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Attempting Normal (2013)

by Marc Maron(Favorite Author)

3.74 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0812992873 (ISBN13: 9780812992878)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Spiegel & Grau

review 1: I love Marc Maron's podcasts and his interview style, but I don't particularly find him that funny. I do, however, share a similar mindset with him and many of the same anxieties. Some might see that as a bad thing, but when he writes more about the problems he has faced and how he deals with them, that was when I found this book at its best. When he has stories in the book that are just funny anecdotes or stories, I found myself disengaging. He may be the only comedian I like that actually doesn't make me laugh. I'd say the book is about 50 percent life experiences and about 50 percent comedic essays. A little bit for everyone, but not enough to hold me all the way through.
review 2: Marc Maron isn't for everyone. His brand of comedy, at least at this point in... more his career, is fueled by a sardonic self-loathing and a strong handful of neuroses. If you don't appreciate it, it can come off as whiny and childish. He even admits this, turning into a humorous self-deprecating acknowledgment. If you do appreciate the humor Maron finds in baring the darkest, deepest parts of his soul, it's hard not to love this book. Attempting Normal is a form of autobiography cum anthology of essays. All are deeply personal, revealing, and humorous in various ways. I don't share a lot of Maron's social and political opinions, but I still find the humor in the spaces where we disagree. His honesty is disarming, and it's hard not to appreciate the difficulty in baring several decades of personal tragedies, mistakes, weaknesses, and failures. It's not always funny, and in some cases it's downright sad, but it's never missing the sense of truth and honesty that makes Maron's work... well, work. The stories in Attempting Normal are illuminating and heartfelt, even when they are more ridiculous or strange. This book feels like an extension if Maron's eponymous show on IFC. Fans of the show (and WTF podcast) should love this book, because it represents a more polished, deeper look at Maron's mind and spirit. People unfamiliar with his work would be best advised to familiarize themselves with some of his darker personal stories and revelations. If you've only ever seen him appear on comedy shows or in short standup bits, you might be surprised by how unfunny some of the things in this book are.There are great moments of comedy genius in Attempting Normal. Maron's withering critique of Whole Foods, concluding in an encouragement for readers to steal from the health food corporation, is hysterical and poignant. His musings on feral cats and his attraction to them (an attraction I've found I share and for frighteningly similar reasons) is both absurd and revealing. Attempting Normal isn't a book for everyone, or even a mass audience. It's a book for those who are sometimes neurotic, sometimes depressed, sometimes needy, sometimes funny, sometimes vengeful, and always in need of a good laugh. That may sound like most people, but it takes a certain confidence and strength in recognizing one's weaknesses and problems. In its best moments, Attempting Normal is even inspiring for anyone struggling with those issues, and that's the highest praise I can give it. less

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