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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography (Paperback)

~ Chuck Barris (Author) "It was June 1980, and I was standing in front of a full-length mirror studying my body..." (more)
Key Phrases: whoopee socks, pink polo shirt, Jim Byrd, The Dating Game, New York (more...)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography + Bad Grass Never Dies: The Sequel to Confessions of a Dangerous Mind + Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1982 but out-of-print for years, '70s television icon Barris's forgotten autobiography is being reissued to coincide with the December release of a major film adaptation. After two decades of relative obscurity, Barris's memoir may finally find an eager audience. Readers will probably best remember Barris as the creator and host of The Gong Show, but his resume also includes such classic shows as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, as well as a hit song, "Palisades Park," and a New York Times bestselling book, You and Me Babe (1970). What will shock readers, however, is Barris's claim that, throughout his successful TV career, he was leading a double life as a decorated CIA assassin. While supposedly "scouting locations" to send his winning game show contestants, Barris was actually traveling to exotic locales to knock off America's Cold War foes. Or so he'd have readers believe. While far-fetched, the tension-filled scenes of Barris's supposed CIA activities provide an ingenious counterbalance to the story of his meandering personal life, the snarling critics who attacked Barris for dragging television into the gutter and hilarious recollections of how wholesome contestants would become inexplicably filthy once on the set of The Dating Game. Even though Barris's reputation as a wacky TV show host doomed this literary venture when it was originally published, it is in fact a remarkably well-crafted and entertaining book, both unflinchingly personal and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Twenty years later, it reads like a classic.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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"Dangerously funny." -- People
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Miramax (November 27, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786888083
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786888085
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #641,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Chuck Barris
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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It was June 1980, and I was standing in front of a full-length mirror studying my body. Read the first page
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whoopee socks, pink polo shirt
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Jim Byrd, The Dating Game, New York, The Gong Show, Chuck Barris, Los Angeles, Patricia Watson, Lucy Sue Glopp, Penny Pacino, Mexico City, Simon Oliver, Unicycle Kid, Beverly Hills, Father Chester, United States, Central Intelligence Agency, Rollie Ripple, Bachelor Number Three, Chuck Dawn, Harry Kirby, Manuel Benitez, Parker Hotel, The Newlywed Game, West Berlin, Julie Candaleri
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33 Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The literary version of the Urban Myth?, September 12, 2003
By A Customer
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is the unauthorized autobiography of Chuck Barris. Mr. Barris is probably best known as the creator of several popular games shows including the Dating Game, the Newlywed Game and the Gong Show. In this autobiography he also makes the claim that he was one of the CIA's most successful assassins. Although his claim is highly dubious, Mr. Barris has a knack for spinning it into one hell of a story.

In the first chapter we are introduced to the 1980 version of Chuck Barris playing the role of the reclusive and paranoid millionaire. A burnt out, former international celebrity best know for serving up some of the schlockiest television shows in the pre-reality television era.

Chuck, plagued by nightmares and consumed by his phobias, attempts to exorcise his demons by authoring the book "Confession of a Dangerous Mind" which he refers to an "act of catharsis". However, before he can finish this story and free himself he must complete the now all too clich "final mission" for the CIA. As formulaic as this premise may sound I can guarantee that Chuck has you completely snared by the end of the first chapter.

Chuck tells the tale of himself as the proverbial young man down on his luck trying to find his place in the world. He is unable to hold a job, or maintain a stable relationship when he answers a newspaper ad that reads: "COLLEGE GRADUATE: FREE TO TRAVEL". As difficult as this is to believe, he is promptly recruited into the CIA and embarks on his new career as an international assassin. As luck would have it, he simultaneously creates several hit television shows and becomes one of the most successful producers in television for more than a decade. Through out the book the author struggles to intertwine the two disparate careers.

Ok, I know this sounds like the plot for a B movie but surprisingly the story actually works. Mr. Barris is effective because he plays upon the fantasies of our culture. Aren't we all longing for a life-changing event that sweeps us away from our mundane existence into a titillating new life? Isn't that the reason we go to the movies or read books, in order to escape the routine for a few hours? I resisted reading this book because I thought it would be too farfetched and the spy plot would be too distracting but. However I found the blend of fiction and non-fiction to be both audacious and compelling. Even if you unable reconcile the fictional aspects from the "true" anecdotes, this tale remains an insightful and entertaining glance into the mind of a creative yet disturbed man.

Chuck Barris has often been criticized for the quality of the body of work he has created, but you do have to give Chuck some credit. He knows what the masses want and he consistently delivers it and this book is no exception.

My rating: I gave it 5 stars just because I had a great time reading this book on the train into work every morning for a week, which does not happen that frequently.

By the way, I hate this "out of 5 stars" thing. It doesn't really tell me anything. So I will just rate this book a 270 out of a possible 538 Electoral College votes. My reasoning is that this book is would be good enough to elect for as Leader of the Free World for 4 years but it probably won't change the way you live your life.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Barris Tells All..., November 26, 2002
By "mattbcoach@aol.com" (Monroe Township, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
Was Chuck Barris an agent for the CIA? Maybe. Its impossible to tell for sure. And from the standpoint of the entertainment value of this book, it really doesnt matter. Chuck Barris does a great job of detailing his rise as one of the most prolific creators of game shows in our nations History. Barris, despite his reputation on "the Gong Show" is a highly literate, intelligent, Ivy League educated man. I read this book taking the train from New York to Washington, and I couldnt stop turning the pages. This read is fast, entertaining, and insightful. I cant wait for the movie to come out
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "The Homicide Game", December 12, 2004
By David L. Vasser (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I saw the movie "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" first and then I read the book. As interesting and well made as the movie is, the book is actually better. I was a regular viewer of Mr. Barris's television programs and watched them quite a bit when I was growing up along with millions of other boomers.

It is a strange leap from producing "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" to being a contestant in Barris' real life version of "The Homicide Game." Yet, this is precisely what this story from Mr. Barris asks the reader to believe. Yet something in the back of my mind tells me that it is not actually all that difficult to imagine Mr. Barris actually saying, "And now here's a prize selected especially for you. It's a three-eighty hollow-point!"

I always thought Chuck Barris did not deserve all the vile and spiteful things that were said about him during his television producer days by critics and so-called media experts. He was just giving America what it wanted. Compared to the infantile sitcoms of the day, his game shows were far more mentally engaging. The first book I read by Barris was "The Game Show King: A Confession" and I was amazed at how well he wrote. But then again, this is a well educated, well traveled mature man who has lived life above and beyond the everyday Joe since 1965, so I should not have been as surprised as I was. "Game Show King" is a better insight into his complex and fascinating personality than "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and does not get into the CIA angle at all.

That Barris is just plain wired differently from normal people is obvious to anyone who ever saw "The Gong Show." However accepting that what he wrote in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" could all be true is certainly a stretch. Yet Mr. Barris is clever enough to make his story very convincing and extremely entertaining. There are very few clues here that he could be making the entire thing up, but they are there for informed readers. For only one example, he writes about CIA operations which happened in the USA. Of course, this is specifically forbidden by law and they simply wouldn't do that. They would get the FBI to do it. There are other very minor details that are also questionable.

The true mystery of this book and its sequel "Bad Grass Never Dies" isn't whether or not the CIA angle is true. The real mystery is that since Barris doesn't need the money why does he bother to write these books at all? As of yet his true motivation remains a mystery, but I wouldn't be surprised if his next book is about why he wrote the "Sunny Sixkiller" books. I've seen him interviewed and he's been extremely evasive when directly questioned on the story's validity. None the less, this is one very enjoyable book that I had trouble putting down and finished in no time flat. I was left wanting more. I really enjoy Barris's writing style. I think he could have been an everyman's Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming if he'd really wanted to be. Instead of carving a literary legacy for himself, he will be remembered primarily as "Chuckie-Baby" Barris, the apparently deranged master of disaster on "The Gong Show." This is a pity as he writes so well. The ending of this book is really very good. The ending of the film it is just not as good. I would have enjoyed reading an entire "Sunny Sixkiller" series if he had written one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Fun, Even If It's Not True
Chuck Barris gives a very fun, expletive-filled reading of his book that adds a little more crediblity to his story as you wonder: Is this for real? Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mel Zorro

5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck barris novelist?
Can't determine if Chuck Barris was really a hit man for the CIA or not.
Perhaps he did some work for them, but didn't work out, and they let him
go? Read more
Published 16 months ago by brie livingston

3.0 out of 5 stars Confessions of a fantasizing mind....
Some fantasize what they would do if they win the lottery and some fantasize being a hitperson for the CIA. Read more
Published on November 29, 2005 by New Yorker living in TX

4.0 out of 5 stars the big question
Very good and interesting but of course I am a Chuck Barris fan. It is especially interesting to read the book and see the movie in the same week. Read more
Published on October 13, 2005 by Debbe Botta

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting - Regardless of the truth...
Forget whether or not it's real. It's a good yarn that is convincingly told. Funnily enough, the parts of the story that concentrate on his role as a CIA agent are probably less... Read more
Published on January 17, 2005 by S. Di Lizio

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Intriguing
Though I read this account two years ago, I still vividly recall of my impressions. This is not a book you soon forget. Read more
Published on October 17, 2004 by June Bug

4.0 out of 5 stars Chuckie Baby.. What's going on?
A very entertaining story.. (or is it a biography?) that is for each reader to decide.. I'm still on the fence on whether this belongs in the fiction, non-fiction, or lunatic... Read more
Published on October 7, 2004 by K. Farrell

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Funny Book
I listened to the book on tape of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. This is a really hysterical semi-autobiography, semi-fiction(?) of the life of Chuck Barris. Read more
Published on September 3, 2004 by Donna Grayson

4.0 out of 5 stars Hmm...well, I don't think I believe him, but who cares?
It's a good read anyway. The movie is quite good too, although both versions of the tale - both Barris's own memoirs and the film adaptation - contain some narrative flaws that... Read more
Published on June 28, 2004 by John

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly entertaining and unbelievable reading
Chuck Barris - the guy responsilbe for producing tv shows such as The Gong Show, Newlywed Game, Dating Game and others tells all in this fast paced thriller. Read more
Published on February 25, 2004 by Frank Forrest

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