Now that we’re all done with that

Doesn't it make sense that James Frey's wildly successful and inspirational “fake” confessional and tale of redemption can only lead to a wildly successful and inspirational “real” confessional and tale of redemption? And not redemption from drugs or depression (and I don't mean to discredit or trivialize his old struggles) but from something much more marketable: that emerging Blair-y eyed mental illness borne of talent, social climbing dreams, attention-seeking, and the anxiety of influence?

The only question is, will his real memoir be published as a novel? That seems safest--protect yourself from claims of falsehood, inspire another scandal, continue the endless publicity--er, news--cycle. If he doesn't write it, someone should. And they should hurry up. We need our fix.

February 1, 2006

Writer Releases Note on Memoir Scandal

"I wanted the stories in the book to ebb and flow, to have dramatic arcs, to have the tension that all great stories require," Mr. Frey said, explaining the reason for the changes. "I altered events all the way through the book."

Some of those alterations include events described by The Smoking Gun but previously defended as true by Mr. Frey, including "my role in a train accident that killed a girl from my school."

"While I was not, in real-life, directly involved in the accident, I was profoundly affected by it," he said. Repeating admissions he made last week on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Mr. Frey also said he also falsified descriptions of time spent in police custody and in jail.

Overall, his self-portrayal in "A Million Little Pieces," is "a combination of facts about my life and certain embellishments," about a person who "I created in my mind to help me cope" with drug addiction and recovery. He said most of the invented material "portrayed me in ways that made me tougher and more daring and more aggressive than in reality I was, or I am."

The events and details were invented, he said, "in order to serve what I felt was the greater purpose of the book," specifically to "detail the fight addicts and alcoholics experience in their minds and in their bodies, and detail why that fight is difficult to win." ...

Ah, and why this one is as well

I watched a more moving but slower portrait of desperation just now, and without shades of Brad Pitt. Actually, Michael Pitt is the star. No redemption exactly, but he does look a bit like Jesus, and his name is "Blake."