Billy Bob Thornton was raised in Arkansas amid a rich storytelling tradition. See, the South is just different than other places. . . . You can feel the ghosts. These stories didn't have to be made up. The characters were already there. Thus was borne his Oscar(R)-winning masterpiece Sling Blade and now The Billy Bob Tapes--based on late-night conversations with friends who gathered 'round to hear Billy mine a cave full of ghosts.

Billy grew up shooting squirrels, playing drums, and dreaming of rock 'n' roll and baseball. At sixteen he met the drama teacher who first encouraged his talent. Billy recalls struggling and nearly starving in Hollywood--but also encountering compassion and wisdom from people like legendary director Billy Wilder, who advised: "Write about your interesting life."

The Billy Bob Tapes tells of collaboration, friendship, and loss, while reflecting on fame, culture, filmmaking, and entertainment itself. With passion, unvarnished honesty, wry humor, and a little help from friends Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Epperson, and Daniel Lanois, Billy Bob finally talks.