Sunday, June 13, 2010

Raw Talent


Right up front: My friend David wrote this book, an autobiography, and this isn't an impartial review. How can one be impartial about a friend's autobiography.

Also, I haven't finished reading it yet.

However, after laughing about three times while reading a bit today, I had to write about it and recommend it.

Raw Talent follows the life of a journey man writer-filmmaker, one who so far hasn't hit the big time, but has found success and it seems peace.

Starting as a boy, Hall loved to write and make films. He chronicles his development of his craft, his mistakes, naivete, successes and insights. Now I'm reading about a time when he was living in Los Angeles, where we met, and he was getting a lot of opportunities to pitch stories. The anecdotes about the characters and egos he meets is hilarious.

He does mention me in the book a little and it's rather weird reading about a friend's perception of me.

A good book for anyone interested in making it in Hollywood.

3 comments:

wellbride said...

How very cool! I will look for it. That is kinda fun to have a friend mention you in a book. :) Sounds good. I love books that make me laugh. Which reminds me, Anne Lamont has a new novel out and I really enjoyed the beginning. Seems she can't write anything but her own life repackaged with slightly different characters but she does it so well that I don't mind reading it over and over. She is like the hippie version of Jimmy Stewart. She has perfected the art of being herself. Amazing writing. It strikes most of my aesthetic/heart chords - some that I didn't even know I had. Imperfect Birds to you. Raw Talent to me.

Anonymous said...

I'll find Imperfect Birds when I get home. Thanks for the suggestion.

David's book is good for anyone interested in creating. It's weird for me to read an e-book, but this reads quickly and I just read a few chapters (they're short) a day.

Don't think I'll ever be a Kindle convert.

Anonymous said...

By Kindle convert I mean someone who spends all that money on a machine that just doesn't feel like a book.

You can download David's book to any computer.