Daniel De Visé

I thoroughly enjoyed this dual biography of the masters of Mayberry. It was interesting to get a feel for their childhoods, to see behind the scenes of the Andy Griffith show (and to learn more about their careers on either side of that landmark show), and to hear about the obviously strong friendship that carried throughout their lives. The author did not avoid the men's decidedly un-Mayberry-like qualities, but handled it all with grace. Full of (for me) wonderful little tidbits, like the show more fact that the character who played Howard on the AG Show was discovered when Andy saw him in a Eugene O'Neill play, "Hughie," (which is now playing in New York with Forrest Whitaker, I believed.) And, of course, you will be reminded of many priceless moments from the show, showing the comedic genius of Don Knotts and the true talent it takes to play a straight man well (Andy Griffith). show less

Do you like reading that is deadly intense? Yes? Then go read the chapter titled “20 Minutes” in The Comeback, a biography of Greg LeMond, the three-time Tour de France champion and winner of multiple world championships. I’m not kidding. It’s intense.

In addition to those 20 minutes, bike racing fans will learn from Daniel de Visé’s book how LeMond became a racer and how he came to compete and succeed against such formidably gifted men as Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon. It show more was a success achieved in the face of personal demons that followed him from his youth.

After his racing career, LeMond was belittled for his protests publicizing the competitive performance advantages realized in the peloton by doping. His outspokenness gave him the reputation of being a bitter man jealous of others’ successes, the most famous of the others being Lance Armstrong. Fans now know who was telling the truth. The racers, most of whom doped, knew all along. Thus, the book also becomes a story about what it is to insist on honesty in an environment committed to subverting truth, in a sport where the event most directly testing a competitor’s strength (the time trial) is often called the “race of truth” (ironic, eh?). At book’s end, the author gives us a specific example of why one should suspect that deceptions by those most successful in the sport persist. I hope LeMond’s voice continues to be heard. show less

The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Visé is a wonderful look at a very specific time in popular culture by focusing on The Blues Brothers. From understanding the people behind the characters to the rise in the popularity of improv through the creation of the characters and the movie, this volume tells a story much larger than just the making of one movie.

Most readers who remember this time also know a fair amount of the stories about the key players, even though many of what we "know" may be show more false or overblown. What de Visé does is offer some fact-based background on Belushi and Ackroyd, as well as the world of improv comedy at the time, to show how a film like The Blues Brothers came to be, and how it has become such an iconic film.

I really appreciated the way what led to the making of the film was given sufficient space. Many books that use a film as a focal point for a bigger assessment spend so much time on the minutiae of the filmmaking itself that the cultural impact becomes secondary. Or they use sensationalistic stories and anecdotes to help sell the book. With the group of people involved in this story, some gossipy bits like that can't be ignored, they were part of what made the scene both appealing and, for some, less appealing. But the sensationalism is downplayed here in favor of looking at what resulted from them rather than wallow in them.

I did see one person who complained that the book spent time on things other than the movie. I don't understand the complaint, the title itself makes clear it is about "an epic friendship, the rise of improv, and the making of an American film classic." What about that title would make someone think it was just about the film? Oh well, a heads up, read the entire title before reading a book, and especially before whining about a book not being what it never set out to be.

I would certainly recommend this to fans of the movie as well as SNL fans. I also think anyone with an interest in popular culture more broadly will find a lot to enjoy here.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

This book, written by Don Knotts’ brother-in-law, is the story of both Don Knotts and Andy Griffith and their rise in show business from “No Time For Sergeants” in the 1950s to their iconic “The Andy Griffith Show” in the 1960s. The anecdots are personal and interesting. As I read the book, I was surprised at how well written it is, but at the end, the author’s bio mentions that he won the Pulitzer Prize, so that made sense. After reading some pretty heavy books before this one, show more I was ready for something light. And this is what “Andy and Don” was. I thoroughly enjoyed it. show less