A side note: Throughout his childhood men told Max Brooks how hot his mother was in 'The Graduate.' (the family never ate in restaurants because, as Max put it, "Every dentist in the world had to come to our table and try to make Mel Brooks laugh.") So Max never watched the film out of the fear that he'd become sexually aroused by his own mother. His first year in college, on the first day of a film appreciation class, the professor made them watch "The Graduate." Trapped, Max freaked. He watched, and thankfully, did not get a boner.
Not quite a Mr. Happy Pants, but the idea reminded me a bit of the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, when he doesn't really see the horror around him yet.
Another one, might be the best and most genuine. Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool F.C. boss. At one point people suspected he's putting a persona, because he'd lose final after final and still face the media with a big smile.
Mr. Happy Pants and I talked tomato plants most of the day. It was extremely enjoyable… until…. Kidding, that was it. Nothing but friggin’ joy. It was weird not looking for chaos. Hard turning that off!!
But when the happy guy mask gets broken or falls off, all hell breaks loose. In my experience when the nice person snaps, it's a 10 on the Richter scale and everybody, including the jerks, are stunned by the eruption. The fun part is finding out what trigger / event breaks Mr. Happy Pants.
My wife is Mrs Happy Dress. ( She's doesn't wear pants, doesn't even own a pair.) She wakes up happy, the eternal optimist and always looks on the bright side.
Her positivity is infectious, everyone who meets her loves her immediately. She literally makes a friend everytime we leave the house. I admit I am doing a poor imitation of her most of the time.
There have been a 1000 times over the years when her outlook on life makes me feel like I'm an asshole, because I just don't see the brightside, let alone forgive and forget. But aim working on it . After 15 years of marriage, I am very comfortable saying if I disagree with my wife, It's because I'm wrong.
You do know that now that you've used the newspaper and morphed it (with pee) you must keep it present in some form for the whole book. Think of John Irving's dog, Sorrow, in "The Hotel New Hampshire." You are suck with the newspaper, forever.
I read an interview with Michael Lewis where he claimed to be smiling ear-to-ear the entirety of his writing sessions. His material is mostly non-fiction and rarely dark, but I liked the idea of that, and try to adopt it myself. And it works! By remembering to smile, and by remembering that writing is a privilege, and super fun, I'm more productive, and my work is better. Plus, as Chuck alluded, it's extra diabolical to torture your characters with a grin on your face.
Unrelated to this post, but very relevant, I literally just came across this passage from a 2008 profile of Tobias Wolff:
“He was a dear friend of mine,” he says, referring to Carver, and like any fan of the late minimalist writer—the poet of American suburban despair, he’s been called—Wolff holds strong opinions about the quest by his widow, Tess Gallagher, to publish the unedited manuscript of his groundbreaking 1981 collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, which was edited heavily by Gordon Lish, Carver’s editor at Knopf. Lish cut the stories almost by half, and rewrote the majority of their endings.
Mister “I’d find it hard to like him.” Maybe even kill him off and follow his happy ghost as he follows around his murderer forgiving him and telling him he can do better.
Goddamn it. Another one I have to read. But nah, I’d right this person so bubbly, moist and creamy you’d wish there was some form of annihilation even after death.
I’m so glad I’m going to hell cause I’m bad at basketball. Or nothingness. Either way, right now I’m on “fictionalize your memoir,” with a story that deals with how I’ve lost so many friends in my relatively short life.
Thank you Chuck. With Asperger’s I tend to do that without knowing. I suppose that’s what all the writing is for. You’re right in that it helps me deal with it by putting it on the reader.
Guess that’s why the show Ted Lasso is so popular. A Mr. Happy type guy that everyone underestimates. And who is his nemesis? There were obvious ones in Season One.
Then, in the latest season, the heartbreak and fury of a seemingly benign character, Nate, in the final minutes, showcases his building contempt for Ted. We see a different Nate. We thought we knew him as the Menschy sidekick (someone easily dismissed) and, lo and behold, we realize that he’s full of rage. It’s the most masterful character trajectory I’ve seen in television.
I think if you can marry heartbreak with rage, and surprise, it’s very satisfying for an audience.
I think Tom used to trick us into that coal mine with his “Write about something you half remember” exercise. It leads the writer into their personal depth of inquiry, which can then lead to a more universal experience of heartbreak that readers relate to.
It’s a swerve on Lish, who was always going on about voice and authority being tied to the hidden wound.
I think it was Robert Olen Butler who said “Voice is the embodiment in language of the contents of our subconscious.”
This was a great post. I've written eight books, all crime. I didn't go to the coal mine on any. I then wrote a book called Driftwood. A story, I needed to write. A drama set on the SW coast of Scotland that explores the life and trials of a whelk picker. This was a departure from crime and it was a tough write. I'm proud of the book. The story is strong and solid, but I can't get any agent interested as it's not considered "commercial" enough. It's the one book, I've written, that's shown me how far a writer has to descend within the mine to discover those hidden depths. I won't be going back down for a while though.
When I write, I try to imagine myself there and submerge myself in it. Much like Kevin Costner's character in "For the Love of the Game" shuts out the world when he pitches. I hyperfocus and bearly notice the passage of time.
I remember one of your Joe Rogan interviews vividly. It kinda changed the way I look at conversations/story telling in general. You said to Rogan "You want me to crucify myself? I'm going to crucify myself now. Here we go..." and you proceeded to tell story after amazing story. I realized that if I really want a great conversation or to tell a great story, I have to go off the rails and really go way off and into the deep end and even then I'm still probably playing it safe...
Consider that we're always trying to look good and avoid being dominated. So when you can just cast your dignity to the wind, you gain a strange authority. In doing so you give others the permission to relax and risk looking bad.
It also helped me understand that most people really don't care about superficial small talk. No one is clamoring to hear about what I had for lunch and what I think about the weather. Wanna hear about my boring job? Did I shit on the desk? Then, no!
I’m already dubious of “Mr. enlightened”. Me thinks something traumatic happened to him or, at his core, he’s deeply heartbroken and that’s why he’s so happy go lucky. Me thinks it’s either façade or a desperate attempt at being happy through acting happy.
Or maybe he’s just a genuinely happy guy and the suspicion, dislike and contempt it more a reflection of somebody else. Go figure.
P.S. The character’s description puts me in mind of Myshkin from Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’. Why would anybody want to hurt Myshkin?
Or he has an undetected brain tumor, or other physical trauma, like Phineas Gage. It's been a long time, but I think there was an episode of House where the mysterious symptom was happiness.
Reminded me of the case study from Oliver Sack's "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" on the "Cupid's Disease" presentation in certain cases of neurosyphilis.
When people discuss zombie viruses and infectious agents like toxoplasmosis, I think of "Cupid's Disease" and how it seems to be the disease seeking a new host as the old host dies.
A side note: Throughout his childhood men told Max Brooks how hot his mother was in 'The Graduate.' (the family never ate in restaurants because, as Max put it, "Every dentist in the world had to come to our table and try to make Mel Brooks laugh.") So Max never watched the film out of the fear that he'd become sexually aroused by his own mother. His first year in college, on the first day of a film appreciation class, the professor made them watch "The Graduate." Trapped, Max freaked. He watched, and thankfully, did not get a boner.
But Mr. Happy Pants is annoying.
Name a Mr. Happy Pants.
I will, Dan Quail. Your turn.
Good one!
Hahaha!
Yes!
Hrundi V. Bakshi in The Party.
Funniest movie ever
Birdie num num.
Mary F--king Poppins
Pollyanna
Nah man, ever read the OG P.L. Travers Mary P.? She's pretty cold.
Ned Flanders.
Tony Robbins!
Not exactly a happy pants but my pick is the Adam Sandler character in Uncut Gems. eternally optimistic even when in waves of shit storms.
Not quite a Mr. Happy Pants, but the idea reminded me a bit of the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, when he doesn't really see the horror around him yet.
The sidekick in that movie is the eternal cheery one.
Another one, might be the best and most genuine. Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool F.C. boss. At one point people suspected he's putting a persona, because he'd lose final after final and still face the media with a big smile.
The main character from ‘Office Space’ after he gets hypnotised.
Spud from Trainspotting ?
Tobias Funke from Arrested Development.
Seems like some of these characters are very 1st degree, creating quiproquos not realising the 2nd degree behind what they say or do.
Mr. Happy Pants and I talked tomato plants most of the day. It was extremely enjoyable… until…. Kidding, that was it. Nothing but friggin’ joy. It was weird not looking for chaos. Hard turning that off!!
You're wrong about that smell. Ever tended tomato plants, then scratched an itch? It's agony.
I do not know of this! Hmm… ways to torture Mr. Happy Pants?!
Yes, tomatoe plants have that smell, and the hairs on their stems irritate my skin.
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones! No issues for me. Weird.
But when the happy guy mask gets broken or falls off, all hell breaks loose. In my experience when the nice person snaps, it's a 10 on the Richter scale and everybody, including the jerks, are stunned by the eruption. The fun part is finding out what trigger / event breaks Mr. Happy Pants.
Agreed. But my Mr. Happy is too resilient.
Until…he meets authentic pure joy in a small child, and realizes his is not coming from the same place.
My wife is Mrs Happy Dress. ( She's doesn't wear pants, doesn't even own a pair.) She wakes up happy, the eternal optimist and always looks on the bright side.
Her positivity is infectious, everyone who meets her loves her immediately. She literally makes a friend everytime we leave the house. I admit I am doing a poor imitation of her most of the time.
There have been a 1000 times over the years when her outlook on life makes me feel like I'm an asshole, because I just don't see the brightside, let alone forgive and forget. But aim working on it . After 15 years of marriage, I am very comfortable saying if I disagree with my wife, It's because I'm wrong.
Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Were there times before Mr. Happy Pants where you almost cracked the happy character? Where you came close but something just didn’t work?
Never. I thought that a character should always be tormented. Now I realize that a character is mine to torment.
I am ever the optimist - and this made me smile... And then laugh. 😆
Wow. You've read my mind. The piece I'm bringing on Thursday is my attempt at writing the hardest genre I know - comedy.
You do know that now that you've used the newspaper and morphed it (with pee) you must keep it present in some form for the whole book. Think of John Irving's dog, Sorrow, in "The Hotel New Hampshire." You are suck with the newspaper, forever.
Exactly! Remember how often the dog reappeared. That's what key objects do.
How about poo? I've got that in this piece. Horse poo.
If you can morph it, you can keep it. But limit yourself to a few objects. Most books deal with one, maybe two.
Excrement as my novel's reccuring object? Interesting...gives me an idea for another chapter...
I read an interview with Michael Lewis where he claimed to be smiling ear-to-ear the entirety of his writing sessions. His material is mostly non-fiction and rarely dark, but I liked the idea of that, and try to adopt it myself. And it works! By remembering to smile, and by remembering that writing is a privilege, and super fun, I'm more productive, and my work is better. Plus, as Chuck alluded, it's extra diabolical to torture your characters with a grin on your face.
Unrelated to this post, but very relevant, I literally just came across this passage from a 2008 profile of Tobias Wolff:
“He was a dear friend of mine,” he says, referring to Carver, and like any fan of the late minimalist writer—the poet of American suburban despair, he’s been called—Wolff holds strong opinions about the quest by his widow, Tess Gallagher, to publish the unedited manuscript of his groundbreaking 1981 collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, which was edited heavily by Gordon Lish, Carver’s editor at Knopf. Lish cut the stories almost by half, and rewrote the majority of their endings.
Mister “I’d find it hard to like him.” Maybe even kill him off and follow his happy ghost as he follows around his murderer forgiving him and telling him he can do better.
I think "The Lovely Bones" has already been written.
Goddamn it. Another one I have to read. But nah, I’d right this person so bubbly, moist and creamy you’d wish there was some form of annihilation even after death.
Write* wow kill me and my voice to text use.
Skip it. In heaven all the males do is play basketball.
I’m so glad I’m going to hell cause I’m bad at basketball. Or nothingness. Either way, right now I’m on “fictionalize your memoir,” with a story that deals with how I’ve lost so many friends in my relatively short life.
Hide your broken heart. Force your reader to bear the pain.
Thank you Chuck. With Asperger’s I tend to do that without knowing. I suppose that’s what all the writing is for. You’re right in that it helps me deal with it by putting it on the reader.
Guess that’s why the show Ted Lasso is so popular. A Mr. Happy type guy that everyone underestimates. And who is his nemesis? There were obvious ones in Season One.
Then, in the latest season, the heartbreak and fury of a seemingly benign character, Nate, in the final minutes, showcases his building contempt for Ted. We see a different Nate. We thought we knew him as the Menschy sidekick (someone easily dismissed) and, lo and behold, we realize that he’s full of rage. It’s the most masterful character trajectory I’ve seen in television.
I think if you can marry heartbreak with rage, and surprise, it’s very satisfying for an audience.
But am I right about Tom's coal mine? You never go into a coal mine, do you?
Okay, in "The Graceful Plumber" you went to the coal mine. I salute you.
And THAT is why people adored that story.
I don’t go in willingly, that is true.
I think Tom used to trick us into that coal mine with his “Write about something you half remember” exercise. It leads the writer into their personal depth of inquiry, which can then lead to a more universal experience of heartbreak that readers relate to.
It’s a swerve on Lish, who was always going on about voice and authority being tied to the hidden wound.
I think it was Robert Olen Butler who said “Voice is the embodiment in language of the contents of our subconscious.”
Coal mine indeed.
This was a great post. I've written eight books, all crime. I didn't go to the coal mine on any. I then wrote a book called Driftwood. A story, I needed to write. A drama set on the SW coast of Scotland that explores the life and trials of a whelk picker. This was a departure from crime and it was a tough write. I'm proud of the book. The story is strong and solid, but I can't get any agent interested as it's not considered "commercial" enough. It's the one book, I've written, that's shown me how far a writer has to descend within the mine to discover those hidden depths. I won't be going back down for a while though.
Off with the fingernails, the sooner the better!
When I write, I try to imagine myself there and submerge myself in it. Much like Kevin Costner's character in "For the Love of the Game" shuts out the world when he pitches. I hyperfocus and bearly notice the passage of time.
I remember one of your Joe Rogan interviews vividly. It kinda changed the way I look at conversations/story telling in general. You said to Rogan "You want me to crucify myself? I'm going to crucify myself now. Here we go..." and you proceeded to tell story after amazing story. I realized that if I really want a great conversation or to tell a great story, I have to go off the rails and really go way off and into the deep end and even then I'm still probably playing it safe...
Consider that we're always trying to look good and avoid being dominated. So when you can just cast your dignity to the wind, you gain a strange authority. In doing so you give others the permission to relax and risk looking bad.
At 41 years old, I have no shame. ;p
It also helped me understand that most people really don't care about superficial small talk. No one is clamoring to hear about what I had for lunch and what I think about the weather. Wanna hear about my boring job? Did I shit on the desk? Then, no!
"I can't wait to pull off his fingernails."
Just had half a glass a milk shoot outta my nose: glass free.
I’m already dubious of “Mr. enlightened”. Me thinks something traumatic happened to him or, at his core, he’s deeply heartbroken and that’s why he’s so happy go lucky. Me thinks it’s either façade or a desperate attempt at being happy through acting happy.
Or maybe he’s just a genuinely happy guy and the suspicion, dislike and contempt it more a reflection of somebody else. Go figure.
P.S. The character’s description puts me in mind of Myshkin from Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’. Why would anybody want to hurt Myshkin?
Or he has an undetected brain tumor, or other physical trauma, like Phineas Gage. It's been a long time, but I think there was an episode of House where the mysterious symptom was happiness.
Reminded me of the case study from Oliver Sack's "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" on the "Cupid's Disease" presentation in certain cases of neurosyphilis.
When people discuss zombie viruses and infectious agents like toxoplasmosis, I think of "Cupid's Disease" and how it seems to be the disease seeking a new host as the old host dies.
Yes! The cunning embedded in the evolution of microorganisms… fascinating and terrifying. Here we all are, just trying to do what it takes to survive.