You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams
My Life in Stories and Pictures
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Rizzoli International Publications
Published:13th Sep '16
£19.95
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
If you were to put David Sedaris and Glenn O'Brien in a blender and add a dash of New York and Hollywood gossip, you would wind up with Alan Cumming. Described by Time magazine as one of the most fun people in show business, Cumming is a genuine triple-threat as a successful stage, television, and film star whose real-life vivacity, sophisticated wit, and charm tend to match that of his onstage personalities. In his third book, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams, he has composed a collection of true-life adventures-or rather, misadventures-that is sure to make the reader laugh out loud. This volume recounts the hysterical and sometimes embarrassing encounters that only Cumming could experience, from awkwardly enter- taining Elizabeth Taylor at Carrie Fisher's birthday party to being on a movie set with Helen Mirren and being mocked for wearing Croc sandals to making a friend's day by chasing down Oprah at a glitzy gala for a prized photograph with her. These forty-five stories are humorous novellas, each featuring memo- rable photographs-many simply snapshots taken by Cumming-that document or illustrate the tale told.
"There’s a lot of joy in this book and a lot of laughs. You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams is the best part of experiencing New York nightlife: all the gossip without the hangover."
—New York Journal of Books
“The pictures—and stories—are intimate, mischievous, funny, and poignant. It's a rare self-portrait by an actor in an era when most are wary of revealing too much.”
—Town & Country Magazine
"...a fun, heartfelt, adorably catty collection of anecdotes and accompanying photographs from the entertainer's personal and professional life."
—Edge Media Network
"A passion for photography has stayed with Cumming, all his life, and stage, film and television actor, has just released a book of 45 short essays accompanied by his photos."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Cumming’s delight in life’s unexpectedly joyful experiences — of which he’s had plenty in his fortunate career — runs throughout the 45 essays in “You’ve Gotta Get Bigger Dreams,” his third book. . . . Cumming’s new book is rife with entertaining anecdotes, as well as personal reflections and at times shrewdly insightful commentary on his adopted country."
—SF Gate
"Cumming’s witty and incisive essays cover everything from a cross-country road trip with his beloved dog Honey to an unforgettable encounter with Oprah, whose one-line response to one of Cumming’s friends became the title of his book."
—Daily Front Row
"Alan Cumming is just plain old delightful. Instead of just writing another memoir book, he peppers his crazy life stories with his photographs to give them an extra visual punch most people don't have in their writing."
—Ain't It Cool News
"Must Read" selection:. . . 45 vignettes, with photos, name-checking Oprah, Seam Combs, and Elizabeth Taylor."
—Harper's Bazaar
"Cummings says that as a photographer, hes just a "snapper," capturing moments."
—Pittsburgh City Paper
". . . a brisk, entertaining read that makes the reader feel like Cumming is in your head relating each mischievous adventure."
—Metrosource NY
". . . 45 charming, naughty, thoughtful, and wickedly hilarious stories, all illustrated by Cumming’s own memorable photographs."
—Good Morning Washington / WJLA-TV
"If you’re a fan of Cumming, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams is fun and lively enough to sustain interest. For those less familiar, it is a teasing glimpse into an impressive achiever’s high life and downtime."
—StageBuddy.com
"...a charming mosaic of anecdotes and photos..."
—Out Magazine
"Flipping through feels like passing a couple hours with the scrapbook of your most fabulous older cousin."
—Passport Magazine
ISBN: 9780847849000
Dimensions: 231mm x 173mm x 30mm
Weight: 1030g
272 pages