The dedication of the book, along with a quote from ‘Poor Buds’ Almanac’, is hand written/drawn by Billy Bob Thornton himself, though I’m not entirely sure who the 2 characters are that Billy Bob has dedicated the book to (there’s no names, just caricatures!). The next part that surprised me was the foreword, written by Angelina Jolie. We all know they were married for a few years, but I hadn’t realised that they had remained good friends. Angelina Jolie’s tribute to her former husband is touching, so much so that you’d be forgiven for thinking they were still married if you didn’t already know otherwise.
The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts brings us colourful tales of Billy Bob Thornton’s childhood, family life, music, phobias (which aren’t your bog-standard, run-of-the-mill phobias either!), loves and, of course, career. Billy Bob didn’t sit down and write this book with his friend Kinky Friedman. Instead, Billy’s friends gathered at his place night after night and were given the task of getting him to talk, to help bring back memories and get the words flowing. These conversations and stories told by Billy Bob were recorded and thus turned into his autobiography. Because of this you can really imagine Billy Bob Thornton sat there telling you these stories as you read the book.
Each chapter is given a title, followed by lyrics from songs Billy Bob has written throughout the years. Some might say that Billy Bob Thornton is another of these Hollywood actors having a go at being in a band, but it’s not like that at all. Billy Bob was interested in music long before he ever considered being an actor. He talks a lot about his love for music and playing in bands. It’s every much a part of him as his acting is, he just doesn’t get paid for it!
Billy Bob takes us through his poor upbringing in the American South and then, as an adult, being so poor that he could barely afford to eat and so landing himself in hospital with serious health issues due to the lack of nourishment. But don’t get me wrong, this is no sob story. Billy wasn’t going to let a lack of food get him down. He was determined to make it and make it he did.
Billy Bob sure does name-drop in this book, but mainly he’s not name-dropping for the sake of it or for showing off, it’s usually because he’s grateful to them for the help, encouragement and inspiration he’s had over the years. In fact, the acknowledgements section at the back of the book is several pages long and Billy Bob still admits he’s probably left people out!
I loved reading about how Sling Blade came about. It’s one of my favourite films and it’s where I first came across Billy Bob Thornton. I hadn’t realised he’d also written and directed the film, as well as starring in it. Despite not being well known at the time, Billy Bob even managed to get actors such as John Ritter and Robert Duvall to star in it. If you’ve never seen Sling Blade then I’d definitely recommend getting the DVD and watching it.
This autobiography is honest, touching and even quite funny in parts. And his account of taking mushrooms one time is simply enough to put anyone off taking them! Billy Bob Thornton comes across as pretty forthright in his opinions and I didn’t quite like his take on us blogging reviewers, although I could understand his opinion on the matter. He also puts right some things the press have written about him and Angelina Jolie in the past. He’s honest and you take him as he is.
The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts is a quick and entertaining read (with some flavoursome words included!) from one of Hollywood’s best actors.