Guru: My Days with Del CloseA legend of improvisational theater, Del Close is best known for discovering and cultivating the talents of John Belushi, Chris Farley, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, and countless other comedy giants. He was resident director of Chicago's famed Second City and "house metaphysician" for "Saturday Night Live," a talent in his own right, and one of the brightest and wackiest theater gurus ever. Jeff Griggs was a student of Close's at the ImprovOlympic in Chicago when he was asked to help the aging mentor (often in ill health) by driving him around the city on his weekly errands. The two developed a volatile friendship that shocked, angered, and amused both of them and produced this hilarious and ultimately endearing chronicle of Close's last years. With all the elements of a picaresque novel, Guru captures Close at his zaniest but also shows him in theatrical situations that confirm his genius in conceptualizing and directing improvisational theater. Between comic episodes, Jeff Griggs gives the reader the essentials of Close's biography: his childhood in Kansas, early years as an actor, countercultural exploits in the 1960s (he toured with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and designed light shows for the Grateful Dead), years with the Compass Players and then with Second City, and continuing experimentation with every drug imaginable, which pretty much cost him his health and ultimately his life. He was comedian, director, teacher, writer, actor, poet, fire-eater, junkie, and philosopher. "Being a really good actor does not necessarily guarantee that you will be a very good improviser," Close liked to say. "Being an actual, complete, hopeless, wretched geek in real life doesn't disqualify you from being a solid improviser, either." He approached improv the same way he conducted his life in bizarre, dark, and dangerous fashion. Guru captures it." |
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GURU: My Days with Del Close
User Review - Jane Doe - KirkusA wild and fascinating ride with actor Griggs as he chauffeurs improvisational guru Del Close around Chicago during the last two years of Close's life.In exchange for free lessons at the ImprovOlympic ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - gregtmills - LibraryThingThis is the story of real life pop culture Zelig Del Close (Mike Myers, L. Ron Hubbard, the Grateful Dead and Lenny Bruce all make appearances) and his relationship with his the assistant, the author ... Read full review
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actors answered apartment arrived art form asked audience began Bill Murray breath called cast Charna Charna Halpern Chicago Chris Chris Farley Close comedy Compass Players coughing Del's Dels door drive drove drugs errands eyes Farley feel felt festival front fucking funny Gilda Radner glass going grabbed grocery hand Harold Ramis head improv improvisation ImprovOlympic John Belushi John Candy kitchen knew laughed Lindbergh Babies looked Mike Nichols minutes movie never night nodded opened Paul Sills performers picked play pretty pulled responded retarded Saturday Night Live scene partner seat Second City Severn Darden shirt shit smiled smoke Spoo stage stared started stood stopped talking Tank Top Girl teach tell theater thing thought told took tried truck trying turned waited walked back wanted watch window woman yelled
Bibliographic information
| Title | Guru: My Days with Del Close G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series |
| Author | Jeff Griggs |
| Publisher | Ivan R. Dee, 2005 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | May 21, 2008 |
| ISBN | 1566636140, 9781566636148 |
| Length | 277 pages |
| Subjects | › Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |