Guru: My Days with Del CloseA legend of improvisational theater, Del Close is best known for discovering and cultivating the talents of John Belushi, Chris Farley, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, and countless other comedy giants. He was resident director of Chicago's famed Second City and "house metaphysician" for "Saturday Night Live," a talent in his own right, and one of the brightest and wackiest theater gurus ever. Jeff Griggs was a student of Close's at the ImprovOlympic in Chicago when he was asked to help the aging mentor (often in ill health) by driving him around the city on his weekly errands. The two developed a volatile friendship that shocked, angered, and amused both of them—and produced this hilarious and ultimately endearing chronicle of Close's last years. With all the elements of a picaresque novel, Guru captures Close at his zaniest but also shows him in theatrical situations that confirm his genius in conceptualizing and directing improvisational theater. Between comic episodes, Jeff Griggs gives the reader the essentials of Close's biography: his childhood in Kansas, early years as an actor, countercultural exploits in the 1960s (he toured with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and designed light shows for the Grateful Dead), years with the Compass Players and then with Second City, and continuing experimentation with every drug imaginable, which pretty much cost him his health and ultimately his life. He was comedian, director, teacher, writer, actor, poet, fire-eater, junkie, and philosopher. "Being a really good actor does not necessarily guarantee that you will be a very good improviser," Close liked to say. "Being an actual, complete, hopeless, wretched geek in real life doesn't disqualify you from being a solid improviser, either." He approached improv the same way he conducted his life—in bizarre, dark, and dangerous fashion. Guru captures it. |
Contents
3 | |
10 | |
13 | |
17 | |
22 | |
27 | |
Chapter 07 Chris | 32 |
Chapter 08 The Rules | 38 |
Chapter 30 The Sanctity of Marriage | 145 |
Chapter 31 IBeams and Columns | 150 |
Chapter 32 Hurt Feelings | 155 |
Chapter 33 Wastelands | 159 |
Chapter 34 Old Companions with Pictures | 163 |
Chapter 35 Note Taken | 167 |
Chapter 36 Second CityAgain | 169 |
Chapter 37 Sweet and Sour Pork | 174 |
Chapter 09 The Compass | 43 |
Chapter 10 Pogo the Clown | 47 |
Chapter 11 A Gift from Scruthers | 52 |
Chapter 12 A Trim | 57 |
Chapter 13 Ghosts | 59 |
Chapter 14 The Golden Dome | 63 |
Chapter 15 Back to New York | 73 |
Chapter 16 Commit Commit | 77 |
Chapter 17 Sunlamps and Old Men | 82 |
Chapter 18 Card Tricks | 89 |
Chapter 19 Hospitals and Funerals | 95 |
Chapter 20 Damaged Goods | 98 |
Chapter 21 Confidants | 103 |
Chapter 22 Second CityThe Initial Voyage | 111 |
Chapter 23 Birthdays and Suicide | 114 |
Chapter 24 Comedys Unabomber | 122 |
Chapter 25 Spoo | 127 |
Chapter 26 Belts | 130 |
Chapter 27 Chats with Cats | 134 |
Chapter 28 The Point of Conflict | 138 |
Chapter 29 The Committee | 140 |
Chapter 38 Regrets | 179 |
Chapter 39 Tank Tops and Badgers | 182 |
Chapter 40 Cleaning Up | 195 |
Chapter 41 Sex Wars | 204 |
Chapter 42 Santa Claus | 209 |
Chapter 43 The Del Game | 212 |
Chapter 44 Wrigley Field | 214 |
Chapter 45 Charna | 219 |
Chapter 46 The Information Superhighway | 222 |
Chapter 47 Peppers | 225 |
Chapter 48 Impounded | 231 |
Chapter 49 Illegal Uturns | 236 |
Chapter 50 Blizzards of All Kinds | 241 |
Chapter 51 The New Car | 246 |
Chapter 52 The Birthday Party | 250 |
Chapter 53 Pitiful | 257 |
Epilogue | 264 |
Acknowledgments | 267 |
271 | |
A Note on the Author | 278 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actors answered arrived art form asked audience began Bill Murray breath called cast Charna Chicago Chris Chris Farley Close comedy Compass Players coughing couldn’t Dan Aykroyd Del Close Del’s door drive drove drugs errands eyes Farley feel felt festival front fucking funny glass going grabbed grocery hand head improv improvisation ImprovOlympic John Belushi kitchen knew laughed Lindbergh Babies looked loved minutes movie never night nodded opened Paul Sills performers picked play pretty pulled responded retarded Saturday Night Live scene partner seat Second City Severn Darden shirt shit smiled smoke Spoo stage stared started stood stopped talking Tank Top Girl teach tell theater there’s thing thought told took Top Girl tried truck trying turned waited walked back wanted wasn’t watch What’s window woman yelled