Wednesday, January 11, 2006

James Frey's Essential Truth


Supa is actively watching James Frey’s appearance on Larry King Live. It was Supa’s intention to simply take notes and post tomorrow, but Supa has had a few glasses of wine and is feeling mildly belligerent and doesn’t want to wait. So bear with her.

Okay. Observation #1. On the initial Oprah viewing, Supa didn’t pick up that dude (James Frey – here to fore to be referred to as “The Memoirist) has a lisp. (Is here to fore one word, or three? Holla back.) And the timbre of his voice is very Mike Tyson-esque. Very Tyson-esque. Supa just had to say that, ‘cause….Supa is just stupid like that. Okay. Next.

Observation #2. Supa calls bullshit. The Memoirist lied. He knew what he was doing when he lied, aka, embellished. He admits that he did. He said he "has made mistakes." The Memoirist then goes on to suggest that his memory could be a bit hazy because, after all, he was an alcohol and drug addict. And he can’t be expected to remember shit that happened over 15 years ago while under a substance-induced haze. Alright. But if you have a police report saying that you ran your vehicle into a light pole, and NOT into a police officer….and if you have a police report saying that you had an open container of beer in the car, and NOT crack cocaine, then it seems to Supa that you put extras on it to make yourself seem like some kind of wild badass when you really weren’t. But that’s just Supa. And maybe she just thinks that because she’s under the influence of a few glasses of cheap Chardonnay. Next.

Observation #3: The Memoirist’s essential truth, as he keeps repeating, is that he was a druggie in rehab and his soul was lost and the core message of his book is about getting better. And Supa can’t fault The Memoirist for that. That’s cool. What Supa can’t get with is an author embellishing certain mundane events in his/her life and blowing them up to such shocking and heartbreaking proportions, and then use that as the reason why you were an alcoholic suicidal druggie. Because then Supa suspects that you already knew that your ordinary run-of-the-mill vanilla middle-class frat boy well-bred life that went slightly to the left just wouldn’t sell as many books as the hardcore hopeless criminal badass gangsta white boy you instead portrayed yourself to be. Next!

Observation #4: The Memoirist strikes me as a guy with the usual sensitivities most artists/writers possess – extremely empathetic, sensitive, and contemplative; almost to a fault. Regular, ordinary life events affected him deeply. And that’s cool, because I’m like that, most artists Supa knows are like that. But that in no fucking way gives him the right to make up some gangsta white boy bullshit and pass it off like that shit really happened – "subjective recreation" or not. Supa knows too many true stories, horrendous stories, painful stories, never-in-your-fucking-life-thought-this-could-actually-happen stories (don’t ya’ll?) and it’s just sad that those people don’t get the same voice, attention, and opportunity like The Memoirist, to speak their truth. The real truth. And make a million dollars off of it. It’s such bullshit. Bullshit bullshit bullshit.

Observation #5: The Memoirist says he’ll never use himself as another subject in one of his books ever again. He said he’s made his mistakes and learned his lesson. Also cool. And Supa has witnessed a powerful example, thanks to The Memoirists’ dumbass. And that is, if she ever gets a police report saying that she did something while she was drunk, then decides to write about it, then dammit Supa promises you she will take Five O's word over her hazy subjective drunkass memory and just write the muthafucking truth. ‘Cause hell, even when she’s sober, Supa can’t remember shit.

Observation #6: Naw, Supa takes that back...if Supa decides to fabricate some shit about her life and publish it as truth, Supa wants eevvvrryboody, including Aunty O (as Mwabi calls her) to continue to stick their heads way far up her brown ass and say it doesn't matter, that her essential truth is what's important, and Supa wants all her money and endorsements and integrity to remain intact in this just, just, world. Mkay?

Check out Glamazon Life's take on the whole fiasco.

That is all. Carry the fuck on. Supa needs to go watch Project Runway....

Hi Auntie.

PS- As Supa was ranting and typing, Ruff Ryder #1 came downstairs and uninterestingly asked, "So is Oprah mad at the drunk dude?"

Funny kid. Supa loves her boy spawn!

17 comments:

African girl, American world said...

ok I have to admit that this book and story pre scandal didn't move me so I really don't give a damn.

I knew of it and saw Aunty O's show but prolly only gave it 30% of my time.

even tonite I watched while cleaning up so didn't give my all.

i love the last minute phone call from Aunty - very edge of your seat like. she got her support - the world can go on.

what interests me is what the headlines will read in the AM. I'm sure folks had a story ready with Oprah "I'm appalled" remarks. So we'll see.

ain't one thing gon change - if 'Thoughts of a purpose driven life' sales could go up after that whole brotha in Atlanta who held po white girl in her apartment then I predict even more copies of this book will be sold cause now folks wanna read for themselves and now they'll just say he didn't do that but thi sis still a good book.

off to bed - so tivo don't follow time zones huh?

PR recap in the AM.

Supa said...

Very good points, Mwabi!!

Just watched PR. I knew they weren't going to cut the Great SantEGO...

can't wait for the recap!

A.u.n.t. Jackie said...

your boy james is fooling out! i see we both concur that what he did was kinda gangsta and unfortunately I'm gonna have to be one of the fools to buy the book, just 'cuz i wanna be in the know!

Supa said...

Miss Ahmad - Sis don't buy the book, I'll mail that shits to you. For reals, 'aint no use in another person gettin' got!

So, we need to come up with a label for these literary "studio gangstas"....Word Slangers??

Confer

A.u.n.t. Jackie said...

what about word bangers since they're not smacking anything but their soup coolers?

Supa said...

Word Bangers. I like. Word Bangers it is.

African girl, American world said...

off topic - Is Damian's album not the best eargasm in a LONG time?

I have my baies singing Jah Jah children gonna make it...

Supa said...

Mwabi - Damian's cd has been in constant rotation in my household since the day I bought it!!

'now don't you ever give up, don't you ever give in..'cause we're gonna make it!"

That's my morning music

African girl, American world said...

believe CNN you're in too deep!

in the morning she shampoos my locs.

gurl I got a ticket, well warning (trying to be James Frey ha ha) listening to Damian - I was in the zone and spped limit meant nothing to me!

I'm going to listen to it right now! it's online.

African girl, American world said...

speed limit

Supa said...

she usta look good in the videos
now she look hideous!

gots to keep it burnin'
on the road to Zion, ya know

Aww Mwabi, you know whas gwaan!

ok now I'm missin' my Jamaican boo. :(

African girl, American world said...

don't be trying to be like Stella up in here LOL!

Read comments to you @ my blog

Supa said...

Hopluv - "James Facade" I love it! Going to check out your post...

Single Ma said...

I can't believe Oprah continues to support him. This will definitely make me think twice about a book she recommends. I haven't had a chance to read MLP but I did read the follow on, My Friend Leornard. If the books are similar in any way, I didn't miss out on much.

Anonymous said...

All I got to say is fuck that mutha fucka I'm tired of people like him getting press over B.S. while good writer's like you sista are holdin' it down.

African girl, American world said...

good read for you

http://www.princessmelissa.com/news.php?page_id=1

A.u.n.t. Jackie said...

HOt off the press...Aunty O is now out of love and feelling "duped"

I knew she would wake up eventually, too much money on the line for her not to!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060126/en_nm/frey_dc