Paul Myers - Böcker

The definitive biography of John Candy—a heartwarming portrait of one of comedy’s most beloved and enduring stars.INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Vulture's #1 Comedy Book of 2025 • A Globe and Mail, National Post, and CBC Best Book of 2025"Reading this book was like reconnecting with an old friend. I laughed, I cried, I didn't want it to end.” —Judd Apatow“A thoughtful, thorough and entertaining portrait of one of the funniest people ever.” —Marc MaronFrom his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy’s tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, and many more, John Candy: A Life in Comedy celebrates the comedian’s unparalleled talent, infectious charm, and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

Leonard Bernstein (1918–90), creator of the Broadway masterpiece, West Side Story, was the best loved and most successful conductor of his generation. He inspired fellow American musicians, being the first native American to direct a major American orchestra, and the first to conquer Europe. This biography covers all aspects of Bernstein’s career, from his extraordinary early rise to fame as a conductor to his work as a world-famous composer, including his musicals and the score for On the Waterfront. It examines the paradoxes of a man who was brilliant, articulate, witty and charming but could also be vain, egocentric and demanding.

The definitive, authorized story of legendary sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall —who will soon be returning for a new original series on Amazon Prime Video. Meticulously researched and written with the full cooperation and participation of the troupe, The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy features exclusive interviews with Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, as well as key players from their inner circle, including producer Lorne Michaels, the “man in the towel” Paul Bellini, and head writer Norm Hiscock. Marvel as the Kids share their intimate memories and behind-the-scenes stories of how they created their greatest sketches and most beloved characters, from the Chicken Lady and Buddy Cole to Cabbage Head and Sir Simon &Hecubus.The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy spans the entirety of the Kids’ storied career, from their early club shows in Toronto and New York to their recent live reunion tours across North America. Along for the ride are a plethora of fans, peers, and luminaries to celebrate the career and legacy of Canada’s most subversively hilarious comedy troupe. You’ll read tributes from Seth Meyers, Judd Apatow, Garry Shandling, Paul Feig, Mike Myers, David Cross, Michael Ian Black, Brent Butt, Jonah Ray, Dana Gould, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Richter, and Canada’s newest comedy sensation, Baroness Von Sketch. As an added bonus, the book includes never-before-seen photographs and poster art from the personal archives of the Kids themselves.Perfect for diehard fans and new initiates alike, The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy will make you laugh and make you cry … and it may even crush your head.

The definitive biography of John Candy—a heartwarming portrait of one of comedy’s most beloved and enduring stars.INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Vulture's #1 Comedy Book of 2025 • A Globe and Mail, National Post, and CBC Best Book of 2025"Reading this book was like reconnecting with an old friend. I laughed, I cried, I didn't want it to end.” —Judd Apatow“A thoughtful, thorough and entertaining portrait of one of the funniest people ever.” —Marc MaronFrom his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy’s tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, and many more, John Candy: A Life in Comedy celebrates the comedian’s unparalleled talent, infectious charm, and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

Long John Baldry is considered the father of the ‘60s British blues movement. Drawing on intimate anecdotes from Baldry's legendary friends, lovers, and peers, author Paul Myers uncovers the man behind the mythic persona. An entire generation of British rock legends flourished under Baldry's tutelage, and It Ain't Easy features exclusive personal recollections from artists such as Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Sir Paul McCartney, John Mayall, and Mick Fleetwood, as well as interviews with renowned music industry insiders like songwriter/producer Tony Macaulay, Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky, ex-Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, filmmaker Cameron Crowe, and others. Extensively researched, It Ain't Easy traces Baldry's extraordinary life from his birth during the London Blitz, to his discovery of black American music, to the sexual revolution, to the musical and social upheaval of the 1960s and '70s, and to his eventual happy retreat to the tranquility of Canada's Pacific Coast.

Fun, bright, and playful, Power Pop is a sometimes adored, sometimes maligned, often misunderstood genre of music. From its heyday in the 70`s and 80`s to its resurgence in the 90`s and 00`s, Power Pop has meant many things to many people. In Go Further, editors Paul Myers and S. W. Lauden have a whole new crop of writers going deep on what certain Power Pop bands and songs mean and have meant to them. Whether they love or hate it, Go Further is a dive into the Beatles-inspired pop rock of the last five decades.Featuring Ira Robbins, Alex Segura, Mary E. Donnelly, Pat DiPuccio, John Borack, Dave Hill, Will Birch, S. W. Lauden, Jordan Oakes, Brian Vander Ark, Anne K. Ream & R. Clifton Spargo, Chip Jacobs, Bill DeMain, Thierry Côté, Doug Brod, Jim Lindberg, Balin Schneider, Mike Randle, Butch Walker, Andrea Warner, Paul Myers,and Rex Broome's

In Go All The Way, today's best and brightest writers go deep on what certain Power Pop bands and songs mean and have meant to them.Fun, bright, and playful, Power Pop is a sometimes adored, sometimes maligned, often misunderstood genre of music. From its heyday in the 70s and 80s to its resurgence in the 90s and 00s, Power Pop has meant many things to many people. Whether they love or hate it, Go All The Way is a dive into the Beatles-inspired pop rock of the last five decades.Featuring:Heather Havrilesky on BlondieCarrie Courogen on Liz PhairMichael Chabon on Big StarJeff Rougvie on Cheap TrickDavid Yaffe on XTCKate Sullivan on Jeff Lynne and ELODylan Champion on Guided By VoicesJoe Clifford on The Hold SteadyDavid Bash on His So-Called (Power Pop) LifeJustin Fielding on The Road to Power PopPaul Myers on SloanJeff Whalen on Power Pop as Beatles ObsessionS. W. Lauden on Fountains of WayneIra Elliot on Putting the Pow! in Power PopRex Weiner on September GurlsMarko DeSantis on SurrenderKen Sharp on The Secret Power Pop History of KISS's Paul StanleyTom Petty on The Strange Magic of Jeff Lynne (as told to Ken Sharp)John M. Borack on The Women of Power PopDave Holmes on Tommy KeeneDaniel Brummel on WeezerNancy Rommelmann on Analog AnthemsAllison Anders on Nick Lowe's Pub Rock RootsAnnie Zaleski on How Jelly Fish Changed the GameChris Holm on The Brainy Power Pop of Allan Carl NewmanScott Miller excerpts from Music: What Happened?Kurt Baker on Pop Punk to Power Pop