February 17th & 24th, 2020 - With the Beatles

Dear TNY,

I’m really glad I put “With the Beatles” off for a day because I was fucking tired.  Because this shit is not good.

This is one of those stories where I happened to be very familiar with the author’s work.  Unavoidable in this case.  I know that I normally don’t talk author.  I wouldn’t have completed this piece had it been by anyone else.  I read all +9200 words of this piece because of “Super Frog Saves Tokyo”.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece that was so prime for Lish to cut it 70% a la “The Bath” by Carver.  This is the type of story that the main character is telling to the wall via mumbles because a stroke and dementia has disabled his brain.  No one would sit through this in real life.  I can’t imagine Deborah listening to it in real life (but I don’t imagine she reads these stories at all based on their quality).  Because it’s not storytelling.  It’s not a short story.  It’s just…bad memoir.  It follows no real narrative arc, has no characterization, and meanders through a life that provides no greater empathy after the story is complete.  Is the writing smooth?  Sure.  But sometimes you pass about eight pounds of soft serve after multiple poor food & drink choices and it’s smooth.  It’s actually kind of worse that it’s so smooth.  Because it’s apparent that such a practiced hand could do better.

As all of our fathers or mothers have said to us at least once, I’m not mad.  I’m just disappointed.

Whatever.  I’ve got a life to live outside this shit.

Nick