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The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood Paperback – June 12, 2001
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
DreamWorks cofounder David Geffen, as portrayed by Wall Street Journal reporter Tom King, is in various ways a saint, a visionary, and an absolute maniac. In his saintly mode, Geffen both raises and gives record-breaking sums of money to AIDS foundations, advises and supports the President and progressive causes, and races to visit old friends stricken with grief or illness (even the washed-up agent Sue Mengers, whose friendship could do him no earthly good).
As a visionary in the music, movie, and Broadway theater industries, Geffen orchestrates the sale of his record companies, which made him a billionaire, and brings you Laura Nyro; Cats; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; Tom Cruise; the Eagles; Nirvana; Bob Dylan; John Lennon; Guns N' Roses; Saving Private Ryan; and Joni Mitchell (who immortalized his deepest yearnings in her tune "Free Man in Paris").
But the most impressive and detailed portion of King's landmark biography is Geffen's performance as an entertainment entrepreneur, and in this capacity he is apparently a visionary and a maniac at the same time. Not only does he discover all manner of talents and works of art and hire the best hit-sniffers in the business, he also masters the fine Hollywood art of the Machiavellian tantrum. Geffen allegedly softens up his prey in a business deal by offering up disarming gossip about his own life--his traumatic courtship of Cher, or Marlo Thomas, perhaps, or the male prostitute he is said to have boasted about being in bed with the night John Lennon was shot. At some point, minutes or decades into an apparent friendship, Geffen is shown betraying anyone, even best friends and mentors, in his relentless quest for winning a deal. King's book provides a ringside seat; it's fascinating to watch Tinseltown's titans slug it out in championship bouts, maneuvering, lying, reuniting, and seizing power like crazed Renaissance princes.
In one memorable encounter, Geffen protests that Sid Sheinberg of MCA is displeasing his DreamWorks colleague, Steven Spielberg. "David, stop screaming," says Sheinberg. "I'm not screaming!" Geffen screams. "David, you know what would make me happy?" says Speilberg. "Stop screaming." It turns out that Geffen doesn't even know the details of the deal in question. But nobody knows how to strike a deal--with mind and maniacal heart--like David Geffen. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
It's easy to see why David Geffen hates this book. King, who has written about the entertainment business for the Wall Street Journal for nearly ten years, portrays Geffen as a mixed-up, tantrum-prone, greed-driven, Machiavellian huckster. King clearly got a good deal of access to friends and past associates as well as Geffen himself before the mogul decided to withdraw authorization from the project. And Geffen apparently has plenty of enemies willing to tell tales of infantile and brutish behavior. King carefully orders these to reveal the chronology of Geffen's rise and subsequent manipulations; and plentiful personal anecdotes will satisfy readers looking for cocktail-party small talk. It may all even be true; but truth is not the only measure of biography. King's journalistic training is his biggest problem. His unnuanced, just-the-facts style does not sustain interest through more than 500 pages of narrative, and his insistence on resolving inconsistencies and explaining behavior with formulaic psychology results in a cardboard cutout of his subject. Most surprisingly from a WSJ reporter, Geffen's skills as a deal-maker are left relatively unexplored beyond retellings of who were the players and who got what out of the deal. There will be demand for the book, and King's early access means it will be the most fully researched source on Geffen for years to come, but most libraries can make do with a single copy of this workmanlike effort.
---Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
---Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By
Michael Crowley
on March 20, 2000
Format: Hardcover
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"The Operator" makes for compelling reading. King has done a tremendous job of capturing a frightening time in Hollywood, and showing readers what made it so frightening. This book is not just about Geffen but about all the lives he touched, helped and often ruined. Some of the icons of the 80s and 90s figure powerfully into this story--The Eagles, Neil Young, Michael Eisner, Spielberg, Katzenberg and Nirvana.
King's portrait of a man who was not afraid to burn bridges, betray his mentors, and ingratiate himself with people he loathed is a classic tale of the lonely but powerful maverick who has great skills but also severe character flaws. The tragedy of Geffen is that there is much to admire in this man, but it is impossible to overlook the pain he caused so many people who were apparently loyal to him.
The book is balanced; I understand why Geffen is upset by the book but I think an objective reader comes away with equal measures of fear and respect for the man. In a sense I think King has done Geffen a favor by allowing readers a glimpse of the human component behind the wealth and power. There is no excuse for some of the things Geffen has done, but there is a reason: without psychoanalyzing Geffen, King manages to infer a climate, and provide contour to this man's psyche, that would permit a successful man to behave, at times, with such impunity and disregard for the well being of others. The question at the core of this existential puzzle is: Why would a self-made man with everything do more harm than good?Read more ›
King's portrait of a man who was not afraid to burn bridges, betray his mentors, and ingratiate himself with people he loathed is a classic tale of the lonely but powerful maverick who has great skills but also severe character flaws. The tragedy of Geffen is that there is much to admire in this man, but it is impossible to overlook the pain he caused so many people who were apparently loyal to him.
The book is balanced; I understand why Geffen is upset by the book but I think an objective reader comes away with equal measures of fear and respect for the man. In a sense I think King has done Geffen a favor by allowing readers a glimpse of the human component behind the wealth and power. There is no excuse for some of the things Geffen has done, but there is a reason: without psychoanalyzing Geffen, King manages to infer a climate, and provide contour to this man's psyche, that would permit a successful man to behave, at times, with such impunity and disregard for the well being of others. The question at the core of this existential puzzle is: Why would a self-made man with everything do more harm than good?Read more ›
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By
sweetmolly
on September 3, 2002
Format: Paperback
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This excellent biography well researched and beautifully written has but one flaw: the subject. David Geffen is so contradictory, no matter how much information about him is amassed; we are still baffled. In keeping with the rest of his personality, I understand this book was "partially" authorized. That is, when Mr. King began the project, DG was forthcoming and enthusiastic, only to totally reverse himself later on and be bitterly opposed to the undertaking.
David Geffen is a poster boy for ADD. He is frenetically active, but with a remarkably short attention span. He disliked school because it wasted his time. He can be a caring friend or an implacable enemy. He can be embarrassing intimate with almost complete strangers, yet distant as a north star toward his own family. He has lived a gay promiscuous life, yet fell hard for Cher and wanted to marry her. Easy going Cher recognized him as a "controller" and walked away. He shows great generosity personally and publicly; yet hasn't a qualm about financially ruining friend and foe alike for a perceived slight, and sometimes just for the hell of it.
No matter how much you thank your lucky stars that you never, ever have to do business with David Geffen, you cannot help but be awestruck at his genius as a businessman, visualizer and strategist. He is beyond compare, and in spite of Mr. King's admirable dissecting of various business deals, it is impossible to follow Geffen's leap of ideas and creativity to make things happen.
In spite of David Geffen's striving for the most money, the best deal, and the top of the financial ladder, I would not call him a materialistic man. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't feel an emotional bond to his beautiful artwork and homes. Name him a good price and he will sell it to you--as is.Read more ›
David Geffen is a poster boy for ADD. He is frenetically active, but with a remarkably short attention span. He disliked school because it wasted his time. He can be a caring friend or an implacable enemy. He can be embarrassing intimate with almost complete strangers, yet distant as a north star toward his own family. He has lived a gay promiscuous life, yet fell hard for Cher and wanted to marry her. Easy going Cher recognized him as a "controller" and walked away. He shows great generosity personally and publicly; yet hasn't a qualm about financially ruining friend and foe alike for a perceived slight, and sometimes just for the hell of it.
No matter how much you thank your lucky stars that you never, ever have to do business with David Geffen, you cannot help but be awestruck at his genius as a businessman, visualizer and strategist. He is beyond compare, and in spite of Mr. King's admirable dissecting of various business deals, it is impossible to follow Geffen's leap of ideas and creativity to make things happen.
In spite of David Geffen's striving for the most money, the best deal, and the top of the financial ladder, I would not call him a materialistic man. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't feel an emotional bond to his beautiful artwork and homes. Name him a good price and he will sell it to you--as is.Read more ›
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By
Tony Scafide,Tony Scafide
on March 25, 2000
Format: Hardcover
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I found King to be an intelligent and thorough writer. His writing keeps you glued to the page with anecdotes and suggested images to fill in the gaps. Direct writing with good facts makes this book a must read for anyone in the music and entertainment business.
Geffen is a legend who has not yet peaked. His struggle with his class background and achievement is on par with people such as Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. To dismiss Geffen as a cheap opportunist and a hustler would be missing the point of this man's life and King's book.
The story is compelling, the facts are clear, and Geffen is still in the press. Love him or hate him, if you don't know about the man, you can't know about the entertainment business. Right on "KING DAVID".
Geffen is a legend who has not yet peaked. His struggle with his class background and achievement is on par with people such as Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. To dismiss Geffen as a cheap opportunist and a hustler would be missing the point of this man's life and King's book.
The story is compelling, the facts are clear, and Geffen is still in the press. Love him or hate him, if you don't know about the man, you can't know about the entertainment business. Right on "KING DAVID".
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By
Development Executive
on March 10, 2000
Format: Hardcover
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If you're reading this book and it's never been your displeasure to navigate the rather circuitous studio system, you may find the offensive aspects of Mr. Geffen's behavior far too repugnant to appreciate the good aspects of his character. The reason you'll feel this way is because in every hood but Hollywood, loyalty, honesty and trustworthiness are valued, if not expected traits. If you automatically assume that these traits don't exist in your world, however, you're not offended when someone lacks them. It's like the pseudo-look-of-shock that a Pit Bull owner exhibits when his dog has just devoured his neighbor living in the trailer next to him...in Hollywood, people only pretend to be shocked or offended so they can suborn sympathy and, if they're lucky, indebtedness.
What I found most curious about this story was not that Mr. Geffen was such a shrewd and savvy operator--which he is--but that so many around him weren't. Of course, that might be because some of the notables he hangs with, such as Speilberg and Katzenberg, are those rare exceptions; trustworthy and successful all at the same time. Let's face it, the people who gravitate toward Hollywood in their early twenties--which includes virtually everyone in town--rarely have what it takes to play hardball for something other than money...I'm talking real stakes like keeping a roof over your family's head or possibly getting dead. I just read an amazing and powerful book called "Inside Job: Deep Undercover as a Corporate Spy," and came to the sobering realization that me and my pals in Hollywood wouldn't survive out there if the competition didn't live in the 902-- zip code.. But then again, who wants to...this job's a freakin' blast, baby!Read more ›
What I found most curious about this story was not that Mr. Geffen was such a shrewd and savvy operator--which he is--but that so many around him weren't. Of course, that might be because some of the notables he hangs with, such as Speilberg and Katzenberg, are those rare exceptions; trustworthy and successful all at the same time. Let's face it, the people who gravitate toward Hollywood in their early twenties--which includes virtually everyone in town--rarely have what it takes to play hardball for something other than money...I'm talking real stakes like keeping a roof over your family's head or possibly getting dead. I just read an amazing and powerful book called "Inside Job: Deep Undercover as a Corporate Spy," and came to the sobering realization that me and my pals in Hollywood wouldn't survive out there if the competition didn't live in the 902-- zip code.. But then again, who wants to...this job's a freakin' blast, baby!Read more ›
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