How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs

by Kevin Pollak

How I Slept My Way to the Middle winningly combines never-before-heard stories featuring A-list entertainers with fan favorites and Kevin’s own thoughts about how he made it. He turned down his first invitation to do stand-up on The Tonight Show because he knew that he’d make a bigger impact if he sat on the couch next to Johnny. That huge risk—which paid off in spades—was just the beginning. Find out how he brought John Belushi to his knees, tortured Paul Reiser (twice), bamboozled Larry King, stole Alan Arkin’s soul, almost killed Warren Beatty, and sucked face with Robert DeNiro’s girlfriend. Now a new media entrepreneur, he’s laughing proof that if you follow your gut and believe in yourself, you can do anything you want—except have a rational conversation with Rip Torn, who’s an evil, paranoid $#!%.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Biography, Comedy, Autobiography, Audiobook

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2012

About the author

Kevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, and comedian. He has appeared in over 80 films, his most notable roles including Sam Weinberg in the legal film A Few Good Men, Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects, Philip Green in Casino, and Bobby Chicago in End of Days.

Reviews

[TheSaint · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should absolutely not be read in print! Hearing Kevin read the audiobook himself gives you all those great impressions he's famous for.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Pollak's Kevin Pollak's Chat Show podcast is a treat as Kevin Pollak interviews celebrities in a freewheeling 2 or 3 hour chat about show business and their career. What makes Pollak's show so appealing is his enthusiasm for the business, his love of both the comedy and acting craft, and his seemingly endless enthusiasm to know more about others. What shines through behind Pollak's smart ass exterior is a genuinely nice guy who seems to be in awe of the fact that he gets to do something he loves among people more famous than he.

Kevin's goofiness and ease with a story transfers well to How I Slept My Way to the Middle, a mostly good natured celebrity tell-some about his Zelig-like (his comparison) journey through Hollywood. Pollak has worked with some of the best in the business and tells loving stories of working with the likes of Nicholson, DeNiro, Cruise, and Samm Levine. Like the best of these types of books, it's light, breezy, funny, and a little bitchy at times. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wildly readable and very funny autobiography sticks very much to the highlights of Kevin Pollak’s career — there is no rags to riches story here, and happily no great downturn that needed fixing. Pollak obviously believes in the importance of taking chances, hence a hideously embarrassing story involving his Columbo impression, and it generally pays off throughout his colourful and storied career.

[Matthew Budman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much exactly the memoir you'd expect: amusing throughout, moderately insightful, not especially revealing. How I Slept… often seems like a compilation of movie-set anecdotes originally told as a talk-show guest or a podcast host, and as such, sure, I'll keep reading—hey, tell me more about what Tom Cruise is really like and how filming that Usual Suspects lineup scene went and what Jack Nicholson said about Chinatown. Some funny stuff. But it's all very, very surface-y, and often strangely impersonal. In his stories, Pollak happens to mentions that he has a wife and even includes a couple of photos with her, and then later mentions that he has a girlfriend, which suggests that there was . . . a divorce? Evidently, if Walter Matthau or Sophia Loren or Steve Martin didn't kill Pollak's wife, it's not worth mentioning what happened to her.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Kevin Pollak, but beyond some fun insider stories and photos, not a good book at all.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Kevin Pollak plugging his book on the Craig Ferguson show. So, I thought I'd give it a try. It's actually really good. Turns out he grew up in San Jose. I grew up in the Silicon Valley too. So I was instantly hooked since I could understand local references.

But his stories go one better. He talks about working with Robert De Niro, Johnny Carson, Steve Martin, and Jack Nicholson, just to name a few. The book is filled with hilarious stories of what silly things actors do in their trailers to how to really piss off Bruce Willis. If you don't like his humor or stand-up, you may want to pass. The book is full of his humorous voice. But if you are a fan or just want a good read, this is a great book.

I'm not a big Pollak fan. So I was surprised I enjoyed as much as I did. I kept wanting more. Which brings me to sequel talk. I hope there is one. Somehow I figure, Mr. Pollak has a lot more in store. I look forward to more.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun to listen to. I loved hearing about Kevin's experience on The Usual Suspect. His impressions both that he actually does (excellent) and the ones he perceives of some the people he has worked with over the years went along with my own perceptions of these bigger than life actors.

However, he had me when he recalled listening to a Nixon impressionist when he was young on his parents "hi fi" the enormous piece of furniture they were back in the old days. I recall the exact same thing when I was young. Yes I listened to a Nixon impressionist when I was like 5. For the life of me though I can't recall who the album was by. Yes I just said the word album.

[Rich Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fan-freakin-tastic! I read a lot of autobiographies - the overwhelming majority I love. And this one was the most entertaining of the bunch.

If you have the option, definitely listen to the audio book. Kevin's voice is like jazz. He's great when he's being himself, but he also does all the impressions on the audiobook. And if you haven't heard his impressions, they're master craftsmen level.

The thru line of the book is that his best moments have come directly from the times where he took the reigns on his own career. The book is funny, entertaining and even sometims heart warming. Can't recommend it enough.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the advance reader copy, I wanted to encourage others who enjoy memoirs or who are flat out fans of Kevin's, to get this book when it releases later this year. He has recycled some of his best bits from televised comedy specials but there are many more stories from his stand-up & film career that is new. He also recounts his emerging online chat show. The book has a quick pace and he writes EXACTLY like he performs.

[Kelli Lynn Dwyer]

I am seriously so excited to have won this giveaway as I'm a huge fan of Kevin Pollak. Thank you for giving me the opportunity and as soon as I receive the book in the mail and read it I will be sure to edit this into one proper review. Thanks again.

[Briana Alzola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Pollak is delightful and this is just confirmation of that. This is full of funny anecdotes from his career, as well as quotes from some of the hilarious people he's worked with. I definitely recommend this book for celebrity/movie buffs like myself.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Pollak's book is amazing. He is a master storyteller who imbues each tale with genuineness and humor. The stories he tells are from his point of view but he never gets in the way of the reader seeing what he saw. Amazing talent. Great book.

[David Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books by comedians, even more, books by comedians that can do voices and even more ones in which the comedians read the book in audio format and do the celebrity voices of all the people they write about. This is one of those books.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at http://www.jesterjournal.com/PollakBo...

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of great stories. The stand ups, the films, a streaming chat I never knew about (one of the first), humble and yet so full of himself (he couldn't be who he is without overconfidence). A natural actor, superb impressionist - the stories about him pranking Paul Reiser and Alan Arkin on their answering machines! And calling in to Larry King as Albert Brooks while Brooks was there! Hanging with de Niro ... sort of, Nicholson...well not so much, Willis, Reiner, ...behind the scenes...

I like these kinds of memoirs because of those behind-the-scenes candidness. You'll not get any deep insights from this, but you might just laugh. I did.

[Emily Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book. I kept telling DJ stories from it, so I eventually just made him listen to it. He actually really enjoyed it too (which says something, because he doesn't like to listen to talk radio, or even morning hosts on the radio, so podcasts and audiobooks are out for him). I have enjoyed Kevin Pollak for many years (I was surprised to find out he was a comedian first), so it was fun to hear stories about some of my favorite movies like A Few Good Men and The Whole Nine Yards. Now, I'm off to watch Grumpy Old Men again.

[MaskedSanity­ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read. I really did hear it in Kevin Pollak's voice. I've heard him tell some of the stories that are mentioned in various interviews, but that did not at all take away from my experience of reading this.

Pollak is a great storyteller and an avid fan of Hollywood history, as many impressionists are. Both of those traits are on display in this book.

I recommend it to anyone that wants a good laugh with good stories.

[Tony Tower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. Just the right amount of pre-fame life, lots of great anecdotes and chops-busting. Well worth a read if you're in the mood for some pleasant showbiz fluff.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please listen to the audiobook. Kevin Pollak’s impressions, particularly of Jack Nicholson and Johnny Carson are worth the cost of the digital download or audio CD.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but not great Hollywood memoir. Pollak's name dropping was starting to really annoy me when he redeemed himself by making fun of it.

[Nicole Mcbride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I would not pick up an autobiography/memoir, but I love Kevin Pollak and could not resist. This book did not disappoint and I found myself laughing out loud at several passages. I think what I liked most about this book is that it was written in a way that mirrored normal conversation. What I mean by that, is that one story leads to a different story that leads to a different story, but somehow everything goes back full circle to what was being talked about in the first story. Did you follow that? If you ever have a conversation with me and my friends, that is exactly what happens.


The other thing I loved about this book was that it showed a personal side to some of the actors that Pollak had a chance to work with. Yes, some other reviewers along with Pollak himself calls it "name dropping", but it is a book about working within the acting community. How would you write a book about that subject if you didn't dish a little on the stars you got to work with.


There are several stories that I loved in this book. The first one is when Pollak talks about working with Walter Matthau. He has always reminded me of my grandfather in the way that he looks. However, having read the memoir, I now know that he did not TALK like my grandfather in any way! There is a passage about what he said to Sophia Loren during the table script read that had me in stitches along with another incidence involving Matthau and Fred Astaire. The second one has to deal with one of my favorite movies of all time "The Usual Suspects". I was waiting for the passage on that and especially loved when he Pollak talked about the line-up scene. It is my favorite scene in the movie, one of which that I can watch over and over again and still laugh so hard that I am crying.


I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I am going to keep this vague in case anyone else would like to read it. However, I will say that there is a great deal of language in it for those of you who would like to keep it clean and sometimes the style of writing may irritate those of you who do not like talking in circles. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the book just like I enjoy Pollak's stand-up specials. If I knew how to talk like Christopher Walken I would, but since I don't I will leave it to Pollak to dazzle me with.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I got this copy of the book from my local library; I was not asked to do a review on it.

www.thepensivechronicler.blogspot.com

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't claim that I really cared about Kevin Pollack prior to listening to his book. It was short-listed as one of the best audiobooks for the year, so thought I would give it a shot. I'm glad I did, as it is highly-entertaining. I only knew Pollack from the film, The Usual Suspects, but as the book went on, I realized I had seen him in a few more movies than that, and even if you are a middle-of-the-road actor, one still gets the chance to work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Pollack does name drop, but he is likable, so it doesn't get annoying. The best part is, that as an impersonator, he can mimic their voices. Some of the impersonation highlights: Walter Matthau, Christopher Walken (of course), Jack Nicholson, Peter Faulk, William Shatner, Paul Reiser, and Albert Brooks.

Pollack's rise to semi-fame is interesting and is just another example of someone who is tenacious enough and willing to take risks to make their goals reality. He doesn't talk about sleeping with anyone, so the title is a little misleading.

I had two favorite moments in the book. The first was his encounter with Jack Nicholson on A Few Good Men, who had to have a talk with Pollack about Pollack's pestering mother. The other was the behind-the-scenes stories from the production of The Usual Suspects. It is one of my favorite movies, and the way it came to be is very interesting. Like how Bryan Singer would not settle for any actor to play Kaiser Soze, but was a champion for no-name Kevin Spacey. Even going so far as turning down studio funding 30 times. Also, how Benecio del Toro made himself an overnight success playing Fenster, a part that had practically no lines in the script. Pollack kind of kicks himself over not taking that part when he had the chance.

Very entertaining audiobook.

[Mediaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pollak writes a career memoir, not a true autobiography, that is somewhat interesting but presented in a bit of an annoying way. While it is filled with all sorts of stories about his acting jobs and the famous people he worked with (some would call it hyper "name dropping"), the writing style can be frustrating and without anything regarding his personal life it's extremely incomplete.

He jumps back and forth in time, writes literal indented asides in the middle of a story that could have easily been written into the narrative, then scatters throughout chapters boxed quotes about him from famous people. Ironic coming from a standup comedian who supposedly spent his career honing humorous anecdotes.

Pollack also has a couple major mistakes in the book (he is completely wrong about when the show Seinfeld aired, which he could have looked up on Wikipedia, and he claims the New Testament was written two hundred years after Jesus died, when it was really mid-to-late first century). He also feels the need to keep reminding us that he does the world's greatest impressions of Columbo and William Shatner, which isn't much of a claim to fame. Many of the stories end up being him patting himself on the back with overdone praise from a famous star.

While there are some entertaining short stories, good insights for people who want to get into the business, and a few fun brushes with giant celebrities (the guy loves Tom Cruise), Pollak's constant "gee whiz--I can't believe I starred in this" attitude grows old. I can't believe he wrote his way to this middle-of-the-road jokey half-memoir.

Read in 2013 and 2025.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several interesting anecdotes, but I am wondering what was held back. As you know we read these books for the dirt of the behind scenes of what really went down during movies and inter-relations with other stars. This book does provide some of that, including some great stuff about many stars no longer with us. That is where this book shines, with the author's interactions with Johnny Carson, Mattheau, and Peter Falk,of whom Pollak has always performed a brilliant impersonation. There seems to be some gaps, whether intentional or not, in his personal story as well. Given those few shortcomings, this was a decent foray in the world of tell all books, and a humorous one as well with some stories that stick out and will long after your finish the book.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing Kevin Pollak on the Craig Ferguson show talking about his book, I picked up a copy at my local library and spent an enjoyable few hours following his life and career. This memoir is actually more of a series of vignettes about the beginnings of his career, the choices he made along the way, and the people with whom he has interacted. Other than stories about such celebrities as Bruce Willis, Jack Nicholson, and Robert De Niro, my favorite parts of the book were the stories about his childhod and his quest to break into and build a career in show business. I think that I would enjoyed this book more in audio because I missed hearing Kevin's incredible impressions.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed this autobiography, and really enjoyed some behind the scenes looks at a few of my favourite movies, I found it lacking of personal information during adulthood. I mean, it's really no one's business why his marriage ended in divorce, but Pollak doesn't talk much about sex other than really wanting it when he was in his teens. And considering that the title of the book is about his sleeping his way to the middle, I was hoping for ... a little sexy times. You know?

But I've been a fan for most of my life, so I'll take what I can get and enjoy it. And some of the movie stuff is REALLY fascinating. So the book was still a really good read.

[Michael Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and thoroughly entertaining read! There is so much good stuff in this book! Of course, you get Kevin's biography and how he got his start in showbiz, but there is so much more! You get backstage stories from the stand-up comedy world! You get behind-the-scenes glimpses from many movies including two of my favorites, A Few Good Men and The Usual Suspects. You also get an interesting perspective of entertainment on the Web as he describes how a poker game led to his ground breaking internet show The Kevin Pollak Chat show. I highly recommend this book. The Tom Cruise pen story alone is worth the purchase price!

[J.D. Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read that is filled with stories of Hollywood. I found myself laughing on more than one occasion. It also gave me a list of movies I now want to watch as well as comedy specials from Kevin Pollak. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a memoir every now and then. I give it three stars because it's not something that would have me running to the closest book store to pick up, but was still worth the read.

[Zombie Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pollak is a good storyteller, no doubt a skill he honed in his years as a stand-up comedian. Like Jeremy, I'm not sure that I learned all that much about Pollak himself (a few tidbits slipped in between the anecdotes by accident) but maybe that isn't the point in something titled "how I slept my way to"...

This is probably the memoir that a normal person who just happened to star in a movie alongside Tom Cruise would write. So, not a normal memoir at all?