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Comment by MaxScheiber | Hacker News Reader

I find this particularly tingling because Tucker himself is a perfect example of doing things. He gets a lot of flak from people calling him a poor writer and lambasting him for writing about some of the "finer" topics in life. Yet, he is a New York Times bestselling author, and his detractors are not.

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"he is a New York Times bestselling author, and his detractors are not."

Then again, his book makes not being a bestselling author seem like an accomplishment.

"his book makes not being a bestselling author seem like an accomplishment".

And that, my friend, is a GREAT marketing plan. You know how when pg says that if there are two explanations for your situation, and one gives you an excuse to be lazy, choose the other one? Most people choose the excuse to be lazy. That's a big market just itching to pay to have someone tell them what they want to hear.

I'm perfectly okay with thinking that he's a terrible writer who produces absolute dreck while still respecting him for being a creative and hard-working person. He makes the art he wants to make, gets paid very well for it, is prolific, and is hard-working in his field. That deserves respect.

But his stuff is absolute crap.

Tucker argues that his books teach important lessons and are deeper than just "got drunk, had sex." A common theme in a lot of his stories is that he almost always came out the loser — did something incredibly stupid, or lost a friend, or went to jail, etc. Tucker points out multiple times how immature of a person he was when these stories took place. In the end, he is the one hurt the most by his actions. He's matured and learned from his own mistakes.

They're good for a cheap laugh if you're into that sort of thing, but having read I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, I can agree that his book isn't vapid. There is a bit more to it than one would think.

He's the worst kind of shitty writer. He's clearly intelligent. His writing is shit because he doesn't care.

Why should I spend time reading him if he doesn't put time into the quality of his writing?

Nobody reads Tucker Max hoping to catch a glimpse of literary genius. His stories are pure content, and his audience likes that. Fans want to hear Tucker's stories about sexual exploits and blackout drinking, and don't particularly care whether or not said exploits are described using alliteration.

So you shouldn't spend time reading him, because you aren't his intended audience.

>His writing is shit because he doesn't care.

I am not convinced this is true, nor have I seen a sophisticated analysis of his work that demonstrates this point (though I am open to reading one); it seems that most people assume the point and then proceed from there.

I did write a mostly positive analysis of his work here: http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/hilarity-ensues-tuc... , however.

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