
Last Night at the Viper Room
River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind
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Narrated by:
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Luke Daniels
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By:
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Gavin Edwards
About this listen
Hollywood was built on beautiful and complicated matinee idols: James Dean and Marlon Brando are classic examples, but in the 1990s, the actor who embodied that archetype was River Phoenix. As the brightly colored 1980s wound down, a new crew of leading men began to appear on movie screens. Hailed for their acting prowess and admired for choosing meaty roles, actors such as Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt were soon rocketing toward stardom while an unknown Leonardo DiCaprio prepared to make his acting debut. River Phoenix, however, stood in front of the pack. Blessed with natural talent and fueled by integrity, Phoenix was admired by his peers and adored by his fans. More than just a pinup on teenage girls' walls, Phoenix was also a fervent defender of the environment and a vocal proponent of a vegan lifestyle—well on his way to becoming a symbol of his generation. At age 18, he received his first Oscar nomination. But behind his beautiful public face, there was a young man who had been raised in a cult by nonconformist parents, who was burdened with supporting his family from a young age, and who eventually succumbed to addiction, escaping into a maelstrom of drink and drugs.
And then he was gone. After a dozen films, including Stand by Me and My Own Private Idaho, and with a seeminily limitless future, River Phoenix died of a drug overdose. He was 23 years old.
In Last Night at the Viper Room, best-selling author and journalist Gavin Edwards toggles between the tragic events at the Viper Room in West Hollywood on Halloween 1993 and the story of an extraordinary life. Last Night at the Viper Room is part biography, part cultural history of the 1990s, and part celebration of River Phoenix, a Hollywood icon gone too soon. Full of interviews from his fellow actors, directors, friends, and family, Last Night at the Viper Room shows the role he played in creating the place of the actor in our modern culture and the impact his work still makes today.
©2013 Gavin Edwards (P)2013 HarperCollins Publisherswell read and a great insight into his short life
exceptional
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Listening in one sitting
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The book details lots of interesting and first-hand accounts of life on and off film sets and his relationships with his own self worth, his family and friends and others who influenced him.
Stories about other huge celebrities like Johnny Depp, Leo DiCaprio, Flea and Michael Stipe and their rise to fame and connections are equally as fascinating and knit the story together well. These are bonus sub-narratives and all in all the author inspires you to want to explore all the movies and bands mentioned.
This is an easy and engrossing listen. The only thing I hated was the narrator insisting on mimicking voices which all sounded like a mickey taking school girl and was completely unnecessary, distracting and extremely annoying! This girly voice was used for men and women alike! Luke Daniels mumbles at times too and his voice is fairly monotone for the most part.
In conclusion, the subject matter and writing are great and I’ll happily read more Gavin Edwards work. And the audiobook is a nice, straightforward listen with no interfering music or dramatic interludes. I highly recommend.
Deeply engaging
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Thoughtful and surprising
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A review of an interesting era not analysed before
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Fantastic book. highly recommemded!
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A very worthy listen
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Discovering so much more than I didn't know
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A young talented life lost too soon
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Brilliant narration
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