William Knoedelseder
AUTHOR

William Knoedelseder

Comedy & Humor | Home & Garden | Biographies & Memoirs
Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
William Knoedelseder is a veteran journalist and best-selling author who honed his investigative and narrative skills during 12 years as a staff writer at The Los Angeles Times, where his ground breaking coverage of the entertainment industry produced a long string of exposes. His two-year investigation of payola and other corrupt practices in the record business sparked five federal grand jury investigations across the country, led to the arrest and conviction of a score of organized figures and formed the basis of his first best-selling book, Stiffed: A True Story of MCA, the Music Business and the Mafia (Harper Collins 1993). Stiffed was named Best Non-Fiction work of 1993 by Entertainment Weekly, which called it “the scariest book of the year...and the funniest.” The two of the principal mob figures depicted in Stiffed--New Jersey crime boss Gaetano “Corky” Vastola and Roulette Records founder Morris Levy--subsequently served as the models for HBO’s Tony Soprano and his music business mentor Herman “Hesh” Rabkin. Since 2000, Knoedelseder has written three other books. In Eddie’s Name (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) chronicles the brutal murder of a Philadelphia teenager that made national headlines when Knoedelseder, as executive producer of the Knight Ridder news program Inquirer News Tonight, pressed the city to make public the content of 911 tapes recorded the night of the killing, which ultimately revealed a complete breakdown of Philadelphia’s emergency response system; I’m Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Standup Comedy’s Golden Era (Public Affairs/Perseus) recounts Knoedelseder’s time as cub reporter covering the L.A. comedy club scene when David Letterman, Jay Leno, Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman were young and undiscovered. It has been optioned for film by actor Jim Carrey. Knoedelseder’s latest, Bitter Brew: the Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s Kings of Beer, tells the riveting story of one of our nation’s most colorful and longest lasting business dynasties. Called “intoxicating reading,” by The Wall Street Journal, the book became a New York Times best seller and has been optioned by Lionsgate Television in association with Michael London, the Oscar-nominated producer of Sideways. Knoedelseder is currently at work on his third book for Harper Collins, Fins, about the life and times of Harley Earl, the visionary car designer who helped engineer the phenomenal rise of General Motors.
Read less

The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

You can’t beat a good story. Luckily, humans are great at storytelling, and the best fiction podcasts are all the proof that the modern listener requires. Get the popcorn ready; it’s storytime.

Featured Article: The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

Best Sellers

Product list
  • I'm Dying Up Here cover art

    Price: $32.41 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.41 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • Bitter Brew cover art

    • Bitter Brew

    • The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer
    • Written by: William Knoedelseder
    • Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
    • Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
    • Release date: 2012-11-06
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

    Price: $32.62 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.62 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • Fins cover art

    • Fins

    • Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit
    • Written by: William Knoedelseder
    • Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
    • Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
    • Release date: 2018-09-18
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 1 rating

    Price: $32.62 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.62 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00