House Cleaning Break…Truth Be Told.

First!!! Thank you Netflix, C-Span, Fox Soul and other outlets sharing biopics. Being in writing mode for almost two years now, it’s nice to find ‘on TV’ good stories. It sure has helped cut my online surfing time down. The best biops are those where the main subject participates in the documentary. Anything else is kind of like gossip. Even if the main source has a skewed view of things, there’s nothing like hearing/reading straight from the source.

One story that really grabbed me was Mike Tyson’s. I always thought his story was a little complicated but never really understood him outside of the media’s limelight. It wasn’t until I caught his biopic that I got to read him like I do so many memoirs I read. 

As it would be, one interesting feature of memoirs, and books in general, or rather people who write or talk at length about themselves, most have nothing to hide. They talk and talk, and write and write, which nine out of ten times reveal enough about the subject to lessen perceived controversies. Talkative, noisy people, just by rule tend to be more honest …because we always hear and see them. We know where they are, where they stand, so to speak. I remember my father having a real problem with quiet people who didn’t say much …spoke through filters…or didn’t speak at all. He didn’t trust them. And definitely didn’t want them in his house. It did take a minute to get his logic, which of course today I see his point, largely why the way Mike Tyson unpacked his story was so impactful. It was hard, but beautiful!

Funny aside, and nothing to do with Tyson’s story as again, he really choked me up, but in thinking about this ‘extensive talking’ or storytelling, got me to looking at the truthsayering thing from the other side just remembering an uncle (RIP), who used to get me with the way he told his stories. The story usually unfolded something like, “see …see… here’s what happened…” 

Now, I have to be the perfect specimen for long-winded heavily animated stories. Soon as my uncle kicked off with that “see …see… here’s what happened…” I was already laughing. And by the time this story piped down, which I couldn’t tell whether the harder I laughed, the crazier the story got, or if it was the crazier the story got the harder I laughed, but by the end of this laughing ordeal I thought my uncle was the most gifted storyteller I knew.

And yes. I am still writing. Crazy idea, but I decided to polish up an older book to bring out with the three I just finished. Another story I’ll leave there for another ‘hot mic’, all to mention two other biopics besides Tyson’s that were engaging as well. Molly Ivins and the Osundairo brothers. Both have written memoirs, which of course I brought and read/am reading. Also just finished reading Arsenio. (New reviews here and here). 

#Documentaries #Storytelling #Read2GoodMemoirs #TruthBeTold #Housecleaning #JustBlogged