This is the only book I know of that will give me goose bumps every single time I look thru it. Mark Seliger captures something brillant in every photograph in this book. What an amazing gift he has. If you or anyone you knows is a fan of photography or of music this book is a M-U-S-T!!!! You just CAN NOT go wrong with this book.

Physiognomy is "discovering temperment and character from outward appearance." Mark Seliger in the epilogue talks about how he sees his role as a photographer as to "deliver the essence." These portraits of celebrities magnificently fulfill that mission.

Before going further, let me note that this book contains much discrete male and female nudity, some violent images, and one impolite gesture. If this book were a movie, it would probably receive an "R" rating.

Mark Seliger is one of the very best of the current celebrity phtographers, a talent that has won him the role of chief photographer for both Rolling Stone and Us. You will enjoy both Mr. Seliger's epilogue, where he describes the development of his career, and Eric Bogosian's introductory commentary on the book's contents. Both explore the notion of finding the reality of the person's character.

Mr. Seliger has a particularly playful side that is wonderfully displayed in the book. For example, his portrait of Keith Richard makes him look like a jealous wife flirting with the image of a brooding Mick Jagger. In another case, the energy of Ringo Starr's drumming is captured by displaying him with four arms, hands, and drum sticks! One of the most humorous is an opening sequence of a bare Ben Stiller, first as an ape-man, then as a human.

The facing pages are brilliant. In most situations, they mirror each other by either portraying the same image, but with a different style, or having the two images interact as though they were one image.

One of Mr. Seliger's strengths is that he has a wide range of talent. His color photographs are powerfully effective in ways that most photographers can only accomplish in black-and-white. He can also do simple face shots, or complex compositions. I can think of no other currently popular photographer with nearly this range of effective style. One of my favorite examples of this range is that he has a beautiful shot of Jennifer Aniston in the buff, discretely displayed. At first you are inclined to think of it as a "beauty" shot, and then suddenly you realize that it's really a play on all of those photographs that parents take of their young children lying bare on a rug.

Mr. Seliger is equally adept at the dark side. Sean Penn's volatile personality is nicely captured in a brooding photograph of him pulling on a cigarette. Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg show up looking like they are relaxing during a rumble looking for trouble. "Don't mess with me" is written all over their faces and bodies.

Here are some of my other favorites:

Fiona Apple, Los Angeles, 1997

Bob Dylan, Los Angeles, 1998

Michael J. Fox, Burlington, Vermont, 1993

Merle Haggard, Lake Shasta, California, 1994

Billy Bob Thornton, Toronto, 1997

Bob Dylan, New York City, 1995

Pat Conroy, Charleston, South Carolina, 1995

Charlize Theron, New York City, 1997

Jerry Seinfeld, Los Angeles, 1998

Will Smith, Los Angeles, 1997

Winona Ryder, New York City, 1997

Jerry Seinfeld, Los Angeles, 1994

Drew Barrymore, Bell, California, 1994

There is another way to think about Physiognomy. People who have studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming argue the opposite way, that physiology becomes psychology. Repeated psychology becomes a habit, and the build-up of habits becomes a character. Spend some time thinking about how you hold your body. Test out how those positions and facial expressions affect you mentally, and how that influences your behavior.

Pose for best advantage . . . to others and to the development of your own character!

this book is incredible. if you are a subscriber to rolling stone magazine, and have ever noticed a photograph that is simply amazing, it is probably the work of mark seliger. if you buy this book, you will be able to see hundreds of pages of these intriguing photographs, some involving vivid use of color, and others utilizing the intimacy of black and white photography.

when you first get this book, you will set it down, read it from cover to cover, be solidly amazed, and then promptly read it again from cover to cover.

i know nothing about photography, but you don't need to in order to appreciate seliger's appealing, beautiful pictures. i would suggest that anyone buy this book.

Bogosian has a knack for creating compelling characters. A common aspect to all of his characters is desperation. Whether it the paranoid desperation of the "Artist" who stopped making art because "they" would know what he was thinking to the quiet despertion of the homeless "Bottleman" who finds comfort in collecting bottles or cans ("Bottles or cans, it makes no difference") so that he can enjoy an egg salad sandwich to the despertion of the man who calls "Candy" for a good time.

Right from the beginning, Bogosian (both in writing and as the lone actor in a one man show) pushes the envelope in establishing characters who live on the edges of society and who feel the pressure of desperation in their lives. For those of you who are interested, the movie "Talk Radio" has Bogosian exploring themes similar to those explored in "Sex, Drugs, ROck & Roll."

This work amazed me. Acting is generally seen as a cooperative effort, but this collection of monologues proves that wrong. Usually funny and almost always far more insightful than anything in the movies, this work takes an often ignored route to exploring contemporary American culture. Some people may be offended by the vulgar nature of some of the monologues (such as Dirt, in which the only word in the first sentence that is not an obscenity is 'ya'), this very vulgarity is a reality of life that is necessary to accept in order to understand what Bogosian has to say.

Eric Bogosian is one of those writers, like J.D. Salinger or Raymond Carver, who makes me feel like I am not alone. I'm not the only detached observer wondering why the current state of humanity is so absurd. Bogosian always writes about junkies, losers, and heartless bastards. But they always have something that is perceptive and interesting to say. As the last charcter in the book, a nameless "Artist" says, "If they know what I was thinking, man...I'd be dead." I feel the same way with the wealth of "irrational" thoughts that float around in my head. Bogosian is also an expert satirist. Are you tired of self promoting, so called "charitable" rock stars? Read "Benefit," in which a Keith Richards-type figure encourages television viewers to support his "Amazonian Indian" fundraiser. Why? Because they don't even have Pepsi. After reading this book, I find like at least there was some one else who shares some of my views on life. And that revelation felt like it might have saved my life.

Brilliant. Not that I am anything like the main character, but I do think this way. I think about thinking this way. I highly recommend this book to anyone that's interested in a quick, disturbing read. For anyone that has thought about what it would be like to stop acting normal.

i prefer bogosian's monologues to his plays. suburbia was good, but i preferred talk radio. a quick enjoyable read. if you are only going to read one of his books read "pounding nails into the floor with my forehead"

...you have to read the book! SubUrbia is one of my favorite movies, and I thought I'd read it also. There are several parts in the book that didn't make it to the movie. Also, I finished it in two sittings, so it's not very time consuming.

This is one of the most powerful plays I've read (and performed in). Eric Bogosian has captured Gen. X and raised his middle finger to all those who question us. Tragic and beautiful! Skip the movie though. It didn't come close to the play.

Eric Bogosian is a very funny and probing writer. This book is not the best example of that talent. "Pounding Nails" is a collection of monologues that work together as a one-man show. The monologues are funny, and, at times, pretty good social commentary. Unfortunately, the monologues get tiresome. The characters are all unique, but that is primarily because they are all extreme characterizations. If you create enough outlandish caricatures, you are sure to avoid having them overlap.

If you're interested in Bogosian, I would suggest "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee." This collection would be a good second choice.

An Excellent read. I'm using some parts of this book for several two minute monologues (For contemporary parts). My favorites is the Molecules read, I've lived and met that guy.

These monologues are his best that i have read. He has sharpened his skill beyond what it was in "Sex Drugs, Rock & Roll" while maintaining his energy and cutting insight.

Read this book, buy it for yourself and for friends

This is a great book for anyone who loves comedic theatr

This play is very funny. There are also a number of monologues in it that can be used for auditions. Barry's struggle in the play to come off as being cocky and sure of himself is contrasted nicely with his inherent vulnerability. The monologues from all the other characters also give an interesting introspective into the life and mind of Barry Champlain. The main dialogue of the other characters in the play comes from the monologues, which create depth of character in both the person speaking, and Barry. Throughout the course of the play I am made to love, hate, feel sorry for and admire Barry. I applaud this play.

I read this at an airport: the only reason I finished it is I had nothing else to read. The author tries to come off as angry and satirical, but just comes off as immature. Maybe if you're 16 and taking drama in school this would be an insightful read.

I've read almost all of Bogosian's work and really, this one smells the most personal of all. I've never seen him do his works(except movies...), but when you read it, you can almost see him ranting on. And this time, he's at is clearest. The magic lives on !!!
Really, Bogosian gives meaning to the saying that tells us artists are the Guardians of Humanity.
You can't escape it, the words he gives us speak of truth as you wouldn't want to know. He puts us in front of all you know but don't want to care about.
If you hesitate, don't !!! Get it !!!

Bogosian proves with 'Wake Up and Smell the Coffee' that he is one of the funniest, smartest, and angriest writers around. 'Wake Up' is a collection of monologues designed to be performed as a one-man (or one-woman) show, but the monologues could stand on their own as comedic vignettes good enough to work as audition pieces or stand-up routines. Most of the monologues are piercing in their accuracy. Bogosian takes on pop culture, religion, families, and he does so with sarcasm that never lets up and almost never misses the mark. His take on the carnival at airports is just one example: 'Standing in ticket lines, sitting in the departure lounge, crowded around the baggage carousel watching the luggage coming out as if awaiting the birth of your first child.'

The book is separated into three parts. The main portion of this book is the collection of monologues that form the one-man show. The second part of the book contains what Bogosian calls 'Orphans' ' monologues that don't really fit in with the rest of the work. The final piece of the book is an essay on how Bogosian develops his monologues (or solos, as he refers to them). He explains how he locks himself in a room with a tape recorder and lets his inner characters loose. The essay is interesting, but you get the feeling that it was added to give some more bulk to the book, and not because it was intended to accompany the monologues.

Bogosian admits in the introduction that after 9/11 he told his agent to shelve the book altogether. Some of the material in 'Wake Up' takes on terrorism, plane crashes, the Oklahoma City bombing, and Arabic immigrants, and Bogosian was worried that this book would come across as offensive. In truth, some of pieces do ring with a clarity that might not have existed in the pre-war on terror world. That insight makes the jokes funnier and the truth more bitter. The fact that some of his monologues dealt with subjects that would be forced into the public consciousness after 9/11 just shows how insightful Bogosian has become. It's not just jokes anymore.

I recently read this book, and really found it to be a huge "yawn".

Bogosian thanks one of his editors, I believe, for saying "Why not?" about the idea for this book. I got the feeling that's about as deeply as he thought as he was writing it. With a title like "Mall" and an author like Bogosian you'd expect the story to involve pointless characters engaging in pointless acts. Maybe that's the point, but it's debatable whether it all adds up to a worthwhile read. One criticism I have was brought up in an earlier review; that's the rehashing of sophomoric themes that have been beaten to death. Another is the insertion of tired cultural references (e.g., the Toblerone bar in the hotel fridge). These seem to have been culled from 20-year-old standup-comedy routines. In the end, though, I can't say the novel wasn't entertaining. If you want a really quick read, go ahead. It's like eating at the Mickey D's in the food court: it can be enjoyable, but you know it's not really fresh. Oh, and be sure to supplement it with something more substantial later on...!

Actor/playwright Eric Bogosian is a very talented artist, and I've admired his work for well over a decade. However, he had never written a novel before, until now. Bogosian has concocted a dark, disturbing tale with his first novel, "Mall," telling the story of five people whose lives intertwine on a very violent, bloody day at the shopping mall: Mal is a speed freak who kills his mother at home and then causes more violence & mayhem at the mall, Michel is the widowed immigrant security guard who goes after Mal, Donna is a lonely housewife looking for sex & adventure, Danny is a married businessman with a huge weakness for beautiful underwear models, and Jeff is a teenager on acid who goes off on a philosophical quest.The book takes a little while to get going---about 50 pages or so---as Bogosian sets things up and introduces us to the characters, and it's a bit of a slow read. But once Mal gets to the shopping mall and begins his rampage, "Mall" finally hits the ground running and becomes a riveting book you can't put down, filled with lots of unexpected twists & turns. The book is mostly narrated, with only occasional dialogue from the characters here & there, but nonetheless, Bogosian is a very commanding tour guide as he takes you into the minds of these stressed-out souls (to say the least). Unfortunately, after taking the reader on a bravura ride through a suburban nightmare, the book's ending is a bit unsatisfying & inconclusive, as if Bogosian couldn't quite figure out how to end the story. It doesn't ruin the book for me, but it is disappointing.I don't think you could make a movie out of this book (nor would I want to see one), but for the most part, "Mall" is a very engrossing read. For his first stab at novel writing, Eric Bogosian has created a very good, disturbing dark tale.