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Dancing Barefoot
After nearly two years of blogging, Wheaton compiled and edited an autobiography from his blog entitled Just a Geek, to be released in June 2003. Several of the stories which didn't fit into Geek have been collected in a smaller companion volume, Dancing Barefoot, which is now available from Wheaton's publishing company, Monolith Press (www.monolithpress.com). The legions of Trek fans who have rediscovered Wheaton as a guy much like themselves, as well as those weblog readers who enjoy Wil's humor but don't know the difference between trilithium and tribbles, will find Barefoot irresistable. Those with only a casual interest in Wheaton but familiar with Trek will find the book's showpiece, The Saga of Spongebob Vegas Pants, well worth reading. Wheaton's conversational, intimate writing style may even convince them to read the rest of the book. Cartoon illustrations provided by Ben A. Claassen III are an excellent complement to the casual essays.
Barefoot begins with four short pieces, essentially vignettes of days (or even moments) in the author's life. These range from the amusing (ruminations on teenaged lust and paths untaken) to the melancholy (Houses in Motion, a paean to Wheaton's deceased great aunt), and one needn't be told that they were culled from journal entries, because they very much read that way. The best is Houses -- although it sometimes ranges into maudlin territory, it is also the most courageous writing in the book. Wheaton's generation has been raised on a diet of pop culture and cynicism, and it's invigorating -- if somewhat startling -- to see someone of that generation openly expressing such feelings of devotion and despair.
The man who spent his formative years aboard the starship Enterprise departs from the short form for the final and most engrossing portion of the book, the aforementioned Spongebob Vegas Pants. It's the chronicle of a Star Trek convention held in Las Vegas, during which Wheaton tolerates the alternatingly ugly and kindly faces of fandom, but eventually rediscovers his enthusiasm for the Trek universe. Those who have attended such conventions will immediately recognize the fan archetypes, while those who have never been to such an event may decide that they never, ever want to. Fortunately, the story is less about the horrors of being a convention guest and more about the resolution of Wheaton's conflicted personal feelings about having been a part of the Trek phenomenon -- including his unpleasant run-ins with the original captain of the Enterprise, referred to repeatedly as William F---ing Shatner.
Certain sections of Dancing Barefoot could have used another turn under an editor's pen. Sponge Bob Vegas Pants, in particular, has a few passages that don't serve the story much, but as with the deleted scenes on a special edition DVD, some readers will be grateful for the extra material, regardless of how it affects the overall pace. Frequent atticisms will sustain the rest of the book's audience through the book's slower passages, though, and the author's humility is an effective antidote for the feeling that one might be about to read the memoirs of yet another self-indulgent celebrity blowhard -- which Mr. Wheaton certainly is not.
Given that the engaging Dancing Barefoot comprises the material that didn't make it into Just A Geek, it feels much like an appetizer to the larger work. Let's hope the main course is as tasty.
...just a clever book title.
I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.
I admit I didn't see all the episodes, but I don't remember seeing one where Wesley went around crushing boys.
"People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
Quite the number of trolls out today. Considering that Wil has enjoyed a somewhat unique experience in one of the most loved TV franchises in the modern era you think people would be more inclined to post thoughtful replies.
Then again, I suspect the trolls are simply driven by a wracking, crushing feeling of sexual inadequacy.
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at Dancing Barefoot as well. If you've read Wheaton's blog at all, you may be familiar with his funny, often self-deprecating, and above all, honest writing style. Sometimes, his blog entries are brief one-liners, but other times, they are quite courageous and emotional stories that really draw you in.
Even if you don't want to be drawn in.
Of course, I wasn't all that drawn in, you know, 'cause I'm a bad ass.
No, really.
And I didn't get choked up at ALL reading any of it, especially the one about his Aunt Val's house.
I did NOT.
Shut up.
Where was I? Oh yeah. Dancing Barefoot takes some stories that were previously on the blog, and adds to them, finishes them -- puts some more polish on the edges, and presents something that is incredibly human, touching, and even grand.
This book is worth reading just for the Saga of Spongebob VegasPants alone. Even if you're a long-time blog reader, I can almost guarantee there is some stuff you haven't seen yet.
Actually, this was a reference to his former pro-wrestling career, where his title was "Wesley, The Boy Crusher". It's a period that Wil would rather soon forget about, thank you very much.
I'm glad to see some of Wil's writing make it into print after having read his blog for so long. His style online, while not always what one would consider highly-polished (an asset, actually) is very heart-felt and honest.
Nice to see someone who had an early acting career not show up as one of those 'and they found him in his car, stoned out of his mind, with 17 sheep and a bottle of vodka' sorts of stories. Wil seems to be a decent guy, and I hope he succeeds enough with his writing to make that his profession, if he chooses.
Cheers, Uncle Wil.
I want to know more about its general feel! I want to know more about what I might not like! I want to know more than "There are parts that need to be polished, but ignore my last sentance"!
The general feel is kind of like the author is a friend or a family member writing you a letter about stuff. Like the review says, "Hey, dude, you gotta check this out" kind of thing. It just sort of makes you feel like you know the guy, even though of course you don't. Like you might have hung out together in high school, then lost touch.
What might you not like? Well, you might not like that kind of friendliness. The stories are emotional in many ways. Depending on your point of view, you might see them as overly sentimental or even maudlin. I didn't, but I know a few cynical folks to whom any indication of emotion is automatically sneered at. It's not a technical book. It's more of a glimpse into one person's life. If you don't care for personal glimpses, you might not like it.
Dunno. I've watched some episodes of Star Trek, and even enjoyed them, but I had no idea who Wil Wheaton was until I once read his Slashdot interview. I just enjoy his writing, and this book contains some of the best.
What else would you want to know?
The illustrations are cool too.
Heheh.
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I'm surprised that Wil hasn't been on "Where Are They Now?" on VH1. It's absolutely amazing how hardcore-trekkers reviled him in yesteryear, and everybody else essentially ignored him. And here he is, a Slashdot regular. You gotta take your hat off to the guy...not everybody gets a second chance.
--- Where's my car, and why are these grass stains on my pants?
Stop laughing.
Check out Wil's interview with The Onion AV Club. Lots of good insights on the absurdity of child stardom, and the bizarre love/hate relationship with Star Trek fans.
I think Wil's done a great job moving away from his strange past... hopefully he will soon find a strong movie role that suits his unique personality.
...he says without a hint of irony, while posting on Slashdot about how valuable his time is...
I never thought many moons ago I would see someone on TV, and then talk to him many years later on this Internet thing.
.....
I felt like I upped my geek status at that point.
I have a saved email from Richard Stallman. The topic it was on is irrelevant to me now, but the fact that I corresponded with an uber geek and got a response other than the typical restraining order I usually receive is something that I wanted to record for posterity, so I have saved the email. Ah, the power of celebrity.
Accordingly, please mod this, and all my future posts, "-1 -- Fucking Loser."
Lots of petrified grits
I've never had the particular honor to have been able to speak with him in person or on an online forum, but I've read over some of his comments and blog posts in the past. This book sounds like one I need to add to my list in the near future!
Mr. Wheaton has always come across to me as being an honest, true techie with a Clue. The fact that he speaks his mind without hesitation only makes me respect him that much more; a guy could easily dig himself into quite a hole with as many ears listening as he has.
I wonder, though, if this is the beginning of a new wave of publications-- dead-tree compilations of blogs? I'm not sure what I feel about that. For every good blog, there're a few hundred that are a total waste of electrons.
Wil's a great actor. I remember him from way back when in Stand By Me, and even from The Last Starfighter. But the worst piece of writing I've seen in nearly any program was a TNG line where he meets Riker in the hallways of the Enterprise-D and says:
"Can I walk with you?"
Gahhh, I still think about it and it makes me cringe...but some folks could mistake the bad writing for bad acting. His revival is much welcomed for me, and that book will probably be an interesting read.
From the review of Dancing Barefoot:
The best is Houses -- although it sometimes ranges into maudlin territory, it is also the most courageous writing in the book. Wheaton's generation has been raised on a diet of pop culture and cynicism, and it's invigorating -- if somewhat startling -- to see someone of that generation openly expressing such feelings of devotion and despair.
Startling, but not unique in this generation. David Eggers' memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Based on a True Story specialises in this style of self-revealing, self-referential, reflective, intelligent, witty prose. One can't help but notice the similarities in the relationship between Eggers and his brother Toph, and the relationship Wheaton has with his stepson. While reveling in the part of himself that will always be a boy brought out by the younger (the child is father of the man, and all that) he also can reflect on the call to greater responsibility required by the relationship, accepted somewhat reluctantly.
Eggers started a whole (and very good) imprimatur with a group of authors and artists who also transcend the pop culture they were raised on. Good Stuff and worth reading!
This is just a thought, but I think that some of the younger Star Trek: TNG viewers might have even been JEALOUS of Wesley Crusher.
He is smart for his age (as many teenage Star Trek watchers were, or at least tink they were), and I think it might be easy for some younger viewers who were around Wesley's age at the time to relate to him.
However, the kids watching the show lived in the world of Junior High and High School, possible where they were made fun of for being nerds, trekkies, etc... whereas Wesley lived on the Enterprise and got to have at least a few cool adventures.
So I think it was easy for a young Trek fan to wonder why they couldn't be in a "cool" situation like Wesley was. So they were jealous of him.
Some people might have also been jealous of a Wil Wheaton for being able to play Wesley on Star Trek and be on the Enterprise set rather than in school.
Personally, I'm jealous of Reginald Barclay. Yet another crazy, incompetent mental case with a better job than I have.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Wesley Crusher was the boy on Star Trek, the son of Doctor Beverly crusher (the younger doctor from the 3rd season on), whose father was killed by a painful choice Picard made to save more lives. Wesley Crusher was a 16 year old character written by a 60 year old man to resemble how 10 year old boys looked at the world in the 50's. Ironically, Wil Wheaton played, in Stand By Me, a 10 year old character in the 50's written by a 60 year old man to resemble how a 16 year old boy looks at the world in the 80's.
Wesley Crusher had a few flirting romantic spats with girls, was nearly executed for walking on the grass, helmed the starship through far to many dangerous encounters, and was eventually canned due to near universal revilement of his character. Quite frankly, Wesley Crusher was insulting to the teenage audience of the show, as he was written with all of the deep understanding of the turmoils of youth shown in "The Family Circus". If it were set in modern times, the writers would have given Wesley Yu-Gi-oh cards.
His character walked off with the traveler after 4 seasons, never to be seen from again (until Nemesis, which I haven't yet seen). The void left by that departure was shortly thereafter filled by Lt. Barkley, another character whose sole purpose was to have blundering errors of judgement.
Wil Wheaton, on the other hand, is a very personable guy. He's honest and open, and his acting in Stand by Me and Toy Soldiers reflects this. He's also a nice guy in person, as friends working at A Wrinkle in Time have said. He's done his penance, and deserves to be taken as a serious actor outside of the Trek universe.
The ______ Agenda
I thought he was good in Stand By Me. But the thing that bugged me about Wesley, was they made him into such a whiney, little snot on ST:TNG. I was also bothered by the fact that this "Advanced" and "Modern" version of Trek still treated him as a "dumb kid." Despite calling him a "boy genius" in the opening teasers prior to the shows launch.
Had they written a better part for him, and treated him like an equal, I'm sure that fans would have liked him more.
But with that aside, I have to give credit to him for being able to take the good with the bad in stride. He's still able to look back on Trek and Smile, and still able to smile when fans face him and say "I really hated Wesley."
How many of the rest of us would be able to do the same without giving folks a big "F*** You?"
I for one can say, while not a "fan" of Wesley, I can give kudos to Mr. Weaton for hanging in there with a bit of class.
-Goran
Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
Not exactly.
1) Wil quit the show, he wasn't canned.
2) His character was seen after season four. He came back for an excellent season seven episode.
However, good insightful comments about the writing of his characters. I never quite looked at the inverse relationship of his characters in Star Trek and Stand By Me. Roddenberry really didn't have anything to say with the Wesley character. He seemed to just want him around to be some kind of superior innocence.
I wonder how Gene reacted to the public irritation with his characterization of Mr. Crusher.
Anyone know? CleverNickName?
Well, I didn't have anything to add to the conversation . . . but since you asked, I'll see if I can put something worthwhile in here.
I read at 5, so forgive me if I don't bite on a particular troll.
Someone asked if this is a "fresh perspective" on anything.
I don't know. It's my perspective on several things:
Should you buy it? I don't know. Only you can make that choice.
Who is the anticipated audience? Well, people who read my weblog (about 500,000 a month, as of last week) will certainly enjoy it, because all the stories I pulled from the blog are ones that have been very popular with readers. Star Trek fans will probably enjoy the Saga of Spongebob Vegas Pants -- I can say this with certainty, because I've read it at conventions, and the crowd always loves it.
Is this just a cut-n-paste from my site? A "dead tree" version of WWdN?
No.
I took the stories from the weblog, and I rewrote them. I think I've matured as a writer since they were first written, and I've rebuilt them. I had the technology to make them faster, better, stronger.
They are also illustrated by my pal Ben, who is an OUTSTANDING artist. The illustrations really lend an extra dimension to the reading experience.
If you're one of those people who has some sort of primal need to hate me, and everything I ever do, (please note: Wil != Wesley Crusher) I doubt anything in this book is going to change your mind about anything. (As a matter of fact, I doubt that anything I do at all will change your mind. That's why I read at +5.)
But if you are curious, you can always take a look at my website, and read some of the stuff there. If you like what you see, there's a good chance you'll like this book.
Of course, here is the ObBuy link, and, uh, I guess I'm supposed to scream "OMFG DANSIG BARFUT IS TEH FUTAR!!11" for some reason that currently eludes me.
. . . but back in my day, we would have said "0/\/\fG! |>@/\/c!nG b@r3f00+ !5 +3h
- Crewmember on the USS Enterprise
- Codes and maintains his own website
- Uses Linux instead of Windows on his home machines
- Worked on the Video Toaster
- Obsessive blogger
- Posts on Slashdot
- Free Speech activist
- Frequent (but not frequent enough) guest and sometimes guest host of The Screen Savers
- Host of Arena on G4
- Gamer, both video and role-playing
What more can you ask for? Seems to me that Wil Wheaton has become the shining star of Geek Culture, the Ubergeek. He's both articulate and telegenic, and has a deep understanding of technology's role in society. Should Wil Wheaton decide to run for office, I'd vote for him in a minute.Interociter
-=What do I want? I'm an American. I want more.
I wonder how Gene reacted to the public irritation with his characterization of Mr. Crusher.
:)
It hurt him a great deal.
Wesley was Gene's idealized self. Wesley was the kid that Gene couldn't be, and he hated it that the fans, who he loved, hated this character so much.
I remember once, we were at the same convention, and there was a group of fans chanting someting like "kill wesley" or "wesley sucks" or something equally intelligent.
Gene, who was about a thousand at the time, and not exactly spry, stormed up on the stage, grabbed the microphone, and said something along the lines of, "All you people just STFU! I make this show the way I want to! I don't make it for you, I make it for me, and if you don't like it, you can watch something else!"
There was a stunned silence, and then applause from the few majority of people who didn't share the opinion of the haters.
It was awesome.
I know that Gene respected and appreciated the fans, just like all of us do . . . but there's only so much a guy can take, you know?
Just read this thread at 1, and you'll get an inkling of about 1/10E6 of what I put up with for 15 years . . . and I was just an actor on the damn thing. I didn't even create it.
I know now, as a writer, that criticism of writing stings much worse than criticism of acting. The writing is much more personal, you know?
And thanks for setting the record straight on my history with TNG.
I remember noticing this really goofy guy . . .
:)
Heh. Some things never change.
You made a teenage geek very happy. Thank you.
That's awesome. I always try to be not a dick when people ask me for autographs and stuff . . . but when I was a teenager . . . well, I didn't just look goofy. I *was* goofy: insecure, awkward, and anxious. I could have easily let my insecurities get the better of me, and acted like some of the AC's here. I'm glad I didn't.
I was at Disneyworld then with my best friend Darin. It was for his 18th birthday. I was 16, and we thought we were SO COOL (nod to Teen Girl Squad) being all the way in Mysterious Florida . . . I have nothing but wonderful memories from that vacation (even though I lost my nerve and didn't kiss the cute girl while I was there.)
It's awesome to me that you have a good memory, and I'm part of it. Thank you for sharing it.