When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

By: Jerry Weintraub, Rich Cohen, George Clooney - foreword

Narrated by: Jerry Weintraub

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary dealmaker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him - the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood - he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door.

"All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he says. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"

In When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age 26 with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, the Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow, and the Great Palace in Beijing - all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer...the list goes on forever.

And of course, the story is not yet over. As the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come." And as Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."

With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists...everyone.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Jerry Weintraub (P)2010 Hachette

Buy it.

Don't waste more time reading comments. Get it. Start listening and enjoying. Be disappointed when it's over. Then take a 2-week break from reading. Because if this book is fresh on your mind, the next book is going to feel pretty weak. That's not fair to the next book haha.

I am an avid reader and enjoy everything from Game of Thrones style fiction to books on management by Peter Drucker. Biographies/autobiographies on the other hand have never done it for me. That couldn't be further from the truth in this case. I could not stop listening to Jerry Weintraub's story. Full of amazing content that was given life as Jerry himself performed the voicing. I honestly think audio is the way to go with this book. I don't know that I would have had the same experience reading it by myself.

Great listen!!

This was very entertaining! Also some great stories. Excellent, super, amazing, neat, fantastic, interesting, super

Aim high, not matter who you are!

This book was a pleasant surprise. I could not stop listening and reading. Jerry does an excellent job talking about his life and experience. And his creative ways to solve problems. Jerry is truly an amazing man and proves that vision, dreaming, confidence, believing in oneself, never giving up and getting up when you fall are what winners are made of!

Jerry's Right, His Voice Was THE Voice For This!!

What made the experience of listening to When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead the most enjoyable?

Hearing Jerry Weintraub tell his stories with his emotion and inflection.

What did you like best about this story?

Finding out Jerry's place in the Hollywood we know and hearing additional stories about Lew Wasserman, Universal, and Hollywood that I had become addicted to while listening to "Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood".

Which scene was your favorite?

This question always cracks me up because in a well written autobiography, there are far too many great scenes, or it is a very short book. If you are a fan of Hollywood and want to know some backstories, read this. You'll understand.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but alas, employment and family occasionally beckons. A very enjoyable book.

Any additional comments?

I have been reading as many books connected to movie history as I can and hearing Jerry Weintraub read to you about his contributions is a very good addition to that library.

Outstanding

The most entertaining piece of media I've ever consumed. The reading was great, the stories were great, and it was highly inspirational.

Outstanding.

what an upstanding life story, starting from nothing going to the top and all the time helping to bring some of the finest entertainment to the world.

Top 3 to mee!

Hey, here. I was sckeptical with the first review I read. I don't know if its for my interest in this industries where Jerry made his professional life or what, but it has been one of the best books ever for mee. It gave mee deep lessons about business friendship mentorship and a lot of paths to follow. Honestly i think it is a great book, and better even because Jerry himself reads it. If you like business and adventire, story telling, get it!!

Here's what we're going to do...

Fun stories, old fashion tough guy! Reminds me of my dad, wish he would have done as well as Jerry.

One of my favorite audiobooks, Jerry narrates well

Wish I could’ve met this guy, my stomping ground in LA was his stomping ground (2010-2015). I had an office near him, I lived next door to his favorite restaurant that had a pasta dish with his name on it, “Jerry Weintraub Spaguetti Clam Show”... alas I never met him.

I’m happy to hear these stories of dumb luck (???, or so it seemed) and hard work to accomplish all that he had. I listened to this book during a messy divorce involving kids.. the section about his son and how his ex-wife and in-laws slandering him to his son actually made his son want to be closer to his father and even ended up moving in with Jerry to get the truth really hit home and helped me move ahead with my personal goals. Elvis, Palm Springs, selling in Alaska.... all great stories!

Cheers Jerry, wish I would’ve bumped into you at Madeo’s, Dan Tana’s or Il Picolino

Hooked from the start!

Invaluable lessons coming from a legend... All in story mode. What better way to learn about life?