Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it or Hate it, but Please Don't Ignore It...., December 30, 2006
We live in a yogi-riddled age, where just about every shmuck with enough coinage to open a curd stand, self-publish a book or fund an infomercial is out there preaching his or her own "enlightened" method of living, eating, sleeping, dieting, thinking, exercising or making love. Most of these people are cranks or con-men, and their advice is worth about as much as a bean-curd pastry at a Texas chili cook-off. Having read CONFESSIONS OF A KAMIKAZE COWBOY, I feel compelled to say that Dirk Benedict, former star of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and THE A-TEAM, is n-o-t one of them. You may not agree with everything he has to say, either on the medical establishment, diet or philosophy, but he tells an interesting story and makes a passionate and perhaps even credible argument for embracing a totally different way of relating to the world.
Benedict was born in rural Montana (hence: COWBOY) and grew up on what might be referred to as an all-meat diet, a diet he later blamed for his arthritis, acne, receding hairline and ultimately, for his prostatic cancer, and CONFESSIONS is largely an examination of his lifelong journey to really grasp the meaning of the phrase, "You are what you eat." The book is subtitled "A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Recovery and Life" and on every part but the "Acting" this is true. Readers hoping for the inside story on his up-and-down career in front of the camera will be disappointed, for with the exception of some anecdotes about getting cast as Starbuck on GALACTICA and a hilarious recollection of his guest appearance on CHARLIE'S ANGELS he has almost nothing to say about Hollywood (except, of course, for its pill-popping, soul-destroying culture). This lends credence to his oft-repeated mantra that he really doesn't give a damn about acting, fame or money, which is kind of refreshing from a guy whose looks certainly should have made him as superficial as a nightly news segment.
In CONFESSIONS, Dirk preaches the virtues of a macrobiotic diet, which ain't easy, because macrobiotics is/are one of the toughest culinary disciplines out there, eschewing all animal flesh, all dairy, all caffine and alcohol drinks, all sugar, all flour products, all fruits, nuts, and oils (with one or two exceptions), and all tropical vegetables, in favor of "50 - 60% whole grains, 20 - 30 % cooked vegetables, 5 - 10 % soups, 5 - 10 % beans and bean products, and 5 - 10 % cooked sea vegetables." The only acceptable beverages are water and a couple non-stimulant teas, such as bancha or seaweed. (In other words, jack-all.) Hand-in-hand with a macrobiotic diet, however, Dirk also preaches a macrobiotic way of life, founded on the principles of yin and yang (hence: KAMIKAZE) which, if I may reduce it to a phrase, stresses a life dedicated to the understanding and examination of causes, rather than the treatment and reaction to effects.
Dirk's grudges, against American culture specifically and modern society generally, are numerous and bitter. Like Kevin Trudeau, who has made untold gazillions with his NATURAL CURES books, Benedict puts a steel-toed boot up the a*s of organized Christianity, the medical establishment, the dairy association, the drug concerns, the fast-food and sugar-soda empires, and so on. Like Trudeau, he blames our diet and consumerist, materialist, effects-driven culture for all the evils of the world, from rape and cancer to wars and nuclear proliferation. Diet, he maintains, is the essential, the central, the first cause of all behaviors and world-outlooks, and a diet laden with garbage causes not merely physical disease - like he had - but emotional and spiritual disease as well. Through a macrobiotic approach, Dirk purged his body of a life-accumulation of toxins and whupped his migraines, his impotence, his receding hairline, his acne, his arthritis and finally, his cancer. And the proof's in the pudding - he quotes his stats as of 2005 as: pulse 45 (!), bp 106/60, cholesterol 145. He adds gleefully that he never gets tired, hasn't had a headache in 15 years, sleeps like rock, and has the sex drive of a 18 year old. Dirk ain't stupid, he knows sex sells, and if he is ultra-sparing with details of his acting career, he makes no bones about how it greased the wheels of an envy-inducing sex life.
To be sure, D.B. has some out-there ideas and not a few of his opinions had me doing the oh-come-on dance, but the same charm he exuded on TV as "Starbuck" and "Faceman" glosses over even his more obnoxious moments, such as when he claims that rape is a side-effect of bad diet or that nobody gets anything in life he doesn't deserve. On the whole however his writing style is erudite and enjoyable. If he often bogs down in pseudo-profundity, he just as often entertains with wonderfully mean-spirited assaults on all the soulless b*stards in the world that profit from obesity, disease and human vice generally. His ultimate attitude is, "If you want to know what's in my 'medicine cabinet', look in my kitchen."
Most people are either too brainwashed by modern corporate Kultur, with its never-ending emphasis on bigger-faster-more, or too unwilling to give up everything that seems worthwhile in the fridge just to add a few years to the back-end of their lives, to follow Benedict down his path. I'm not sure it's for me, either, but I'm willing to take a few steps and see where it goes....
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for everybody!, February 6, 2006
This is an excellent book. Dirk is an excellent author. This was the quickest read of non-fiction I have had in years. It is great getting a point of view of others, especially, when they write in a down-to-earth style you can understand. Dirk seems to be that kind of guy.
If you are looking for a bit-by-bit blow from Battlestar Galactica or the A-Team...forget it. He only tells us a little about his work. I wish he would have written more because the few parts there were a great read.
This book is mainly about how Dirk fought cancer using macrobiotics. After reading this book I am not a convert, but I learned a lot. I learned that I and most Americans need to greatly reduce our intake of fatty meat and triple our intake of good vegetables. More veggies, a balanced diet and less caffeine and alcohol all lead to a healthier person.
I do not totally agree with him on his views on modern medicine. Yes, there are many quacks out there who think that they can solve any problem you have with a pill, you get addicted to that pill and then you're hooked. But evidence shows that we are living longer today despite our intake of unhealthy food. I think we can thank some doctors and scientists for that.
For me, the power of this book was the fact that Dirk took control of his life that, to him, seemed out of control. And it does seem like his method helped beat his disease.
I hope we have more offerings from Dirk, not only on the screen, but more literary works as well.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book!, September 25, 2005
Dirk Benedict is a witty and 'no holds barred' writer, and I appreciated the raw honesty of both of his books. I read the 1991 printing of this book several years ago and wish I had read it sooner. Confessions changed the way I think about modern medicine. It was the beginning of my journey to learning about the healing power of macrobiotics and it's ability to keep us healthy so we can enjoy life as we were meant to. But don't take my word for it, read the book. I think everyone should.
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