Tom Bissell (1) (1974–)

This was an insta-purchase while browsing at the Dusty Bookshelf in Lawrence. Dad has no interest in going back, and we rarely speak anyway, but I would.

Subtitled 'A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam'.

Yeah. Reading this reminds me again how tight and put together Dad was/is. He made it through his 13 months, came home, put that shit in a box at the back of his closet, and went about his life. It wasn't going to define him.

When I was finishing out my time in Hawaii he asked about a shadow box, so I had one made. Eventually he asked about 1/3 Marine groups online and he connected with a couple of fellas, though I think over the phone.

One additional striking thing from the 1/3 list is how few made it the full 13 months. Semper Fi.… (more)

‘The Disaster Artist’ is one of the funniest books I have ever read. (Incidentally my award for most hilarious of all time goes to [b:Lint|407035|Lint|Steve Aylett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398308745s/407035.jpg|1603052].) It tells the tale of The Room, popularly known as one of the worst films ever made. For many years I’ve been attending a Bad Movie Night with friends and thus have seen a good many shit films. Forgettable bad films abound - creature features in which the CGI monster has barely been rendered, appallingly misogynistic action films, big budget extravaganzas with massive plot holes, and so on. Much rarer are the genuinely weird and memorable terrible films, which generally involved a lot more effort to achieve a bafflingly undesirable artistic vision. Whilst any bad movie can be funny (although some are merely unpleasant), gems like The Room provoke a kind of existential hilarity. Why was this made? Who could possibly have thought it was a good idea? What on earth is going on?

This book tackles these questions for the The Room and one sole answer emerges: Tommy Wiseau. This mysterious alien being is presented in an affectionate light by his best friend, Greg Sestero. Greg comes off as a normal young guy who wants to act. His entire life is seemingly changed by making friends with the bizarre, unpredictable Wiseau and being emotionally blackmailed into starring in his magnum opus. Reading about Wiseau and the tortuous birth of The Room is a comforting as well as entertaining experience. It reassured me that, however tragically inept at life I may sometimes feel, none of us can aspire to be as much of a disaster as Tommy Wiseau. And look at what he’s achieved!

Rather than fruitlessly trying to pick a favourite quote from the panopoly on offer, I direct to you this list. I had to buy a new copy of the book as the library ignored my requests to acquire it and second hand copies do not seem to exist. I now understand why no-one would want to sell their copy - because it is a wonderful work of Hollywood reportage, biography, and sheer bathos. (The library's attitude is less explicable; I assume budget constraints.) 'The Disaster Artist' has left me with an inexplicable desire to watch The Room again as, despite being terrible on every level, it is painfully funny.… (more)