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    Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks
    Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks
    Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks
    Audiobook8 hours

    Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks

    Written by Dick Cavett and Jimmy Fallon

    Narrated by Dick Cavett

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A 2016 Grammy nominee for Best Spoken Word Album

    Dick Cavett is back, sharing his reflections and reminiscences about Hollywood legends, American cultural icons, and the absurdities of everyday life

    In Brief Encounters, the legendary talk show host Dick Cavett introduces us to the fascinating characters who have crossed his path, from James Gandolfini and John Lennon to Mel Brooks and Nora Ephron, enhancing our appreciation of their talent, their personalities, and their place in the pantheon. We tag along as Cavett spends an afternoon with Stan Laurel at his modest apartment in Los Angeles, spars with Muhammad Ali at his training camp, and comes to know a young Steve Jobs—who woos him to be Apple's first celebrity pitchman. He also offers piquant commentary on contemporary politics, the indignities of travel, the nature of comedy writing, and the utter improbability of being alive at all.

    On his talk show, Cavett welcomed the leading figures from film, music, theater, literature, comedy, sports, and politics, and engaged them in conversation that made viewers feel that the discussion was taking place in their own living rooms. Jimmy Fallon, the new host of The Tonight Show, has called him "a legend and an inspiration" and has written a foreword that makes clear the debt that today's talk show hosts owe to Dick Cavett. Brief Encounters opens the door on how Cavett's mind works and what it is like to live in his world.

    To spend a few minutes, or an hour, or even a whole evening with Dick Cavett is an experience not to be missed, and now there's no reason to deny yourself. Settle in, and enjoy the conversation!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateOct 28, 2014
    ISBN9781427244260
    Author

    Dick Cavett

    Dick Cavett was the host of The Dick Cavett Show on ABC and PBS, and he also hosted talk shows on the USA, HBO, and CNBC cable networks. He appears frequently on stage, screen, and new media, and he was nominated for his most recent Emmy Award in 2012. He is the author of Talk Show and the coauthor of Cavett and Eye on Cavett, and he writes an online opinion column for The New York Times. He lives in New York City and Montauk, New York.

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    Reviews for Brief Encounters

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Brief Encounters is a collection of columns written by Dick Cavett between Apr 30, 2010 and Dec 14, 2012. Each entry tells of an experience or memory of the author. One gets the feeling while reading, that the reader and Mr. Cavett could be chatting over a cup of coffee. The essays are very enjoyable to read and cover a wide assortment of topics. He discusses famous people he has met – as well as memories of his own childhood. I was often reminded of famous people (entertainers, politicians, etc) from the past – and learned something new about each of them. I won the book as an Early Reviewer for Library Thing – and am very glad I did. It is a great read for anyone - especially if one is old enough to remember the people Mr. Cavett talks about!
    • 4/5
      Cavett brings a second collection of his New York Times columns, a collection of warm wit, political outrage, and gentle sadness. While some of the political articles become dated, others like profiles of Stan Laurel and Jonathan Winters are heartfelt and funny. A good read for those that like a good conversation.
    • 4/5
      This was an early review copy - I really enjoyed this book, but I wonder if it's because I'm OLD. I remember everyone he talks about so it was a wonderful look back. I also am a Cavett fan. He's so dry and funny. I sometimes think some of his humor is lost on me because I'm not as intellectual as he. But I still love to read what he writes.
    • 5/5
      This book of essays and memories from comic writer and talk show host, Dick Cavett, was fun. It was interesting and insightful, too. Cavett presents a large number of brief (2 to 3 page) memories or essays on his own youthful hijinks growing up in Nebraska and the magic moments he's experienced with big names. I admit that many of those names were before my time but that made the book even more enjoyable, for me.The best part of the book is the stories he tells. Of how Marlene Dietrich called him every day at the same time for awhile. Of learning that Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame, was still alive and so Cavett visited Laurel in his apartment. Laurel's number was in the phone book, amazingly. Stories about other greats, such as Groucho Marx, abound.I wanted to read this entertaining book in big gulps but, in the end, I took my time and savored it. What a delight!! Highly recommended!!
    • 4/5
      Long time Cavett fan here, so I was very happy to receive this book! (Thank you, ER.) Husband and I were in the vast TV audience for his famous disposal of the obnoxious Norman Mailer: "Why don't you fold it 5 ways and put it where the moon don't shine?) and earlier offer of an extra 2 chairs to accommodate his giant intellect. These columns are pure Cavett. Nobody else could have written them, and I was hoping to begin my review with a tribute to his voice when I read his own tribute to Groucho's writing. Certainly Cavett isn't Groucho, but the words are equally true for these columns: "As you read them, it's almost like having him present. So tone-perfect are these pieces that you can't help hearing the famous voice and its witty inflections in your mind's ear. It's a wonder." He alludes to his own voice again in a piece about speaking to Muhammad Ali when he was long lost in Parkinson's. "I kept talking in hopes of some sign.... But then... my mixed-blessingly recognizable voice seemed suddenly to have gotten through. It was not to be. But I honestly think - or maybe I just need to think - that a bell rang."That's Cavett. I'd advise reading only one or two at a time so that the mix of sophisticated Yale-educated wit combined with the Nebraska-reared outrageous bad boy doesn't pall. I'll also note in passing his comments about giving offense in this suddenly PC, offense-taking world."Brief dialogue:Network executive: 'We're afraid some viewers might be offended.'D.C. 'So?'"There follows an incisive column.And finally, when the network fellow told him he'd have to do another first Dick Cavett Show because "Nobody gives a goddamn what Muhammad Ali and Gore Vidal think about the Vietnam War, Cavett replied in "as polite a tone as I could muster, 'And at what point will you stop being chickenshit?'"That's Cavett too. Read and enjoy.
    • 4/5
      A collection of columns and memoirs by Dick Cavett, who was the host of the most witty and intelligent talk show of the 1960s and 1970s. Here we see reminiscences of John Lennon, Mel Brooks, Nora Ephron, James Gandolfini, Muhammad Ali, and most dear to my heart, Stan Laurel and Groucho Marx and Jonathon Winters. The whole book is a treasure trove of humorous memories and bits on current politics, but my favorite laugh-out-loud bit was when Cavett describes Jack Paar's challenge of Jonathon Winters' legendary improv skills in 1962 on the Tonight Show, when he handed him a polished stick and asked what he could do with this prop. After a rapid fire series of bits of ever-increasing inventiveness and wit, "suddenly it flies into his chest and, gripping the (now) spear that has fatally impaled him, he utters in a strangled voice, "The United Nations recognizes the delegate from Zambezi."
    • 4/5
      Cavett mentions that a good comedy writer produces material in the voice of the comic. That is especially true here. You can clearly hear Cavett's voice in all of these columns. Cavett has always been a favorite of mine. I miss his talk show. However he often comes across as literary and cultural snob. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book.
    • 3/5
      I always loved listening to Dick Cavett in TV. He conducted a casual but informative interview in his time. This book is about celebrities he has known. I heard his voice thoughout, wistful and humorous.
    • 4/5
      One of the more interesting/frustrating things about any collection is how the editor/collector decides to present the items in that collection. The basic approach (one any editor will tell you is the key to success) is to start and end with strong pieces. The quality at the beginning draws people into the collection; the quality at the end leaves a good taste in their mouths. There are exceptions to that rule. Let's skip the "the editor doesn't know what they are doing and has put together, higgledy-piggledy, a bunch of stuff" approach and talk about other, legitimate, approaches.One that drives me absolutely crazy is that used by "The Greatest American..." collections (and others). In their case, they present the offerings in alphabetical order by the author's last name. While it sometimes works (and while it is incredibly democratic – if ineffective), it generally results in a start-and-stop, uneven presentation of the materials. To me it is one of the worst approaches.Another very common approach – and one that is very successful if used in the right situation – is to present the pieces in chronological order. The very best examples of this (and I mean best because it worked so effectively) are some of the works of Harlan Ellison – The Glass Teat, The Other Glass Teat, An Edge in My Voice, or Harlan Ellison's Watching. These work because the pieces are meant to have been read in that order. In the case of the Ellison books cited above, they are collections of essays from magazines and newspapers where the pieces tend to build on each other.So it makes sense that this collection of Dick Cavett's opinion pieces from the New York Times would be presented in chronological order. They were written in a particular order and often reference previous writings. It makes sense, but it proves to be a minor detriment for any of us may be unaware the approach Cavett uses in this body of work. (Remember my comment about starting strong helps draw the reader in?)I say this because I almost stopped before I got going with this book. The beginning was slow going – two pieces on dreams; in particular the anxiety dreams we all have, in this case, putting Cavett's profession's spin on those anxieties. Nice little pieces, but they seemed inconsequential, didn't really say anything to me, and were not what I expected to hear. The book blurbs had promised me introductions to "the fascinating characters who have crossed [Cavett's] path" and "piquant commentary on contemporary politics, the indignities of travel, the nature of comedy writing, and the utter improbability of being alive at all." None of that was present in those first pages.You only have so many pages to make a first impression and, if that impression is wrong, it takes a whole lotta pages to change the reader's mind. So I read seven pages wondering why I cared. And when this was followed by a fascinating little tale about Art Linkletter, followed by one about Arthur Godfrey, I wasn't ready to sit back and say "Ah, this is what I was looking for." There followed a nicely written commentary about the times. Then more pieces that, off and on, met my expectations.You see, this is a very nice collection. There are definitely fascinating stories about the fascinating characters that Cavett has met. There are also interesting commentaries about politics and life in general. Some are good, some are so-so, some are really good, some are ordinary, and some are extraordinary. But the very slow start meant that it was a while before I realized I was enjoying this book. Once I got a feel for the flow, I got a feel for the book and, eventually, realized it was a very good book indeed.If for no other reason, you will want to get this book for the stories of how Cavett's show got started, of writing for Jack Paar, of meeting Stan Laurel, of writing for Johnny Carson, of working with John and Yoko, of writing for...anyone, and for the insights. In other words, there are a lot of really good stories and really good commentary.I have spent a lot of time focused on the structure of the book – probably one of the worst things to focus on in a review. However, I came so close to walking away from this book because of that structure that I want to convince you to get past it – get past whatever might be holding you back – and go ahead and take the plunge.And one other thing. This review was based on an advanced reader's edition, so there may have been changes in the order. If so, my apologies. (On the other hand, I can certainly see why they didn't want to make the first story the tale of Art Linkletter not doing so well – that can't be good for business, no matter how good the story is.)
    • 4/5
      It's hard to go wrong with Dick Cavett's wry wit, style and love of a good joke (on himself or anyone else). This book, scheduled for publication in November, 2014, is a compilation of some of Cavett's New York Times columns from recent days, consisting primarily of delightful anecdotes about people he met in his comedy writing days, or his much too brief career as a talk show host. (Why don't we have anyone doing what he did anymore? Why isnt HE doing it? As Dick might say....you tell me.) When he and a guest hit it off, the exchanges were so often sharp-witted and funny; even better, when he didn't cotton to someone's remarks or behavior, the flint in his tongue could send sparks into the flies and someone might have to yell "Fire" in the crowded theater, as when he famously got tired of Norman Mailer's supercilious attitude and suggested that Mailer take Cavett's question sheet, "fold it sideways and stick it where the moon don't shine". Despite his cool Yalie demeanor, Cavett has never lost his boy-from-the-Midwest awe at being in the presence of what he considers greatness, whether in the person of Muhammad Ali, John Lennon, Marlene Dietrich or Stan Laurel. His tributes to the loss of such talents make some of the best reading in Brief Encounters. But the prize selections, in my opinion, are two on the subject sex and young people in today's world. Never one for political correctness, Cavett makes some potentially unpopular suggestions on the subject. You can read them by googling "Dick Cavett NYTimes", which will take you to his columns. But don't do that. Buy the book instead.
    • 4/5
      Dick Cavett's Brief Encounters picks up where his book Talk Show left off and is a compilation of his on-line columns in the NY Times from 2010 through 2013. As with the first volume, his essays on show business are absolutely wonderful highlighting his work with famous old-time stars like Arthur Godfrey, Jack Paar, George Burns and Jack Benny. Likewise his reminiscences of his Nebraska boyhood and his college days at Yale in the 1950's are utterly charming.And as in the first volume, the thing that keeps me from giving this volume 5 stars are his forays into politics. I'm sure that in 2012 he felt compelled to write about Rick Santorum, but now that that gentleman's time in the sun has past, I don't want to read another line about him. Thankfully in this volume his political ruminations are very much in the minority and can be skimmed over so the reader can return to the good stuff.
    • 5/5
      I am so grateful that I received this book. Dick Cavett is a brilliant mind with such a witty and droll sense of humor. I loved the old stories the most. I knew who he was talking about; I knew the public situations he talked about from the past. Such interesting stories with great personal insights. I would hate to be on the bad end of his wicked sarcasm though, which he delivers with such a quiet and calm demeanor. He's so gentle, I bet people walk away from a scolding thinking, "What the hell, did he just..?"The current events he speaks about in this book and the popular people of today also deliver. I so wish the old Dick Cavett shows could be seen in their entirety. These shows are history and sometimes I think we need to visit the past to remind us about where we came from and where we're going as people. The ideas, situations, goals, attitudes from those days are still relevant today in varying degrees and depending on the shoes we walk in. We need to see how far we've come and how far we still need to go.Thank you Mr. Cavett for your continued writings. My only complaint about this book is, it was too short!
    • 3/5
      I read his column for a while. There's just so much to like about him. He doesn't sugar coat things. As you would expect with a collection of columns, some are better than others. I wish they'd make more of his books into ebooks.
    • 2/5
      Disappointing. Like your show, but it doesn't seem to translate to the page.