Robin

A solid biography, Robin recounts both the career of the extroverted, larger-than-life comedian who was one of the world's biggest stars from the 1970s to the 1990s, and the personal life of a man who struggled with drink, drugs and eventually the early-onset dementia which led him to take his own life.

Dave Itzkoff takes a fairly straightforward approach to his subject and the book moves chronologically from Robin Williams' privileged if lonely childhood, to his early years on the stand-up scene, and beyond. Thanks to the dozens and dozens of interviews he conducted with Williams' friends, family and colleagues, Robin will probably be the definitive Williams biography for the foreseeable future.

I found the earliest part of the book show more the most interesting, since it recounted the period of Williams' creative peak, much of which I have no firsthand memory of (Mork and Mindy wasn't repeated much on Irish TV and I don't think his stand-up specials at all; the first thing of his that I clearly remember encountering is Aladdin). Itzkoff's recounting had me curious enough to go look up some of the referenced bits on YouTube, which to be honest I found a mixed bag. Williams' energy and curiosity about the world and his observational ability is still clear, but I found the manic quality of a lot of the bits to be not quite to my taste; the racial caricatures and the sexism definitely weren't. (If I'm being honest I can see why Williams' career declined so precipitously in the 2000s—not only did he pick some godawful scripts, but I couldn't see much by way of evidence that he changed or grew overly much as a comedian.)

Robin is a perceptive and appreciative biography, but what makes it solid as opposed to truly great is that I didn't finish it with what felt like a clear understanding of what made Robin Williams tick. Maybe that's an unfair criticism—it may be that no one did, not even Williams himself—but Itzkoff seemed very leery of drawing too many final conclusions about Williams. show less

I've lived long enough to have experienced some significant deaths over the years, beginning with JFK's assassination when I was 13 months old (and yes, I actually have some very dim memories, but ones that have been corroborated with family members). Since then, while many famous people have died, only four others truly affected me.

John Lennon
David Bowie
Tom Petty
Robin Williams

Robin's death just about broke me. He'd made me laugh for decades, and from the second I saw him, he was always at the top of my "funniest comedian in the world" list. He still is.

I hesitated to read this book, because I was scared that it would tell me things that I didn't want to know about a person I'd idolized all these years. And I also didn't want to relive show more his death again.

But Itzkoff handles Robin's story well. He doesn't pull punches, but he does set the framework, and does a good job of explaining the circumstances leading up to, and surrounding some of the crappier things Robin did through his life. And really, who among us can say we never did anything bad? First stone throw goes to anyone who can claim that title.

I think the things that came through the most from this book was Robin's caring, his insecurities toward his own talent, and, above all, his humanity.

And yes, reliving his death was as bad as I expected, but again, Itzkoff handled it well.

Robin, we'll never see another like you. You were a singular talent, and you brought a lot of laughter to my life.

Highly recommended book. show less

Robin Williams was one of my favorite actors growing up. As a kid born in the 1990s, I grew up watching movies like Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire and Hook, and I was continually entranced by this charismatic man that had this charm, this something that drew me in and made me laugh, even if my child’s mind didn’t fully grasp the joke. I laughed because even if I didn’t know the punchline, I knew it was funny because I knew Robin Williams was funny.

When I heard that Robin Williams had killed himself in 2014, I was deeply saddened. How could this man whom I had idolized in my childhood do something like this? It seemed such a juxtaposition between two opposing natures – comedy and tragedy – that it was difficult to view these show more contradictions as the same man. It was this lens that also seemed to put his past work into a different perspective:

"His suicide seemed to cast everything he had done previously in a newly foreboding light; the serious roles were suddenly more urgent and the comic roles now were irreparably tinged with melancholy. As the film critic Bilge Ebiri tweeted with uncommon precision that day, “You start off as a kid seeing Robin Williams as a funny man. You come of age realizing many of his roles are about keeping darkness at bay.”"

I really liked this biography of Robin Williams. The author did a really good job of portraying the comedian’s seemingly dual natures: Robin Williams was both the extroverted, slightly crazy funny man who was always cracking jokes, as well as a more introverted and introspective man, where he was sometimes filled with self-doubt of his abilities. Knowing how Robin Williams ended his own life gave a greater sense of meaning to each moment of self-doubt, to every hiccup on the road, and it made me see the actor and comedian differently than I had before.

This book had a lot of funny parts, too. The author described a lot of his work enough so, if you didn’t see the routine or the movie, you would be able to follow along as well as get a laugh or two from some of the jokes. After reading several sections about Robin’s stand-up, I went to YouTube to see if I could find the whole routines – a lot of it is there – since I’m not as familiar with his early work. It was an interesting experience to watch how his work evolved from his early stand-up roles to Mork & Mindy to movies to stand-up, and everywhere in between. Robin Williams was a fascinating actor and genuinely good person, and I’m glad this was able to shine throughout the book.

However, at its core, this book is about a man suffering from depression who decided to take his own life, despite all of his successes and family and fans that loved him. This book is important, now more than ever, especially with the recent deaths of two cultural icons: Vera Wang and Anthony Bourdain. Mental illness is such a debilitating disease that can affect those we love without us ever noticing, affecting even those who might seem to have a good life – like Williams, Wang, and Bourdain. Depression isn’t logical, but it is a disease with devastating effects, and it is crucial that those suffering from it aren’t subject to the stigma that goes along with mental illness. It’s not always easy to just “turn it off” and “get over it.”

I thank Dave Itzkoff for lending insight into the life of the man who I grew up idolizing as an actor. His life wasn’t always perfect, but he worked hard, overcame his demons for a time, and had a successful career making a lot of people happy. I really like this quote that Robin’s long-time friend, Billy Crystal, said shortly after his death while hosting the Emmy Awards, and so I’ll end here:

"“For almost forty years,” he said, “he was the brightest star in a comedy galaxy. But while some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cooled, but miraculously, because they float in the heavens, so far away from us now, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever. And the glow will be so bright, it’ll warm your heart, it’ll make your eyes glisten, and you’ll think to yourself: Robin Williams, what a concept.”"

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://allisonsadventuresintowonderlands.wordpress.com/2018/06/28/dave-itzkoffs... show less

There’s no doubt that Robin Williams was truly one of a kind. I grew up watching Mork and Mindy and loved his movies, so when I saw this biography show up in my suggestions I really wanted to read it. Sometimes you admire and enjoy someone’s work but they turn out to be a terrible person, but in this book, every person interviewed said some variation of the same thing: Robin Williams was brilliant, humble, shy, caring, real and never what you’d expect. Was he perfect? No. He battled his demons, drugs, alcohol and women, but he seemed to genuinely care for the people in his life, and didn’t consider himself above or better than anyone else. I was fascinated by the stories people shared about how the characters and voices he show more slipped in and out of were a symptom of being shy. More than one person said when they met him he was speaking in an accent or funny voice and they weren’t sure what his deal was.
This book is so in-depth and thorough, it paints a vivid picture of who he was as a man, an entertainer, and a genius. Even after several hundred pages of researched and documented interviews, it’s apparent that there was some part of him that no one really knew. I enjoyed this book start to finish and the chapters covering his declining health and eventual death, followed by his friends and family eulogies were heartbreaking.
This book is well-written and personal and perfectly captures a life that touched many others.

5/5 stars ⭐️ show less

I'll never forget the day I heard the news that Robin Williams had died. A child of the 1990's, I was first introduced to his work in Disney's Aladdin. The VHS of that movie played on a loop for several years at my house. As I grew older, I discovered William's other classics like Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, and Dead Poet's Society. There was something about the magnetism and unabashed humanity in William's performances that you couldn't look away from. Hearing the tragic news that he had ended his own life seemed incomprehensible. This man who was such a blazing force within American popular culture was suddenly gone. When the publisher offered me a copy of New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff's biography of Robin Williams, I show more jumped on the chance to read more about his fascinating life.

Like most biographies, Itzkoff begins Robin William's story at the beginning. A young Robin lived in a household of financial and cultural privilege, but also one of isolation. His family moved around a lot, and as an only child, Robin spent hours alone. He collected miniature soldiers. Young Robin would spend his days reenacting famous battles and providing the various voices to his characters. During these formative years, he discovered the relationship between comedy and emotional connection. The foundation of his relationship with his parents was making them laugh.

Into adulthood, Robin had difficulty following the path of his father's expectations. A corporate job just wasn't going to work for Robin. He found solace in the theater department of his college and soon began to dabble in improvisation. In improv, Robin could let loose and allow his vast imagination to take control. When he burst onto the Los Angeles standup comedy scene, everyone took notice. Other comics related his style to turning on a faucet. When Robin got on stage, the faucet turned on, and a stream of invention flowed out. His time at the comedy clubs turned into a guest appearance on Happy Days. When ABC was looking for a new sitcom, executives created the spin off Mork and Mindy, and a star was born.

Throughout Robin, Dave Itzkoff provides an intimate and illuminating portrait of Robin Williams. He interviewed countless people who were involved with Williams both personally and professionally, giving this book a full scale look at the man through their eyes. We read about Robin's elation at fatherhood, marriage, and winning the Academy Award. Equally featured are the darker times of addiction, divorce, and costly career missteps. The last section of the book deal with the months leading up to Robin's death. The reporting on this tragic end is the most complete and thorough telling that I've read. Itzkoff peels back the layers of Robin's public persona and reveals the raw and intricate details that made this fascinating man function. Whether you are a fan of Robin William's work, interested in addiction or mental health, or are just looking for a good read, Robin by Dave Itzkoff is certainly a biography worth spending some time with. show less

Dave itzkoff's "Robin" is a poignant look at the life (and untimely death) of one of the biggest stars in show business history, Robin Williams. Those who witnessed the sudden emergence of Robin Williams as a full-fledged star of the weird TV sit-com "Mork & Mindy" likely remained fans from that moment on, and were terribly shocked by what seemed to be his inexplicable suicide. We all wondered how such a talented man, one who made others so happy, could have reached the level of despair necessary to create such a tragic final act for himself. Itzkoff tells us how and, more importantly, why it happened.

"Robin" is about more than the tragic death of Robin Williams, however. It is a first-rate biography that delves deeply into Robin's show more childhood, his parents and grandparents, his marriages, his relationship with his children, his hard work to attain stardom, his close friends, and finally, the slow transformation into despair and ill health that cost the man his life.

Finally, speaking as a great fan of Robin Williams, "Robin" is one of the saddest books I've ever read. show less

I received an advanced copy of this book for exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

Wow. I requested this book because I was enthralled with Robin and his characters through the years and the life that he brought into each one. I was a kid and teenager through the 80’s and 90’s, so the characters within Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting and SO many others resonated with me in such a way that each of those characters he played stayed with me. When I learned of his passing and the pain he had been hiding behind the smiles and personalities he played, it affected me more than I had expected. I grieved his death, not even knowing him personally, but feeling as though there was a bond that had been show more forged through my love of his on-screen persona. So, when I saw that a biography had been written by Dave Itzkoff, I really wanted the chance to learn more about Robin and the intricacies of his life.

Dave Itzkoff was incredibly thorough as he recorded the twists and turns of Robin’s. You feel as though you are an active participant with a hall pass to witness the life that Robin was living from an inside view of his life with his strict father, learning more about his brother and their relationship, and the budding relationships he began with many when he started participating in comedic groups. This was just the beginning… Itzkoff proceeds to leave not detail at bay as he describes Robin’s ups and downs throughout his marriages and divorces, having children, and the heart-wrenching decline as dementia set in. This biography is one of the most well written and thorough accounts telling the story of Robin’s life and career with all of the great and sometimes gritty details. It was a wonderful look inside the persona and genius that was Robin Williams, with which I was very glad to share for the entirety of the book. show less