Michael Burke's Reviews > Life's Work: A Memoir

David Milch is a monumental talent. I became aware of him through the DVD commentaries of the brilliant HBO “Deadwood” series he created. His actors sang his praises and spoke of him in reverential tones. He voiced a number of the features himself and brought insight into the characters and plotting. It was fascinating to hear him break down the creative process behind the arc of the show.

Like all die-hard fans, I was crushed by the premature cancellation after only three seasons. Skip thirteen long years to 2019 and word came out that finally, against all odds, HBO had greenlit a special “Deadwood: The Movie”, maybe giving closure to the fans. The announcement was bittersweet, however, as the joy was tempered with the news that David Milch was suffering with Alzheimer's, news that was only released when it was obvious his condition could not be hidden with all the press surrounding the new movie.

“Life's Work: A Memoir” opens with Milch describing the unbalanced state his world is in now, a tricky memory and distorted sense of reality. He worked on it with the help of his family, relying on recollections they have of stories Milch had relayed in the past .Especially helpful were writings his wife had been composing for years about his writing process.

David Milch is a man of extremes. He graduated at the top of his class at Yale. He was praised by Robert Penn Warren who said, “No one writes dialogue better than you.” While in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop he dropped down to Mexico to manufacture acid. He developed a heroin addiction. Attending Yale Law School passed the time until he was arrested for shooting out street lights with a shotgun and then turning his sights on the flashing lights of a police car. All this before he was even out of school.


“Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue,” and “Deadwood” are just some of the projects his writing has given us. Milch goes into great detail about struggling to instill depth into each character. He often worked out personal issues in the scripts, including his own molestation as a child by a family friend. A racehorse owner, his love for the track was reflected in “Luck,” a series he created for HBO. Again, his extreme nature is stressed when his wife discovers his gambling has blown up– he had spent twenty-three million dollars at the track during a ten year period.

Much like William Goldman’s wonderful “Adventures in the Screen Trade,” this book gives tremendous insight into the nuts and bolts of the writer’s art. In “Life’s Work” we see the author striving to make his craft personal, weaving his world into the script to reflect truth. A captivating read by an amazing man.

Thank you to the Random House Publishing Company and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #LifesWork #NetGalley