Nick De Semlyen

Listen to "Nick De Semlyen Releases Wild And Crazy Guys" on Spreaker. With a female-led remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (The Hustle) hitting theaters this spring, a new season of Stranger Things inspired by films like Fletch coming this summer, and recent news of forthcoming sequels for Ghostbusters and Coming to America, it's clear that '80s movie nostalgia is at its peak. As such, there's no better time to look back on the larger-than-life comedy superstars of the era-Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, John Candy, and Rick Moranis-and the behind-the-scenes stories of the box office hits and cult classics that made them stars. Enter WILD AND CRAZY GUYS: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever (May 28, 2019, Crown Archetype) by Nick de Semlyen. Featuring candid interviews from many of the comedians themselves, as well as those in their immediate orbit, including directors John Landis, Carl Reiner, and Amy Heckerling, the book chronicles each of the stars' personal journeys through the decade, as well as the making of their classic movies, revealing how they changed Hollywood and comedy forever. WILD AND CRAZY GUYS opens in 1978 with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray taking bad-tempered swings at each other backstage at Saturday Night Live, and closes 21 years later with the two doing a skit in the same venue, poking fun at each other, their illustrious careers, triumphs, and prat falls. In between, de Semlyen takes us on a trip through the tumultuous '80s, delving behind the scenes of movies such as Animal House, Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, Beverly Hills Cop, Groundhog Day, and dozens more. Chronicling the off-screen, larger-than-life antics of all the major players, it's got drugs, sex, fistfights, webbed toes, and Bill Murray being pushed into a swimming pool by Hunter S. Thompson while tied to a lawn chair. What's not to like? Other memorable insider stories include: . Bill Murray's early temper tantrums, including the time he broke a heckler's arm. . John Candy wandering around a party with Chevy Chase's head under his arm. . The studio wanting to fire Eddie Murphy on 48 Hrs. and how he bounced back. . Dan Aykroyd channeling his grief at John Belushi's death into his bizarre performance in Doctor Detroit. . Rick Moranis falling out with John Hughes and dropping out of The Breakfast Club. . Steve Martin clashing with the writer of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels over "Ruprecht the Monkey Boy." . The story of Groundhog Day, from Murray's donut fling to the tension on set. A hilarious and revealing insider account of the friendships, feuds, triumphs, and disasters experienced by these beloved comedians, WILD AND CRAZY GUYS is both a hidden history of the most fertile period for screen comedy and a celebration of some of the most popular films of all time. 2019 marks significant anniversaries for many of these films, including Ghostbusters (35th), Ghostbusters II (30th), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (30th), and Beverly Hills Cop (35th).