Before Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams there was Rich Farrell.

The straight talking Lowell boy from way back was on the scene long before the Hollywood came calling. Farrell was the man behind the HBO documentary High On Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell which aired in 1995. If you remember, the ground breaking video paved the way for reality TV and introduced the world to Dicky Eklund. Eklund was at the lowest point of his life when cameras were following him around the underbelly of the Mill City.

The movie showed Eklund in pursuit of his next hit off the crack pipe, but it also showed the love he had for his younger half-brother -- a then up-and-coming boxer Micky Ward. Eklund put down the pipe long enough to train a baby-faced Ward for a fight before he was hauled off to jail.

Why bring up a past that is more grit than glitz?

Farrell has just released his memoir -- What's Left of Us. In the book he lays it all out on the table chronicling his attempt to kick heroin in a city flooded with the brown lady. Released on June 30, the book is getting rave reviews and Farrell is making the rounds on the media circuit.

Farrell also helped with The Fighter script and showed Bale around the Lower Highlands so the actor could see first hand what the mean streets of Lowell truly look like. We hear he may be playing himself in the feature film.

Check out more about his book here