improv Comedy that the book provided, along with tantalizing personal details about the life of Del Close. The relationship between Jeff Griggs and Del Close seems a treasure trove of poignantly ironic anecdotes. Imagining the material available that was cut to fit into the the book, I wanted more! I've ordered several DVDs so I can take a closer look at Del.
My compliments to the chef!

This book was a real blessing for me. I was a student of Del's for four months during the last year of his life. He was a complex man, by his own admission, not a very likable one. This book allowed great insight into what was going on during that last year or so. Del did some very generous things for me during that time, but i always felt our relationship ended poorly. After reading this book, i felt a great weight lifted, and a greater understanding of that period of my life. I am able to forgive Del and realize there really was a method to his madness. He was an extraordinary soul and this book nails that with a few tears, and a great deal of laugh out loud escapades that prove Truth... is far stranger then fiction. My girlfriend read this book after me in one 5 and a half hour sitting. She literally could not put it down, and she never even met Del. This one is a gem that i look forward to reading again down the road. Well Done Jeff! No small feat. Thanks for setting the record straight on just who Del Close really was.

This was a great book. The author uses a lot of real life experiences to bring Del to life, which needed to be documented for future generations.

Even if you aren't in the Chicago Improv scene, this is a very funny and cleverly written book about the one and only Del Close. Del was a drug addict, an actor, and a believer in the art of long-form improv. I would imagine knowing him would have been bitter-sweet, but got a better glimps of him from "Guru." You should definitely read this if you want a good chuckle.

This is the story of real life pop culture Zelig Del Close (Mike Myers, L. Ron Hubbard, the Grateful Dead and Lenny Bruce all make appearances) and his relationship with his the assistant, the author of this book (and a very funny writer). Over verbal scrapping and absurd adventures Del and Jeff reach a sort of understanding and Jeff gain insight into the importance of taking risk in art, even as his "guru" rants about the usefulness of ropes as belts and the lack of bats in Chicago. Were they "friends"? Of a sort.

It's a very funny book with barbed and profane dialogue between the protagonists, but it still manages to be inspiring. Couldn't put it down.

If you have any interest in comedy or improv, especially the history of both in the United States, this book is required.

I have to say, this is one of the most informative books in regards to Improv I have ever read. My son led me to it and I keep thanking him over and over!!