Here is what I deserved: hepatitis C, federal prison time, H.I.V., a cold park bench, an early, addled death.

here's the full quote from which thread 'question' was plucked.

Here is what I deserved: hepatitis C, federal prison time, H.I.V., a cold park bench, an early, addled death.

Here is what I got: the smart, pretty wife, the three lovely children, the job that impresses.

Here is what I remember about how That Guy became This Guy: not much. But my version of events is worth knowing, if for no other reason than I was there.

interview w/David Carr about the book

He wrote the book, he says, to help pay for his daughters' college tuition, and he videotaped the interviews for a companion Web site and to increase his chances of landing a movie deal.

That was fascinating.

that was great

it's excerpted from a larger book, fwiw, if that's what you mean by you 'can't tell what to think' (that is, if you think it seems choppy and rather fast and somewhat unenlightened on the whole, which I do). but it's a pretty great recovery story. i hear lots of stories like this all the time though; but I think his writing is quite good so, depending on what the overall arc of the story is in his book, I think I would like to read it.

I think the only thing that worries me about this and all other recovery stories, or even stories where the person didn't really quite recover, but is well enough to write about it, is that they can sometimes serve as false signifiers of "You're okay" to people who are not quite as far down the road. Look - you're not fucking up as bad as I/this guy did.

I do appreciate his assertion that he's written the book detailing all the really fucked up things he put his young family through for the purpose of helping out with his kids' college tuitions. If true, that's a noble thing, and a good way to capitalize on the inherent voyueristic aspect of people wanting to buy David Carr's drug life memoir.

I just worry that, sometimes, such a horrific story can obscure somewhat lesser addiction problems as still being problems.

yeah true. and I have no firm idea of what kind of recovery he went though but 12 step programs make it pretty explicitly clear that you are not supposed to do this. on the other hand, you have to take care of your kids sometimes and college is fucking expensive. not that I believe he's poor or anything now (i dunno, maybe he is).

if you think it seems choppy and rather fast and somewhat unenlightened on the whole, which I do

this could be the result of excerpting/condensing, as you say. what confounded me was the author's voice, the tone of his writing, it seems detached & cold despite all the confessional candor. I assume the book would flesh out the portraits of his ex-wife and kids and provide more details of david carr's background and build-up to his addiction. but I have no intention of reading it after reviewing two addiction memoirs about meth earlier this year -- those books ("beautiful boy" & "tweak") left me physically depressed for weeks.

yeah I don't think I can read either of those. I did see the authors (son and father) on Oprah though. It was depressing.

you can't beat the classics.

http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/m-site/mamasandpapas/images/papajohn.jpg

http://www.thejazzman.com.au/Page/Images/HIGH-TIMES-HARD-TIMES-BOOK.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417RWN08SKL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

this book totally made me thirsty:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0704380501.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

er, that was me, not maria.