memoirs and misinformation
I tried to make the new Jim Carrey book last but I couldn’t put it down. Memoirs And Misinformation is a total mindfuck and full of absurdity, but the truth is there if you’re open to it. I’ve been a long time fan of Jim’s art and overall existence on this planet. I’ve followed his trajectory since the early days and have been constantly inspired by him. I knew this book was going to be a bit “out there” because hey, it’s Jim fucking Carrey. But I also knew it would be enlightened. And it was all of these things and more.
In an interview with the New York Times, Jim said, “The Truman Show was not a mistake. I’m a guy that suddenly looked up one day and started seeing all the machinery and the lights falling from the sky. Every project is a little bit of me recreating myself, tearing the old self down and exploring something new. My whole career I’ve asked a lot of my audience, and they’ve allowed me to do these things. I think they expect that of me, in a certain way. They don’t expect convention.”
And he’s right. I knew it wouldn’t be conventional. I went into reading with an open mind and an open heart, letting the book be whatever it needed to be, and I wasn’t disappointed. I mean, it’s completely fucking nuts, but there are slivers of truth that had me in tears. My favorite parts were when he’d share stories of his dad and his childhood, when he’d debunk celebrities and celebrity culture (including himself), and when he’d share heart-wrenchingly vulnerable pieces of himself. And now that I’ve finished it I’m wondering if it was somewhat prophetic. Set in the center of greed, ego, political turmoil, and the California wildfires, so far it all rings true. I’m just waiting for the aliens to show up.
If you have an open mind you’ll probably enjoy this book and you may even find a slice of freedom, a piece of comfort. In the brilliant words of Jim Carrey…
“Whether I was doing something funny or serious, all I’ve ever wanted, from the time I was a little child, was to free people from concern. This book, I think, is just an example of that. And I think we get there in the book. We get to a place where we give them a touch of that.”
You do, Jim. You do.