This is a book written by "one of us". The "us" being those kids raised in the 70's and coming to age during the 80's, who weren't the cool kids or the jock kids or whatever else kids. "Us" is synonymous with the latter part of the TV show name Freaks and Geeks. Patton Oswalt is definitely one of "us" and his book, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, is one part memoir mixed with one part humourous essays. And while the humorous essays are fun, like "Those Old Hobo Songs, They Still Speak to Us",the real reason to read this is to navel gaze whilst standing in front of the full length fun house mirror that reflects back Patton.
The boiled down version of Patton Oswalt that is presented here is from the perspective of an early 40's male who grew up in suburban Virginia, just far enough away from Washington DC to know there was a scene there, but not close enough to be part of it. His world, instead, was filled with Dungeons & Dragons, science fiction, horror movies on VHS, stacks of comic books, and movie theaters. This was the primordial pit from which he rose, as have many of us. The stories he relates are witty and poignant and reflective, both of himself and his audience. As a comedian, Patton knows who his audience is and he delivers the goods in full with nary a misstep.
Three pieces stand out in forefront for me for varying reasons, the first of which, "Ticket Booth", is where young Patton gets a job at the local three screen movie theater. Now while the people in his story differ from my own experiences, the actions they took are very similar what with the late night drinking and the the half tickets routine. Oh, the stories I could tell! Suffice to say, I was not present for all the sordid evenings, but there were my own fair share. Anyway, working at a movie theater is a different experience and Patton captures it beautifully. A treasured time for him (and me), but one which we would both say we are better off for having escaped.
The second piece which stands out is "We're Playing Snow Fort" wherein a 10-year-old Patton is describing the cool ass snow fort he and his friend built. They're stock piling snowballs and digging out tunnels and getting ready to throwdown in the mother of all snow wars! Unfortunately the other kids have turned into robots and don't want to play and the cool dad is too busy going into the mean lady's house. It is all laced with a subtle melancholy from an adult perspective. Perhaps the best piece in the book, yet with the fewest laughs.
The third piece, "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland", is meant to sum up the psychological view point of us young geeks and how each of those archtypes affect what kind of stories/lives we want. Kind of a ground zero of geekdom and fun food for thought.
The only issue with the book is that while there is a coherent theme upon the nature of adolescence and growing up, there isn't a grand thread that takes you through. These are just short essays, very well written mind you, but they never reach a summing up or climatic realization. Which is ok as we are still all so just nearly departed upon our journeys. The grand statements are still to come and this was a nice warm up act.
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