Synopsis
A brother recalls the excessive and flamboyant life of the late comedian who died in an April 1992 car crash, portraying Kinison's checkered early years, his road to fame and fortune, and his personal struggles. National ad/promo.
Reviews
"Shock comedian" Kinison (1953-1992) was born in Yakima, Wash., the son of a Pentecostal preacher. A head injury at age three (he was hit by a truck) turned a reticent child into a rambunctious youth, who got his kicks by snatching handbags. After a stint as an itinerant preacher, Kinison decided to become a comedian and moved to Houston, where he was named the funniest man in Texas by the Dallas Morning News . A move to Los Angeles briefly stalled his career until the help of Rodney Dangerfield and an HBO special led to appearances on David Letterman and Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live . Bill, Sam's brother, fellow preacher and manager, has written, along with freelancer Delsohn, an X-rated memoir about a very sleazy man. This book is filled with the sordid details of Sam's life: his drug use (acid, Quaaludes, cocaine, marijuana, amyl nitrate); his penchant for .38s and three-way sex; feuds with Andrew Dice Clay and Howard Stern; the suicide of their brother Kevin; Sam's problems with the gay community; his affairs with the likes of Penny Marshall, Beverly D'Angelo, porn star Seka and Jessica Hahn; his three marriages; and his death in an auto accident. It's all here in livid, salacious detail. Strictly for Sam's fans. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
A tasteless, tell-all bio of the outrageous, screaming stand- up comic Kinison, by his manager/brother. But how else to write the life story of a comedian whose tag line was ``Oh! Oh! Aaaaaaugh!'' and whose on-stage rantings included riffs on serial killers, sissy POWs, Satan, crucifixion, Charles Manson, world hunger, cunnilingus, and homosexual necrophilia? The son of a blackballed Pentecostal minister, Kinison was a ``traveling evangelist'' until 1978 when he decided to try stand-up comedy. Starting out in Houston, he felt by 1980 that his loud, vulgar, abrasive routine was ready for the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles. It took a few years, but by 1983 Kinison had become a ``paid regular.'' He parlayed his growing local notoriety into spots on an HBO special and in Rodney Dangerfield's film Back to School. By 1985, he was nationally known, his screaming diatribes against women and marriage earning him close to $1 million annually. But his drinking, excessive drug use, and abuse of his wives and numerous lovers (who included director Penny Marshall, actress Beverly D'Angelo, and porn star Seka) would take their toll. Despite such powerful admirers as Robin Williams, Howard Stern, and David Letterman, Kinison would alienate the power brokers who might have solidified his career. The ``rock and roll'' comic, Kinison will perhaps best be remembered for his video rendition of ``Wild Thing,'' in which he spits and screams abuse at a writhing, delirious Jessica Hahn (yet another former lover) while snarling Billy Idol and a motley crew of heavy-metal heroes join the fun. Kinison died at the age of 38 in a car accident. At least, writes his brother, ``he did not die of excess'' like John Belushi. Unrestrained, ugly, and grotesquely, perversely captivating. Like the man himself. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Sam Kinison, the "rock'n'roll comedian" of the 1980s, was known for his off-the-wall routines, which often broke long-standing taboos. As reported in this no-holds-barred biography by his brother, Sam's personal life was as wild and as flamboyant as his stage persona. (A number of Sam's comedy routines are quoted, and these examples clearly demonstrate his comic genius.) The sons of a Pentecostal preacher, both Sam and Bill themselves became preachers before Sam decided that his true calling was comedy. The brothers were close, and Sam was generous with his friends and family after achieving success, but his struggles with drugs, liquor, and sexual excess led to numerous skirmishes with the entertainment media. Sam was making a comeback of sorts-having married and succeeded in reducing his substance abuse-when he was killed in a car crash at age 38 in April 1992. His wit lives on. Recommended for most adult collections.
--Howard E. Miller, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri, St. Louis
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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