James Andrew Miller (1)Rezensionen

753 pages long.....and about half of it was the business end of ESPN. Ok, that was not what I was looking for. I did get some inside dirt, but all the deals and figures and counter offers and buyouts really bored me. Worth picking up for the other stuff....stories are told by the tv personalities own words, and it's interesting to see (for example) how Kornheiser says "A" and then Tirico says "B", one paragraph right after another. Too bad we won't know which story is true.

Tinderbox is built on the gambit of having two elements operating in parallel. The first is the business history of HBO and the second is brief synopses and dirt around the creation of many[1] of their most popular shows.

I assume the more casual reader is interested in bunches of details about the tribulations involved in making The Sopranos instead of a multi-generational [b:Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco|781182|Barbarians at the Gate The Fall of RJR Nabisco|Bryan Burrough|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442897076l/781182._SY75_.jpg|1011004]-style story of corporate intrigue and idiocy, but it was the latter that I found fascinating. As regards the intertwining of the personal and political when it comes to ostensible leadership, I’ve not read anything better.

But eventually, as maverick personalities are replaced by standard company types the interesting part of the story becomes inert, and all that is left is, well, Game of Thrones the TV show, rather than the game of thrones happening behind the scenes that became depressingly predictable.

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[1] Comedies such as Tenacious D and Mr. Show are not even mentioned.

Reading this a couple of weeks before the 40th anniversary show was completely worth the time.

“Peak TV” fans will be interested in this oral history of HBO. Incorporating the voices of both behind the scenes execs and actors, this book attempts to touch on every HBO highlight, even the ones you’ve forgotten about. Anecdotes about shows and actors include the good, the bad, and the ugly, including fan favorites. But real drama also can be found in the network boardroom, where there’s so much intrigue you’ll think you’re reading Game of Thrones (with golden parachutes). 

I simply loved this book. Yes, it is tremendously huge, probably contains more information than the average television viewer needs to know and yes I didn't read it in its entirety but the information it does contain is enlightening and worthy of trivia lovers everywhere. After reading the introductory section on HBO's beginnings I focused on HBO's offerings that I have enjoyed. Soprano's, Sex and the City, Game of Thrones, The Larry Sander's Show, not to mention concerts and Comic Relief.
Remarks from the creators and actors of each show shed's light on just how special HBO is and continues to be. The venue has touched most everyone's lives and is certainly worthy of a look through. You just may find that once you get started, you won't be able to stop.

Everybody knows about HBO today, its status as the original premium network and Warner Bros. flagship streaming platform, but do you know the history of the channel? Told in the oral history style so all the people involved have their actions spelled out in their own words.

When "Tinderbox" became available in the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, I was interested. I've always been interested in media, and I was assuming that this was a straightforward business history of HBO. I was wrong. It is not so much an objective history but an oral history, splicing together interviews from hundreds of people associated with HBO with little commentary by the author. The problem with this, for me, is that I haven't heard of most of the people quoted here and I don't know their credibility. If two of them (or more) recall an event differently, who am I to believe? Who didn't grant interviews to the author that might paint a different picture. Additionally, it goes into far too much detail about things I have little interest in -- nearly 1000 pages worth. I gave up.

You might wonder why HBO is deserving of such a substantial biography, but upon reading it you realize the channel's whole and lasting impact on the cultural landscape and distribution of media. James Andrew Miller once again uses the oral history format that worked so well in his previous books on Saturday Night Live and ESPN to tell the story of the channel's rise from quirky cable upstart to premium television tastemaker. It also tells the origin stories of The Sopranos, Sex and the City, the Larry Sanders Show, and many other landmark shows, using new interviews with the stars and executives behind the scenes.

The mostly-chronological format allows the reader to skim through less compelling sections (though I do wish the table of contents had more details on each section's topics). There are some lessons, though not explicit, on how the network has been able to maintain its relevance for so long (a combination of artistic freedom and savvy executives along with being unrestrained from broadcast TV's reliance on ratings and advertisers). The tale of HBO is ultimately many stories, and those interested in the business of television and entertainment would find this book well worth reading.

This is an interesting one to review, largely because the scope is so grand. First things first though - if you come to this book expecting detailed passages on your favorite HBO shows, you're likely to be disappointed. While there's certainly some of that (and there ought to be in a book roughly 1,000 pages long), the main thrust of this book is the business of building and running a unique television platform. For me, the initial story of creation and growth into an entertainment behemoth was incredibly interesting. However, as we get deeper into known territory (2000 and beyond basically), the surprises are fewer and the gamesmanship inherent in this story of palace intrigue gets a bit tedious. I became less and less interested in the various corporate entities jockeying for control and claiming credit, and simply wanted more of the brief teases given to us by the creators and stars of some of the memorable (and not so memorable) shows/films/docs that made HBO what it is. And because of the constant infighting described, one comes away somewhat doubtful about whether the network will be able to weather the increasing storms of competition from what they'd have us believe to be imitators (Netflix, Amazon, FX, etc.).

All that said, there were indeed large portions of this book that were page-turners, specifically those dealing with the passionate creators and their impetus for working on some of the projects many of us have grown to love, or the peek behind the scenes at some of the volatility and/or decency of some of the big names involved. Because of these strengths, I had no problem ripping through this book despite some of its shortcomings.

Finally, a note on format. I'm not generally a huge fan of oral histories, as it can seem a lazy way to tell the tale. While there are some narrative interstitials here to provide some context, they often come after a lengthy quote (as so many documentaries seem to - hot quote, and then some narration to get us up to speed). The flaw in this approach here is that there is rarely any separation between threads; we'll be on page 9 or so of a discussion about Game of Thrones only to get a chunk of Larry David tossed at us out of the blue, with the transition (or what might masquerade as one) to follow. Sometimes it's a hard break with no apparent concern for transition at all. These challenged my patience often. Another issue with the oral history approach here is that some of these folks probably don't deserve the benefit of the doubt that their version of events is accurate. In other words, these are often very powerful operators, some of whom are still attached to other people/entities discussed here. As such, their agendas are probably worthy of some consideration by an objective third-party instead of those they may have jilted to rise to the level of power they've attained. This is generally lacking in this book.

All told, a pretty interesting tour through the growth of HBO. But this is definitely a book more about business than one about entertainment or television/cinema. Few true surprises, but it is nice in places to hear from the folks involved, in their own words, about how the sausage is made.½

Miller, having given the encyclopedic oral history treatment to Saturday Night Live, ESPN, and Creative Arts Agency, now turns his sights on HBO. "It's not TV. It's HBO" was never so much an advertising slogan as a guiding philosophy; from its beginning, HBO set out to offer what the mainstream networks could not (i.e., sex, violence, and George Carlin's seven words you can't say on television). It also made a name for itself as a place where actors, writers, producers, and directors could find a level of artistic freedom beyond that found almost anywhere else. There is certainly a big story here, about an obscure Manhattan cable company parlaying a $150,000 investment from Time-Life into a pay TV service offering uncut movies, racy comedy specials, and live sporting events (mostly boxing), gradually evolving into a cable behemoth that brought in almost $7B in revenue in 2020 and reinventing much of what we expect from television along the way. A big story deserves a big book, and this one is a massive don't-drop-it-on-your-foot 979 pages (almost but not quite as big as Ron Charnow's Grant, the biggest book I've ever read). But hey, I'm a sucker for anything written in an oral history format, and this book, while sometimes feeling like a lifetime project to finish, moves at brisk clip. Even complicated business deals are covered in such a way as to make them fairly easy to follow. Despite all the headshots of celebrities on the cover, the emphasis here is slightly more on the business side of things, although many interviews with actors and creative types are included. It's unlikely there will be a more comprehensive history of HBO for a long time. Recommended for anyone interested in HBO, the history of television and the entertainment industry, and business histories.

This is an oral history of HBO from inception through @ Mare of Eastham. It is a very comprehensive survey - it sweeps broadly even if on some subjects it doesn't go very deep. Even on a show as important to HBO as The Sopranos, if what you really want is a full history of the Sopranos there are probably better places. But if you want a glimpse at almost the programming and a full story of the business angles and the people who ran the place, I can't imagine there's a better book on the subject.

The focus is at least as much on the business side of the venture as on the programming side, and about the internal structure and people who populated it. I recognize that side of HBO as probably the most important, but personally I'm more interested in the programming content.

Nevertheless, I read through this book like I was binging on a bag of potato chips. The author seems to have spoken with many many key persons and much of the personalities of the people comes through. A reader of this kind of book never knows what has been left out or how the viewpoint might be slanted, but this feels fair even if the author clearly has favorites.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who thinks they might be interested - and I'd add that you shouldn't be daunted by the length. It goes quickly, and is easy to put down and pick up again as desired.

I had been hoping for a insightful narrative into the foundation and rise of a media giant.

Instead I got an “oral history” (which is not mentioned on dust jacket at all) that is basically 900 pages of extracts from interviews with unpleasant ego-driven executives you’ve never heard of alternating between bitching about each other and stating how brilliant they are as individuals.

This was a boring slog and I had to stop before it put me off ever watching the network again!

Love it or hate it HBO has transformed American television. The author tells the rise of the network as part confessional but also insightfully by interviewing the major players who are part of the story. This is a full-length and weighty contribution to this important aspect of entertainment and popular culture.

Mandatory for any fan of the show.
But also for anyone wondering what it feels like to be part of an innovative team.
I can’t grasp the fact that this show ran for so long, with so many technical and human challenges every week.

This is the second oral history I've read, the first being the Daily Show: An Oral History which came out in 2016, so quite a bit after 'Live From New York'. Different authors, similar format - are these oral history books people are putting out connecting in any way or are people just aping style? I think the Daily Show was put together a bit better, but since it's all interviews they probably just had better material to work with.

This book is prime time fluff, a diet soda of interviews and anecdotes. It was great. I do wish they had cut it off at 1995 (published in 2002) because the perspectives of performers (successful after their run or not) differed greatly from the perspective of performers currently on the show during their interview. It would also allow a second book to be published (in 2022?) covering 1995-2015 which would be really neat since that is more of my SNL history. (yes, I know they updated this book in 2015ish to cover new years, but that's not the copy I have and it will still suffer from the 'currently on the show' atmosphere that dulls reflection).

The book is a series of interviews with cast members, writers, producers, hosts and anyone who had anything to do with the show. It’s written chronologically so you get a good idea how the show progresses over time. The interviews are interspersed with commentary from the authors who provide some good hindsight and fill in some blanks. The best part about the book was reading the different perspectives and experiences from everyone interviewed which paint a pretty honest story of SNL.

I like this show, and thought this book could be interesting. Specially to learn more about the phenomenon and people involved in this, with me being non-American.

But the book didn't grab me. It was a messy read, with interviews instead of clear writing and presentation. I tried to read from the very beginning and jump to the era I'm most familiar with but nah. I gave it up.

Paul Schaefer is a scamp, Harry Shearer is a raging ego-maniac and an all-around asshole (& that's on his good days), Bill Murray (who I love as an actor) is almost sociopathically anti-social and often just plain mean, Chevy Chase is a bad man, John Belushi was a lovable but very messed up lush, Joe P. (who's actorly and comedic talents seemed to decrease in direct proportion to his increasing muscle mass) resented Eddie Murphy's success, and not one single soul has a bad thing to say about Will Ferrell. That's all in the book -- and I haven't even told you the good stuff!

(Teaser in the form of True or False Quiz: Paul Schaeffer is a legal midget; i.e., as tall or shorter than 4'11". TorF?)

Bit on the long side, but not sure what could have been cut

This is a wonderfully updated and expanded edition of a book previously published in 2002. While there have been a number of other books written about Saturday Night Live over the years, and I admittedly haven't read any of them, it's hard to imagine that any gives a greater glimpse into just what makes SNL tick than this 781-page tome by James A. Miller. The chronological narrative (if you could call it that) from idea conception to the present is told via bite-sized quotes, a format which works surprisingly well for the subject. The sheer number of past and present cast, crew, hosts and executives he must have interviewed is astounding. There were many instances in which I wished this could be a multi-media experience -- for example, when reading about a particularly awkward sketch or awful episode, I of course wanted to view the footage in question right then and there. Much of the content focuses on the fascinating interpersonal relationships, an aspect of which the viewer is rarely aware. Whatever you conclude about producer Lorne Michaels' personality, he is unarguably a TV god. Oh, and I'm pretty stoked that Al Franken is now my US Senator.

This is a fascinating history of ESPN - and it takes the reader thru a fun journey of the past 3 years for the network. The personalities get proper attention, but so do the seminal business moments facing the network at each turn. It is part gossip, part-business case study, part-biographical and part-history.

It is HORRIBLY edited and the book has no logic other than being roughly chronological. Reading on a Kindle, you lose some of the flow and sometimes find yourselves horribly confused on transitions from one topic to the next. It is also way way too long and could benefit from a serious cut and edit.

I'm a huge Saturday Night Live fan, not quite yet a "buff" in the history of the show but I'm well on my way. This book is a good companion to the hardcore fan but maybe not to the casual viewer. I certainly enjoyed it from start to finish. One thing became clear after watching it - everyone hates Chevy Chase.

This wasn't as definitive as a 750-page oral history should have been. I would have enjoyed more background on many of the narratives, as well as more regarding ESPN's baseball coverage (which fed my addiction growing up as a Dodgers fan in Southern California). But it was an interesting read overall.

So much better than I thought it would be. Really this is a book about business and media, or the business of media and not about sports. It helped that I listened to it. It is group oral history so it flowed very smooth. It probably would help if you did watch a little ESPN and know who the on air personalities are. Non-sports fans might be surprised to learn that mainstream media personalities Craig Kilborn, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Michelle Beadle, and Robin Roberts all got their start at ESPN.

Big takeaways: with the exception of the NFL, ESPN is so wealthy and powerful it often dictates terms to sports leagues as opposed to the other way around. But it wasn't always that way. Once it was a tiny struggling family business. This is a great general interest nonfiction read.

So far I'm not all that impressed by this. Their transitions between quotes leaves a lot to be desired, and if they actually had the people reading their quotes it would be much interesting. So far I've learned that the 1st five years was a big stoned, cracked out, drunken slumber party...


UPDATE: I wasn't impressed with this. I found somethings were interesting, there were people who were on the show or who were writers (conan o'brien!) that I didn't know were involved.

I gave up about halfway through the last cd. If you need something to listen to as you are driving, it's not so bad.