{"id":33100,"date":"2025-09-20T10:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T10:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/33100\/"},"modified":"2025-09-20T10:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T10:59:14","slug":"inside-matthew-mcconaugheys-poems-prayers-revival-book-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/33100\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Matthew McConaughey\u2019s \u2018Poems & Prayers\u2019 revival book tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

BROOKLYN, N.Y. \u2014 Matthew McConaughey is rarely at a loss for words \u2014 or catchphrases. But when he stepped onstage at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, N.Y., this week, he admitted he was nervous.<\/p>\n

The Oscar-winning actor, 55, was performing to a crowd of approximately 2,800 on Sept. 16 to promote his new book, Poems & Prayers<\/a>. He didn’t want to do a typical bookstore press tour. Rather, he thought it would be a lot cooler if he did surprise pop-ups in parks, reading poetry while perched on a bench. Ultimately, he landed on a five-city “revival book tour,” featuring performances by A-list musical guests.<\/p>\n

Poems & Prayers is a collection of McConaughey\u2019s poetry written over 36 years, beginning when he was 18. They\u2019re about Hollywood, love, faith, fatherhood, exes, \u201ccarnal desires,\u201d sobriety, \u201cf***ups,\u201d politicians, Porta Potties and aging. Some are written as actual prayers \u2014 starting with \u201cDear God…\u201d \u2014 though he says they all are, writing, \u201cMy prayers are my poems are my prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book is his attempt to make sense of the world, which has been \u201ctougher to do lately,\u201d he wrote in it. That\u2019s because \u201cfacts have become unreliably overrated\u201d and people are out to prove that truth is \u201coutdated\u201d and honesty has become \u201ca deluded currency.\u201d He rejects that, saying he wants to continue believing \u2014 in humanity, in himself, in the potential of people.<\/p>\n

To me, the poems are very much from the mind of McConaughey. A wild ride that\u2019s a little all over the place. Like the acknowledgements at the back of the book, which thank everyone from Bob Dylan to Hunter S. Thompson, King Solomon and Rumi and the entire Republic of Mali, Africa.<\/p>\n

For night one of his experiment, where the laidback Texan and wizard of wordplay was joined partway through by Jon Bon Jovi, I found myself among McConaughey believers on a magical mystery tour of spirituality. I gave myself over to the church of McConaughey for what I can only describe as an opening sermon, where for about 15 minutes he paced the stage, preaching about belief being in short supply.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not only talking about belief in God \u2014 although personally I am seeking [more of] that for myself,\u201d McConaughey, already a bestselling author for 2020\u2019s Greenlights, which has sold over 6 million copies, told the crowd. \u201cI\u2019m talking about more belief in ourselves and each other and what we care about and tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

For someone who\u2019s been a serious thespian, rom-com king, political tease and infamous bongo enthusiast, it felt like a new chapter in his ongoing reinvention \u2014 this time as a kind of spiritual hypeman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho would you die for?\u201d he asked at one point. People called out: \u201cMy mom,\u201d \u201cMy nephew,\u201d \u201cBeyonc\u00e9,\u2019 \u201cyou!\u201d He nodded, collected the answers, then turned them into a lesson: Those are the people you should start living for.<\/p>\n

McConaughey\u2019s beliefs, politics and spirituality are hard to pin down \u2014 maybe on purpose. Whatever it was \u2014 book tour, church sermon, one-man show \u2014 it was unusual, but seemed sincere, as well as being, well, unmistakably him.<\/p>\n

Fans \u2014 and families \u2014gather at the Church of McConaughey<\/p>\n

The crowd was decked out in T-shirts with his Dazed and Confused character Wooderson, \u201cjust keep livin\u201d slogans and plenty of orange University of Texas at Austin gear. Factor in his own Pantalones Tequila flowing at a lobby bar, and some audience members were loose enough to send catcalls down from the mezzanine. (\u201cRead page 69!\u201d someone screamed to the married father of three.)<\/p>\n

\"(Suzy<\/p>\n

McConaughey’s tequila brand had a pop-up station in the lobby of the historic building \u2014 and a Pantalones Tequila employee, outfitted in a cowboy hat and boots, snapped photos of showgoers at the step and repeat. (Suzy Byrne\/Yahoo News)<\/p>\n

What brought people out? I took a lap through the theater to find out.<\/p>\n

Among the attendees were a multigenerational family roadtripping from South Carolina, a Brooklynite who recently had a personal revelation reading Greenlights and a Pennsylvania high school teacher who had school in the morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could listen to him talk about the way the wind blows,\u201d Courtney tells Yahoo.<\/p>\n

She carpooled to the event from northern Virginia with her younger sister, Ashlyn, who was marking her 21st birthday, as well as their mother, Amanda, and her 75-year-old grandmother. Amanda spent around $240 to $280 for the four tickets, “and about $100 on drinks,\u201d including shots of McConaughey\u2019s tequila.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna freak out,\u201d McConaughey fan Ashlyn tells me before the show. \u201cWhat am I expecting? I\u2019m expecting Matthew to be Matthew. To share his words of wisdom. I loved Greenlights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(Photo<\/p>\n

Dayna (left), Jennifer and sisters Ashlyn and Courtney (center) with their grandmother and mother were some of the audience members ready for the spiritual ride. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Suzy Byrne\/Yahoo News)<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t the only one. Jennifer, a 42-year-old from Brooklyn, purchased Greenlights a few years ago, but only read it recently and had a breakthrough. That\u2019s why she was there.<\/p>\n

McConaughey wrote about taking \u201cwalkabouts\u201d to unplug when he was feeling overstimulated and clear his head from opinions, she explains. She was feeling that way herself when she picked up his memoir and followed his lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told everyone, \u2018Look, I\u2019m not going to answer my texts for two days,\u2019\u201d she says of doing her own walkabout. \u201cIt did wonders,\u201d adding that she thinks he \u201cwas ahead of his time\u201d giving that advice five years ago because our use of technology has only increased.<\/p>\n

Ironically, a pop-up ad alerted Jennifer to the tour that brought her here tonight. She had no idea McConaughey had another book coming out and saw it as a sign, so she plunked down $60 for the experience and was ready to soak it all in.<\/p>\n

\"(Photo<\/p>\n

McConaughey’s imprint was all over the venue, down to the napkins. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Suzy Byrne\/Yahoo News)<\/p>\n

Dayna, 49, just moved from Texas to New Jersey, and made a two-hour trek (car, train, subway) to the Brooklyn venue, paying $60 on a ticket.<\/p>\n

A recent widow who is figuring out what\u2019s next, she\u2019s been making a point of getting out to shows and book readings. The event spoke to her because she\u2019s been watching lots of old movies lately. This past summer, she introduced her 22-year-old daughter to Dazed and Confused, \u201cso she\u2019d know where \u2018Alright, alright, alright\u2019 came from,\u201d she tells Yahoo.<\/p>\n

Dayna has watched McConaughey\u2019s season of True Detective four times, praising the writing. She counts How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days as a rewatchable favorite and thinks The Paperboy is one of McConaughey\u2019s best roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just a great character of a person,\u201d Dayna says. \u201cI appreciate his values \u2014 like the work he did with Uvalde<\/a>. And the risks he takes as an actor and creative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christine, 53, and her friend Patty, 55, were part of the crowd and drove in from Pennsylvania for a girls\u2019 night out-meets-soul refresh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came to be inspired and awakened,\u201d says Christine. \u201cTo feel good about the world today. A little uplift. And secretly, I have a little crush on [Bon Jovi].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(Photo<\/p>\n

Patty and Christine from Pennsylvania had to drive over four hours round-trip for the show. Bon Jovi made them do it. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Suzy Byrne\/Yahoo News)<\/p>\n

Christine says they spent $200 for two tickets, which she paid for because Patty agreed to drive. They were headed home that night, a well over 2-hour drive, so that Christine could teach high school in the morning.<\/p>\n

The teacher wasn’t the only one who traveled for a little eye candy.<\/p>\n

Vitali, 35, and Alena, 36, were from Brooklyn by way of Belarus and Ukraine, and were mostly there for the star power.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, [McConaughey and Bon Jovi] superstars,\u201d Alena tells Yahoo, adding that she was curious if they were still \u201chot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the appeal ran deeper than aesthetics.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only that,\u201d Vitali says. \u201c[They\u2019re good] human beings. Matthew is a great guy. I read Greenlights. It was wonderful. I wanted to be closer to the stage, but those seats were sold out.\u201d<\/p>\n

2 stars, 1 stage, no script<\/p>\n

For $60 to $100 a ticket (with a $29 book to take home), attendees received far more than a typical author event. What unfolded was an unfiltered, intimate evening featuring two best-in-class stars \u2014 a shelf of awards between them \u2014 just riffing.<\/p>\n

McConaughey recited his poems. One, he said, was written while he was in the bathtub in Australia at age 18. At the time, he was strongly considering becoming a monk. He was also listening to U2\u2019s Rattle and Hum and had just pleasured himself. (True story.)<\/p>\n

Bon Jovi \u2014 or \u201cJBJ\u201d as McConaughy called him all night \u2014 grounded the experience. Old friends from filming 2000\u2019s U-571, they had casual banter between pieces. While McConaughey read, the rock legend strummed along on guitar, giving the feel of being at a private show.<\/p>\n

\"(Suzy<\/p>\n

McConaughey sold about 2,800 books \u2014 one was included in the ticket price. (Suzy Byrne\/Yahoo News)<\/p>\n

That included hiccups. It was so unscripted that a few times they started over mid-performance. But when you have two of Hollywood\u2019s biggest talents onstage alone running the show, they could adjust and it only served to make the experience more intimate.<\/p>\n

Bon Jovi, who\u2019s recovering from his 2022 vocal cord surgery<\/a>, even sang one of McConaughey\u2019s poems. He said he was healed at this point and being at the mic \u201cis one step closer to being back where I belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

They touched a little on religion, not going too deep. McConaughey is a regular church-goer, he said, but didn\u2019t say where. Bon Jovi called himself a \u201crecovering Catholic.\u201d He also said \u201che never lost faith\u201d during his healing journey.<\/p>\n

The friends also had a heartfelt but humorous exchange about aging. One of McConaughey\u2019s poems, \u201cWhat\u2019re You Gonna Do?,\u201d was written after he turned 50, now five years ago, when he was thinking about his mortality, legacy and relevance. He asked how Bon Jovi, 63, felt about reaching that milestone and whether it stirred up any deep feelings.<\/p>\n

Bon Jovi answered that turning 50 was OK for him, but told the audience to take a lot of pictures at their party that year because it\u2019s \u201cyour last pretty birthday,\u201d suggesting aging seems to speed up after that. He added, \u201cEven Matthew McConaughey is gonna have to face that demon someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the show wrapped, after an hour and a half, the audience gave a standing ovation and the velvet curtain slowly fell and the duo slipped out of view. McConaughey was on to the next stop in his revival tour<\/a>, and his fans wandered out into the night with their new poem book tucked under their arms \u2014 maybe a little inspired, maybe a little dazed and confused, but definitely entertained in a unique \u2014 and McConaughey \u2014 way.<\/p>\n