Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-year-old Virgin by Paul Feig

The Paul Feig-Judd Apatow brain-trust produced Freaks and Geeks—a teen centric comedy-drama that is probably the definitive brilliant-but-canceled TV show. (Some may think that that distinction belongs to Arrested Development but I’d argue that that show was at least granted a three-season run. The Emmy-nominated Freaks and Geeks, on the other hand, got the axe after a mere 12 episodes, outraging fans and critics alike. On top of that, almost every member of the Freaks and Geeks principal cast has continued to work steadily with a few—Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jason Segel—becoming pretty big stars. Their post-cancellation success, I think, is a testament to the talent that these kids possessed and is proof of just how respected the show was in Hollywood.) In my opinion, there were two reasons why this show was so awesome: (1) It was hilarious and (2) most of that hilarity had a lot to do with schadenfreude.


My love of Freaks and Geeks and the delight I take in the hard luck of those who aren’t me, prompted me to buy Paul Feig’s first book, Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence—which may have actually been my first experience with memoir (I was only about 18 or 19 at the time). The book is, by turns, hysterical and cringe-inducing; it is, without question, a comedic masterpiece; and it also happens to be one of the few books that I’ve read more than once (surprisingly, it was just as funny the second time around). If you haven’t read it, you need to go down to your local bookstore and buy it right now. Seriously. 


Kick Me, solidified my Feig Fandom, and so, I was really looking forward to reading the follow-up memoir, Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-year-old Virgin. 
. . .
I’ll preface this by saying that I didn’t dislike the book. In fact, I started reading it almost as soon as I received it on Christmas morning, finished it in a day or so, and generally found it very engaging. But it was engaging in the same way that reading a stranger’s very, very personal blog is engaging or watching a reality TV show is engaging; I couldn’t put the book down because it’s a confessional I am a voyeur to the core. Superstud wasn’t nearly as funny as Kick Me, which had me laughing out loud, and I often felt a bit annoyed with Feig and his relationship ineptitude. Most of the time his sexual awkwardness wasn’t pathetic in an amusing way, it was just plain pathetic. As much as I like Feig, I can’t help but think that this book was more about a paycheck than it was about making anyone laugh. 


The title would seem to suggest that Feig was a nerd and couldn’t get a girlfriend, but he appears to have had very little trouble getting dates. He describes several relationships in the book, a few of which were apparently with attractive girls. His problem, as I understood it, was reconciling his raging hormones with his religion and high standards. He could have lost his virginity any number of times but he chose not to. This is, of course, admirable. If you aren’t ready to have sex then you shouldn’t have sex, plain and simple. But Feig doesn’t spend enough time describing that internal struggle. The book could have been really moving if he would have dramatized his thought process a little more.  He leans too hard on that hopeless nerd angle when he should be exploring the reasons why he wasn’t ready for a sexual relationship. Ultimately, that would have probably been more compelling, and possibly, funnier. 


Postmortem

• Like I said, Superstud wasn’t horrible. If you’re a Freaks and Geeks fan, you’ll probably be happy to read about the real-life incidents that inspired some of the show’s more memorable moments. 

• Feig—or maybe his editor—makes some interesting formatting decisions. One chapter incorporates his actual journal and the final chapter, which describes his first time, mimics scrpiture.