The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing

Fans of actor and comedian Bill Murray have likely heard of the star's habit of randomly showing up in the most unexpected places, only to vanish just as quickly. Rolling Stone contributing editor Edwards (Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind) investigates this and the star's other off-kilter antics and the philosophy behind them. Edwards does an admirable job of profiling Murray's unique approach to life, friendship, and work, via interviews with the actor himself as well as friends, collaborators, and those acquaintances. The book is bursting with anecdotes that underline Murray's unconventional and fun-loving life: he's commandeered a street cleaner, crashed an off-campus house party and started doing the dishes, and driven a cab while the cabby practiced playing saxophone in the back seat. Edwards provides a rough biographical sketch of Murray, but excels far more in his assessments of Murray's films, which comprise the final third of the book. Murray's fans are sure to savor this book and walk away with a deeper appreciation of the actor and his work. (Sept.)