Comments
- on Feb, 8 2010
- in General
I’m generally a big fan of Denis Leary. Rescue Me is a great TV show, his bit on Coffee Flavored Coffee is consistently in my rotation when I’m in the mood for listening to standup, and I even enjoyed his role in Demolition Man. Naturally, I thought a book would be a great fit for my Leary fix.
Sadly, I’m left a little torn about Why We Suck. Denis Leary labels himself as “Dr. Denis Leary” in the book – he’s not actually a physician, he’s as much as Doctor as Doctor Phil is a doctor. I don’t mind that so much, but what I do mind is the fact that the book seems really uneven. The whole book can easily be summarized as a rant against the stereotype of a dumb American. He goes down the checklist and makes fun of the required categories: Lindsey Lohan, American Idol, Food, Top 40 music, Republican Politics, Racism, etc. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve heard a lot of these jokes before and I felt like napping every time Denis went on a diatribe calling George W. Bush a buffoon.
However, the book is really strong in one department, and that’s Denis reflecting on his own experiences growing up and the dynamic of an Irish Catholic family. The stories of childhood friendships and rivalries, jokes about his family, and a particularly entertaining story about him working as a janitor and finding crazily efficient ways to clean a table.
I really, really wish the book had more personal stories from Leary because that’s where he really shines. Be it exposing his conversations with his mother about his smoking habits, his marriage anecdotes, or even the real sappy “I love my kids” stuff.
Overall, not a purchase I would make again, but if Leary ever expands it to include more personal stories, I’m game. If you’re looking for a really good book by a comedic celebrity, my vote still goes to Bruce Campbell’s autobiography.
