Andrew McCarthy is an actor defined to many by his roles in movies like Pretty in Pink, St. Elmos Fire and The Joy Luck Club.
But from now on, I will think of him as a writer first, thanks to his exceptional new book, The Longest Way Home, One Mans Quest for the Courage to Settle Down.
If youre looking for torrid tales of drinking and celebrity excess, this book is not for you. If you want on-set details of some of your favorite movies or gossip about his fellow stars, seek out a stories archive from tabloids of the time.
While McCarthy talks about getting that first big role in Class and his feelings then and now about being part of Hollywoods Brat Pack, this is not a celebrity autobiography.
The Longest Way Home is part travel story, part personal journey. The tales of present and past, trips and relationships are woven together seamlessly on the pages, as they often intertwine themselves in real life and memory.
He takes us to the Amazon and Vienna, Costa Rica and the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Ireland and Baltimore. At times, McCarthys behavior doesnt reflect well on him and just as youre thinking it, he admits knowing that as well. There is a lot of soul-searching in here, serious thoughts presented without a look-how-deep-I-am presentation.
It is a book I keep recommending to friends and it wont be released until mid-September.
Meanwhile I return frequently to my Inbox, looking for word from the publishers PR people to see if Ill get to interview him at all for a story. Without the interview, the story becomes a small box noting a nearby book signing appearance, and the book becomes a forgotten footnote that it should not.
This is one of those rare times that an actors celebrity that brings in a crowd at a signing or boost sales will actually turn into a much bigger gift for his fans than the publishers bottom line.
This book is the one that keeps you up later than you wanted and occupies your mind long after you put it down. Its the kind of great writing that transforms my thoughts into its same cadence and has me suddenly writing my own stories in my head, attempting to pull something from the inspiration of incredibly detailed observations and well-turned phrases.
My only disappointment in the book was the one-time use of aha moment, a phrase I felt McCarthy should hate just as much as me. (And considering how well I knew him after reading the book up to that point, I felt and still feel that some evil editor must have inserted it.)
Ill admit it. I asked to do this one. We often write about those coming by for book signings and I usually volunteer for my preferred genre, biographies and memoirs. Sometimes, though, its purely personal. Having just recently found (and stayed up watching) Pretty in Pink on TV late one night then seeing McCarthys name on the event list for Bookends in Ridgewood, I requested we add this one to the budget.
When I get these signing assignments, a few questions usually come to mind instantly from what I already know about the author/celebrity/athlete. Usually reading the book doesnt change that very much. Often all it does is create the kinds of questions you cant actually ask like How did you get anyone to publish this?
I believe the word author and writer should be reserved for the truly deserving. Often it is not.
Equally as often the publicity people set rules. One such situation left me sadly without a chance to speak to Rick Springfield about his life and book Late, Late at Night.
Another time, when a pr person was busy telling me that the movie star/television personality who I was to interview would not take questions about anything but the book, I interrupted with a little warning of my own.
The only problem with that for you and for her, I said. is that I actually read the book.
I eventually did the interview and used the book subjects to move onto conversation that was almost interesting.
Now I wait somewhat anxiously to see if McCarthys publisher will come through with an interview. Sometimes interviews must overcome your awkwardness or intimidation based on a preconception of the person on the other end of the phone. For this one, Ill have to get over an inferiority complex thanks to the writing.
In the meantime, I have to deal with the ageist comments of fellow writers who pass by my desk and see the book.
Whos he? asked one old-enough-to-know-better colleague.
Is that the guy from the 80s, asked an obnoxiously young staffer.
I answer that yes, he is an actor from classic movies like Pretty in Pink and St. Elmos Fire. Then I tell them that he is a travel writer now and a really damn good one.
They dont believe me. They should read the book.
And now I sit by my computer like Molly Ringwalds Andy waiting by the phone in Pretty in Pink.
