Meet Michael Madsen, Author and Actor.
Michael Madsen is more than just the critically acclaimed actor best known for his role as Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, he is also a prize winning poet. Michael's first professionally published book, Burning in Paradise, won the Independent Firecracker Award in 1998. The Complete Poetic Works of Michael Madsen, Vol. I: 1995-2005, which was published by 13 Hands Publications in 2005, is a complete ten year volume and compilation of his work. He has since chronicled his life and travels as an actor in Signs of Life (2006), American Badass, (2009) and again in the forthcoming book, Expecting Rain, which will be released on September 25, 2013. Madsen continues to turn in edge-of-the-seat performances, but his poetry speaks volumes.
"...for me, the real journey that Michael, the writer, is exploring is what it means to be a man in a world where the notions of 'manhood' that some of us grew up with are barely remembered at best, or ridiculed at worst. But then if everybody embarked on the Hero's Journey, everybody would be a hero, wouldn't they?" --Quentin Tarantino
"When you open these pages you will be astounded by his insight into the minds and hearts of regular folks like you and me. He'll make you laugh and he'll make you cry and things will never look the same to you again." --David Carradine.
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"This actor is a poet...our best. I'm proud to know him a little. His words show me a lot about me. A laugh, a tear. He talks of now." --Dennis Hopper
You don't expect a man best known for cutting off a cop's ear to be an accomplished poet. Perhaps one of the great movie tough guys of the past twenty years or so, Michael Madsen doesn't initially seem the type of guy to pick up a pen and ponder his innermost feelings. But, in addition to appearing in movies like "Reservoir Dogs," "Donnie Brasco," and "Kill Bill, Vol. 2," he's actually written several poetry books...Madsen isn't prone to the pretentious self-important ramblings of many celebrity poets, but is honest, straightforward, at times profane...even his most bizarre musings seem to come straight from the heart. Much like his screen persona, his writing voice is witty, tough and oddly affecting. He's often even profound, as in the touching, intelligent "Yesterday," in which he reflects the part of his life that has passed. His writing, like his acting, is never boring and, often quite memorable. --Amanda Cuda, Curled Up With A Good Book
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Actor and poet Michael Madsen presents Signs of Life, a stunning blend of full-color photography and free-verse poetry. Featuring a full-color photographs of unusual signs from hotels, diners, lounges, small businesses, and more, Signs of Life enhances the brilliant glimpses of Americana with scattering of free-verse poems, many of them about life on the road. A vibrantly distinctive compilation that smoothly fuses art, life, experience, and at the close, the tragic site of Terezin. "Terezin": We went to the camp today, / A place of death and horror, / A place like no other I've ever been. // Surviving. Alone. Lost and forgotten. / Left for dead - // Work will set you free: Arbeit Macht Frei --Midwest Book Review (for Signs of Life).
Some of Michael's original photos from Signs of Life are for sale. His photos have been exibited throughout the world in such places as Paris, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. If you are interested in buying an autographed photo from Signs of Life, contact Michael P. Naughton by clicking on the email link below.
