The Boys by Ron Howard & Clint Howard
Ron Howard has kind of had an unprecedented career in Hollywood. He hit it big at the age of six acting in The Andy Griffith Show way back in 1960. He had more success starring in American Graffiti – which then inspired the 50s-themed Happy Days sitcom. His brother Clint found success acting in hit […]
The Way of the Fight by Georges St. Pierre
Hello everyone. Under The Influence is back on the air for the 2021 season and I have an interesting book to recommend. It’s written by one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time – but I don’t want you to pass this by because you are not a fight fan. As a […]
Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other by Ken Dryden
This month’s book selection is for hockey fans. As most fans know, Scotty Bowman is the winningest coach in NHL history with nine Stanley Cups under his belt. There are 29 years between his first cup win and his last. Remarkable. He began his career in the 50s and was able to observe the great […]
Maximum Volume 1926-1966 & Sound Pictures 1966-2016
by Kenneth Womack
This month’s book selection is a two-volume set. If you are a Beatles fan or if you are fascinated by biographies of people who put a dent in the world, this series on producer George Martin is one of the best. And I have read virtually ALL the books about the Beatles and Mr. Martin. […]
Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story
by Chris Nashawaty
Any Caddyshack fans out there? The idea for this 1980 movie came from Bill Murray’s brother, Brian Doyle-Murray. It was based on the Murray brother’s childhood summers spent working as caddies on the snootiest golf courses along Chicago’s wealthy North Shore. The slobs versus snobs premise bubbled with comedic possibilities. Nashawaty also places an interesting […]
The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont
by Shawn Levy
This month’s book selection was recommended by listener Peter Blackmore. Thanks Peter. I directed hundreds of commercials over the years in Los Angeles and while on those many trips, one of my favourite spots was the infamous Chateau Marmont hotel. One day on the way to the airport, I was notified my flight was cancelled. […]
Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart
By Shane Snow
I have been a member of teams over the entire course of my career. The creative departments of advertising business are structured to be team-focussed. Writers are teamed with art directors. As a writer, I worked with a number of very talented art directors over the years. Some partnerships were better than others. So much […]
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
by A.J. Jacobs
Here’s a book to beat the February blahs. A.J. Jacobs was an editor at Esquire magazine in 2007 when he wrote this book. As an experiment, he wanted to see if he could go a full year trying to live by all the rules in the Bible. And he wanted to follow those rules literally. […]
Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
By Peter Guralnick
Aside from the subject of advertising, the largest category in my book collection is biographies. I’ve read hundreds of them. My favourite genre by far. So when I say the Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (1994) is one of the best biographies I have ever read – maybe the best – […]
How To Fly A Horse:
The Secret History of Creation, Invention and Discovery
by Kevin Ashton
This remarkable book mines the mysterious process of creativity. It’s one of the best books I’ve read on the subject and I would recommend it as a perfect bookend to Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull. Ashton’s basic premise is this: There is no magical shortcut to creativity. No get-creative-quick schemes. Creators spend almost all of […]