De-influence
Will there be a more amusing headline in today’s news than this from nypost.com?: “Some migrants bused to Canada already heading back to NYC: ‘Lots of snow’.”… I may have spoken too soon, from foxnews.com: “Australia worried ‘prolific’ sperm donors could lead to ‘accidental incest’.” Cue the last line from the satirical novel Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberger: “Good grief, it’s Daddy.” Ewa Aulin & What’s His Name in Candy (1968), photo from Google Images:
By now anyone who uses a PC has heard the term “influencer,” describing those whose posts and podcasts carry a lot of weight. Now there’s this natural offshoot, headline from NYP: “Buyer beware TikTok loves these viral beauty products, but ‘deinfluencers’ say they’re junk.”
Justin Halpern, a writer for Maxim magazine’s online branch, broke up with his girlfriend in 2009 and moved in with his parents. He kept a journal of his father’s remarks, thinking it might be useful for a future script. He started a Twitter feed with the handle “@shitmydadsays.” By 2013 he had more than three million followers. In 2010 he published a book filled with the remarks, and passages about their relationship. He’s half-Jewish, half-Italian. Reading the profane comments cold, no one would guess his dad was a doctor of nuclear medicine, a researcher. Here’s an example: “You’re going to run into jerk-offs, but remember, it’s not the size of the hole you worry about, it’s how much shit comes out of it.” The book took off, hitting #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List and staying there eleven weeks. It spawned a TV series starring William Shatner, which shot 18 episodes. I’ve never seen the show. As for the book, I didn’t relate to it well, as my father was soft-spoken, reserved, nothing like Halpern’s, but many did relate. It’s refreshing that father and son love each other. The 158 pages read more like 100. 1800+ users at Amazon have rated Sh*t…, forging to a consensus of 4.7 on a scale of five. Halpern has since forged an impressive career as a TV producer, 12 titles under his name at IMDb in that catergory, as well as 14 as a writer. His second book, I Suck at Girls, was published in 2012 and adapted as Surviving Jack, starring Christopher Meloni of Law & Order SVU fame. It lasted only eight episodes in 2014. More Shit My Dad Says followed in 2014. Halpern is on an amazing run. Kudos. Photo from GI:
Swaps were the order of the day at the floating book shop. My thanks to the four kind folks who made them, and to the gentleman who bought three kids’ books and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; and to the woman who purchased Life Keys–Discovering Who You Are, Why You’re Here, and What You Do Best by Jane A. G. Kise, David Stark & Sandra Krebs Hirsch; and to the man who re-studied French during the pandemic, who selected two books on that language; and to the woman who chose two hardcovers in Russian; and to the young man who took home a pictorial on Egyptian art.
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