Comments on: Chat Show Host

By: addicere77

addicere77 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:07:59 +0000

I knew that A Million Little Pieces wasn’t true on a first read. My bullshit detecter was clanging loudly in my head. The characters were flat, drawn from T.V., two dimensional. A black trumpet player named Miles Davis? The telling thing about the book was that it was so widely believed and read. If Frey has a genius it’s that he knows how to play on the conditioned reflexes of a certain readership. He’s more a scientist than an artist. He’s after an effect- which isn’t art. He’s the Ivan Pavlov of art. No different than the weepy musical cues in a romantic comedy. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s fairly good at it, which requires a certain amount of insight. Frey knows enough about people to know which part of their cultural or emotional knee to tap to get them to kick their leg. I’m glad that he gets to make a living doing what he wants but there’s too much manipulation in the writing. God Bless Him, but he’s a bullshit artist par excellence. But his writing does say something good about America. We still want to believe in the truth of redemption through suffering and that love has a healing power. We still take other people at their word if their message is hopeful about our essential nature. I’d say that those parts of his book, even if he gets to them by less that honest means, should be defended. I fear I’ve just said that an end aquired by unjust means is a just end. It’s not. But if people enjoy reading him despite a kind of basic ethical flaw in the intent of the writing, thats their, and his, business. That’s what this kind of book boils down to anyway, business.

By: NIKKIESTHEBEST

NIKKIESTHEBEST — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:09:35 +0000

Oprah is a BITCh a hypocritical bitch, Even if the whole thing was fiction from start to finish it is a story why is she so personally invested in it he did not set out to dup Oprah he set out to write a good book and he did, Besides who the hell does she think she is treating a person like that publically……What gives her the right to judge anyone? Like i said BITCH!

By: Tash

Tash — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:46:30 +0000

I love it! What a great way to bring the aftermath to life – on his own terms. I remeber when this was happening and heard Howard Stern going absolutely nuts about how Oprah was treating James Frey. I just started MLP yesterday and it is genius! Embellished or not, I don’t care!!! I respect James Frey immensely for his story, but even more for how he handled that ordeal.

By: Marieke Marijnissen

Marieke Marijnissen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:47:03 +0000

Doug,

I think maybe Mr. Frey but this excerpt specially in BSM because it fits with some of the content of the book. Some pieces are all about Hollywood and the fake/real/glamorous/shady/harsh shit that happens when your in ‘the business’. Even if it ment that he had to mix MEMOIR with FICTION.

By: Heidi Slagle

Heidi Slagle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:45:43 +0000

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:28:11 +0000

OK,
Now I am thoroughly confused. Granted, I haven’t read BSM yet, but I have been reading reviews and what-not that CLEARLY describe it as a work of fiction. Obviously this was a big issue with regards to MLP and MFL, both of which are/were the topic of much debate, predominantly due to fact that they were marketed as memoirs, therefore implying that the events that occur in the book actually happened to the author (I am aware that I am not making any great revelations here, but bear with me.) Now, I read this excerpt from BSM(Chat Show Host), which is supposedly contained in a novel of fiction, and yet this all actually DID happen to James and you can only assume that he is referring to the Oprah incident. So now the narrative in a work clearly labelled as FICTION, that is indeed verifiable (by millions of Americans who witnessed Oprah berating Mr. Frey) MEMOIR material, right?

Anybody else follow me here? My head is spinning. We have two works of fiction labelled and marketed as memoirs (MLP and MFL), and now memoir material (BSM) labelled and marketed as fiction? Anybody wanna take a stab at this one? I’d love to hear an explanation.

By: Sheryl Arne

Sheryl Arne — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:38:08 +0000

Awesome ride! I love Bright and Shiny.. as much as I have love your other two books. I don’t watch Oprah anymore because she has proved she isn’t worth my time. I was appalled that a person with her clout would behave as she did. She showed her true colors! A private phone call wasn’t good enough, she spent an entire show on abasing you, she should use an entire show to show her apology! I saw what she’s made of, and I judge it to be way below society’s standard. Keep up your good works! I recommend, to all my reader friends, all your books1