Another great book from Mick Foley
Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling
By Mick Foley
Regan Books
368 pages
ISBN: 0060393009
By VINNIE BARTILUCCI -- For SLAM! Wrestling
Go read
my review of Mick's first book, "Have a Nice Day".
Replace all mentions of the first book's title with the title of the new
one, "Foley Is Good, and the Real World is Faker than Wrestling".
Because it's all true again. Mick's pulled off another score and delivered
a great book about his life in and out of wrestling. This book covers the
last couple of years of Mick's active wrestling career, right up to the
birth of his newest child.
There's a definite change in tone in this book. The first book was about a
guy trying to make it to the top, and finally getting his dream right in the
last few chapters, winning the title right at the end, just like in one of
Mick's favorite films. But this book is about a guy who has achieved his
dream and is enjoying himself doing it. Not resting on his laurels (and
prodigious laurels they are, just look at them) but still working to keep
the fans happy, and being very happy doing it. Case in point -- while the
first book has endless shots of injuries and mad sick bumps, this book has
as many shots of rollercoaster drops, family shots in costume from photo
booths and pictures with celebrities...and Al Snow. (He's right...it DOES
feel good to wail on Al!) This book has a more celebratory feel, and you
couldn't feel happier for the guy getting his dream.
Since he spent more time away from the ring in this book, so does the book.
Chapters alternate between in-ring adventures and his adventures with the
"real world". We learn about the misleading Backyard Wrestling piece from
20/20, and how they edited the interview in a way that most people thought
went out with the photo collage techniques of "Confidential" magazine (ask
you mother...or grandmother). He tells us about how his assigned ghost
writer for the first book whose idea of getting a person's life story in
print was doing a short interview with the person, writing everything from
whole cloth and adding in a few quotes from the subject. Mick says what all
of us want to say: "They can do that, and they can call wrestling fake?"
Ahhh, the IRONY...
We've all seen these events listed in the book, but not from Mick's view.
Wrestling fans saw the I Quit Match at the Royal Rumble, saw it again in
"Beyond the Mat" and heard about it yet again in the TV interviews he did to
promote it and his first book. But this time it was from inside his own
11-time (11-time 11-time) steel chair whacked skull, and it's a new story
again. He has to come to grips with the fact that he's reaching the end of
his career, and we feel his indecision as he has to decide between sticking
it out a bit longer to put that much more in the bank for his kids or
stopping right then and there and stand a better chance of being a bit more
lucid when it's time no walk them down the aisle a few years later.
Mick gets on his soapbox quite a bit too. He devotes an early chapter to
backyard wrestling and offers two simple pieces of advice. To the kids,
don't do anything stupid. And to the adults, don't let your kids do
anything stupid, and if you do, don't blame someone or something else.
Brilliant, simple, correct for almost every situation, and advice that will
ultimately be ignored.
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Poll
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Which of Mick Foley's new releases do you think you'll get?
Total Votes: 475
40% voted for Book
4% voted for Video
26% voted for Both
29% voted for Neither
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The epilogue of the book is a well-researched, factual and heartfelt
argument against the actions of L. Brent Bozell, the PTC and their desire to
protect us all. He backs his arguments with research and facts, points out
the fallacies, misstatements and outright lies by the PTC, and basically
runs rings around them logically. It's these chapters that I'd love to see
get talked about in the media when this book gets released.
Because after all, Mick's just a guy with an ulterior motive, an agenda, and
his words should be discounted for that reason. And it's all fake anyway.
Mick's not fake. The wife and I watch Steve Austin, she is not secretive
about her hormonal affliction for The Rock and Edge, but we both LOVE Mick.
When he is on screen, we are both happy. Because Mick is happy. He is
finally doing what he loves to do, for people who love to see him do it.
And it shows.
Mick loved writing this book. You will love reading it.
