"Dr." Denis Leary explains it all --- literally. (Leary earned an honorary doctorate in 2005 from his alma mater, Emerson College, and he intends to use it.) For the Boston-bred comedian, there are no sacred cows, no taboos, no subjects off limits --- the Catholic Church, celebrities, politicians, even his Irish lineage. No one is safe from ridicule, and when Leary takes aim with his razor-sharp wit, he takes no prisoners.
When first published in November, WHY WE SUCK and its author courted controversy concerning his statements on afflictions like childhood autism, especially when he says: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a **** what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you --- your kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."
This hardly seems like the diagnosis of a doctor, but as Leary clearly states in his lengthy prologue, "This is a comedy book. Which means it's meant to be funny. So when I say something in here I am offering up my opinion, my slightly exaggerated take on people, places and things and very often a twisted take on reality. In other words: it is parody, satire and poking fun." So I guess the offended parties skipped right over the prologue to get to the offending chapter.
Leary has been a comedian/actor for over 20 years. He created and stars in the popular F/X series "Rescue Me," which is about to begin its fifth season. But even in his earliest stand-up days, he wasn't a stranger to controversy. His first comedy special, "No Cure for Cancer," and his quick MTV commercial spots touting his love of supermodel Cindy Crawford launched him into Hollywood, with more specials ("Lock 'N Load") and even movies (The Ref, Wag the Dog). But now he's in charge of his own show, and we get the feeling that's just the way he likes it.
WHY WE SUCK reflects his own sardonic and incensed viewpoint on America's celebrity-obsessed culture and why people like Anna Nicole Smith should serve as a cautionary tale ("...she serves up a great argument against taking strippers out of the strip club....it's like taking King Kong off the jungle island and dropping him into the middle of midtown Manhattan --- nothing good can come from it."). He also rails against President Bush, whom he refers to as "Bush Jr." and advocates taking bratty teens who appear on the show "My Super Sweet 16" and dropping them chuteless into Iraq. Sure, he exaggerates and embellishes a bit, but some of his points make sense. No wonder our reputation has been less than sterling in the global arena. We live in a culture where a person will sue McDonald's if they get fat from eating their grease-laden food. What really irks Leary is that the notion of personal responsibility is completely forgotten in our modern-day, Wii-obsessed world. And you know what? He's right.
Fans of Leary will devour this book and appreciate his humor. It's not for the faint of heart or humor-impaired. The real surprise here is the touching relationship he shares with his mother. He describes her as "Mary Tyler Moore, Mother Teresa and Joe Pesci in a blender and set it on high..." Their conversations back and forth provide this work with a surprising amount of heart. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Irish Catholic household quite similar to Leary's, but these sweet exchanges with his mother, peppered with reports of who died and who has cancer, read like a chapter out of my own family's book. After finishing WHY WE SUCK, I related some of the best bits to my father over the phone. "I'd like to read that. Send it to me when you're done." Of course, I warned him about the language.
--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller