April 3, 2016

IT’S BEEN A SLICE



Flappers Comedy Club is crowded, but not for a comedian, for a reading from Jon D’Amore’s book about his mob family, THE BOSS ALWAYS SITS IN THE BACK. Jon is funny and charming and they’re all here for him; friends, family and celebrities, “except for the ones that are gone or in jail,” he says with a sly grin. He would have written the book sooner, he said, “But I had to wait till at least three guys were dead!”

Jon grew up in Jersey at first shunning the mob. In 1999 he came to L.A. to write. He’s been a musician, reporter, and author of six screen plays. I asked if his catch phrase, It’s Been a Slice, came from his family’s business, Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza in the Farmers market? He smiles, “It came from a film I like; SERIAL.”

His book opens with a brief history of the mob in Jersey, including his Godfather Jerry; one of the guys who had to pass before Jon could tell this tale. Jon says he had to write this book “because the story needed to be told.” It’s important to show respect for family and the book is a link to the culture of honor and respect he was raised in. In fact before Jerry died, Don put a recorder by his bed so Jerry could tell his story.

So you wanna know why THE BOSS ALWAYS SITS IN THE BACK, or how Jon ended up in the desert with a gun to his head? How he helped out-smart the cops, earned the nickname The Kid? Again that grin, “You gotta buy the book.” It reveals why one smokes a joint at eight a.m.... because it’s too early for a martini, but Jon did answer the question, “Did you ever kill anybody?” He laughs heartily, “First of all... No! And if I did... NO!” 

Check out Jon's book here: Clickthe boss always sits in the