By Danielle Capalbo, News Staff
Actor, author and anything-funny-man Eugene Mirman will be at Brookline Booksmith tonight to promote his new book, ‘The Will to Whatevs:’ A Guide to Modern Life.’ The world’s foremost Eugene-named entertainer, according to his website, Mirman will present PowerPoint slides, read from his semi-serious guide to life and drop knowledge on anyone brave or misguided enough to follow his advice. A few days before his appearance, Mirman opened up to The News about his foray onto racks of self-help novels, old and new.
Huntington News:’ What makes you qualified to offer life advice, in the form of a book or otherwise?
Eugene Mirman:’ I feel like qualification is a state of mind that I’ve adopted. Plus, I went through crisis training about 15 years ago when I was in high school. So there’s that, and my insistence.
HN:’ Was there a particular moment in the past couple of years when you realized you should offer your guidance to the general public?
EM:’ It was around the same time I decided that I wanted to write a book. About three years ago.
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HN:’ Do you think your book will be pigeonholed because you’re a comedian?
EM:’ It blends both things that are true and things that are totally untrue, and it gives advice that’s somewhere between pretty good and often terrible or dangerous. One thing I like is that the book never distinguishes between the two, and treats it all as factual. Is it all tongue in cheek? It’s half and half. A lot of it is make believe. Everything that’s like, a story from high school or college or a date or a job – that stuff is all true. Everything that involves, you know, partying with Elton John, may be a bit of make believe. Embellished to the point where we have never even been in the same room.
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HN:’ What’s the difference between your guide to life and other titles on the self-help rack?
EM:’ One, it’s very funny. And two, if you did what’s in it, you’d potentially hurt yourself both physically and emotionally. While other self-help books don’t admit that they’re ‘- I don’t want to say lies, because some of them are helpful. The difference is that I know I’m kidding and they don’t necessarily know that they’re kidding.
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HN:’ Was the process of writing a book what you expected?
EM:’ Vaguely. When I first started, it seemed so daunting. But as I did more and more, and got feedback from my editor, and showed it to friends and wrote more chapters … as you get into it, it becomes less daunting. I had also never written a book before, so I didn’t really know exactly how to go about it. It was a sharp learning curve. I think that, in a sense, it seemed impossible when I first started and, when it ended, it seemed very possible. Because I wrote it. And it’s in stores.
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HN:’ Are you hooked on writing books now?
EM:’ I feel like I’m totally fine to take a few months off, but I would certainly write another. If it was a possibility, I would do it again.
HN:’ In one sentence, what’s your advice for college students everywhere?
EM:’ Don’t post yourself doing horrifying, either drunken or sexual things on your Facebook or MySpace, because people thinking of hiring you look at that.
