Wired: The Short Life & Fast Times of John Belushi

I've always been fascinated by the life of John Belushi, primarily because I look just like the man, so of course I would eventually read this book. What I found is a tragic tale of loneliness and addiction that probably could have been stopped if anyone had truly gotten to know the man, or if his close friends had done something just a bit sooner. The truly frightening thing I found as I read was exactly how much I do have in common with John. It scared me. Which, of course, is exactly what it was supposed to do. This is the life of a man who rose to meteoric heights, then fell to abysmal depths, and it deserves to be read by everyone, especially if you are fascinated by celebrity culture and don't quite understand how these stars can show more fall apart the way they do.

Here's the thing you learn from Wired; they don't have any control over it. show less

A sad tale about a man who had it all and let slip away. After reading this book I got the opinion that John Belushi was a spoiled asshole, who got away with his shenanigans because he was popular. Nobody wanted to tell him the hard truth because people needed him and they all thought the next time would be different. Had he lived I think he would have been washed because he seemed to burn a lot of bridges, Live the high life and push the boundaries as Belushi did and have the enablers as he had death can't be far away.

A sad tale about a man who had it all and let slip away. After reading this book I got the opinion that John Belushi was a spoiled asshole, who got away with his shenanigans because he was popular. Nobody wanted to tell him the hard truth because people needed him and they all thought the next time would be different. Had he lived I think he would have been washed because he seemed to burn a lot of bridges, Live the high life and push the boundaries as Belushi did and have the enablers as he had death can't be far away.

Attempts to chronicle how Belushi's meteoric rise to the top of television, movies, and finally music was still evolving before his sudden death. This author paints a bleak picture of everyone involved in Belushi's life except for a select few: Belushi's parents, his brother Jim, John Landis, Spielberg, Ovitz, Eisner, Katzenberg, Penny Marshal, Carrie Fisher, Steve Martin, "Smokey" Wendell and Bill Wallace. This negative description is rationalized by Woodward as being necessary as a cautionary tale. Woodward also tries to lay responsibility on his assistant John Anderson for being this unusual, omniscient narrator of Belushi's success and fall. Woodward says that he was moved to write this since he grew up in the same town of Wheaton show more and went to the same high school. A good reason to write a book on Belushi, just not this one. Belushi and his most long suffering friend Dan Ackroyd, according to Woodward, were originally from religious families. John was Albanian Orthodox and Ackroyd a former Catholic seminarian. To be read for a few tidbits early on for info on the SNL days, otherwise skip it. show less

Subtitled The short life and fast times of John Belushi, Woodward tells it like it really was. Wired is the life story of an immensely talented but fatally insecure and self-destructive man. Belushi could have been a contender, but allowed drugs to overtake his life, alienating him from the Hollywood system he craved acceptance from, and let destroy him.

Woodward's investigative journalism has uncovered the facts, but they do not make pleasant reading. The first parts of this biography takes us through the organised mayhem that was Saturday Night Live and into the Blues Brothers movie. Reading about the creative processes involved in the making of great comedy is fascinating. Even at this relatively early stage in his career, you can show more see his insecurity emerging, as the rival sketch writers and comedians all try to get their material in the show, and Belushi felt left out, as when Chevy Chase joined the gang. Drugs were everywhere though and everybody used them, but not everyone got totally hooked the way Belushi did.

In the second half of the book, Belushi hits Hollywood and his habit rapidly gets out of control; the text becomes just a catalogue of drug transactions, and less and less about acting and comedy. It gets sadder and sadder as Belushi gets increasingly pathetic. Woodward's attention to detail frankly makes the latter chapters boring and overlong, and when Belushi finally dies you're almost relieved. However the book is essential reading for anyone interested in US culture in the 70s and 80s, and certainly does nothing to glamorize drugs. Read it and weep. show less

Great book about Belushi. He was a very troubled man, and it was heartbreaking to read about his trials. I find Belushi to be one of the most talented comedic actors of all time, so it was a must read for me. I will admit that I was also expecting to love this, and I did, so I was a bit biased.

*great photos as well*

Belushi was a fabulous comedian. His work on SNL, and his movies were fresh and original,and cocaine fueled! This is the story of his rise to stardom, and his fall into the grave. He was an ordinary person who was lucky and skilled enough to experience thing most people would dream and desire to do. Bob Woodward became famous for the Nixon/Watergate scandal, and I suppose that also helped draw me to this book.