Bad Grass Never Dies: More Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

by Chuck Barris

Book Overview

Good killers are hard to find. But the CIA has no trouble finding the legendary TV producer and game show king Chuck Barris. In Bad Grass Never Dies, Barris picks up the fast-paced intrigue in Hollywood, where his emotional life lies in ruins, his career careens out of control, and he can't get a break anyplace he turns. Then one day a high-ranking CIA boss appears unannounced on Barris' doorstep. The CIA needs the cooperation of a Mexican terrorist,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786713798
• ISBN13: 9780786713790
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyed every minute of it.

Growing up, some of my favorite memories are of my family laughing out loud by Chucks games shows. Now, through Confessions and Bad Grass, Chuck continues to do what he was born to do, which is entertain us. This book was great. A page turner that made it one of those few "hard to put down" books. What is really great about it though is that Chuck found a way to involve us all in a game called "Did it really happen" In this game the contestant reads the book, and no matter what answer we give, we win. What fun. Thanks Chuck. I had a great time.

Bad Grass Never Dies.

Good book. I just want to comment on David L. Vasser's review where Barris names a "Stechkin revolver" with silencer as his favored weapon for "close work." Only one revolver is silencable and it isn't a Stechkin. I did some research and found that in the 1980's a modification of APS, known as APSB (silenced APS) was adopted to use with external silencer and a special butt-stock (not a heavy wooden holster, but a metal butt-stock much like one used with many modern SMG's).

Not To Be Gonged!

"Bad Grass Never Dies", a sequel to the wonderful 1984 book "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," is more over the top than its predecessor, but still wildly entertaining. While "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" weaves an almost believable tale of a double life as "Gong Show" host and CIA assassin, this book is somewhat less plausible, yet it is very fast paced and filled with several twists that I didn't see coming. My favorite part of Barris' writing style is his character descriptions. He is one of the best at genuinely painting a picture of the characters so they totally come to life and can be readily visualized. I was particularly amused by the descriptions of Coulter Bean and all of the villains. This book is foremost a first person spy novel, but also touches on a lot of other things such as aging and relationship traumas that are clearly more autobiographical for Barris. The interplay of the CIA assassin plot versus the aging TV producer are well balanced and poignantly nuanced. Although I still prefer "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," I think it is worth five stars for sheer entertainment value. Great job, Chuck!

Don't Gong this book!

This book and Confessions of A Dangerous Mind are both hybrid books. They run on fiction and non-fiction fuel and frankly you never know what is truth and what is at the very least an active imagination when it comes to Chuck Barris. I really read this book for the parts about Chuck's showbiz and personal life and I was not disappointed at all. I found myself furiously turning the pages to find out more about Chuck's bar-mitzvah ruse to forestall marriage plans to the lovely Becky Ballard. I could feel Chuck's angst as he kept putting Becky off yet knowing deep down he was fooling himself. The entire Hebrew school and bar-mitzvah section and its aftermath was truly riveting. The sections on the CIA serve their purpose in the story. They are brisk and fortunately don't break up the momentum the rest of the book has in store for you. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining reading experience.