Dynomite!
Good Times, Bad Times…Our Times - A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Jimmie Walker
About this listen
Born into the violence of South Bronx ghetto life, the comic pioneer of TV’s Good Times fame offers a hilarious and politically charged review of his career as one of television’s first hugely successful Black stars. From opening for the Black Panthers and getting his first Tonight Show spot to becoming the first “Black” TV sitcom star, having comedians David Letterman and Jay Leno writing jokes for him, recording number-one comedy albums, and opening for rock n’ roll bands in 50,000 seat stadiums, Walker’s career hit all the highs.
Of course, celebrities seldom stay at such highs. But despite going from the cover of TV Guide to becoming a journeyman comedian, Walker’s story is one of courage and unbridled belief in oneself. He never crashed and burned like so many in his profession - notably fellow comedians like Richard Pryor and Freddie Prinze. Instead, he kept at his profession through 300 comedy gigs per year, remembering where he came from and where hard work had got him. He developed a view of the world through a conservative social lens, and as a black man in the entertainment industry he surprised many - and pissed off others – with his “conservative” views.
In his stand-up routine in 1974, Jimmy frequently told this joke: “I think pretty soon there is going to be a black President. Inaugural theme be playing the 'Theme From Shaft'. Prez pulls up - white El Dorado, white bucket seats, bubble top. Prez gets out, tilts his beaver skin hat to the side, braids flowing down his shoulders, looks at the crowd and says, Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, I am very happy to be elected President of these great United States. But moreover, I am even happier to be elected the first black President of these great United States. Right now, I’d like to give you the Inaugural Address but first…the number for today: 7-5-6. You got it? Then you the vice president!”
It's 2011. We now have President Barack Obama. Yet Jimmy Walker - ever the outspoken contrarian - recently escorted conservative columnist Ann Coulter to an awards ceremony. Walker is a frequent guest on Letterman and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. And J.J. Evan’s "Dyn-o-mite!” endures - and was recently voted by People magazine as one of “The Greatest Moments In Pop Culture, 1974-2011.”
©2012 Jimmy Walker (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Overall
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In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over 200 original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past 100 years.
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Performance issues
- By E. A. Smith on 09-02-19
By: Kliph Nesteroff
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They Call Me Supermensch
- A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock'n'Roll
- By: Shep Gordon
- Narrated by: Shep Gordon
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In the course of his legendary career as a manager, an agent, and a producer, Shep Gordon has worked with and befriended some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Alice Cooper to Bette Davis, Raquel Welch to Groucho Marx, Blondie to Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester Stallone to Salvador Dali, Luther Vandross to Teddy Pendergrass. He is also credited with inventing the "celebrity chef" and has worked with Nobu Matsuhisa, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergé, and many others.
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It's like he's never seen the words before
- By Joe F. on 11-01-17
By: Shep Gordon
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The Garner Files
- A Memoir
- By: James Garner, Jon Winokur
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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After suffering physical abuse at the hands of his stepmother, James Garner left home at fourteen. He became Oklahoma's first draftee of the Korean War and was awarded with two Purple Hearts before returning to the United States and settling in Los Angeles to become an actor. Working alongside some of the most renowned celebrities, including Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando, and Clint Eastwood, Garner became a star in his own right, despite struggles with stage fright and depression.
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What a disappointment.
- By Linda on 11-14-11
By: James Garner, and others
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Starmaker
- Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, The Rat Pack, & 600 More Stars Who Fired Me
- By: Jay Bernstein
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Revealingly candid, this Hollywood memoir is the story of Jay Bernstein, an entertainment industry fixture who helped launch and sustain the careers of many celebrities including Farrah Fawcett and Suzanne Somers. From his childhood in Oklahoma City and his first job in a Hollywood mail room to the ownership of his own public relations firm and his work as a television producer, Bernstein’s life is chronicled in his own words.
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Very Entertaining
- By patrick on 09-27-15
By: Jay Bernstein
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Luck or Something Like It
- A Memoir
- By: Kenny Rogers
- Narrated by: Taber Burns
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A remarkable story of a boy who couldn't stop singing, and a man who knew how to hold 'em. For more than half a century, Kenny Rogers has been recording some of the most revered and beloved music in America and around the world. In that time, he has become a living legend by combining everything from R&B to country and gospel to folk in his unique voice to create a sound that's both wholly original and instantly recognizable.
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Fun to listen to.
- By b.sea on 07-25-19
By: Kenny Rogers
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There Are Worse Things I Could Do
- By: Adrienne Barbeau
- Narrated by: Adrienne Barbeau
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Adrienne Barbeau never set out to be a sex symbol, and she never planned on giving birth to twins when she was 51, but both those stories and a lot more are detailed in this witty, revealing memoir. With humor and fearlessness, she shares her romance with a superstar, her marriage to a famous film director, her marriage to a much younger man and her successful battle with infertility.
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Excellent book
- By Jill on 01-05-10
By: Adrienne Barbeau
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American on Purpose
- The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot
- By: Craig Ferguson
- Narrated by: Craig Ferguson
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way, he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark - as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.
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Unabashedly Honest
- By Diane on 12-09-09
By: Craig Ferguson
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You Might Remember Me
- The Life and Times of Phil Hartman
- By: Mike Thomas
- Narrated by: Corey Snow
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Both joyous tribute and serious biography, Mike Thomas' You Might Remember Me is a celebration of Phil Hartman's multi-faceted career and an exhaustively reported, warts-and-all examination of his often intriguing and sometimes complicated life - a powerful, humor-filled and disquieting portrait of a man who was loved by many, admired by millions and taken from them far too early.
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I Will Remember You Phil Hartman
- By Roxanna on 12-19-14
By: Mike Thomas
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Easy for You to Say
- By: John Melendez
- Narrated by: John Melendez
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Easy For You To Say is "Stuttering" John Melendez's memoir of his childhood being bullied in school for his stutter; his years as an on-air personality with The Howard Stern Show; and his subsequent 10-year career as a writer and on-air announcer for Jay Leno's Tonight Show. It details his famously acerbic relationships with celebrities he interviewed/insulted (Raquel Welch once punched him in the face). In the audiobook, Howard Stern emerges as a surprisingly mean, stingy, and megalomaniacal boss - and Jay Leno as a seeming sufferer from OCD.
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Was expecting more
- By Amazon Customer on 10-25-18
By: John Melendez
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Robert Altman
- The Oral Biography
- By: Mitchell Zuckoff
- Narrated by: Robert Altman, Warren Beatty, Cher, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert Altman - visionary director, hard-partying hedonist, eccentric family man, Hollywood legend - comes roaring to life in this rollicking cinematic biography, told in a chorus of voices that can only be called Altmanesque.
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Enthralling!
- By Wise & Careful Shopper on 10-17-10
By: Mitchell Zuckoff
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Nevertheless
- A Memoir
- By: Alec Baldwin
- Narrated by: Alec Baldwin
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most accomplished and outspoken actors today chronicles the highs and lows of his life in this beautifully written, candid memoir.
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Embarrassingly petty
- By Stacey Robinson on 09-20-18
By: Alec Baldwin
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Stories I Only Tell My Friends
- An Autobiography
- By: Rob Lowe
- Narrated by: Rob Lowe
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.
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Great Book and Great Story
- By Natalie J. Belle MD on 04-30-11
By: Rob Lowe
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I Want My MTV
- The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
- By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined. I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties.
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The Most Entertaining Book of the Year
- By David on 10-24-12
By: Craig Marks, and others
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Me, the Mob, and the Music
- One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells
- By: Tommy James, Martin Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone knows the hits: "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing in rock bands in the Michigan area since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local disc jockey in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went.
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What a ride - excellent story, well told
- By Dave on 03-25-10
By: Tommy James, and others
What listeners say about Dynomite!
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John Lucasey
- 05-08-21
An transparent story of a socially but funny American icon.
Relief brought from a beautiful and well written autobiography from
Mr. Walker.
It is very seldom indeed that one who plays a character of a most beloved and awakening view of an impoverished family who never gives up is not only one whom experienced a life in the ghetto buy a continuation by his efforts to leave the ghetto to thrive in his art like his character JJ. Jimmy then opened his mind to experience and embrace other culture and ignore the social pressure of conformity. Thank you Mr. Walker. I hope to shake your hand some day.
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- Rsternfels
- 07-27-16
Fantastic
it had a lot of great stuff about the life of Jimmy Walker as well as the history of Comedy in America from his days. Throughout the book, he tells lots of jokes, most of which her pretty funny.
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- michael gene downs
- 05-23-19
My Man Jimmie!
underrated. Jimmie gives us an interesting behind the scenes picture of some of the most successful comedians of all time. He came up with the Lettermen's and Lenos. l had no idea Jimmie played instruments and did.radio talkshows. l knew about his radio work as he's done on the 70s Sirius Radio station. Hate his politics.
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- Bookworm64
- 01-15-15
Way too much foul language!
Would you try another book from Jimmie Walker and/or Jimmie Walker?
I would not buy another book due to his foul language.
Was Dynomite! worth the listening time?
I love autobiographies and thought that there might be some insight about life I could glean from his story. Unfortunately, I didn't learn much and don't plan to listen to his story a second time.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Florida Barb
- 01-10-22
The other Barbara?
Very well-written and well-spoken, James Carter.
I didn’t know what to expect but I did learn alot more than I knew about Jimmie.
“Barbara number 2” is mentioned, but no “Barbara number 1”? Odd, but then again I’m glad this Barbara isn’t mentioned!
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- MsFeli
- 07-08-22
Not so Dynomite
I really struggled to finish this title after awhile as it became too much name dropping
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- Chris
- 06-05-22
Fun, entertaining stories, but a little light
If you've ever heard Jimmie Walker interviewed then you've heard some of this book. I don't think it's because he was selling the book but because the book is Jimmie Walker. It's the tale of a comedian who became a '70s cultural icon , an '80s rerun stalwart, and finally a historical footnote. His personal life feels somewhat glossed over but it's difficult to tell if it's because he's holding back or because he's a comedian above all else and the rest is just what he had for lunch on Tuesday.
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- MIC-MAC HEAD CORNER
- 11-28-20
Very Underrated
Even though it was written in 2012 very informative book . Had no idea Walker had such a horrible childhood but thank God he had success
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