Still Foolin’ ‘Em by Billy Crystal

This was fantastic. Really. I listened to the audiobook — which I would highly recommend — and I was cracking up and tearing up and just loved the whole thing.

I’ve always been a Billy Crystal fan — specifically, The Princess Bride and City Slickers. In fact, I’ve probably watched those two movies at least a dozen times each. I’m a bit young to be familiar with stand-up Billy Crystal or how he got his beginnings, but he takes the reader (or listener) through it all: how he got his start (his Muhammad Ali impression!), his love for baseball, his wonderful family. He comes off as very warm, and appreciative of his success, without seeming sappy or obnoxious. He’s got some great stories, including quite a few about his close friend, Mickey Mantle. His love for comedy, baseball and his family shines through every word. I loved hearing about the process of everything — how he does stand-up, how TV shows like Soap worked, how he acted in movies vs. directing them.

Like I said, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook. He imitates everyone’s voices and it’s a riot. Some of the shorter chapters are read aloud to a live audience, who sound like they’re having a blast. Billy just sounds like he’s having a good time, and even when he gets serious about loss and other tragedies, he still has a great way of looking at things.

Now you’ll have to excuse me, I have a burning desire to rewatch a couple favorites.