Billy West’s Book: The Anguish of Living, The Gift of Performance

Happy Comic-Con week! Boy, have we been spoiled this year for animation related book announcements and launches! The Art of Gravity Falls had a huge presence at the show before its September release complete with the book cover serving as a giant selfie station, Emily Brundige moved physical copies of their new guidebook, A Guide to Developing Animated Shows, Dark Horse has announced a second expanded edition of the expensively out-of-print The Art of Over the Garden Wall with a new standard and deluxe edition, and Ruth Clampett’s highly anticipated book, Welcome to Wackyland: The Wonderful World of Bob Clampett, launched and is now available from Stuart Ng!

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Voice acting legend, Billy West, most well known for playing such roles as Ren and Stimpy, Doug, and Philip J. Fry from Futurama, released his autobiography at the beginning of this month. Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic is a powerfully vulnerable and funny look at the stark realities of the actor’s life and rise to prominence.

The book is divided into three sections named after the cities that had a sizable impact in West’s life: Detroit, Boston and New York, and Hollywood. West begins his story in utero where we find his pregnant mother a victim of his father’s physical abuse, and the book, and Billy’s life never lets off the gas from there.

West courageously shares with readers the terrifying realities of being the son of an alcoholic Nazi, sharing anecdotes of the terror his father, Bill, would unleash on the family growing up or the profound impacts of that abuse throughout his own life and relationships. The difficulties of being raised by such a monster are not shied away from and West discusses his own inherited patterns and fights with substance abuse throughout, never once attempting to glorify the experience, instead, often commentating on the banality and irony of inheriting the same problems and replicating Bill’s temperament. Unlike Bill, West found answers to life not in the bottom of a bottle, but through music and performance.

West does a great job writing Voice-A-Versa and for all of its heavy and dense topics, is hilariously written. Humor is a theme that repeats throughout West’s life, often used to alleviate difficulties that either West or others around him are enduring. In our lives it’s easy to get caught up in our own business and to think that those who have found what we define as success must be living easy with little difficulties – especially individuals who have worked their careers in front of the public eye. West, even at an early age, was cognizant of his abilities to make people laugh and the power of that laughter. Not only does West’s life prove that difficulties know everybody, but shows readers that empathy and laughter are at the center of a satisfying and fulfilling life, regardless of one’s own circumstances.

Beyond West’s wisdom on the harsher realities of life, his passionate and encyclopedic knowledge of musicians, actors, voice performers, producers, and directors is evident throughout the 250-odd page read. Growing up in Boston and touring the local musical scene as an electric guitarist during the late 1960’s, West was front seat to changing musical tastes, the rise of tomorrow’s rock gods, and a rapidly changing media landscape.

Entertainment is not simply a means to pass the time or to consume without thought. For West it’s a menagerie of human connections, relations, and shared experiences.

For those looking for an exhaustive filmography of West’s extensive list of performances or a thorough exploration of the skills required to voice act may need to look elsewhere. While the last third of Voice-A-Versa dives into specifics of West’s voice acting career, it is more accurate to say that it is an exploration of the significant roles that West finds most important and meaningful to him.

If I were to sum up West’s autobiography I would quote Hunter S. Thompson who said that “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!'”

Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic is published by Abrams Press and is available in Hardcover and eBook and is also available as an audiobook narrated by Billy West.

That’s it for now! As always you can dive in and enjoy the complete Animation History Bibliography section of this Cartoon Research website. See you next month with another round up of animation book news and reviews!