Book ~ "Uninvited: Confessions of a Hollywood Party Crasher" (2019) Adrian Maher

From Goodreads ~ Drawing on more than twenty years of interviews, anecdotes, and personal experiences, "Uninvited: Confessions of a Hollywood Party Crasher" recounts the unique journey of a former Los Angeles Times reporter who, struggling with the collapse of his industry and personal tragedies, falls in with a group of intrepid gatecrashers who routinely pierce Tinseltown’s celebrity party circuit. 

Author Adrian Maher is the first to chronicle this unique subterranean culture in La La Land - a group of social strivers, ambitious outliers, compulsive risk-takers and dysfunctional characters seeking access to a famous and exclusive society from which they’ve been banned. 

"Uninvited" uses all the author’s skills as a veteran reporter, television producer, private investigator, archivist and humorous storyteller to reveal the unseen capers, snafus and mishaps behind Hollywood’s palace gates against a backdrop of America’s fascination with celebrity culture. And it exposes the personal struggles of an adrenaline-addicted gatecrasher facing perpetual moral challenges, physical dangers, and psychological stressors that culminate in near disaster.

Adrian Maher was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and a freelance journalist for some magazines.  He has also written, directed and/or produced documentary television programs.  He was also an event crasher, crashing everything from art shows, awards dinners, film festivals, celebrity parties and more ... this book provides some tales of some of those experiences.

There is apparently a subculture of people who are addicted to crashing events they aren't invited to.  There even is/was a monthly mailing list you could subscribe to for $30.  Event crashers have bags in their cars with various colours of wrist bands, tape, hats, glasses, etc.  They call each other to let each other know where the parties are and what is needed to get in and how to get in.  They are shifty enough to know how to get in through back doors and windows, to blend in with catering staff and how to read a guest list upside down so if asked you can provide a name, and more.

Given the subject matter, I thought it would be a fun book to get a behind the scenes look at crashing parties and events I will never have access to.  Though I did find it interesting, I found the book surprisingly bland.  Maybe it was the writing style? 

By the time I finished reading the book, I thought the crashers were a bit on the sleazy side .. crashing parties instead of buying tickets when possible (especially for charity events), taking swag bags they weren't entitled to and eating and drinking fine foods.