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Dino! Yeah, this is the biography that re-shaped the way celebrity biographies were written. It also brought Dean Martin back to the forefront, just three years before he died. This is the type of book that can polarize fans, but there is no doubt that it breaks the barriers. After this, Dino became a cult god, the Swinger of Swingers for the Generation X crowd.

I actually read this again, about 15 years after the first read-through. It still stands up, although I've read so many other Dean Martin biographies since then that some of the information is old news. But lordy, it truly rocks. In essence, Tosches tackled a subject that could not be tackled. Dino wasn't Frankie. Dino presented a mask to the outside world, so he could enjoy his own world. Work was work and play was play, even if 'play' constituted a night in front of the telly. Martin never wanted to be the best of anything, yet he became a giant without a whole lot of effort. Tosches has to create something out of nothing and he succeeds. Whether you like it or not doesn't make the book any less compelling.

Funny. As a kid, I always thought it was "Dean-No." I yelled that at the book whenever I found another incident not to my liking. In the long run, I ended up admiring the Deanster even more for being able to tell Hollywood, and the world, to sit on it and twirl.

Book Season = Year Round (bio classic)