ATTORNEY TO THE STARS

Music, golf, and good friends animate an entertainment lawyer’s gleeful look back on his remarkable life thus far.

There is an unmistakable sense of joy that naturally emanates from Burrill’s highly readable memoir. The author, who grew up playing in rock bands in the Midwest before heading off to Harvard University in 1962, has many engaging tales to tell both inside and outside the industry, and it’s abundantly clear he delights in telling all of them. Intimate accounts of wacky celebrity golf games and harrowing military tours in the Navy live happily alongside surprising accounts of how the author repeatedly rescued the Rolling Stones from several tight jams while they toured the United States. Those interested in salacious celebrity goings-on, however, will be disappointed—there’s none of that here. After such a long career in the industry, readers may suspect there must be many skeletons Burrill has elected to leave undisturbed (hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is outed as a cheat on the golf course, and both Neil Sedaka and Little Richard come across as a couple of kooky narcissists—but that’s about it). Burrill appears to be more concerned with—and thankful—for the positive people in his life; it seems he simply had the good fortune of working with clients he genuinely cared for and admired. The late John Candy and Bill Withers each loom particularly large in the author’s life and career, and his years-long friendships with both superstars are rendered in heartwarming detail (“Candy’s voice, his facial expressions when he spoke, and his body language all made him appear like a lovable little boy”). The author also championed the interests of a young Robin Williams just as the late comedian’s meteoric career was about to take off, and Burrill fought the good fight on behalf of country music legend Waylon Jennings. Both examples wonderfully demonstrate the author’s considerable storytelling prowess; the legal wranglings and contractual disputes depicted here (in often granular detail) are actually exciting and full of intrigue. As a youth, Burrill was inspired to pick up a guitar and rock out. With this memoir, he might just inspire a few kids to go to school and practice law.

A refreshing and captivating ride through the entertainment industry.