Book Review: The Drunk Diet by Luc Carl

This is a diet and fitness book for the 99% of us who refuse to listen to any horseshit from people who write diet and fitness books.  Consider me to be at least one of them.

But this is a hell of a lot more than some self-help horseshit.  It's a memoir about Luc's struggle for self improvement, and how he achieved it through eating right, exercising, disciplining himself, & keeping his eye on the prize.  But it's also a hell of a decadent and fun ride through all of the struggling, drinking, carousing, thinking, loving, bullshitting, and, above all, ROCKING & ROLLING that goes on between the bar, the stage, the gym....and most likely, your old lady's bed. It's a dark glimpse at the wee hours of the Lower East Side of New York City, and the sun that shines in Brooklyn when the party is over.

What I really like about the educational aspect of The Drunk Diet is that Luc tells us what works for him as much as he tells us what DIDN'T work for him, in regards to losing weight & getting in shape.  But he also takes the opportunity to tell us what ELSE might work for the rest of us that might be different.  He's not condescending or pretentious about it, or trying to presume that everyone has the same goals, or that everyone's body is going to work exactly the same way to achieve them.  He gives us a line of thinking that will help us figure out what the best way is for ourselves.  I appreciate that.

I sort of think of The Drunk Diet as being The Ramones of diet & fitness books. The Ramones showed all of the Punk Rock bands in their wake (the Sex Pistols, The Clash, etc....and certainly everything passing for "punk" these days) that Rock N' Roll greatness could be achieved while still being simple, real, cool, and fun.  But just as importantly, the Ramones showed us that if THEY could do it, than so could the rest of us.  Luc does the same thing here. He is up-front about how difficult the process was for him to look and feel the way he wanted to, and he tells us exactly what he was thinking through all of it, which doesn't always paint a pretty picture.  But he also documents every small victory and reward that he got for all of his hard work, and makes a compelling case for us doing the same thing.  He makes us see that our goals are attainable.  I appreciate that too.

Something else that I'm sure sets The Drunk Diet apart from its peers is that Luc put a lot of his personality into it.  He uses a narrative that is straightforward & honest, and spoken in his own (often profane) language.  According to an English professor I once had, that gives The Drunk Diet the makings of a Classic American Novel.  Hell, I'd be willing to get that if Mark Twain was alive today, that he'd check this book out for the laughs alone, even if he wasn't interested in getting in shape!

I really fucking appreciate that, and I think you will too.

Read this fucking book.

Buy The Drunk Diet on Amazon.

Buy The Drunk Diet on Barnes & Noble.

Marty E.
2/29/12
Brooklyn, NY