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Soul of the Machine
Comedian and TV host Bert Kreischer takes to the printed page
with “Life of the Party: Stories of a Perpetual Man-Child” By Michael Shashoua / Jester editor-in-chief
Although Kreischer is an accomplished stand-up comedian, there isn’t
much of that in this book, other than some tales of the stunts he’s
performed on a few of his Travel Channel series and related show
business misadventures. The most notable of these is his account of
meeting Will Smith around 2000 when the movie star was interested in
giving Kreischer a sitcom development deal. Kreischer had all kinds
of crazy fears about Smith and his entourage being interested in a
gay encounter and nothing more, which proved unfounded.
Highlights of “Life of the Party” include some of Kreischer’s
stories of his time in Russia, during which his hard-partying ways
endeared him to some low-level Russian mobsters, and accounts of
hanging out or jockeying for spots on stand-up bills with Billy
Gardell and Patrice O’Neal. There are however, a handful of bits in
the book that don’t seem to have a focused purpose, like one story
of an encounter with a pop star while Kreischer was in the hospital
with his young daughter, who was being treated for a dental injury.
It seemed a bit more like a name drop rather than a profound tale.
Nonetheless, Kreischer, even in book form, certainly displays a
dynamic and entertaining personality, and “Party” is a fun one to
enjoy.
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Feedback? Email shashouamedia@gmail.com or michael.shashoua@jesterjournal.com
© 2005-2018 Michael Shashoua