The Tragic Clowns- An Analysis of the Short Lives of John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, and Chris Farley (Perfect Paperback)

~ Joe Guse (Author) "Lenny Bruce was an iconoclast like no other..." (more)
Key Phrases: attack the stage, John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, Saturday Night Live (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As a lifelong resident of Chicago I saw John Belushi, Chris Farley, and even the author Joe Guse perform around the city, and therefore found this book particularly interesting. There has certainly been some debate regarding Belushi's story between the Bob Woodward version and the family's version and this book provides another potential explanation that looks at childhood patterns. From what I know about Farley this book also seems to provide some accurate possible insights into his behavior that looks at factors such as his how his religious beliefs contributed to his guilt and shame. Great book and well worth reading if your interested in psychology and comedy and how the two are intermingled. --Comedy Central

Fascinating read!! This book goes well beyond the standard biography and provides in-depth psychological profiles of these three prominent comedians. --Psychological Review

Interesting connections in this book. Although each of these men died from drug overdoses, each had childhood patterns that drastically affected their adult lives. A fascinating way to write a biography. --Lulu Publications

Product Description

A former Chicago comedian and current psychotherapist provides a psychological profile of John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, and Chris Farley, and attempts to examine the pathos that exists in the inner worlds of comedians.

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Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Aardvark (February 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427616132
• ISBN-13: 978-1427616135
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,197,458 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!, March 3, 2007

By	Dr. Henry Lyon - See all my reviews

Very well crafted work here. The author provides a great deal of compelling evidence to suggest how early Lifestyle patterns influence faulty thinking later on in life. Beyond the technical aspects of this technique, this book takes great pain to identify the struggles each of these men underwent to set things right in their lives, while still falling victim to their deeply habituated behavior. I never fully considered how common these compensatory behaviors are in comedians, and this book definitely holds a light up to this phenomenon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, March 22, 2007

By	Kenneth Ismail - See all my reviews

Excellent book that considers several factors including gender guiding lines, family atmosphere, culture, as well as the nature of addiction in providing an analysis of these three sad lives.