Bossypants: A Chucklesome Read

"She was one of my first female
role models ....
.... following Wikipedia reports that the sitcom
wouldn’t premiere in Australia for another year,
30 Rock became the first TV show
I downloaded..."



I’ve been busy lately – as much as a person without a real/day/paid job can be busy – so after burning out from some sparse and highly coveted film work I’ve decided today would be my Recreational- nay, Lazy Day. Monday is the new Saturday. Or should it be a Sunday? As in, Lazy Monday – which makes my heart smile with Narnia-cupcake goodness. My in-/activity for the day consisted of reading Tina Fey’s newish autobiography Bossypants, which is due back to the library tomorrow. After waking at 11am and making porridge whilst dancing to The Beatles, I crawled back into bed to start and finish Fey’s life-thus-far story. I did get up to use the toilet, eat an apple and jog at sunset (all  separate occasions ) but the better part of the day – literally! (and I mean fact-wise and book-wise! [too much wordplay/grammar to handle!]) – was spent nestled under covers enjoying this light, engaging and chucklesome* read.

Fey: Rose through the ranks of Second City and Saturday Night Live
 before writing Mean Girls and creating award-winning series 30 Rock.

 

Don’t worry, I hear your cautious hands being raised (yes, somehow I can!) so I’ll take a moment to answer your pressing, anxiety-inducing concerns. Yes, this is almost a book review! It’s okay. Since I’m so animated from enjoying it, and it directly concerns TV personalities/shows/pastimes – I feel it’s very suitable to blog about it. And no, I have no further intentions to discuss books here. This is a commentary of film, TV and society – things I can watch. I’m not a “book person". Or so I say. Friends and family have heard me profess that I don’t read any books. By this I mean, I don’t finish any books. It’s a terrible habit I’ve procured over time. I blame my high school’s English curriculum: Grade 9 and 11 were particularly bad years for set reading. I actually start many books but quit them with just chapters to go – no matter if I’m totally enthralled by them; it must be something about the act of reading. I either get sleepy or remember something good that’s on TV. Ten years from now my shrink will use this analogy to highlight several failed marriages, a string of one-night-stands and a deep-seeded problem with commitment. He’ll probably attribute it towards TV remotes. Gee whiz, I look forward to having a shrink(!) but it seems a more sophisticated and educational experience to refer to them as “analysts” like they do in Annie Hall. I hope for a Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) / Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment) figure, rather than the Dylan Baker (Happiness), inattentive and perverted type.

A young Fey certainly had a way with the fellas, lesbians and closeted gays

Bossypants is full of embarrassing anecdotes, half-closeted homosexuals, and a number of memorable eccentrics from the time Fey went to kindergarten. Fey recounts memories both distant and recent with her trademark self-deprecating, nerdy and satirical outlook. Every chapter (of the text and it seems that of her life) is full of awkward social interactions and experiences, as well as sweet friendships and good fortune as Fey works her way up the comedy scene. My favourite bits were her descriptions and insights of her TV shows Saturday Night Live & 30 Rock (naturally), as well as her response to fan mail (hecklers) and tips for improv comedy. Rule No.1: always say ‘YES’

Cast of 30 Rock

  and accept your fellow performer’s suggestion. Rule No.2: say ‘YES, AND...’ so as to build on the scene and opportunity for comedy, in addition to affirming your value and contribution to the sketch.  Other rules addressed confidence and there being no such thing as mistakes. I liked this lesson and especially for how Fey has applied these rules throughout her personal and work lives – not just in sketch comedy. I too have found these nuggets helpful in relation to my conversational skills and collaborative efforts, rather than for improv classes I do not take.

I’ve considered being a performer of sorts over the years. I like making people laugh and being very goofy. Though I think I have a different humour to Fey – in that hers is a brand characterised by wit, sarcasm and the best kind of silly. In other words, she’s too good for me, but hey why not have high aspirations and exemplars? She was one of my first female role models – which I am ashamed to concede since I’ve been taught by many good women about many great women at school and I only really discovered Tina Fey when I was 15-going-on-16. Obviously, I have always deeply respected and admired my mother and grandmothers, but for me, Fey was a very successful and relevant figure-woman in my favourite industry.

Cast of Wayne World: Will you do the Fandango?

I started watching Saturday Night Live sketches and shows in grade 9 or 10 after my brothers hired out Mike Myers’ Best-Of-SNL DVD. I was vaguely aware of the series and that Wayne’s World the movie was based on the show’s characters. We watched Wayne’s World a lot as kids; it was crucial in developing our humour and we can still do all the words. It’s also how we were introduced to Queen and learnt all the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody".  Anyway, after the Mike Myers DVD we/I went through all the other Best-Of DVDs. Tina Fey popped up occasionally in sketches and on Weekend Update. I was intrigued by her sense of timing and favouritism amongst SNL fans. With the advent of YouTube in 2006,  I became better acquainted with her comedy and eagerly anticipated her new  series 30 Rock. And here is a very special piece of information: following Wikipedia reports that the sitcom wouldn’t premiere in Australia for another year, 30 Rock became the first TV show I downloaded! ** I liked it quite well, but wasn’t hooked and have lost touch with the show in the later seasons. I’ve since become enamoured of other comediennes Ronni Ancona, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), Olivia Colman, Jo Brand, Miranda Hart, and SNL alumnae Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.

 



Fey: Hilarious headlines on
Weekend Update

Funny women (left to right): Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Fey

 

I still like Tina Fey very much and I recommend Bossypants to devotees and those otherwise just the same. Remember, as well as an actress, she’s a writer and her language here is colourful and articulate.  As I mentioned earlier, her climb and time as a comedy writer/performer in Chicago and New York are arguably the best bits. Her upbringing whilst average is still very amusing and contains several quirky stories. It's her recent years (post-Sarah Palin impersonation) that are the least compelling chapters. It might just be a relatable factor for me or their comparison to making a TV show, but reflections on in-laws and motherhood weren't real page-turners. Having said that, they were touching insights and were treated with equal humour and irreverence.  

Overall, Fey's autobiography is well-structured and it feels like genuine effort went into writing it - unlike many auto-/biographies that are released "medium rare" as opposed to "well done" purely to reach the market during the pinnacle of it's subject's popularity. Maybe it was one of these books designed for the Best Sellers: Fey is still young (41 years) with no life-endangering experiences, addictions or scandals to recount; the last few chapters may have been tacked on; and the book is only 275 pages long. But honestly, Fey's writing is so thoroughly and consistently entertaining that if there was any rush or half-heartedness involved, it has been expertly masked by her writing talent. As expected she is a wonderfully charming subject: funny, down-to-earth and a very anxious Bossypants.

8/10 rubber chickens***

*Chucklesome:

(1) characterising something that evokes laughter

(2) of or relating to chuckles

(2) an original word Claire uses to define her times and doings spent chuckling

**Note: I am not a serial serial downloader. Just when I’ve missed an episode or a series or when it’s not airing in Aus. I do like having regular shows to watch on TV, although the number of them have waned over the years.

*** Good Game reference I enjoy but will not steal/use ever again.