Three Americans
Adam Resnick is a highly successful writer for television and film, having contributed to Late Night with David Letterman, SNL and The Larry Sanders Show. He created Get a Life and The High Life. He has directed two TV movies and three theatrical releases: Death to Smoochy (2002), Lucky Numbers (2000) and Cabin Boy (1994), having written the latter. He also directed The 67th Annual Academy Awards. He has served as a producer on many shows. He appeared in at least five sketches on Late Night… I recently came across a copy of his only solo book, a memoir published in 2015, Will Not Attend: Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation. Given his psychological demons, his dread of social interaction, it seems a miracle he has done so well. Then again, I suspect most of his hangups are inner, and many humans suffer that to varying degrees. The book covers parts of his life growing up in Harrisburg, Pa., and adulthood in Manhattan. My favorite story is the second of the 15, Booker’s a Nice Guy, in which he and one of his five brothers are accompanying their dad on a car trip. They spot whom they believe is their school’s janitor walking along the road and ask their father to give him a lift. It’s not Booker. The best aspect of the collection is the writing, which is as good as it gets in a modern vein: breezy, irreverent, caustic and eminently readable. Despite the negativism, it is obvious Resnick is not a bad person, as he suffers guilt, passes on a golden opportunity to sue a fast-food chain, and loves his daughter. I am envious of his way with words and his wit. That said, his view of the human race is too harsh and gets grating at times. There is a torrent of metaphors. The most disappointing aspects are the complete lack of details of how he met and won his wife, and the mystery of how a mediocre student became a writer. Although the latter is not uncommon, I wanted the info. There is also nothing on his experiences with Letterman. The most intriguing parts are those involving his dad, a hulking chain-smoker whose bark is far worse than his bite. The language is salty but so skilled as to lift considerable weight from the author’s grim view of life. I believe he has a literary masterpiece within him. 294 users at Amazon have rated Will Not Attend…, forging to a consensus of 4.3 on a scale of five. The 256 pages of the large paperback edition read like considerably less. To my chagrin, I was unable to find any info on whether his marriage has endured, although he contributed several scripts to a series titled Divorce.
Headline from newsmax.com: “Retired Sports Star Bo Jackson Covers Funeral Expenses for Uvalde Victims’ Families.” Bo knows charity. Kudos, sir.
RIP MLB OF Dwight Smith, 58, who succumbed to heart failure. He played eight seasons in the big leagues. As a Cub, he was runner-up in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1989. In 1995 he joined the Braves and helped them win a world championship. He was also a member of the Angels and Orioles. He hit .275 overall and bashed 46 homers. His son Junior also made the majors, playing for the Blue Jays and O’s. Well done, sir.
I passed on the book shop today, preferring to invest the time waiting for one of the prime parking spots at my usual nook to be vacated. It came to pass. I’m good until quitting time Thursday. Yay team!
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