One of a handful of Jews in the WASPish enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut, and undersized at that, George Tabb was routinely kicked around by the other kids – one blind, another one with one arm – as well as by his father. Playing Right Field refers to an early experience of the author and his brother, Lloyd, who played Little League together; they were forced to share one team T-shirt because their father the multimillionaire was too cheap to buy one for each of th… More >>
Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich
Hoo boy, talk about your trip into the world of an unexamined life. While the rest of the planet gets up every morning and goes to work, here’s a guy with more time on his hands than Charles Manson. And what’s even worse, he thinks his slacker ass has somehow done something others might actually find interesting.
So let’s see, daddy was rich, divorced mommy, took the kids and moved off to the land of the cruel and unusual. Young lad pined for absent mommy, had to deal with cruel bullies, was terribly misunderstood, and nobody liked him. And this is different from every other brat from a dysfunctional home how? Oh, that’s right. His daddy had money. Enough to buy him the 20 or so years of leisure it took to write this tree killer.
So how does that Austin Powers tune go?
“Daddy wasn’t there
to change my underwear.”
Quit whining. Get a job.
Rating: 1 / 5
So what do you do if you are the son of a very wealthy man who showed you a radical lack of the sensitivity and understanding necessary for experiencing a proper and happy childhood? Well, if you’re George Tabb, you wait until you are well into your 40s and commit your vast store of cherished childhood pain to the pages of a family gossip tell-all book.
But I have to level with you, do the childhood problems of a privileged yet troubled lad, relived several decades later, sound like the premise of anything unique, or even interesting, to you? No, me neither. Perhaps if the author had broken away from this cruel family and social predicament and struggled to make it on his own in a heroic bid for the freedom and self-respect this nasty situation obviously called for, well, then maybe there’d be something to hang your sympathies on. But apparently for this author the solution was to move into his mom’s place in Manhattan, form a series of failed punk rock bands, write for the fanzine and weekly arts and leisure press, all the while continuing to live on the family dime for the next two decades.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when you must put aside childish things and accept the burdens of adulthood. We can only hope that such a moment will someday arrive for Mr. Tabb.
Rating: 2 / 5
George rules! This book rules! It’s great to know that other people are pussies too, and that they are proud of it. I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard as I did at the crucified frog in ages. It really brought all those scary uncomfortable primary school memories back to the front of my mind. I even remember the name of the bully I concussed in fourth grade for the first time since I whacked him one. Thanks for the great read George.
Rating: 5 / 5
Instead I got some garbage about Tabb’s childhood. The 40 something Tabb haunted the periphery of the NYC punk scene for 20+ years and likely would have a few interesting tales to tell. But no, we must hear about his boring childhood instead. George, you are closer to wearing Depends than you are to childhood, get over it already. Thank goodness I didn’t pay for this nonsense.
Rating: 1 / 5
I had never heard of George Tabb until my friend Jenni recommended that I read his book, it was all of $8 including shipping so I figured, why not?
It was seriously one of the best books i’ve ever read, and I cannot wait for his new book to come out.
The book really makes you feel for young George as a character and absolutely abhor his father.
I reallly regret saying as a character since it’s based on the real events of George’s life.
I plan on collecting all of George’s writings that he’s ever done for magazines now.
Rating: 5 / 5