Whatever was happening in my career at that time, first as a writer, then as a performer . . . whatever anxieties I felt about my doubtful qualifications and fortunes, I could always console myself: At least I am not this. At least I am not a middle-aged, Yale-educated phony peddling half-funny stories about the state of Maine. Please put this book down for a moment to appreciate my incredible mastery of literary irony. I’ll just be over here curling into a ball, trying to disappear forever.
