Hi! I'm Travis Andrews, a features reporter for The Washington Post's Style section, where I primarily cover Internet culture, and I just wrote a book about the actor, musician and Internet icon Jeff Goldblum. It's called Because He's Jeff Goldblum: The Movies, Memes and Meaning of Hollywood's Most Enigmatic Actor, and I'm so excited to have it hitting shelves. You can learn a bit about me here, if you're so inclined.

The book is sort of a celebration and rumination on Goldblum's career. I interviewed dozens of his friends, colleagues and admirers to try figuring out what's behind this whole Goldblum thing. I think the book's a lot of fun -- in between chapters, it has great illustrations by Leigh Cox and a variety of fun bits ranging from Goldblum haikus to a fictional interview with the man himself.

I'd love to answer any questions y'all have about the book, Goldblum, journalism, working at The Post, why I use my middle initial in my byline (it's not just pretension!), my pandemic experience of not getting a haircut for 14 months or even my native New Orleans -- specifically if it's about who will replace Drew Brees!

AMA!

Proof: https://i.redd.it/322ttgg26lt61.jpg

And link to the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622486/because-hes-jeff-goldblum-by-travis-m-andrews/

Edit: This has been really fun! Thank you all so much for joining! I've got to scoot for now, but if you keep asking questions, I'll be sure to answer them. And if y'all don't mind my plugging the book for a sec, I'll say that I think it has a lot of the energy of this AMA. I hope it's a fun read, and I hope you'll enjoy! (And, if you do, ratings on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. help a ton, or so I'm told!) Thank you thank you thank you!

Comments: 391 • Responses: 102  • Date: 

countvoncastro209 karma

Did you interviee Goldblum for the book?

travismandrews328 karma

I didn't! It's an unauthorized biography. In some ways, I certainly wish I had -- but in others, I feel like him not being involved help create a fuller picture of the man. Instead, I interview folks around him, such as directors like Lawrence Kasdan and Phil Kaufman, colleagues like Billy Crudup and Harry Shearer and critics and journalists who have thought about / covered him through the years, such as Chuck Klosterman and Sean Fennessey -- and used all that to create this sort of kaleidoscopic vision of the guy.

LividLager181 karma

I genuinely hope Jeff Goldblum makes an unauthorized biography about you now.

travismandrews93 karma

omg YES

9volts105 karma

I kind of dig this. He has not spoken to him at all and his proof photo is him posing with a Jeff Goldblum cardboard cutout.

You're good in my book, OP. I look forward to reading the biography.

travismandrews22 karma

hahah thank you!!

travismandrews158 karma

OH, RIGHT. I forgot to put a link to the book. WHOOPS. Here it is!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622486/because-hes-jeff-goldblum-by-travis-m-andrews/

travismandrews56 karma

I have since added a link to the book in the post so this comment makes no sense anymore!

shittymorph15 karma

[deleted]

travismandrews34 karma

In that case I AM WINNING

PeterLemonjellow17 karma

Next bio: Tiger Blooded Vatican Assassin - The Story of Charlie Sheen

travismandrews17 karma

oh dear lord

Skizot_Bizot158 karma

If you had to get Jeff Goldblum's face tattooed on your body in a spot (assuming you haven't) which would you pick?

travismandrews429 karma

I would get Goldblum's face tattooed over my own face, no question.

Skizot_Bizot112 karma

That is a good choice. On an unrelated note, are you allowed in the same state as Jeff Goldblum after this? Is that why the interview in the book is fake?

travismandrews102 karma

If I end up tattooing both his face on my face and his body on my forehead, I imagine I will not be allowed in the same state as him.

NicolasTom7 karma

Reminds me of the Movie Face Off

travismandrews7 karma

yesssssssss

guesswho1353 karma

In your research, did you find out what Jeff Goldblum has a tattoo of in Jurassic Park?

travismandrews5 karma

I did not and this is my greatest failing.

misdirected_asshole11 karma

Same question for if you had to get Jeff Goldblum's body tattooed on your face.

travismandrews52 karma

The image of him propped up on his arm from Jurassic Park, tattooed across my forehead.

Genius-Imbecile125 karma

Did you find out what his favorite taco is? If not do you consider your book a failure for not including this info?

travismandrews177 karma

I don't only consider my book but also myself a failure for not finding this information BUT, if it's any consolation, I did find out what his favorite sandwich was when he was a teenager and that was a BLT so maybe that's some bit of saving grace?

Genius-Imbecile92 karma

The BLT is a solid choice for a sandwich.

travismandrews45 karma

100%

travismandrews93 karma

I'm still thinking about this and I'm just going to go ahead and guess. Please don't sue me, Jeff. I think he would like an avocado tempura taco.

Sister-Rhubarb16 karma

Does he eat meat now, I thought he went veggie?

travismandrews24 karma

Not often, though I think he'll indulge in a lean cut of meat every once in a blue moon

CreativeGPX110 karma

He is cast for a lot of a very grounded, rational, scientific, maybe even genius kinds of roles, yet off screen he seems so warm, ungrounded and artistic. Is there any reason for this disconnect? Or have I just missed a lot of the roles where he plays those other kinds of parts?

travismandrews152 karma

That's a really great question. I spoke with the film podcaster/writer Sean Fennessey who I think explained this pretty well. It all comes down to Jurassic Park, in a way. With that role, Goldblum sort of solidified the "cool scientist" archetype that he would play over and over again. The movie made more money than any other movie had ever made, so naturally he was going to lean into that a bit.

If you check out some of his older movies, like "The Big Chill" or "Between the Lines" or "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," he leans much more into the warm, artistic type of characters.

NDaveT77 karma

I feel compelled to point out that "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" was before Jurassic Park and he played a surgeon in that film.

This doesn't conflict with what you said, I just love that movie and Jeff is great in it.

travismandrews70 karma

New Jersey!

Fun fact -- you know the part where he sees the watermelon and says "What is that watermelon doing there?" That was complete improv. Apparently the set designer randomly put fruit around the set to add an organic look, and Goldblum really wanted to know what it was doing there.

To your point -- you're 100 percent right. He's also a scientist in The Fly and a doctor in Threshold. I think the difference with JP is he really sort of infused the scientist character with that "coolness."

nikwasi11 karma

He also played an archeologist who is a psychometrist in Vibes.

travismandrews13 karma

yessssss a movie i never thought i'd own but of which i have two copies

loafsofmilk35 karma

Surely it was The Fly that typecast him as the quirky scientist? No doubt that JP helped, but Brundle is the classic scientistblum

travismandrews24 karma

I think that's a solid argument. My feeling is that The Fly is still a more serious role, whereas when he starts doing the big blockbusters, he gets to be a little weirder, a little cooler, a little more "Goldblum-y."

loafsofmilk11 karma

For sure! He definitely played a character in that film, I feel later on in his career him and the characters became some kind of weird deformed hybrid

travismandrews6 karma

Totally agree

Riverman7863 karma

Yes yes but no love for the quirky scientist in Independence Day?? What a movie

travismandrews5 karma

Agreed! But that one's after JP

03116 karma

If you check out some of his older movies, like "The Big Chill" or "Between the Lines" or "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," he leans much more into the warm, artistic type of characters.

His Death Wish character wasn't very warm or artistic.

travismandrews5 karma

LOL this is very true

theketch00179 karma

What is the most interesting thing you learned about Mr. Goldblum through your research for this book?

travismandrews290 karma

There are so many, but I was really struck by how serendipitous his career has been. He got his start in movies because Robert Altman saw him in a play, and he got his start in plays because he was tall, essentially.

That said, what struck me the most is how truly beloved he is. When he works on a movie set, he learns the name of every single other person there -- including the grips, the craft services folks, etc. And then he asks them all about their lives. He follows the acting adage "You're only interesting to the point that you're interested" as sort of a life motto too, which I find really inspiring -- particularly in today's attention economy.

earbox50 karma

related to this--a couple of years ago, a friend of mine saw Jeff's band play (I think at (le) poisson rouge) and said that pretty much as soon as the doors were open, Jeff was out there mingling with the audience, greeting and saying hi to as many random people as he could.

travismandrews18 karma

love this!

Labgeeksteve52 karma

Should there be a movie called "Being Jeff Goldblum"?

travismandrews89 karma

Yes without question and they should base on my book and give me lots of royalties

Polar_Roid41 karma

Was Goldblum really naked when the baboon jumped in his arms?

travismandrews72 karma

I can only say what I've been told, and I've been told this was the case.

inamesh79 karma

I can only say what I've been told, and I've been told this was the case.

You, sir, have given me my new catchphrase for daily standup meetings. My coworkers will hate you.

travismandrews17 karma

bahahha happy to help!

najing_ftw41 karma

What did you learn about his speech pattern?

travismandrews114 karma

First off I learned that if you write a book about him, and watch every movie he's ever been in and interview he's ever given, you begin adopting his speech patterns -- without realizing it. It required an intervention! I'm back to speaking like me again.

More seriously, it was interesting to see his speech pattern sort of grow over the years. It was always a little off-kilter, with the strong pauses and drawn out words, but it definitely grew a lot starting, I'd say, around the early 2000s. Like, I don't think I ever heard him purr before that.

RamsesThePigeon159 karma

First off, ah, I learned that if, ah... if you write a book about him, and if you watch every movie he's ever been in and every interview he's ever given... from start to finish, with all of those glorious, tiny details that him so, ah, so unique... you begin adopting his speech patterns. It happens without you realizing it! It, ah... well, it required an intervention. I'm back to speaking like me again.

travismandrews70 karma

this is GOLD

YeahWhatOk21 karma

but it definitely grew a lot starting, I'd say, around the early 2000s. Like, I don't think I ever heard him purr before that.

I wonder if the Jeff Goldblum meme persona somewhat influenced his actual persona, either intentionally or unconsciously.

travismandrews35 karma

I think it absolutely did. I think he noticed what aspects of him appealed to people, then leaned into them

LarsThorwald8 karma

I disagree a bit here. He the most Goldblum in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, IMHO. So very Goldblum.

travismandrews11 karma

I could definitely buy that argument! My personal though is that he talks a smidge too quickly for the full Goldblum, but I definitely could be convinced

mousewithacookie36 karma

Ok, I’ll bite: why the middle initial in your byline?

travismandrews74 karma

Sooo, and this is true, there's another Travis Andrews who produced My Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV and got all the good online real estate. Plus I think it's funny that if you take away the period, my name could be Travis Mandrews.

mousewithacookie21 karma

Makes sense to me! And I agree, Mandrews is a way more memorable last name than Andrews ;)

travismandrews27 karma

right?! i shoulda just gone for it and made my byline travis mandrews

mousewithacookie11 karma

Might as well just change your name

travismandrews17 karma

ON IT

TheSinningRobot8 karma

Totally random, but I had a friend in high school who's first initial was m last name Andrew's and I always called him Mandrews.

travismandrews4 karma

You're doing it right!

crocostix34 karma

Thanks for the ama.

  1. Why did it get weird?
  2. What arguments, if any, are there against voting Jeff to be our planetary supreme leader?

travismandrews62 karma

Thanks for joining!

  1. I think it got weirdest when I heard a story about the baboon on the set of "The Fly" going into heat every time it saw the script supervisor. No one could calm down this aroused baboon ... except Jeff Goldblum. Because OF COURSE. I heard so many weird, hilarious stories like that about the guy -- he truly is a weird dude, in the best way possible
  2. Because then things would be TOO PERFECT

crocostix21 karma

Damn, never knew he was a baboon whisperer!

travismandrews34 karma

The best part is more than one director told me a story about him and a baboon. He also costarred with one on the little known movie "Threshold."

Blueduck55434 karma

Was there anything you learned about Goldblum that really surprised you? If you could be more like him in one way, what way would that be?

travismandrews112 karma

Honestly, what surprised me the most was just how fascinated he seemed to be in everyone else and how much his whole schtick seems to be genuine. I spoke to people who worked with him from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s -- in other words, people throughout his career. Some were big directors and actors, who are probably always going to say nice things about him. But some were craft services workers, second grips on sets, even an ex-finacee -- all of whom are the people who would normally spill some dirt, say something negative. But even they loved the guy, said he was always interested in their lives and asked actual questions of them.

That's also the quality of his I'd like to adapt more fully, to be really present and interested in everyone's story. Or to be rich. I'll also take rich.

fluxdrip32 karma

Understanding that you didn’t interview him for the book, do you know if he was aware of it? It sounds like you talked to a lot of famous people, some of whom presumably gave him a call. Is he interested in the project? Has he ever reached out / did you reach out to him at any point? Has he read it now, and have you heard from him since finishing the book?

travismandrews70 karma

I believe he's aware of it -- everyone in his orbit is, at least, and I feel like they'd tell him. And I do think some of the folks I interviewed called him. Plus people keep tagging him in photos of the book on Instagram.

That said, I'm not sure if he's read it or if he's going to. He hasn't reached out and now I'm like 50/50 on if I want him to. I feel like I'll hear from him if a) He loves the book or b) He HATES the book. I thiiiiiiink he would feel the former, but you never know.

Here's a question I've been wondering: If someone spoke to all your friends and colleagues and etc and then wrote a book about you, would you want to read it? I can't decide if I'd want to read one about me (though I know I would, maybe with like one eye closed the whole time).

jackofall_masternone15 karma

I commented this individually, but I will say it again here. It would be an amazing followup to the book, to republish it with Jeff's own additions, clarifications, comments, corrections, and edits.

travismandrews13 karma

this would be so BRILLIANT

mousewithacookie31 karma

If someone were to make a film about Jeff Goldblum and have someone else play him, who do you think he’d want it to be?

travismandrews75 karma

Terrific question. I feel like he'd want Daniel Day-Lewis but get Nick Cage

operation_hennessey28 karma

Did you read Jeff Goldblum’s Reddit AMA? And if so, did any of the details from those questions make it into your book?

travismandrews33 karma

I did! And then I took his most bizarrely formatted answer, about sandwiches, and quoted it in a footnote because I thought it looked funny

jaxpaboo25 karma

Do you think JG will be happy or mad after reading this book? Also has JG reached out to you or vice versa?

travismandrews45 karma

He has not reached out, and I'm sorta 50/50 on if I want him to. I feel like I'll only hear from him if he a) loves the book b) HATES the book.

Overall, I think he'd like it. While the book analyzes his career and definitely points to some missteps, movies that didn't work, etc., it's primarily meant to be an entertaining, funny read that celebrates his career in movies, music and memes. THAT SAID, reading a book about yourself has to be a bizarre experience, maybe on that no one would enjoy.

jaxpaboo14 karma

I think you should do a follow up coffee table book on his tattoos... errrr I mean people that got a JG tattoo.

travismandrews17 karma

This is a BRILLIANT idea. I'm calling my agent now. First I need someone to get my book cover tattooed on them, so that can be the cover for the tattoo book.

dbradx8 karma

First I need someone to get my book cover tattooed on them, so that can be the cover for the tattoo book.

No, you need someone to get a tattoo of Jeff Goldblum reading your book, there's your book cover :-).

Congrats, really looking forward to reading it, JG has been a long-time fav actor.

travismandrews6 karma

Ohhh, this is a much better idea!

And thank you! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

rubberducky121225 karma

Wait a sec, he's a musician? I haven't heard of this. Also what's your favorite instance of him being personable to someone? Any scoop on him being Grandmaster in the MCU? I'm a big Marvel fan.

travismandrews44 karma

Yep, he's a jazz pianist! For the past thirty years, he plays a tiny show in LA when he's in town and in the past couple years he put out a couple records. I wouldn't say he's spectacular, but the show sounds like a lot of fun -- and he plays with some great guests like Sharon Van Etten and Gregory Porter. If you watch any movies with him in them, you'll begin to notice that he plays piano in A LOT of them.

D1rtyH1ppy5 karma

Isn't he also the founding member of The Jeff Goldblueman Group?

travismandrews9 karma

Yes, in fact, he's actually EVERY member of The Jeff Goldblueman Group

mojo_my_jojo22 karma

Do you remember when the whole school is serenaded you with Monica’s “Angel of Mine” on a field trip?

travismandrews21 karma

one of my most enduring memories

ROIIs36021 karma

Did you ask him about his experiences as the Apartments.com mascot,and his adventures at the CoStar sales conference?

travismandrews54 karma

Not him, but I DID speak to the folks behind the commercials. Apparently when he got the gig, he wanted to know Brad Bellflower's backstory, like it was an actual role.

boobodst31 karma

For some reason of all your responses here this is the one that makes me chuckle repeatedly. It’s the kind of thing I’ll think about while cooking in three months and chuckle again making the people around me think I’m insane.

travismandrews21 karma

lolol glad to contribute a 90-day chuckle!

augi13221 karma

Do you think that Jeff Goldblum would be a good replacement for Drew Brees?

travismandrews24 karma

ABSOLUTELY. He's got four inches on our boy, and he grew up playing sports. Only problem is he's a Steelers fan, but I think we could convince him.

Tacdeho6 karma

As a Ravens fan, I say ew.

But I bet Jeff has amazing hot takes on Antonio Brown, so I'm very into that.

travismandrews7 karma

I am contractually obligated to now write who dat in all caps so I'm sorry but WHO DAT!

CaptainCummings5 karma

Only problem is he's a Steelers fan

This is only a problem if you don't like historically successful franchises with owners who care about their players

travismandrews4 karma

I respect the Steelers! But as a New Orleanian and a Saints fan, I've gotta support my black and gold at all times. WHO DAT!

JeffRyan120 karma

If Jeff Goldblum and Nicolas Cage Face/Offed, how long do you think it would be before anyone noticed?

travismandrews46 karma

This is an absolutely TERRIFIC question. I think the con would basically last until Nicolas Cage-as-Jeff Goldblum had one of his signature freak outs and everyone would be like wait Goldblum just talks funny and purrs, he doesn't really ever yell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S73swRzxs8Y

TheDevilsAdvokaat18 karma

Question: Is a collection of images of Jeff called an alblum?

travismandrews7 karma

but of course

TheDevilsAdvokaat3 karma

lol..thank you. First time I ever got an AMA response.

travismandrews5 karma

how could someone NOT respond to this!

myislanduniverse17 karma

How could it not get weird!?

travismandrews17 karma

LOL right?! That's definitely why I included a haiku section about our boy

notenoughcharact16 karma

I know actors sometimes make small money and big movies and big money on small movies. What movies benefitted him the most financially? I’d imagine he got paid bank for Thor?

travismandrews19 karma

That's a great question. I can't say I know offhand -- I didn't get too deep into financials in the book -- but I would have to guess it would be his 90s run. Jurassic Park was the highest grossing movie at the time. Lost World, Independence Day both were huge money makers. My best educated guess would be that that run or Thor.

globaltetrahedron6716 karma

anything about the long-rumored me too moment for jeff?

travismandrews21 karma

I looked into this, and I contacted the person who originally brought this up -- but I never found anything. I sincerely hope there are no skeletons in his closet.

_The_Room15 karma

If Mr GoldBlum had to choose between these 2 options, which would he pick?

1) Fight one duck sized horse.

2) Fight 100 duck sized horses.

travismandrews74 karma

Jeff Goldblum never fights. He would befriend all of them and throw a party.

noshore4me14 karma

What is the most egregious error you have seen your newspaper publish in your time there? And what repercussions does a reporter face when they fail to meet the standards for accurate reporting?

travismandrews24 karma

I can't speak to the most egregious error, but I can say whenever there's an error in a story we rush to correct it and to add a clear correction to the story stating what was incorrect previously.

operation_hennessey13 karma

What are your top five favourite JG movies?

I would probably say: 1. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 2. Jurassic Park 3. The Big Chill 4. The Fly 5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

travismandrews11 karma

Great list! Pretty close to mine. I'd say:

1) Life Aquatic -- something about the way he yells "You shot me!" just makes this number one for me 2) Between the Lines 3) The fly 4) Jurassic Park 5) The Big Chill

smurf123_12310 karma

The Life Aquatic always gets me, it's a perfect quirky movie that is timeless. I'm not sure if it's a poplar movie in film schools or not but there are so many things that film gets right.

travismandrews7 karma

Fully agree. I feel like it gets overlooked in Wes Anderson's filmography, and that is basically a crime in my book

operation_hennessey6 karma

My favourite SZ bit is when he says: “Steven, are you rescuing me? .....Fold.”

travismandrews5 karma

YES!

operation_hennessey5 karma

Wow, really close! I’ll have to give Between the Lines a look. I’ve never seen it.

travismandrews5 karma

It's a great movie from the 70s, one of his first ones, about a group of people working at an alt-weekly newspaper. He plays this hilariously haughty music critic. Well worth a watch!

rodmandirect12 karma

In a Sunday Morning interview with him a couple years ago, the interviewer mentioned that JG had a brother who died at a young age. This question clearly threw him for a loop, as he was not ready for it - it was an emotional moment. It came and went - no more info was provided. Did you get any info on this major event in his life, and what can you share with us?

travismandrews17 karma

Yes I did. It was tremendously sad. His brother was, I believe, 23 and contracted what seemed to be a kidney disease when travelling abroad. JG had recently moved to New York and he was grieving when he received his first role, which was in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I spoke to the director and producer of the play for the book, and they talked about how much it impacted him.

SANAFABICH12 karma

Would you like to meet Jeff Goldblum?

travismandrews27 karma

Yes! But only if he likes the book and does not want to sue me.

SANAFABICH20 karma

Some people say never meet your heroes. These people have obviously never heard of Jeff Goldblum.

travismandrews11 karma

AMEN!

NibblyPig11 karma

Is it pronounced Goldblum or Goldblum?

travismandrews9 karma

oh neither, it's actually Goldblum

LinkovitchChmofsky10 karma

Were there any fun stories about the set of Earth Girls Are Easy? That movie is such a weird little adventure.

travismandrews10 karma

It sounds like it was a pretty bonkers set ... I didn't dive too deeply into because the writer of the movie is writing a behind-the-scene book about it, which should be out soon. Def a must read!

cr0w198010 karma

My all-time favorite Goldblum movie is Transylvania 6-5000. I loved it as a kid and still find it as funny as I did when I was little. I know he and Ed Begley Jr. are apparently still really good friends, but did you get any good stories from the making of this film? I'm convinced only like a dozen people still remember it at this point.

travismandrews10 karma

Love that someone else loves this weird little movie! That's where he met Geena Davis, who he married!

OK so the wildest thing I learned about this film (quoting from my book): "... it was funded by Dow Chemical Company. The company needed to find a way to spend some funds that were frozen in the country, because Yugoslavian law disallowed the repatriation of money accumulated in the Yugoslavian currency, the dinar, which is a fancy way of saying if you had money in the currency in their country, you couldn’t just pull it out and convert it to US dollars to spend on a bunch of Juicy Fruit or whatever at the corner store. The movie did well enough considering the strange circumstances of its creation, making a little more than $7 million on a $3 million budget."

cr0w19805 karma

Wow. It seems only fitting that that movie has such an odd backstory. It's such a weird production with what you'd consider "big" names (and some that would become HUGE later on, i.e. Michael Richards) that no one really remembers. I was 5 when it came out and the filming locations made a huge impression on me. I bet the filming was a blast.

travismandrews3 karma

Michael Richards in that movie is just NEXT LEVEL

justin_memer9 karma

Did Mr. Goldblum steal your woman?

travismandrews11 karma

I mean of course

TheRiteGuy18 karma

If I caught my wife with Jeff Goldblum - I'd have to high-five her. Like holy shit babe - how did you land that? Good job!

travismandrews10 karma

or join!

a_casual_observer9 karma

If you write a book about Jeff Goldblum and it doesn't get weird did you really write a book about Jeff Goldblum?

travismandrews4 karma

AMEN

rimshot999 karma

What do you make of his sex symbol status? Women seem to swoon over the guy...I don't get it.

travismandrews48 karma

I think a few things are at play here.

For one, he's incredibly confident in himself. I suppose most actors are, but he really seems to embrace his oddities and perhaps play them up a bit, which people respond to. Just look at the insane clothes he wears these days. They wouldn't work on most people, but he wears them so comfortably, it sort of does for him. Plus, back in the 80s and 90s, the dude was pretty chiseled.

I also think, though, it's the fact that he truly seems interested in other people. He asks a ton of questions, even when he's the one who is supposed to be the interview subject. I think that definitely elicits a response.

Grimacepug9 karma

What surprised you most about JG as you researched him?

travismandrews23 karma

In a previous thread, I mentioned how genuine he actually seems, which definitely surprised me to a degree. But one other thing I'll add is how absolutely bizarre his career is. He kicks it off the in 70s and 80s, working with great directors like Robert Altman, Lawrence Kasdan, Phil Kaufman, David Cronenberg, etc. Then he becomes this huge A-lister in the 90s. Then he just stops taking huge roles and does all these experimental indies, some that work and some that don't. Then he just sort of plays jazz for a while and becomes a meme. He's really insistent that he's not a "careerist" but just sort of follows his own muse -- and after reporting this book, I believe him.

Pieraos7 karma

There's a "Goldblum thing"? Did you ask him what that was? Also none of the people in your photo are Goldblum.

travismandrews11 karma

It is true that I am not Goldblum.

joshuaMachine6 karma

I find it odd that you opted to include a fake interview with Jeff Goldblum in the book. Is this a common approach in unauthorized biographies? What compelled this particular decision?

travismandrews7 karma

It is definitely not a common approach. I didn't want to write a traditionally biography. I felt like if people want to read about Goldblum, they want to have a good time, so I wanted the book to be fun, entertaining and funny -- and it seemed like the kind of off-the-wall idea Goldblum would approve of, so I went for it and then my editor did not throw my book out the window, so it might have worked!

pale_delicate_flower6 karma

In a hypothetical future where we perfect cloning, should we or should we not clone consecutive copies of Jeff Goldblum for the enjoyment and enrichment of future generations?

Would he agree?

Would any of the Goldblum clones be inexplicably evil?

travismandrews6 karma

I think we need one Goldblum at a time, so we should clone him every time we lose the last one. In the book I wrote a one-act play in which a teenage Golblum meets his current self, and it goes off the rails.

Since he loves other people so much, cloning just means MORE other people, so I think he'd be down with it.

There would ABSOLUTELY be an evil Goldblum. I shudder to imagine ...

InGenAche5 karma

Does he consider his cameo in Friends when Joey peed on him to be the high point in his career?

travismandrews5 karma

If he doesn't, he SHOULD

bcjordan5 karma

Why does the eye go to Goldblum?

travismandrews8 karma

6 foot 4 inches of otherworldly confidence

Hashinin5 karma

Did you ask him pretending to bite the last few wings on Hot Ones rather than just bowing out?

travismandrews6 karma

this remains my most -- wait for it -- BURNING question.

i'm so sorry i had to

Bgddbb4 karma

Did you ever see this? I had it on VHS a million years ago

https://youtu.be/Czh9oy_ExOA

travismandrews3 karma

oh my god no THANK YOU FOR INTRODUCING THIS INTO MY LIFE

now i have to rewrite my book

tartacus3 karma

Did you interview Chef Goldblum for the book?

travismandrews5 karma

i was too intimated

deathlord90003 karma

What’s your top achievement in any video game, as decided by you?

travismandrews5 karma

I managed to find one dinosaur fossil in Red Dead Redemption 2 and I feel like a damn hero.

winnower82 karma

When writing did you ever wonder if you were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should?

travismandrews2 karma

EVERY DAMN DAY

Kareem_Magdi1 karma

Thank you for this AMA!

My question is, what is a Jeff Goldblum?

travismandrews2 karma

The whispered memory of a childhood dream, OBVIOUSLY.

Climaximus_Prime1 karma

Why is he photoshopped into your proof photo?

travismandrews14 karma

Hahaha, sooooo actually not photoshop. I'm nowhere near skilled enough to do that.

When I was writing the book, my girlfriend's dad surprised me with a life-sized cardboard cut out of Goldblum. My gf hid it in the kitchen and didn't tell me this thing existed, and one day I walked into my apartment, saw it and promptly screamed.

Now, since he terrifies my puppy Stevie Nix and because it's creepy to have a fake Jeff Goldblum hanging around the apartment, I prop him up for special occasions, like my proof photo.

Kirito27500 karma

I’ll bite, because I haven’t seen anyone that has, why use the middle initial?

travismandrews1 karma

Reposting from a previous question: Sooo, and this is true, there's another Travis Andrews who produced My Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV and got all the good online real estate. Plus I think it's funny that if you take away the period, my name could be Travis Mandrews.