When I Stop Talking, Youll Know Im ..., Jerry Weintraub
When I Stop Talking, Youll Know Im ..., Jerry Weintraub
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When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead
Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

Author: Jerry Weintraub, Rich Cohen

Narrator: Jerry Weintraub

Unabridged: 7 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 04/07/2010


Synopsis

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"

In When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.

And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."

As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."

With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Olivier on October 28, 2014

Relationships are the only thing that really matter in business and life. People will pay you to make their lives easier; always take the time to make the pitch; personal service is the name of the game; never get paid once for doing something twice. Those four days changed my life. Because I was scared......more

Goodreads review by Jon on March 29, 2024

Anecdotal gems so well-honed, they take your breath away. You also get the sense Jerry's only telling 40% of what actually happened in any given circumstance, but he sails by on pure charm. Much as he did in life, I'm sure.......more

Goodreads review by Henrik on November 02, 2024

Excellent life lessons and quotes. 2024-11-02. • Opportunity cost: "I have a philosophy of life, but I don't live by it and never could practice it. Now, at 72, I realize every minute doing one thing is a minute not doing something else, every choice is another choice not made, another path grown ove......more

Goodreads review by Mario on February 24, 2015

This book is not really a biography, it's more of a compilation of important lessons from a man who followed his passions to the core and changed the world in many ways. Jerry Weintraub isn't just another rag to riches story, this book will among many other things teach you the massive value of havi......more

Goodreads review by Byron on May 10, 2012

Showbiz stories and reflections from one of the top Illuminati figures in Hollywood. Lots of name-dropping and self-aggrandizement. But damn are these good stories. You might not know Jerry Weintraub by name, but trust me: this guy had his hand in some of everything. No Boutros? He started out as yo......more


Quotes

"Now, I could tell you stories about Jerry, but Jerry is the first and best to tell them. He's funny and grumpy and perfectly inappropriate. When it comes to work, nobody works harder. When it comes to charities, nobody guilts better. And when it comes to friendship, he has no peers. That's Jerry's great talent. He doesn't just light up a room, he lights it on fire. He's a great producer, a great organizer, a great friend, and truly the greatest showman on earth."—George Clooney

"He's somebody from another age."—Elliott Gould