Foley’s Tale a Charming One

the-hardcore-diariesProfessional wrestling may have lost its charm over the past couple of years, but characters like Mick Foley have endured the test of time. Admired by fans and media for over a decade for his in-ring style and his witty and spirited ways of storytelling, Foley has produced several best sellers, including the entertaining “Have a Nice Day,” his first foray into writing, which debuted in 1999.

Since then, Foley has even written a few children’s books and works of fiction that have sold admirably for a man known more for shoving socks down people’s throats and double-arm DDTing them rather than writing prose. Nevertheless, while his other attempts at writing have proved the hardcore legend is more than just that, his fans hungered for another autobiographical work, one that showed his recent transformation from wrestling icon to part-time wrestler, part-time writer and family man.

“Hardcore Diaries,” Foley’s third autobiographical work, originally released in March of 2007 on hardcover and now available on paperback, is that work. Combining the life of a professional wrestler trying to win back his fans in a part-time role in the WWE, while working on a novel and being a good father and husband to his maturing children and wife, Foley is captivating and candid throughout.

Much like his career in wrestling, which Foley himself would admit was successful because he hid his weaknesses in the ring (a lack of athleticism and the absence of a great body) and encompassed viewers with his strengths (Charisma, in-ring durability and poise), “Hardcore Diaries,” does the very same. Not a phenomenal wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination, Foley uses a conversationalist tone and language that appeals to the fans he’s writing to, rather than intimidating them with language they can’t comprehend. It’s not that Foley isn’t capable of using complex language (anyone who has read his two novels, “Scooter” and “Tietam Brown” can attest to that), it’s the fact that his hardcore fans want the very best in him and Foley isn’t the type of man that disappoints.

Throughout the 384 pages that make up “Hardcore Diaries,” the reader will feel like this is Mick Foley conversing with them rather than them reading his words. Hearing Mick Foley tell raunchy stories about his time on the road during the early parts of his career to how the writing room in his home is permanently decorated in a Christmas theme paint a picture of a man who is living his dream and has come full circle to realize it. If you leave this book and get only one thing from it, knowing that Mick Foley understands his purpose in life and is dedicated to making his family and himself as happy as possible would be it.

While older readers will appreciate the candid nature of Foley’s words and the fun-loving, yet hard-working nature his life has, hardcore wrestling fans will get something else out of the book. To them, “Hardcore Diaries” will feel like a great story being told via bar stool, filled with bumps, bruises and smiles along the way that are what you make of it. There is no real ending to “Hardcore Diaries,” just a stating of circumstances and feelings of the industry, the people who make it tick and the families who have their lives invested in it. That in itself is enough of content for a great book and Foley is at his very best throughout, keeping you glued to the book through every funny conversation with Vince McMahon and every stop on the map he visits.

To the beatniks of the ‘60s, the words of Jack Kerouac hold a special place in their hearts. To wrestling fans, Mick Foley is their scribe. He tells the stories of the industry that they long to hear and makes them feel connected to it like no other writer can. Say what you want about his grammatical stylings (Foley himself even critiques them from time to time in a self-deprecating, yet whimsical way), but Foley keeps his reader’s attention throughout and is earnest, entertaining and reflective throughout, creating one of the enjoyable works on the industry to date.

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13820 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*