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Still Foolin' 'Em

Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
0 of 1 copy available

Nominated for a 2014 Grammy in the Spoken Word category!
Hilarious and heartfelt observations on aging from one of America's favorite comedians, now that he's 65, and a look back at a remarkable career.
Billy Crystal is 65, and he's not happy about it. With his trademark wit and heart, he outlines the absurdities and challenges that come with growing old, from insomnia to memory loss to leaving dinners with half your meal on your shirt. In humorous chapters like "Buying the Plot" and "Nodding Off," Crystal not only catalogues his physical gripes, but offers a road map to his 77 million fellow baby boomers who are arriving at this milestone age with him. He also looks back at the most powerful and memorable moments of his long and storied life, from entertaining his relatives as a kid in Long Beach, Long Island, and his years doing stand-up in the Village, up through his legendary stint at Saturday Night Live, When Harry Met Sally, and his long run as host of the Academy Awards. Listeners get a front-row seat to his one-day career with the New York Yankees (he was the first player to ever "test positive for Maalox"), his love affair with Sophia Loren, and his enduring friendships with several of his idols, including Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali. He lends a light touch to more serious topics like religion ("the aging friends I know have turned to the Holy Trinity: Advil, bourbon, and Prozac"); grandparenting; and, of course, dentistry. As wise and poignant as they are funny, Crystal's reflections are an unforgettable look at an extraordinary life well lived.
Still Foolin' 'Em includes a portion recorded in front of a live studio audience.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 12, 2013
      Avoiding the trappings—excess schmaltz, laundry list of famous friends, boozy party log—of so many celebrity memoirs, Crystal delivers a funny and genuinely moving chronicle of his life inside and outside Hollywood. The quips come as fast they do in the best Crystal films and Oscar hostings, making sure the reader knows that there isn’t a ghost writer guiding this one. Now 65, Crystal, the youngest of three brothers, was a comic from the start, soaking up all he could from the TV comedians of the ’50s during his childhood in the New York suburbs. In addition to loving comedy, Crystal grew up loving music (his father owned a popular record store in the city) and, of course, baseball. Both of these passions stayed with him throughout his life and, something most fans could only dream of, Crystal not only met but befriended idols like Mickey Mantle and boxer Muhammad Ali. His successes are balanced with opportunities that didn’t pan out, or movies that fizzled at the box office: a last-minute cancellation of a semi-permanent gig with the then-fledgling Saturday Night Live is outshone by the opportunity to perform on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In addition to providing the inside scoop on some of his most iconic roles, from Harry to Princess, Crystal manages the extremely difficult feat of making his prose as vibrant and funny as his stand-up. He’ll always be a hard act to follow.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      At 65, Billy Crystal is a master of comic timing, as he demonstrates during his narration of STILL FOOLIN' 'EM. A fine actor and nine-time Oscar host, Crystal knows exactly how to deliver his artful blend of touching memoir and rueful riffs on the indignities of aging. Several chapters were recorded before a live audience, giving him the opportunity to exchange banter and charm a crowd--as he no doubt will many listeners. The chapters recorded in a studio miss some of the energy Crystal injects when he responds to copious laughter and applause. In both modes, however, he proves himself accomplished, nuanced, and--best of all--very funny. A.J. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from February 15, 2014

      Don't let him fool you, this book is not just for the senior crowd. Crystal pokes fun at growing old but also takes listeners through his life decade by decade, recalling the highlights of his amazing life and career. Even those who have followed him through the years will be surprised at the extent of his accomplishments, which include multiple Emmys, a Tony, and even a day as a New York Yankee. Crystal recounts his past, alternating between performing chapters like a stand-up routine with a live audience and a more standard narration. He shares his classic impersonations of Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Jr., and others, and his great acting and comedic timing take this audiobook to a level that print alone just can't match. Crystal is hilarious, but what really stands out is not just his funny bone but his big heart. VERDICT This book should be listened to in order to be truly appreciated.--Theresa Horn, St. Joseph Cty. P.L., South Bend, IN

      Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 25, 2013
      If you have to choose between the print and audio editions of Billy Crystal’s memoir, know this: if the book is funny, the audiobook is drive-off-the-road hilarious. It opens with a live performance of the book’s first chapter at New York’s Cantor Film Center, with Crystal enjoying the audience as much as the audience is enjoying his reading. As he riffs on the unspeakable aspects of aging, the book comes alive with impromptu jokes and ad-libs. The subsequent chapters deal with his life and career, and are replete with funny and tender moments alike. Crystal deals with his bar mitzvah memories, his early stand-up career, and his film success (and failure), along with more poignant and personal stories, e.g., the sudden loss of his father when he was 15 and the abiding love he’s felt for his wife for more than four decades. Crystal also offers unforgettable interpretations of well-known public figures and recreates many of his more memorable comedic characters. Some lighter portions of the book switch back to a live performance, but more personal revelations are an intimate exchange between Crystal and the listener. A Henry Holt hardover.

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  • English

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