~post by Katie Presley
Many words describe Rob Delaney. Comedian, father, husband, writer, and Twitter crusader are a few. A few more make up the title of his new memoir: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. When he stopped by BookPeople to read from the book and chat with us about comedy, writing, and life, Delaney revealed a few more. Recovering alcoholic. Thoughtful, inspiring author. Proud feminist. Lucky to be alive, after a devastating, substance-fueled car accident that slammed him into a brick wall and sobriety with equal force. And, perhaps most powerfully, grateful for all of it.
Good comedians, of course, do more than make a crowd laugh. They make us think, and force us to examine ourselves and the world that we live in. They highlight differences, and they highlight commonalities. Delaney does all of that in his comedy, in his book, and managed to do a little bit of all of it in his brief visit with us this month. He spoke about the addiction that almost killed him, the depression that he has battled in the years since, and why, exactly, he hates it so much when big corporations tweet like they’re regular people. (Twitter is the platform which catapulted him to household name-status starting around 2010, due in no small part to his irreverent tweets aimed at big corporations and conservative politicians.) He doesn’t rely on the misogyny and racism that form the basis of so much stand-up comedy, either, which is less “breath of fresh air” and more “why is comedy ever anything else,” but important to point out nonetheless. Rob Delaney means many things to many people, and we hope dearly that Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. is, in many ways, just the beginning.
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Signed copies of Rob Delaney. Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage are available on our shelves and via bookpeople.com, while supplies last.
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