Friday, December 03, 2004

Rodney Dangerfield's It's Not Easy Being Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs

I'm not an authority on celebrity biographies but this was well worth the time. A few weeks back, I had to quit reading a book about Stan Lee and the business operations of Marvel Comics because it destroyed everything I'd imagined about Marvel and Lee. (A hardcore atheist might tell me to face the ugly truth but Stan Lee's facade gave my otherwise sad life a shot of comfort. And besides you never hear about acts of terrorism based on the belief of superheroes.)

Dangerfield's life was miserable at points but he could make child abuse and invasive heart surgery sound funny. Dangerfield (or technically Jack Roy) retired from show business and had to work in alinimum siding sales for 12 years. Against the odds, he made a comeback and along the way helped many other comedians get their breaks.

I met someone from a Film Commission who claimed that Rodney was a pain to work with. I don't know if that's true and I don't want to find out. Until fanatics start bombing schoolbuses in the name of Rodney, I'm happy to take him at face value.

More material at www.rodney.com.

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