CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND: An Unauthorized Autobiography

by Chuck Barris ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 1984

Originally billed as non-fiction, then emphatically switched to the ""fiction"" category, this distasteful little book does indeed seem to be an ill-bred hybrid: game-show producer Barris' reminiscences about the joys and headaches of such as The Dating Game and The Gong Show; his foul-mouthed musings on his unlovely sex life; plus his intermittent confessions about a secret-life through the years as a CIA hit-man. Sheer fantasy? So one would like to think--though Barris delivers brief, unconvincing accounts of his ""missions"" with a straight face: he kills a trade unionist in Mexico, rival spies in London and Germany, is hunted by KGB assassins in the US, finally exposes (and kills)an elusive CIA mole. (""True, the bureaucracy of the agency would always drive me up a wall, but being a hit man was a fascinating avocation--an unbelievably exciting pastime."") But, aside from this creepy put-on, the material here is only for dedicated fans of Barris' shows or members of the immediate family. He recalls, somewhat amusingly, the unusable off-color remarks on early Dating Game episodes; he whines about his critics; he allows the obscene Popsicle Twins to appear on The Gong Show. (The NBC president yells: ""I want fucking ratings, not fucking cocksuckers!"") And he indulges his limitless loathing for his various bedmates, with ""sleazebag"" among the more tender epithets. A slimy exercise in self-indulgence and self-promotion--but don't underestimate the low taste and vast gullibility of the same TV audience that made Barris a millionaire.

Pub Date: May 2, 1984

ISBN: 0786888083

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1984

Categories: FICTION