- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 6
-
Sparkle (0)
Last week, Laurie challenged me to write about Tucker Max for Blog Day, which is tomorrow. I thought that was a brilliant idea, once I realized that she didn't mean Tucker Carlson. (It took me a few hours.) Word on the street was that Max was a misogynist pig who wrote about his sexploits and treated women as objects, so of course I disliked him, although I never read a word of his. However, as part of my research, I felt I should check out his website and probably also read his book, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.
When I read the first story, something unexpected happened: I couldn't help but like the asshole. Is he a drunkard? Totally, and I am not too keen on slobbering drunks. Is he a shithead? For sure. Would he probably rate me on his vile "Tucker Max Female Rating System" as "a common stock pig?" Likely, although on a good day, I might make "Respectable pig," neither of which I particularly appreciate being called. Is he a good writer? Now that I am learning about what makes good writing, I also think he is an excellent story teller, but a terrible writer. When I guiltily confessed my appreciation for Max on my blog, my friend Sara, a self-respecting feminist, commented that she used to read him and laugh her head off, too.
It was the details that won me over. Max wonders why more women don't demand to be treated with respect, or even believe they deserve to be. I often ponder this mystery myself. Max also astutely observes that the least self-confident women are often the ones wearing the most make-up and fewest articles of clothing. Interesting. Plus, Max mocks himself as much as anyone else, and often his stories end with fitting and hilarious bouts of poetic justice. In the end, I find his stories contain a lot of attention-getting bluster, but also serve as morality tales for these times. Plus, I love gross humor.
Anyway, after I requested a book for review, Max emailed me and offered to sit for an e-interview. Here's the fascinating result:
SR:You boast that 30-40% of your fans are female. How do you react to compults (compliments that are also insults) from women like The Chase is On who writes:
Believe it or not, I actually like Tucker Max. I really like him. Sure, he’s an asshole, but he’s the first to admit it. Yeah, he behaves like a frat boy, but at least he’s an educated, analytical frat boy. True, he’s malicious and evil, but only when he’s completely wasted and egged-on. And whether he likes it or not, his book is the perfect manual for ladies who want to understand manipulative douchebags like himself. Hey, it wasn’t just dudes that got him on the NY Times Best Seller List.
TM: I am usually a fan of a good portmanteau, but "compults" is not making the cut.
To answer the question: I like it anytime anyone writes anything about me. The only thing I ask is that if they are stating facts, they be accurate. I am definitely from the PT Barnum School of PR: I don't care what you say about me, just say something.
SR: You are a self-described "raging dickhead" and "asshole" who doesn't deal with the consequences of your actions, and yet you also repeatedly suffer from poetic justice and karma. Do you think your writing is misunderstood by many of your fans?
TM:Of course it is. My writing appeals to many different people, so it is to be expected that some will only get certain parts of it. I can't count how many emails I have gotten that say things like, "I have never finished an entire book before I read yours." Those types of people aren't necessarily stupid, but I am guessing they don't get the Pericles or the Finneaus Gage references, instead focusing on the most obvious level of humor: the fart and poop jokes, the gratuitous sex stories, the witty one-liners. I don't write my stuff geared towards any single group; I just write what I do, and put my personality in it, and because I am a multi-faceted person, my stuff has layered meanings. I think even a casual reading of my stuff reflects that. Of course you can just take the sex and
