The Rise and Rise of David Geffen

by Stephen Singular

In 1976, at age 33, David Geffen faced a serious challenge. He'd just lost his job as vice chairman of the Warner Brothers film studio. Six years earlier, he had founded Asylum Records and brought out albums by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and the Eagles, but those glory days, his critics now believed, were behind him. According to them, the skinny, outspoken, curly-haired Brooklyn native wasn't much more than a common hustler.Undeterred, Geffen founded Geffen Records in 1980. By 1990, he owned the best independent record label in America and had become a successful producer of Broadway plays (Cats and M. Butterfly) and hit films (Risky Business and Beetlejuice). When he sold Geffen Records to MCA, in March 1990, he earned $710 million, and was now touted as the first self-made billionaire in Hollywood history. Yet just as he was experiencing his greatest business achievements, he was being attacked bitterly for "dishonesty". For years he had described himself as bisexual, but now gay activists demanded that he step forward and declare his homosexuality to the world. After an excruciating public battle, they got their wish.

Late in 1994, when it looked as if he would again slip into retirement, Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Jeffrey Katzenberg announced they were building the first new film studio in Hollywood in sixty years -- at a cost of $8 billion. The ever-unpredictable Geffen was back in the entertainment business once more.

In The Rise and Rise of David Geffen, the first full-length portrait of Geffen, the reader will take a remarkable journey through the billionaire's difficult youth, through Asylum Records and Studio 54, and through Geffen Records andHollywood's power wars. But more than a business story, this book is a personal adventure into the psyche and emotions of one of the most colorful and intriguing executives our nation has produced.

Genres: Biography, Music

250 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Stephen Singular is the author or co-author of 22 non-fiction books, many of them about high-profile criminal cases. He’s also written sports and business biographies and social commentary. Two of the books have been “New York Times” bestsellers.

His first book, Talked to Death, set the tone for his journalistic career. Published in 1987, it chronicled the assassination of a Denver Jewish talk show host, Alan Berg, by a group of neo-Nazis known as The Order. The book was nominated for a national award — the Edgar for true crime — and became the basis for the 1989 Oliver Stone film, “Talk Radio.” Talked to Death was translated into several languages and explored the timeless American themes of racism, class, violence, and religious intolerance.

Reviews

[Stephen- Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having worked with and around the man for years, I was interested in reading this book.... Much of it is close, but in the end does not really capture the man many have come to fear, respect, admire and love. Many of the "so called" facts, were absolutely wrong, because, in many cases, I was a "fly on the wall in the room" when the occurrence happened. I was also surprised at the lack of research that was done...There are so many people that could have been approached to "flush out the facts", were were never contacted......Makes you kind of wonder......? An "A" for effort, and worth reading if you are truly interested in consuming information about this legendary figure......Only because so little has really been written about him that wasn't a blatant "press - promo" .

[francesbean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce type est pas croyable. A la fin de ce bouquin, je n'avais qu'une envie, monter mon propre label. David Geffen, c'est la réussite tellement insolente qu'elle te laisse avec une pure jalousie au creux du bide. Sa vie est une success story comme on en fait peu. Rien ne prédestinait pourtant ce gamin un peu naze sur les bords à devenir un nabab de l'industrie musicale. J'aime pas l'adage "quand on veut on peut", ou encore "travailler dur pour réussir" parce que 1: ça pue le bon sentiment naif, mais aussi et surtout parce que 2: le travail suffit pas, faut aussi le talent, et le Geffen, il en a toujours eu sous le sabot. La tchatche des grands, qui lui a permis de grimper les marches vers le sommet, voilà de quoi ce mec a toujours été fait. Ce livre, c'est plus qu'une simple bio. Il m'a donné envie tour à tour de conquérir le monde ou de m'écrouler dans mon canapé en gémissant que je ne ferai rien de ma vie. Dans tous les cas, le dude ne laisse pas indifférent. J'ai pas forcément de role model masculin, mais par certains aspects, Geffen est définitivement sur ma liste.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read about David Geffen, the other being "The Men Who Would Be King". I also watched the Netflix documentary "Inventing David Geffen". Though he certainly has his detractors, and though I personally have very little in common with the man (Spiritually, Socioeconomically, Politically, etc...), I do find him fascinating, especially in comparison to everyone around him (except Spielberg).

[Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great revealing moments about the iconic formation of Dreamworks, the roads that lead up to it, and theories on why, personally, Geffen was destined to it.