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 Roy Firestone's second book, Don't Make Me Cry, Roy is soon to be published - The Kid Who Never Forgot
Roy Firestone's second book, Don't Make me Cry, Roy is soon to be published
His first book, Up Close with Roy Firestone, is now in its 8th printing and has been a nationwide bestseller.
Both books are co-written with critically acclaimed writer Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Don't Make Me Cry, Roy is a whimsical, pointed, opinionated, and funny look at Roy's most memorable interviews and experiences during the last 25 years.
Roy features chapters on Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, Bob Knight, Kobe Bryant,Tom Cruise (as Jerry Maguire) and dozens of major sports personalities and issues.
It includes dozens of personal and never-been-published photos.
Roy also has some very outspoken and humorous views of the "good and bad in sports," including the athletes who've cried the most, made him laugh the most, and bugged him the most. Roy pulls no punches in this brand new selection of the best-ever (and least favorite) during his award-winning 25-year career.
Rick Reilly, Sports Illustrated's esteemed columnist, writes the forward for the new book.
Don't Make Me Cry, Roy will be published in October.
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The
Many Voices of Roy Firestone
L. John Wertheim, Sports Illustrated (2002)
Only
a few hundred thousand people know about Roy Firestone's secret life.
His
mainstream public life, on the other hand, is an open mike: the Emmy
Award-winning host of ESPN's (cable sports TV) daily interview program,
"UpClose," is widely acknowledged as one of the best interviewers
in sports broadcast journalism, and his shows and specials have been
seen by millions.
Over
the course of more than 5,000 UpClose episodes, featuring interviews
with players, coaches, owners and managers-and just about anyone else
tangentially connected with sports-the 47-year-old Miami native has
won high praise for his informal, personal and sometimes provocative
style, one that draws a level of honesty rare in the highly-scripted
world of television. When Firestone asks a three million dollar rookie
how he's accomplished so much at age 23, he isn't likely to leave
it alone when the kid answers, "I work hard and have good coaching."
Instead, he'll probably ask the kid to share his views on the distribution
of wealth in our society, or the effect of sudden riches on his social
life.
During
a recent mid-ring interview with former heavyweight boxing champion
James "Buster" Douglas, on the eve of his title bout with
Evander Holyfield, Firestone got right to the point. "Dr. Ferdie
Pacheco," he told Douglas, quoting the "fight doctor,"
"says you've got three problems going into this fight. One, you're
fat; two, you're lazy; three, you're a loser." Many who saw the
episode could only shout at their TV screens, "Run, Firestone!
Get out of the ring!" But Firestone sat there within striking
distance, waiting calmly for his answer as Douglas's eyes glared like
those of an injured beast. And then Douglas answered the question.
Just another day on the job.
So
far, Firestone's work has earned him two ACE (Award for Cable Excellence)
Awards, and universal praise from his fans and peers. And six documentary
programs he's produced and narrated-five on sports, one on the life
and work of landscape photographer Ansel Adams—have garnered
him Emmy Awards.
You'd
think this guy would know his niche.
But
Firestone isn't the type to be fenced in. In fact, ask him and he'll
tell you he isn't any type at all. "I don't want to be typecast,"
he says. "I want to set my own standards." Which is one
reason why if you're out in Las Vegas on December 13-17, and you decide
to catch Lou Rawls at the Golden Nugget, stand-up comic Roy Firestone
will be your opening act.
Firestone,
doing stand-up? Yes, and there's more. Along with the jokes and the
engaging stage presence he's polished over countless comedy gigs since
age 15, Firestone's routine includes impressions of more than a dozen
entertainers, sports figures and assorted personalities. He can sing,
too—And then there's the natural voice of Roy Firestone, a rich, confident
baritone that he likes to save for last and reserve for more serious
tunes.
 The
show opens with sports-oriented videos, backed by his live musical
narration's. For a video tribute to the giants of sports history,
he dons a Billy Joel voice, taking off on the Joel hit, "We Didn't
Start the Fire" with a re-lyricized tune called, "Sports
Really Lights the Fire." Another video/narrative takes viewers
along a jolting trail of sports goofs, outrageous acts and shocking
accidents (considerably funnier for the audience than for the participants),
set to the tune, "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Accompanying
his videos is risky, since they're composed of rapid-fire images,
and one major slip on his part could obliterate the pace of the show.
But Firestone prefers the kind of audience rapport the live touch
inspires, and he's a gambler, believing a person stretches via taking
chances and pushing himself beyond his limits every step of the way.
If
he has a philosophy, he says, it's to "take every talent you
have and explore it, and see what happens." In pursuit of that
goal, he's constantly developing new material for his act, honing
his existing routine and polishing his own singing voice. By the end
of this year he will have performed between 75 and 100 stand-up acts,
a quarter of them for charity, the rest paid jobs for a variety of
business, sports and social organizations. This, in addition to producing
five UpClose episodes each week, keeps him moving at a brisk pace.
"You've got to be creative with your schedule," he explains
in his characteristically under stated way.
He's
less understated in his views on the world of sports, which he loves
and yet regards as flawed by the effects of money and power. "I
want to be more irreverent," he says of his sports-oriented routines.
"I think the sports world lacks irreverence. Many coaches are
very paramilitary-minded. There's not a lot of room for anything other
than regimentation. The players are not afforded the opportunity to
be irreverent, and the announcers are caught up in that swirl of tense,
anxious feelings. And that's tragic, because basically you're just
trying to bring some smiles to peoples' faces in their recreational
time. Instead, what we get is a self-important, indulgent kind of
reportage that is reflecting, basically, the entire sports scene itself."
Firestone
isn't likely to contribute to that kind of puffery. With bits like
"Boxing from Prison," featuring a fight between Johnny "Plea
Bargain" Jackson and Willie "Keep Your Foot Off the Alarm
Button and Nobody Gets Hurt" Williams; or Keith Jackson calling
the bone-cracking play-by-play as the Fighting postimpressionist's
of Vincent Van Gogh Community College face off against the Proctologists
of Johns Hopkins University; it's unlikely that Firestone will ever
be accused of overblowing the seriousness of sports.
But
he is serious about pursuing the double life of Roy Firestone, and
plans to continue his journalistic, comedic and singing directions
with equal intensity, just to see what happens. Firestone believes
his stand-up career is about to take off. "I just need to get
the word out," he says. "Ultimately, I feel I can headline."
Like the world-class athletes he communes with each day before the
UpClose camera, Firestone has harnessed the kind of drive and self-belief
that creates winners in all fields. "I feel humbled by the fact
that I've had my chance," he says, "and I'm trying to make
use of all my abilities. And I'll be honest: there's no shortage of
confidence here."
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Firestone
Goes From Sit-Downs to Stand-ups
 Comedy:
The host of ESPN's popular 'Up Close Primetime'
interview show is taking to the stage with an act of songs and impressions
Jon Matsumoto, The Los Angeles Times (1997)
Notorious
basketball bad boy Dennis Rodman cried on Roy Firestone's sports talk
show. So did Barry Bonds, the enigmatic and aloof superstar of the
San Francisco Giants. And even tough guy Jimmy Johnson spoke poignantly
to him about the emotional trauma he suffered upon stepping down as
head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Firestone's
ability to elicit revealing responses from sports celebrities is a
principal reason Sports Illustrated once called him "the best
interviewer in the business."
The
host of ESPN's "Up Close Primetime" sports specials believes
that at heart he's much more of a good-natured humorist than a soul-searching
inquisitor.
Tonight
in San Juan Capistrano, Firestone will showcase not only his comedic
abilities but also his talents as a singer and impressionist. His
show will benefit the Rod Carew Pediatric Cancer Unit at Children's
Hospital of Orange County.
"The
funny thing is, I have a reputation for making people cry," Firestone
said in a recent phone interview. "But in performing circles-
I have a much bigger reputation for making people laugh."
Firestone
has been delivering his live comedy show nationwide for some nine
years, but mostly at private, corporate events.
In
his 1 1/2 - hour show, Firestone delivers sports-oriented comedy bits
and songs. One sketch finds the Miami-raised, Los Angeles-based performer
bringing the comedian Woody Allen and boxer Mike Tyson together. He
also does impressions of such pop singers as John Lennon and Smokey
Robinson.
The
multimedia show is big on musical parodies. With the aid of film clips
flashed on giant video screens, Firestone turns Cole Porter's "I've
Got You Under My Skin" into "I've Got Golf Under My Skin."
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is delivered with a video
piece featuring hot - under - the collar sports figures erupting on
the playing field.
"I've
been reviewed in Variety. I've performed with Frank Sinatra at Bally's
in Las Vegas," said Firestone, who grew up idolizing Sammy Davis
Jr., Robert Klein and George Carlin. ' But I'm still not generally
known [as an entertainer]
"I
want to encourage people to you're come out and kind of be tough Be
skeptical. Being on television, you're given a little bit of the benefit
of the: doubt for about 10 minutes. But if you can't deliver [onstage],
you're not going to get much beyond 10 minutes."
Firestone,
43, joined KCBS-TV Channel 2 in L.A. in 1977, where he worked As a
sports anchor and reporter for eight years. He entered the world of
TV sports talk shows in 1980, hosting USA Network's "UpClose"
program. At the end of 1994 he ended four years as host of ESPN's
half-hour "Up Close" interview program and began hosting
the new, hour long
"Up
Close Primetime" for the sports cable network. "Up Close,"
with a new host, airs five days a week while the latter show appears
only about once every three weeks.
So
why did he give up the air time?
"I'd
done 4,000 [sports interviews in 14 years, and I got to the point
where I only wanted to do the biggest people," he said, adding:
That he also wanted to fit other work such as stage shows, into his
schedule. "Being in the studio every single day took me away,
frankly, from a lot of money" that could have been made elsewhere.
"So that was one of my motivations Also, I wanted to move into
other areas. One of his goals is to develop a bigger act for Las Vegas.
"Up
Close Primetime" has allowed Firestone to interview sports personalities:
who might not have been available to him before. "Up Close"
is taped almost exclusively from a Los Angeles studio. For "Up
Close Primetime," Firestone does interviews mostly on location.
Last
year, "we got at least 70% of our interviews with people we could
never get in the studio," he said. "It's just hard to get
people to come to the studio anymore or even to do it via satellite.
"I've
gotten guys I've never dreamed of getting in the studio. For instance,
[Indiana basketball coach] Bobby Knight will be on Feb. 7 for an hour.
We're going to go hunting with him and spend some time with him on
the court. I've just done a show with the 11, surviving 500 home-run
hitters in baseball history."
The
winner of numerous CableAce awards and four L.A. area Emmy Awards
for his work at KCBS, Firestone hopes "Up Close Primetime"
eventually will become a weekly program with a more attractive West
Coast air time. (Now it airs sporadically, usually in a late-afternoon
slot.)
One
highlight of 1996 for him was his appearance in "Jerry Maguire,"
Cameron Crowe's current hit film about a sports agent. In the Tom
Cruise vehicle, a self-absorbed football player portrayed by Cuba
Gooding Jr. appears on Firestone's sports talk TV show.
"It's
kind of a spoof of my show," he said. "I've probably gotten
more response from this scene than the I9 years I've been on television."
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Jock
of All Trades
Roy
Firestone, host of ESPN's 'Up Close Primetime', wears many
hats: interviewer, performer, actor, author. When it comes to the
media, this former batboy for the Baltimore Orioles has all the bases
covered.
 In
one of the funniest moments of Tom Cruise's latest movie, Jerry
Maguire, Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Rod Tidwell (played
to perfection by Cuba Gooding Jr.) glances at a TV in an airport lounge
and exclaims, "I swear, everyone cries on his show!" The
show is ESPN's Up Close Primetime, and its hanky-inducing host
is Roy Firestone.
In
the film's touching finale, Tidwell submits to an interview with Firestone,
determined not to join the pantheon of athletes-Emmitt Smith, Barry
Bonds and George Brett, to name but a few-who have wept in real life
on Firestone's show. Tidwell gets through the tough questions with
dry eyes, but he breaks down when Firestone informs him that he has
just been offered an $11 million contract by the Arizona Cardinals.
Fortunately,
Roy Firestone is even more adept at making folks laugh. Just ask the
packed house that saw him open for Jay Leno's act in Las Vegas a few
months back. The audience at Caesar's Palace knew Firestone from his
work as an interviewer on ESPN, where in the past decade he's gone
head to head with more than 4,000 athletes. So Firestone will warm
up the audience with a few jock-related jokes and regale them with
war stories about the biggest figures in the sports world before surrendering
the spotlight to Mr. Cash Register Jaw himself, right?
Then
the music starts. Suddenly, the seven-time cable ACE winner is on
the mike belting out a song he wrote called "Sports Really Lights
the Fire," a send-up of Billy Joel's hit "We Didn't Start
the Fire." Meanwhile, sports highlight footage unfolds in the
background. By the time he saunters off more than an hour later, Firestone
has done a series of impersonations, including a hilarious conversation
between Mike Tyson and Woody Allen, performed a few more of his original
songs and given a heartfelt speech about Muhammad Ali. ("Motiv-tainment"
is what the performer calls his act.)
The
crowd is thoroughly entertained, but even after Firestone has said
his last "thank you," he can't pull up a seat and watch
his longtime friend Leno perform his act. Instead, he has to catch
a flight to Indiana to meet college coaching legend Bobby Knight.
"If you're going to have a dual career, you'd better be prepared
to juggle your schedule," Firestone says with a laugh.
HAVE
FUN, WILL TRAVEL
Now
that Michael Jordan has left baseball and returned to basketball and
Deion Sanders plays only for the Dallas Cowboys, Firestone, 41, may
be the most versatile performer in the sports world. As host of Up
Close Primetime, Firestone is the best in the business at going
one-on-one with heavy hitters. That he beat out Larry King and Howard
Stern for his most recent ACE award for interviewing only cements
his status.
One
hundred forty days out of the year, though, Firestone takes his act
on the road and performs for upward of 80 corporate clients, in private
venues and often for charitable organizations. Onstage, he sheds his
refined on-air demeanor and transforms into a cross between Mark Russell,
Dana Carvey and "Weird Al" Yankovic-becoming equal parts
speaker, singer and satirist.
Still,
it would take a succession of Tony Awards for Firestone's performing
career to eclipse his broadcasting work. An affable, perpetually tan
kid from Miami Beach with a passion for sports, Firestone gravitated
to Los Angeles in 1977 and became the sports anchor at KCBS. Eight
years later, the fledgling all-sports cable operation ESPN came knocking,
and Firestone took a job as the host of a talk show.
Since
then he's discussed all matters great and small with everyone from
Michael Jordan to Ted Williams. Appearing on Firestone's show is such
a badge of honor that the host doesn't exactly have to plead with
guests to appear. Sometimes, in fact, players even lobby Firestone
to invite deserving colleagues onto the show.
Once,
Firestone fielded a call from a vaguely familiar voice asking if star
hockey player Mark Messier had ever appeared on the show.
"No,"
responded Firestone, "I'm not sure what kind of clamor there
is to have him on."
The
caller kept pressing: "I'd really like to see him on your show.
He should be hockey's MVP, but he doesn't get enough recognition."
"Who
is this?" Firestone asked. The caller mumbled back that his name
was Wayne. "Wayne who?" asked Firestone. Embarrassed, but
determined not to hang up, the caller confessed his name: Wayne Gretzky.
Through
the years, Firestone has proved himself a master at finding that delicate
balance between probing questions and civility. Who else could get
Jimmy Johnson, the intense coach of the Miami Dolphins, to
admit he ought to be more emotional and loving
with his wife and family? Who else besides, maybe, Oprah--could
get Dermis Rodman to break down in tears when discussing the daughter
he seldom sees?
Not
to say there haven't been some lighter moments over the years. Firestone
laughs when he recounts the time he asked Pete Rose what he would
have been like had he been born a girl. "Damn ugly!" the
slugger responded without missing a beat.
The
host also recalls fondly some of his conversations with Richard Nixon—
whose voice Firestone can impersonate with uncanny precision. "First
of all, he was a tremendous sports fan. He also had a sharp sense
of humor," he says. "After we had talked a few times, I
confessed to him that, as a kid, I had thrown a rock at his limousine
at the 1968 Republican Convention in Miami. He looked at me for a
while before responding, 'Well, I guess you're pardoned."'
Firestone
is quick to attribute his show's long-running success to having wonderful
guests, but when pressed, he admits his performing career has done
wonders for his broadcasting work. "It's funny because people
suspect that because I've done all these interviews, it must tee easier
for me to go out there and put myself on the line," he says.
"The truth is, I've been singing and doing comedy since I was
a 15-year-old kid. If anything, I'm much looser in my interviewing
having been a performer."
Firestone
has opened for such performers as Frank Sinatra, Lou Awls and the
Four Tops. He writes his own jokes and songs and works tirelessly
to perfect his impersonations. Of course, when you're trying to imitate,
say, Howard Cosell, it doesn't hurt that you've had an intimate conversation
with him. "The great thing about having a dual career is that
lessons you've learned from one you can apply to the other,"
he says.
Another
asset to having a dual career is that they keep bumping into each
other. "Tony LaRussa, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals,
caught my act, and he really liked it, so he encouraged his friend
Bobby Knight to come on my show," says Firestone. "Knight
comes out here, and immediately he's asking me about my work, saying
he's heard I do all these funny impersonations. It was really a great
icebreaker. So many relationships, especially in business, are built
on other relationships that when you have a dual career, it's that
many more people who you are coming into contact with."
The
peril of wearing different hats, though, is that there can be a land
mine of conflicting interests. If his variety act bombs, he feels
it will reflect poorly on his credibility as an interviewer. Or if
his act pokes too much fun at a particular subject, he can forget
about that person appearing on his show. "The key is to keep
both careers separate and defined," says Firestone. "But
if you can play your cards right, there's nothing more satisfying
than feeling like you don't have the best job out there--you have
the best two jobs."
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