There are times when I feel bad for actors like Carrie Fisher. Their names are so deeply tied to one role (Princess Leia in this case), that it inevitably ruins their lives. Most will go down dark a path of drugs and self-destruction, but Carrie … yeah, she did that too.
The difference is, Carrie was a super witty person with a keen sense of self-deprecation. She understood the absurdity of it all, which made her commentary that much more entertaining. She lived in the dark well of self-destruction and encouraged her fans to join her. (Not in the destruction part, just in the storytelling.)
This is what makes Wishful Drinking such an enjoyably horrific read. Every “holy crap” moment is wrapped in disarming humor, as if listening to Robin Williams describe his own descent into madness. It’s very sad, and they can’t help but find the funny, no matter how devastating.
In Carrie’s case, it all stemmed from being born into an elite Hollywood family. (Her parents were Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.) From a very early age, she recognized that her life was much different than the average normie. However, she also recognized the similarities, most notably in the “white trash” levels of bickering and affairs. When the cameras were on, they all played their parts. But when the cameras were off, all hell broke lose.
Carrie described it all like a fish in a tornado. Crazy stuff was happening, and she didn’t have the slightest clue what it meant. She did later on, of course. But through the eyes of a young Hollywood royalty, reality felt broken.
Despite the chaos, an anchor came through the birth of her daughter Billie. Carrie references her throughout the book as the one thing she did right. It’s a touching insight into an otherwise delirious mind. That’s not a judgment, by the way. Carrie readily admitted to a scrambled brain after several sessions of electroshock therapy.
This was Carrie Fisher, and her life was as a unsettling, turbulent, and entertaining mess. The end result was Wishful Drinking, a semi-coherent memoir of sorts. I greatly enjoyed the read, both as a Star Wars fan and as a fellow comedy writer. Great wit is enjoyable in any form, and Carrie nailed the necessary vibe. I can only imagine how good the stage show was.
