The host of ESPN's popular Beat Charlie Moore
show—in which he bets his own money in one-on-one fishing duels against pros and amateurs alike—tries to transfer his wild man persona to the printed page, with mixed results. The first few chapters, on his youth, marriage, and failed attempt to run a bait-and-tackle shop, make slow going, and his look at how he went from local to national stardom is marred by abrupt tangents in which he thanks various network and corporate sponsors. The pace speeds up when Moore provides a behind-the-scenes look at various shows; he has plenty of great stories about such celebrity guests as rock guitarist Ted Nugent, sports legend Bobby Orr, rapper Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC and Batman
star Adam West. But Moore doesn't provide much beyond what was caught on camera: his comment that “Ted is crazy” doesn't illuminate the episode in which Nugent fired a nine millimeter into his own pond to get enough fish to win the competition. Moore is upfront about wanting to be “more along the lines of a Tim Allen driving the show,” and it is clear that he succeeded on TV. But he doesn't capture his “Mad Fisherman” persona on the page. (Apr.)
