Extras in Foley's paperback not worth it
By BOB KAPUR -- For SLAM! Wrestling
Mick Foley's best-selling autobiography, "Have a Nice Day!" has just been
released in paperback version, and includes a new 40-page Bonus Chapter,
chronicling the ring legend's last year as an active competitor, and
addressing other topics arising since the book originally came out.
As a whole, the book is incredible. If you haven't read it yet, the
paperback is an excellent, affordable way to do so. If you have, though, I
wouldn't recommend buying it again just for the bonus chapter.
In the new section, Foley talks at length about the success of his first
foray into writing, noting that "Have a Nice Day" was a success
commercially, if not amongst the literary circles. He also talks about his
involvement in the wrestling documentary "Beyond the Mat", his vision of
what his final angle should have been, and his decision to retire from the
ring.
Unfortunately, it appears that space restrictions didn't allow the author
to tell the full story in these few pages. Already a very long book, it
seems as if Foley was asked to hold back on his explicit story-telling in
order to keep publishing costs low. How else to explain the rapid-fire way
in which his last few months are summarized in a scant few pages.
As an example, Foley mentions in passing that he had "a philosophical
difference" with one of his opponents in his final match at Wrestlemania
2000, but he doesn't detail what those differences are or with whom he had
them. This is a direct contrast with the rest of the book, in which he
reveals everything about his life, both in the ring and out.
While Foley admits that part of the reason he wrote the additional chapter
was a cash-grab -- he is, after all, targeting the same readers who bought
the hardcover edition -- part of his motivation is to give fans his unique
insight into the last year of his storied career. Unfortunately, he just
leaves us wanting more.
Perhaps he's just waiting to do this in another book -- he does mention that
he's raring to write a follow-up at some point. If so, I hope he puts it
out soon.
