Title: They call me Supermensch: A backstage pass to the amazing worlds of film, food, and rock’n’roll
Author: Shep Gordon
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Just about the best firsthand account on Hollywood history you’ll read. If you found Mike Myers’ documentary ‘Supermensch’ (available on Netflix) funny and entertaining, you’ll love the book from Shep Gordon himself. He covers a lot more ground here.

Every chapter offers a crazy anecdote involving some icon from showbiz and popular music. To think that he mentions dating Sharon Stone for years, almost as an afterthought. You’ll also find that Shep had a big hand in the rise of celebrity chefs in the 21st century.

It seems that Shep was made to name-drop a good deal, giving the appearance of excluding ‘the little people’ who undoubtedly had a big hand in the success stories he tells. I believe though that the stories would hold even if he withheld real names.

Before becoming renowned as Alice Cooper’s manager, he learned of his ability to create hype, in promoting a fabricated visit of fabricated Middle-Eastern royalty to his university:
“No one checked us on our facts – including the part where we’d said that Marchantia was ‘an island in Arabia.’”
– Page 42, Location 741-742 (Amazon Kindle version)

Early in his career, Shep found out the following principle:
“‘[G]uilt by association.’ If you want to be famous, get next to somebody who already is famous.”
– Page 70, Location 1157-1158

On Salvador Dali. Read the book to find out what scissors and honey have to do with it:
“The Dali didn’t seem to make art only when he was painting or sculpting; he seemed to make his entire life, every minute of it, every word and gesture, art. That was the point of the scissors and honey. It was a living Dali painting.”
– Page 114, Location 1770-1771

A credo that Shep has lived by:
“Don’t get mad. Accomplish your goal.”
– Page 137, Location 2080-2081

“[G]uests, not customers.”
-Page 157, Location 2363-2364
That is, treat customers that way.

“[S]eeding a little compassion and kindness every chance you get creates an abundance of happiness for all.”
– Page 164, Location 2465

For more notes on books I’ve read, visit https://paulspurpose.com/tag/notes/.
Buy Shep Gordon’s ‘They call me Supermensch’ on Amazon, here.
This article is guided by the fair-use doctrine, and is for the purpose of critiquing and educating.