Thanks, PG!:Memoirs of a Tabloid Reporter
Written by John Isaac Jones
Narrated by Rick Lillard
5/5
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About this audiobook
"Thanks, John Isaac Jones! I loved this book! Beautifully written, edited, and oh, so entertaining! Thank you for the 'insider' look of what really goes on behind the scenes of tabloid journalism, and yes, readers, it IS journalism." - Amazon reviewer
Thanks, PG!: Memoirs of a Tabloid Reporter recounts the life and adventures of reporter Billy Don Johnson during his 20 years (1975-1995) working for the fictional tabloid The National Insider. After his dreams of becoming a crusading journalist with daily newspapers are dashed, Billy throws himself into the wild world of diets, household tips, ghosts, UFOs, weird history, and celebrity scandal, all of which is designed to please Padrone Gallione (PG), the wonderful madman who was editor of the magazine. Like the tabloid industry itself, this book is a combination of fact and fiction. Within, you will find untold stories from the lives of many famous people, get an inside look at how tabloid stories are created and examine the origins of celebrity scandal in American journalism. Ultimately, this book is a tribute to the genius of Generoso Pope Jr., founder and publisher of the National Enquirer.
John Isaac Jones
John Isaac Jones is a retired journalist currently living at Merritt Island, Florida. For more than thirty years, "John I.," as he prefers to be called, was a reporter for media outlets throughout the world. These included local newspapers in his native Alabama, The National Enquirer, News of the World in London, the Sydney Morning Herald, and NBC television. He is the author of five novels, a short story collection and two novellas.
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Reviews for Thanks, PG!:Memoirs of a Tabloid Reporter
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tabloids! We have all read them at one time or another, or at least everyone I know has. Some wild stories, some star stories, Self-help and hero stories, I have read them all and generally enjoyed them. But where did they come from? Who wrote them, how did they get the information----who knows? Are the stories real? Well, after reading Thanks, PG, I know---and you will too when you read it! John Issac Jones, a former reporter for the National Enquirer, has written a charming, fun and informative book telling the story of the fictional William Donald Johnson, better known as Billy Don, whose career ends up as a tabloid reporter, for which he is extremely thankful!
Billy Don very early in life realized he was a wordsmith, but was led by his parents into "the medical field" and began studying to be a pharmacist. However, his natural inclinations finally surfaced and he decided to become a reporter. Thanks, PG is the story of Billy Don's self-taught path to reporterhood, that eventually leads him to the amazing job as a reporter for the "National Insider"---a thinly disguised National Enquirer. To quote the Grateful Dead, "what a long strange trip it--- was"!
I loved the early years where he paid his dues working every lowly job having to do with a regular (non-tabloid) newspaper, eventually becoming a well respected investigative reporter for a large southern newspaper. (Billy Don is a self-professed redneck from Alabama). He learns from his own experience as well as the experiences of others and periodically throughout the book he points out where an early experience gained on the newspapers he worked for led to the knowledge he now has---and needs.
Billy Don's early years were actually a fascinating study of a self-taught man, However, the story really gains momentum when he goes to work for the National Insider, published and run with a genius iron fist by Padrone Gallione (another thin disguise--this time of Generoso Pope who owned and ran the National Enquirer with the same genius and iron fist). Working for the National Insider is a completely different world for Billy Don (and us) and he thrives on the experience for the next 20 years or so...
The rest of the book covers the amazing adventures of Billy Don as a reporter for THE major tabloid. His interesting and insightful stories touch on Elvis, Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, as well as older stars (Sammy Davis, Jr) and lesser known stars, world events, and historical and political events of our time.
I read the book in almost one sitting, just couldn't put it down. I felt I was there with Billy Don, watching life unfold in an unfamiliar but fascinating world. The title "Thanks, PG" refers to Billy Don's great appreciation of the genius of Padrone Gallione and his beloved National Insider, whose alter ego became a big part of our national consciousness, (Enquiring minds want to know....) not to mention made millions and millions of dollars. Along the way, Jones offers some interesting insights into what I believe is his own philosophy on life, which has a spiritual and metaphysical bent that rings true.
Thanks, PG is worth the read on many levels: it's interesting, offers insider's information on many events (O.J.trial, among others!) and just plain fun. You will never look at a tabloid the same way, believe me! I enjoyed listening to it, the voice was clear, conscise and knows how to "tell" a story!