Book Review: Vagabond by Tim Curry

 GOODREADS SUMMARY

There are few stars in Hollywood today that can boast the kind of resume Tony award-nominated actor Tim Curry has built over the past five decades. From his breakout role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show to his iconic depiction as the sadistic clown Pennywise in It to his critically acclaimed role as the original King Arthur in both the Broadway and West End versions of Spamalot, Curry redefined what it meant to be a “character actor,” portraying heroes and villains alike with complexity, nuance, and a genuine understanding of human darkness. 

Now, in his memoir, Curry takes readers behind-the-scenes of his rise to fame from his early beginnings as a military brat to his formative years in boarding school and university, to the moment when he hit the stage for the first time. He goes in-depth about what it was like to work on some of the most emblematic works of the 20th century, constantly switching between a camera and a live audience. He also explores the voice work that defined his later career and provided him with a chance to pivot after surviving a catastrophic stroke in 2012 that nearly took his life. 

TEE'S THOUGHTS...

I have been watching Rocky Horror every Halloween night for as long as I can remember. It is also on the list of my five favorite movies. and probably most of my love for it stems from Tim Curry. Yes I have seen Curry in countless other movies, and I appreciate his acting in all of them, but his portrayal of Dr Frank-N-Furter has always held my heart, closely followed by his portrayal of Darkness in the 1985 movie Legend.

Curry has always came off as a private person to me, I have never known much about him, but also I have not searched out info either. I think this privacy shows in Vagabond as well. He does tell the reader a bit about his family and his early years, in fact he is one of the few people i have heard speak about being a Navy " Brat " in much the same way that I decribed it. My father spent 30 years in the Navy, 18 of which I was a dependent. It made him somewhat of a loner, making longterm friendships nearly impossible since you were uprooted  every 18-24 months. You really do get to the point where it is not worth getting really involved in someones life, its easier to leave on casual terms.

He does speak of his movie roles ( he omits a few ),and his various voiceover roles, but one thing you will not read about is any juicy gossip on his love life, he tells the reader about that and other personal business , that it is " none of your fucking business " Rather, Vagabond is Curry leading the reader and himself down a sort of memory lane of his major movie roles, but as you would hope, he does it with all the wit and charm you have come to expect from Tim Curry.

I split my time reading and listening to Vagabond. I was glad I listened to most of it, and highly recommend it if possible. It was lovely to hear his voice , however, you will notice that it is not as strong and steady due to the stroke that almost took his life.

I think the one thing that really stood out to me as a read, is how genuine Curry came across, even when speaking of a few people he acted with and might have not gotten along well with, he did so with a respect for them.

Both the book and the audio kept me reading and listening. I never found myself getting bored from lack of gossip or personal information. I just enjoyed it as a whole, it was both fun and inspirational and a wonderful book wirtten and spoken by a wonderful seeming person.