Michael McDonald has announced a new memoir co-written by actor Paul Reiser. Titled What a Fool Believes: A Memoir, it’s slated for release on May 21st, 2024 via Dey Street Books.
According to a press release, What a Fool Believes is “interwoven with unforgettable tales from his storied career and a cast of music greats” including James Taylor, Ray Charles, Carly Simon, and Quincy Jones. The memoir also finds the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan member “reckoning with the unshakeable insecurities that drove him and the highs and lows of fame and popularity.” Pre-orders are ongoing.
McDonald and Reiser met at a party several years ago, where McDonald learned of Reiser’s love of music — particularly the piano. They began working on the memoir in the spring of 2020 after Reiser “sort of made a joke,” as he explained to People magazine.
Related Video
“I would periodically ask Mike questions I didn’t understand about the Doobies, about him, and I said, jokingly, ‘You should write a book so I don’t have to bother you all the time,’” Reiser recalled. “And he jokingly said, ‘I’ve thought about it, but I don’t know how you start that.’ Given that we both had [an] enormous amount of time on our hands with nowhere to be [during the pandemic], we said, ‘Let’s see how this goes.’”
In late 2019, McDonald reunited with the Doobie Brothers for a 50th anniversary tour, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to hit. They pushed the tour to 2021 before extending it with new legs in 2022 and 2023.
