The Drunk Diet, Vol. 2
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(This is the second discussion post for the WBN Book Club pick of the month, Luc Carl’s The Drunk Diet. Look for a Q&A with the author next Tuesday.
It’s never too late to join in on the conversation. Grab a copy of this month’s book to catch up, or leave a comment here expressing your interest in joining us for future discussion. May’s Book Club selection is Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story, so grab a copy now and get crackin’! DD)
Okay, first things first: the squirrel episode was hilarious, wasn’t it? Even though it had nothing to do with getting in shape, you were laughing out loud. I look forward to reading more of those moments in future Lüc Carl books. Seriously, I bet he’s got a lot of hilarious stories. He could be the new David Sedaris, only with fouler language.
In part 2, Lüc looks to modify his exercise regimen. Or, more correctly, he actually starts working out. I enjoyed reading about his successes and failures, especially since I see lots of people “half-assing it” at my gym and wonder what they think they’re actually doing. I mean, waving some 5-pound weights around isn’t going to firm up those arms, dear. It’s not a magic wand; that’s why they call it WORKING out. And don’t even get me started on some of those baffling machines that will do nothing whatsoever.
The part that stuck with me the most was Lüc’s seemingly random decision to take up running one day. Did anyone else find this part a bit odd? He introduces the idea by saying that his girlfriend dumped him, and he was at a low point because she’d gotten famous and her face was everywhere, so he needed to get away from the gym where she was on every TV screen.
Call me nosy, but I had to know who this famous girlfriend was. It didn’t take too much Googling to discover that his famous ex was Lady Gaga. Holy hot sauce! If Lady Gaga were my ex, I’d have taken up running too!
Actually, that brings up an interesting point: was this entire book, this entire life turn-around, just an elaborate plan to win back the girl that got away? Lüc is constantly referring to himself as “sexy” or “getting sexy” or “the sexiest man alive.” Does he just want Gaga to come back and take a ride on his disco stick? And is Gaga up for it, given her umlauts (and “cool Nebraska guy” reference) in “Yoü And I”? OMG, WTF?!
Before this derails into another gossip column on will they or won’t they get back together, I have to ask: does this LoveGame make any difference? I mean, do you think any better or worse of Lüc now that you know who his ex is? Should it matter? Aren’t we here to talk about diet and exercise and getting sober?
Personally, I’m not sure what to make of it. Lüc pointedly doesn’t refer to her by name, which may be a legal thing, and he says he would’ve left him too for being a “drunk asshole.” But if he changed his entire life to get his girl back, that casts a different light on the story, doesn’t it?
So let’s say your lover left you, you hit rock bottom, and you decided to get in shape to win them back. What would your workout look like, and what music would you be playing? Also: if you’ve got any questions for Lüc, let me know. We’ll be posting a Q&A with the author next week so post any Qs in the comments section and we’ll get your As!
Laura Roberts is the editor of the rebellious literary magazine Black Heart, and a writing coach & manuscript consultant at WriteByNight. You can follow her on Twitter @originaloflaura, or check out her personal website.
My diet would consist of lifting books from bins, placing them on coffee tables, then putting them back in bins, ad infinitum.
Christopher, your arms would definitely get ripped doing that. Them coffee table books is HEAVY!
There is something to be said for having a job that doesn’t consist of sitting on your ass in front of a computer all day. I worked at a factory for a few summers back in high school, lifting and moving shit around all day every day, sweating like a pig in an air conditioning-less plant. Best shape of my life. Sometimes I’d jog at night, but I really didn’t need to.
Of course, everything’s easier at 18.
Holy crapola! Lady Gaga! That’s awesome! But, really, it’s just an extra dollop of awesome on top of an already awesome book/guy sundae….erhm…protein-powder laden smoothie.
No questions here, just awesome sauce. Cool that you’re getting to interview him!
Okay, here’s another question: If he changed his whole life around to get the girl back, but then *realized he didn’t want her anymore* would THAT make a difference? OR: if he changed his whole life around and *still got kicked to the curb* would THAT make a difference?
It certainly does cast the story in a slightly different light, and if this were a movie, I do think it would lead to an entire different thing. But as a person, I think he was just waiting for an excuse to get motivated. And hey, if that excuse can be Lady Gaga, why not?
[…] divides a book into three parts, but Lüc’s book was already divided up into parts one and two, we’re doing something a little different this week. I asked Lüc a few questions about life, […]