The Tao of Bill Murray

Starred review from August 22, 2016
Fans of actor and comedian Bill Murray have likely heard of the star's habit of randomly showing up in the most unexpected places, only to vanish just as quickly. Rolling Stone contributing editor Edwards (Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind) investigates this and the star's other off-kilter antics and the philosophy behind them. Edwards does an admirable job of profiling Murray's unique approach to life, friendship, and work, via interviews with the actor himself as well as friends, collaborators, and those acquaintances. The book is bursting with anecdotes that underline Murray's unconventional and fun-loving life: he's commandeered a street cleaner, crashed an off-campus house party and started doing the dishes, and driven a cab while the cabby practiced playing saxophone in the back seat. Edwards provides a rough biographical sketch of Murray, but excels far more in his assessments of Murray's films, which comprise the final third of the book. Murray's fans are sure to savor this book and walk away with a deeper appreciation of the actor and his work.

August 1, 2016

Bill Murray the actor takes a backseat to Murray the trickster figure in this collection of notable, implausible, even inexplicable offscreen appearances. Whether it's crashing a karaoke party, photobombing engagement pics, or covering a stranger's eyes and asking, "Guess who?" Murray comes across as a man set on adding a surreal moment to people's lives before saying, "no one will ever believe you," and walking away. Is there a method to Murray's madness? Edwards (Last Night at the Viper Room) posits ten principles comprising the tao of Murray such as "invite yourself to the party" and "your spirit will follow your body." Each tenet is backed by firsthand accounts and interviews, making for a hilarious read--occasionally heartwarming, sometimes head-scratching. It's easy to find Murray stories, but the author's attempt to make sense of them adds a new dimension. His access to celebrities (including an interview with Murray himself) strengthens this work, which concludes with a 100-page retrospective of the subject's movies with anecdotes from each one. VERDICT Sure to please Murray fans, this book would do well as a companion to Robert Schnakenberg's The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray.--Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

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