Mickey...diving on concrete...so as not to disappoint the fans (Foley Is Good - Mick Foley)

Member Name: Xamis

Product:	Foley Is Good - Mick Foley
Date:	21/09/01 (227 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Witty, In-depth, Got a good heft to it (Useful for beatings)

Disadvantages: Perhaps wrestling content wouldn't appeal to everyone?

The second proper novel from former WWF Wrestling star Mick Foley (his children's Christmas story really doesn't count, does it?) is less an autobiography and more a rant on the current social and political problems of America. It does, however, cover the time between "Have a Nice Day" and the time of writing, as well as looking back to other stories there just wasn't time or space to add to the original novel. As a book it hangs together rather loosely through the common thread of his rather gross humour. I've never read the "Day in a life" columns common in Sunday paper magazines, but I imagine this reads as a rather extended version of the same journalism. There is lots of interesting background information about the life of celebrities, the way the WWF works, the relationships between various "Superstars" and other aspects of Mick's life as well as a harsh but accurate appraisal of the country he has the misfortune to live in.

The main part of the novel itself is split into 34 chapters, detailing the development of the Mankind character and the rest of Mick's life from when he first won the WWF Championship belt in 1998. Once he became the champion, he tried to put a lot more input into how his stories developed, even if he sometimes got too carried away. The presence of Vince McMahon, owner of the WWF, often tempered his more insane flights of fantasy, although it also encouraged Mick to keep working on stories he could be a part of. This is particularly interesting not just to someone interested in wrestling, but also to anyone interested in how plots for TV series develop. IN the WWF, the characters themselves are often given quite a lot of leeway to come up with story ideas, although it is suggested that Mick does this a lot more than many of the other stars. The relationship between the stars and the writing team (and indeed the writing team and the management) is explained in a lot more det
ail, even if it remains informal. The main thrust to any wrestling story line is the interaction between the "babyfaces" (or good guys) and "heels" (or bad guys). Mankind was, when he won the belt, a babyface, and The Rock a heel. People may find this hard to believe, but it was how The Rock built his character up, with a lot of help from Mick Foley (if he is to be believed). Mick liked to use his character not just as his own personal way to fame, but as a stepping block to build up the other up and coming wrestlers, so his stories often involved getting beaten to prove to the crowd how good another wrestler was. This is as insane as it sounds, as we will discover later.

Whilst the first three chapters concern mostly Mick's progress after the time of getting the belt, he soon gets distracted, something that will happen over and over in the book. "The Violent Truth", "Backyard Wrestling" and "Just Blame Vince" make up a three-chapter rant on the evils of misrepresentation through news media. This time it follows a specific story, a report on 20/20 in which an interview with Mankind was horribly distorted to try and prove he doesn't care about kids injuring themselves whilst trying to copy their favourite WWF heroes. The story itself is something you like to think is only ever rumour, but it's true, news reporters are that evil. After that he goes back to more personal stories, including the hilarious chapter "Limpin' Ain't Easy", showing just how silly WWF Superstars can be, and how much the audiences appreciate that. Another wonderful example of this comes later in the book in "The Legend of the Penis Suplex", another entertaining story concerning his witless foil - Al Snow. As a rule though, he broadly sticks to a timeline, and fills in the blanks about what happened to him after he won the WWF belt the first time. Interestingly, it is not especially what happens t
o his character that is focused on, but rather how he created what happened to his character and what happened to himself that we see. Personally, I find this much more interesting than a straight rendition of the facts, and these stories flesh out Mick Foley much more as a character than any of the ridiculous story lines he has been a part of.

Although wrestling is obviously "fake", Mick sustained some atrocious injuries in his time, the most famous of which would be the loss of his ear in an accident involving overly tight ring ropes. This story is not included in this book as it was part of his earlier career and therefore was covered in Have A Nice Day. However, the lasting repercussions of his various injuries are covered, as in the end they are what brought an end to his career as an active wrestler. Once that had finished, however, he still had a role to play in the WWF, as the Commissioner and behind the scenes, as well as personal appearances. All of these are explained with his usual cheery style. One of the most interesting things about the book, embedded throughout it rather than in one individual chapter, is the tale of how he wrote his first book. A book about writing a book may sound less than interesting, but his efforts to try and squeeze it into his already hectic life, as well as editorial decisions and fights with the publishers keep the tale exciting.

The book takes a surprising turn for the last 100 pages or so. The epilogue is an extended rant, written months after the rest of the novel was completed, about the evils of a group known as the PTC, led by a McCarthyist madman. This group are responsible for most of the heat the WWF have been getting in America (with the exception of that annoying court case by the World Wildlife Fund), claiming that SmackDown is responsible for most of the violence in American teen culture. I share Mick's disgust and contempt at this opinion, but don't have the stamina to c
omplete the exhaustive study he did and then documented. But rather than just shouting about how nasty these guys are, Mick adopted their methods, as well as speaking to many experts, before putting together this final study. It makes an interesting addition to the book, and although it seems a little out of place to begin with, fits in well with the sentiments he has expressed earlier. The final word is a touching summary of the 16 years of pain, blood and sweatsocks - summed up with the quote I used as the title of this opinion.

Why should you get the book then? Well, if you're a wrestling fan, the answer is already obvious. More insight into the world of sports entertainment, as well as more depth to one of wrestling's favourite characters. If you're not?well, that's interesting. I guess I'm not, really, but I enjoyed it anyway. Mick Foley is an excellent writer, and his book, whilst addressing various different topics, from the personal to the national, is always entertaining. The story of how much pain an individual will take for his profession is inspiring (if kinda mad!), and the social commentary is spot on. Perhaps we have the next ex-WWF governor (after Jesse "The Body" Ventura, governor of Minnesota) on our hands? Even if not, the insight to modern culture from within an organisation blamed for so much of it is one that people can't pass up. Just remember, the real world is faker than wrestling.

Summary: