When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

Weintraub, Jerry

ISBN 10: 1607889684 ISBN 13: 9781607889687

Publisher: Twelve, 2010

Synopsis

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"

In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.

And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."

As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."

With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.

About this title

About the Author

Jerry Weintraub has spent more than five decades in show business, in the process earning a reputation as one of the savviest negotiators, smartest producers, and shrewdest film investors of our time. He has been praised and honored for his philanthropic work and, as UNICEF's Man of the Year, was presented the organization's Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award.

Rich Cohen, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, is the author of five books, including the bestsellers Tough Jews, The Avengers, and Israel Is Real. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, his dog, and many masculine children.

From AudioFile

With an emphatic, if somewhat disconcerting, Bronx accent, Jerry Weintraub, renowned entertainment manager, producer, impresario, and storyteller, hopscotches through the memorable moments of his life--from the late 1940s though today. His engaging all-American slant on his success--the result of singularly focused determination and a healthy dose of incredible luck--proposes several business and life lessons. Weintraub's narration, with few exceptions, is somewhat flat, but, nonetheless, the listener enjoys hearing about his fascinating relationships and international adventures with VIPs and celebrities, among them George H.W. Bush, Armand Hammer, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt. The author exhibits revealing candor in discussing his personal life. An interview at the end of the production provides insights into the art of audiobook narration. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Twelve
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1607889684
• ISBN 13: 9781607889687
• Binding: Audio CD
• Language: English