The Tao of Bill Murray

Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing

By: Gavin Edwards, R. Sikoryak

Narrated by: Gavin Edwards

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for the Bill Murray fan in all of us, this epic collection of “Bill Murray stories” - many reported for the first time here - distills a set of guiding principles out of his extraordinary ability to infuse the everyday with surprise, absurdity, and wonder.

No one will ever believe you.

New York Times best-selling author Gavin Edwards, like the rest of us, has always been fascinated with Bill Murray - in particular the beloved actor's adventures offscreen, which rival his filmography for sheer entertainment value. Edwards traveled to the places where Murray has lived, worked, and partied, in search of the most outrageous and hilarious Bill Murray stories from the past four decades, many of which have never before been reported. Bill once paid a child five dollars to ride his bike into a swimming pool. The star convinced Harvard's JV women's basketball team to play with him in a private game of hoops. Many of these surreal encounters ended with Bill whispering, "No one will ever believe you" into a stranger's ear.

But The Tao of Bill Murray is more than just a collection of wacky anecdotes. A sideways mix of comedy and philosophy, full of photo bombs, late-night party crashes, and movie-set antics, this is the perfect audiobook for anyone who calls themselves a Bill Murray fan - which is to say, everyone.

Praise for The Tao of Bill Murray:

“When confronted by life’s challenges and opportunities, we should all be asking ourselves, ‘What would Bill Murray do?’ This book actually has the answers.” (Jay Duplass, writer, director, actor, fan of Bill Murray)

“Rib-tickling.” (Newsday)

“If you are among the multitudes who have a Bill Murray story (viz: ‘I was in the airport bar, and who sat down next to me but Bill Murray?’), The Tao of Bill Murray will speak to you.” (Elle)

“Murray is an endless delight, and his knack for bons mots and non sequiturs will keep readers laughing before revealing an unexpectedly poignant vision for happiness.... A fun and revealing look behind the charm and mythos of Bill Murray that will only strengthen his legend.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“This book is bursting with anecdotes that underline Murray’s unconventional and fun-loving life.... Murray’s fans are sure to savor [it] and walk away with a deeper appreciation of the actor and his work.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

“I just can’t fathom how anyone could not like the man. He lives as much as possible by his own rules; this is a guy who doesn’t buy round-trip airline tickets because he prefers to make decisions on the fly. That old question of the three people you’d most like to have dinner with? I’d pick Bill Murray and leave the other two chairs empty just to see who he pulls over to join us.... You will love The Tao of Bill Murray. Period.” (GeekDad)

“A hilarious read - occasionally heartwarming, sometimes head-scratching.... Sure to please Murray fans.” (Library Journal)

©2016 Gavin Edwards (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Reading The Tao of Bill Murray is like spending time with Bill, but probably safer." (Danny Rubin, screenwriter of Groundhog Day)

“[Gavin Edwards] captures Murray’s enigmatic, comic genius.” (The Washington Post)

“I enjoyed the book so much. Edwards shows us how Murray uses his star power to bring surprise and delight into random people’s daily lives. Whether it’s showing up uninvited to a NYC kickball game or stopping in to a bachelor party to give unsolicited advice on love and marriage, it does seem Murray is trying to tell us something about joy and spontaneity. So, I think it’s high time we all listened.” (NPR)

Great stories

it was really amazing to hear all these heartwarming Bill Murray stories and I'm glad this book exists but I do have a few qualms with some of the author's choices. shouldn't everybody know by now that authors know writing their own book is a bad idea? beyond that he inserts his opinion very frequently. nobody cares if the author thinks Scrooged was a good movie. literally nobody Read this book for that

no real life lesson just a story about a real life

it was over before I knew it and appreciate the honest and vivid history or Bill.

great

if you think you know Bill Murray, listen to what you don't know. This had me smiling for hours.

Authors shouldn't be allowed to narrate

I really enjoyed the content and subject of this book, but the narration was awful.

Great condition, irritating narration

I see why some find the narration intolerable, I was able to overcome it only because I enjoyed the content so much. This guy needs to swallow his spit and enunciate his words. or shave down his tongue, it sounds too big for his mouth. However, I feel Audible has the responsibility to see that this style of reading doesn't pass as acceptable.

Quirky Yarns About an American Icon

When asked why he chose Bill Murray as the subject of his latest book, Gavin Edwards, author and narrator of “The Tao of Bill Murray,” said in a recent interview with the Charlotte Observer, “I wanted to sink my teeth into a big American figure. I wanted to do someone who has left a legacy in American culture.” Considering that Gavin, who also serves as a contributing editor for Rolling Stone, already has examined the lives of such icons as Elton John and River Phoenix, his decision to focus on Murray says something, perhaps, about just how culturally relevant Bill Murray has become these days. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2003, the prolific actor has appeared in more than sixty films over the last thirty years and remains busier than ever, continuing to accumulate nominations. Now in his sixties, it’s as if the actor is finally getting his due. Perhaps he'll win the Oscar someday soon, perhaps he'll finally devote himself to directing and screenwriting, or perhaps he will do something none of us have expected. With Bill Murray, it seems anything is possible. As this book's title suggests, Bill Murray does seem to have a sort of “way” of living, which may or may not boil down to the principles listed here.

“The Tao of Bill Murray” really isn't a guide to being Bill; it's simply a nice, enjoyable, entertaining series of anecdotes about him, and that's enough for the price of admission. Each collection of anecdotes is categorized according to the principle they purport to illustrate, but the principles themselves are not really taken all that seriously. This is not a legitimate self-help book, after all, and no hard-sell of the principles is undertaken, here. They’re really more like section headers arranged in a clever Tao theme. If you are a Bill Murray fan (and, really, who isn’t?), you’ll enjoy these stories, and many of them are quite memorable, but you shouldn’t go into this with the expectation of a straight biography if that’s what you’re looking for. Although the book does touch quite a bit on the star’s career, including a complete run-through of all of his movies, it excludes Murray’s personal life out of respect for his privacy. So, there’s nothing here on his martial infidelity, for instance, or his domestic violence allegations, or even his addictions, for that matter; it’s not that sort of book. Instead, you will learn more than a few neat tidbits about the former Ghostbuster that you probably didn’t know, such as his keen appreciation for poetry and his delight at getting wrong-number phone calls. Along the way you will indeed learn something of his approach to life, which may leave you envious or inspired depending on your mood. It is unlikely that you will come away from this book with any deep revelations about Murray, but you will get to know him better, and most likely you will have something clever to say about him the next time (inevitably) his name is brought up in conversation.

FYI- This book isn't comedic, it's phylisophical

You think a book about Bill Murray is going to be funny, but it truly was written as a book about philosophy and Bill Murray's influence on the world. So yah, not that fun to listen to unless you are a hard core fan and love hearing anything about him. Also the narrator's voice is so low it's kind of weird for this genre, like imagine Morgan Freeman casually joking around.

Brilliant. Skip 'Films of Bill Murray' section

It's exactly what I wanted it to be for 2/3rds of the book. Then it goes astray. Still worth your time. Just skip the long languorous recaps of all his movies.

Unusual Biography

I guess you might call this book a biography. It details the life of Bill Murray, growing up, and on through the present day (up until 2016 I believe). First the book talks about his upbringing and how he came to be the actor he is today. Then it tells dozens and dozens of little anecdotes involving him. Then the book gives a pretty complete filmography, briefly talking about each movie he has been in, a little bit about the role that he played, a few quick anecdotes from the making of the film etc.

It's a fun little read, and as unusual and charming as Bill Murray himself.

Worst narrator, I think, EVER!

Any additional comments?

Is this the narrator's REAL voice or did he read through a harmonizer? It was so distracting and ridiculous. I can't stand writers who think they can do a better job than an actual voice actor.

Second, while I love Bill Murray and like to hear the silly, random stories about him, I can't believe the losers who have so little going on in their lives that they think they have FINALLY made it because Bill Murray (or any other celebrity) was generous enough to say hello or steal their cigarette on the street. Even worse are the people who sit around hoping and waiting for it to happen. We need to get a grip, people!