The video that you see above is an adaptation of the classic story "Where are you going, where have you been?" by Joyce Carol Oates.
Ever since high school, this one story has followed me around. The first time I read it, I couldn't understand anything about it. I didn't know there were many layers to this one little story. The second time, much older, I was told that for a few extra credit points we could draw a representation of the story. That picture, I guess, is lost to time. Fortunately, In 2007, in my intro to fiction class, our teacher said we could do a short film for 30 extra credit points. I jumped at the chance. The films were only supposed to be 5 to 7 minutes long. Three other students jumped at this too. This short, however, was 13 minutes long which was way over the time allotted. But my teacher liked it so much he didn't care.
Hope you enjoy. Select the annotations for some trivia facts.
I played Arnold Friend while my girlfriend played Connie.
Have you ever read this story before? How did you feel when you read it?
"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul." — Joyce Carol Oates
Just letting you know that the day is finally here! My book For What It's Worth, the paperback version, is finally on Amazon. Whoo-hoo! Yop! And all that good stuff! Just search up my name on Amazon.com or you can click on the picture link on the right of this post that has the cover with the caption BUY THE BOOK HERE.
Let me know what you think, tell your friends, write a review. Heck, make my book a Christmas gift for a friend. Spread the word.
In the meantime...I'll still be writing. Happily, I might add.
"What is worth having is worth working for." — Philip Pullman
With his new book, American on Purpose, he accomplished all three.
Now I should tell you that I haven't read many autobiographies. I've read Dean and Me, the popular bestseller by Jerry Lewis himself. I loved that one. Had the perfect ending to a true life story. I've also read Gene Wilder's Kiss Me Like A Stranger, which I highly recommend. Gene is so precise with his words, you'll want to reread the book right after you've completed the last page. The same could be said for his novellas My French Whore and The Woman Who Wouldn't.
I've also read a biography on Thomas Jefferson, which thoroughly analyzed his strengths as well as his eccentricities.
Seeing a pattern?
When I read about someone, I often choose the books of the people I most admire and are influenced by. My girlfriend recommended Craig Ferguson's book to me. She said she couldn't put it down. I agree.
I covered the last 165 pages in one sitting. Yes, it is that good!
But it's not an all-out laugh-a-thon as you would expect. This book shows that the American dream is not dead. As a Scottish boy living in Glasgow, Craig learned quickly that he liked experimenting with life. When that experimenting lead to punk bands, drugs and alcohol, his life took a turn for the worse. It wasn't until he almost committed suicide that Criag re-evaluated his life, enough to turn his life around and seek help. He found many friends and many loves along the way to conquering the addiction of alcohol. But one of his loves was old U.S. OF A. In Glasgow he built up a reputation as an off-the-wall personality comic under the stage name of, get this, Bing Hitler. He found out many things about himself. He was funnier sober, loved to make people laugh and shows that anyone can live a dream. But you have to love that dream. He did both. Today, he hosts the Late Late show on CBS, which my girlfriend and I watch frequently. One thing I love is how random he is. And, despite the other late night talk show hosts, Craig looks like he's genuinely enjoying himself and just full of joy. Which is infectious. It just turns the whole room around the way he can make an audience bust out laughing.
This is more than just an autobiography. It's a great guide to quitting habits, living life to the fullest and starting over.
But it's not an all-out laugh-a-thon as you would expect. This book shows that the American dream is not dead. As a Scottish boy living in Glasgow, Craig learned quickly that he liked experimenting with life. When that experimenting lead to punk bands, drugs and alcohol, his life took a turn for the worse. It wasn't until he almost committed suicide that Criag re-evaluated his life, enough to turn his life around and seek help. He found many friends and many loves along the way to conquering the addiction of alcohol. But one of his loves was old U.S. OF A. In Glasgow he built up a reputation as an off-the-wall personality comic under the stage name of, get this, Bing Hitler. He found out many things about himself. He was funnier sober, loved to make people laugh and shows that anyone can live a dream. But you have to love that dream. He did both. Today, he hosts the Late Late show on CBS, which my girlfriend and I watch frequently. One thing I love is how random he is. And, despite the other late night talk show hosts, Craig looks like he's genuinely enjoying himself and just full of joy. Which is infectious. It just turns the whole room around the way he can make an audience bust out laughing.