Alright, Alright, Alright

The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused

By: Melissa Maerz

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, George Newbern

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive oral history of the cult classic Dazed and Confused, featuring behind-the-scenes stories from the cast, crew, and Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater.

The production includes an exclusive conversation between Melissa Maerz and Richard Linklater at the end of the audiobook.

Dazed and Confused not only heralded the arrival of filmmaker Richard Linklater, it introduced a cast of unknowns who would become the next generation of movie stars. Embraced as a cultural touchstone, the 1993 film would also make Matthew McConaughey’s famous phrase - alright, alright, alright - ubiquitous. But it started with a simple idea: Linklater thought people might like to watch a movie about high school kids just hanging out and listening to music on the last day of school in 1976.

To some, that might not even sound like a movie. But to a few studio executives, it sounded enough like the next American Graffiti to justify the risk. Dazed and Confused underperformed at the box office and seemed destined to disappear. Then something weird happened: Linklater turned out to be right.

This wasn’t the kind of movie everybody liked, but it was the kind of movie certain people loved, with an intensity that felt personal. No matter what their high school experience was like, they thought Dazed and Confused was about them. Alright, Alright, Alright is the story of how this iconic film came together and why it worked. Combining behind-the-scenes photos and insights from nearly the entire cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and many others, and with full access to Linklater’s Dazed archives, it offers an inside look at how a budding filmmaker and a cast of newcomers made a period piece that would feel timeless for decades to come.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Melissa Maerz (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Wish All My Favorite Movies Had A Great Book Like This!

Dazed made an impact on me from the Summer Friday day in ‘94 I watched it after renting it on VHS. My High School graduation was only a couple of years before so it brought back a lot of great memories but also included some things I wish had happened.
Watching Dazed this year on its 30th Anniversary made me also look for any other supplement to extend my immersion in the movie. I watched all the extras I could find and anything I could find on YouTube as well as listened to the two soundtracks. I was thrilled when I found there was also a book about the movie. I have never listened to an audio book before but I found this was a perfect book to listen to. It was a long book that took almost 13 hours to listen to but I could have listened to more and more on the subject of Dazed. Author Melissa Maerz made the book so fun and engaging. Well done!!

great book

this was a really fun read, I loved the Rollercoaster of emotions I was feeling as I listened, I really am a lover of this movie. but it took me back to a time, for me, that I loved.

Watch the leather man

If you love the movie, you’ll love the book. As soon as the audio ended, I watched the movie, the behind the scenes doc, the recent table read (gasp!). I HIGHLY recommend this title (see what I did there?) ; )

great story, at times, confusingly told.

I am a fan of Dazed & Confused, so was eager to listen to this publication. The story told is sweeping, well-constructed, but the narrative can be, at times, difficult to follow in the audio form, and might actually be better enjoyed in print.

the author has interviewed scores of people involved with the movie and the director to tell the fascinating story of the movie's concept, production, scoring, marketing, and aftermath, with terrific insights into the folks in front of and behind the cameras.

and here's where it gets tricky: instead of actually listening to the recordings of the people interviewed (which would have been equally as muddled), the audio book has a man read every male interviewee, and a woman read every female interviewee. to their credit, these narrators modulated the tone of their voice for many of the more prominent interviewees to make them distinguishable; however, to avoid absolute chaos, with each new quote, they would introduce the person by name, e.g. (preceding a quote from Jason London, the male narrator world intone "Jason London", then deliver the quote. now, mind you, some of these quotes might be a single three or four word sentence.

the author would introduce each chapter with a brief bit of original content (and it was always excellent), then the remainder of the chapter would be just a series of quotes. it must have been a labor intensive exercise, and she did an amazing job. and that's why I think the book is probably better enjoyed in print: the writing style lends itself better to using your own "mind's ear" to create the voices, than having one narrator try to create them all.

either way, it is a good "read", and incredibly informative.

Awesome Revisit w Insight

Really enjoyed hearing a lot of the reliving of the film. And especially of the reflections on it during and after. Everyone seems to reflect on it positively in the end BUT Linklater. Richard—-do you hate being linked to the film that most people remember you for? It seems weird to me. You just seem down on being anchored to it. Lots of negative quotes. Just seem salty. What’s up?

The book I always wanted but didn’t know existed

I want to start this book over and experience it all over again! I absolutely adored everything about it. I may even go buy the hardcopy now.

If you are a fan of Dazed and Confused, this is a must listen. It’s so wonderful and pays a great homage to such an iconic movie.

Sweet and beautiful behind the scenes

Melissa did an incredible job capturing the deep connections and personal stories behind this film. It makes me want to watch every few years and hope there is a world where the full and unedited movie comes to existence.

Loved!!

It was the book I didn’t know I needed. Fun, insightful, and super infesting! The narration is great

Amazing

My favorite movie has gotten the tell all, frank, honest, authentic, informative making of book I thought it might never get!! Can not recommend this enough!! Bravo!

A fun ride through time. Worth It!!!

Getting on down to book, its a perfect companion and behind the scenes look into one of greatest films ever made. I know some of the stories but now I know all of them. if you loved Dazed and Confused you will absolutely love this book.