Tina Fey’s Book
What I hate about America is marketers insist on overdoing it. They all believe we live where there’s no cable TV, no magazines and no Internet and therefore they must plaster their product across all media just in case we go to the metropolis to get smokes or beer and stumble upon media accidentally and god forbid what is being featured is not their product.
In other words, Tina Fey is EVERYWHERE!
But I can’t hate her for it.
Because I love and respect her. Because she’s the anti-star. The girl from down the street who was one of the boys that no one would date who proved to us that not only did we misunderstand and not appreciate her, she’s now much more fabulous than we are yet we still don’t hate her for it.
It all began with one joke. On SNL. It involves Hugh Hefner and his harem and it’s so clever that you couldn’t help but adore the person who created and delivered it. Yes, I’m sticking by my theory that the best music is made by those who write it and if you disagree start your own newsletter, I earned my audience, have you earned yours?
For those scoring at home, wondering if my taste is adequate, you can read the joke here:
I’d point you to a YouTube clip, but NBC has scrubbed the service of all its intellectual property under the theory that if you don’t get paid it’s better to hide. Maybe it’s on Hulu or some NBC site but who bothers to search there?
Anyway, you’ve got to love a celebrity who reveals she didn’t lose her virginity until she was twenty three, after she graduated from college. You’re supposed to be experienced before puberty, when your record goes to number one after you’ve starred on that Disney sitcom. We teach our youngsters it doesn’t pay to wait. If you’re a star on Atari, capitalize on that now! For Xbox is coming and you’ll be passe. It’s like we live in a bizarre real-life "Logan’s Run". You’d better complete your life before you’re thirty or… Or… Or..?
And what I love about Tina’s delivery is there’s no arc. Kind of like the Seinfeld construct that there was no learning, no hugging, no moral.
My favorite part of the book is when Tina steps over a coworker to get a job upstairs at the YMCA. Donna wants it, she’s a lifer with a husband surviving on a bad heart, whereas this is just a way station for Tina. But Tina does not let the more deserving Donna get her due, she steals the job. And says:
"That makes me sound like a jerk, I know. But remember the beginning of the story where I was the underdog? No? Me neither."
Whew! That’s not the way these celeb tell-alls are supposed to go. You’re supposed to be underprivileged, you’re supposed to battle the odds. You’re supposed to become famous by accident, not because you wanted it, not because you would lie, cheat and steal and do anything to make it.
Tina pockets guest fees at the YMCA so she can eat pizza.
She goes out on the road with Second City and refuses to do the assigned sketches, she and her cohorts improvise and create their own, breaking the rules.
That’s the key to all success. Breaking the rules.
After, of course, you know what the rules are.
That’s what makes Tina Fey so appealing. She comes from the same tribe. She didn’t have parents who indentured her into showbiz slavery. She went to college and dealt with rejection. She graduated and couldn’t even get a job as a waitress. This is so different from the star stories where everything seems to just fall into place, where the star gets lucky.
And the real story is no one gets that lucky. It’s almost impossible to make it. You’ve got to have an amalgam of ability and desire.
Tina certainly had the desire. And she was a drama geek in college and paid for improv classes thereafter. Such a change from the kids who buy MacBooks, create a song in GarageBand and wonder why they’re not instantly famous.
And yes, this is a star book, so there have to be some lessons.
In this case, the best ones come from Tina’s mentor, Lorne Michaels.
Always listen to those with experience. They’ve got wisdom you don’t. You can learn. I remember asking Irving Azoff why the manager of that eighties band kept his act on the road every summer. BECAUSE THE MANAGER NEEDS THE MONEY! I never thought of that. So, instead of thinking you know everything, open your ears to those who’ve been there and done that. They may be pricks, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know which way the wind blows.
Lorne says
"The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready, it goes on because its 11:30".
Whew! Isn’t that what’s wrong with today’s major label projects? They’re so busy being perfected that all the life is sapped out of them. As Tina says "…perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring on live TV." And it’s boring on stage and on record and…
And you can’t be afraid to fail…
"you can’t be too worried about your ‘permanent record.’ Yes, you’re going to write some sketches that you love and are proud of forever – your golden nuggets. But you’re also going to write some shit nuggets. And unfortunately, sometimes the shit nuggets make it onto the air. You can’t worry about it. As long as you know the difference, you can go back to panning for gold on Monday."
And:
"Don’t hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at three in the morning."
This Lorne Michaels lesson is a doozy.
I’ll make this simple. If you send me an e-mail that I’m an asshole what are the odds that I’m gonna want to be your friend? In other words, it’s not what you know so much as how you get along with people. I don’t care if you know every "Billboard" hit ever, if you’re a shithead, no label is going to hire you.
And one more Lorneism:
"Lorne knows that the most exhausting people occasionally turn out the best stuff."
In other words, record labels hate artists. If you don’t want to spend way too much time listening to the insecurities and ideas of creators, become a banker. That’s another thing wrong with today’s labels…they want the artists to be moldable employees. That’s an oxymoron, those aren’t artists.
And there’s a steady stream of sisterhood throughout the book. No, it’s less about sticking together than fighting for the rights of women. Men didn’t want a Kotex sketch because they didn’t know how Kotex worked. As for women not being funny, doesn’t Tina Fey disprove the theory?
And there’s a fascinating delineation of the improvisational process. These lessons work in real life too.
"it’s your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you’re adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile."
Don’t be a fly on the wall. Don’t be afraid of being shot down. Don’t be intimidated. Put yourself out there, a constant exchange of ideas clarifies the path, paves a road to the destination. In other words, if your company doesn’t listen to the peons, it’s on the road to extinction. Furthermore, if you aren’t speaking up, you’re the problem. If no one is listening, don’t complain, switch jobs.
I won’t say "Bossypants" is the best book ever written. It’s haphazard and covers so many bases that it loses its focus. But it’s written by a real person who’s not afraid to show her rough edges. And it’s a chronicle of what it takes to make it.
How do you make it?
1. Realize you’re different.
2. Embrace this difference. A square peg does not fit in a round hole but is very attractive to those seeking entertainment.
3. Go where the action is. Improv is in Chicago, Tina Fey moved there. You can make it in music if you’re from South Dakota or Alabama, but it’s gonna be a hell of a lot easier if you go to L.A. or New York because they’re magnets for all the wannabes, you’ll find a higher level of creator and you’ll learn from their experiences. In other words, greatness rarely emanates from a vacuum.
4. And speaking of greatness… You’ve got to pay your dues. Not because the man wants to keep you down, but because it takes that long to get good.
5. The more time you put into honing your skills, the longer your career will be.
To sum up, you must be different, but not unlikable. You must be willing to work your way up the ladder while playing nice with others.
And we are all drawn to honesty.
That’s one of the reasons music has faltered. It’s dishonest. From the artists right down to the Ticketmaster fees. The public knows it’s all smoke and mirrors and would rather play on Facebook.
I recommend this book.
