OG Dad

by Jerry Stahl

OG Dad recounts the adventures of a man who, in the proverbial autumn of his years, or at least the pre pre-autumn, discovers his girlfriend is pregnant. And having a baby. Whereupon hijinks, cosmic and mundane, ensues. A collection of celebrated columns on The Rumpus with new material and never-before-told tales, OG (Old Guy) Dad is Jerry Stahl at his finest and most domestic.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 2015

About the author

Jerry Stahl (born September 28, 1953) is an American novelist and screenwriter, He is best known for the darkly comedic tale of addiction, Permanent Midnight, which was revered by critics and an ever-growing cult of devoted readers, as one of the most compelling, contemporary memoirs. A film adaptation soon followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role, which is widely considered to be Mr. Stiller’s breakthrough performance. Since their initial paring, the two have become lifelong friends and collaborators.

One of Stahl’s mentors and greatest influences, the late American Novelist, Hubert Selby, Jr. had this to say about Permanent Midnight, “Absolutely compelling... Permanent Midnight is an extraordinary accomplishment... A remarkable book that will be of great value to people who feel isolated, alienated, and overwhelmed by the circumstances of their lives.”

Jerry Stahl has worked extensively in film and television.

Reviews

[Jonathan Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of doing a book signing with Jerry Stahl the other day, and all I can say is I'm glad I read first, as he would be a hard act to follow, reading some of the sickest, funniest, most authentic stuff I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. From the priceless tidbits I heard and almost fell out of my chair laughing at, this one promises to show Jerry Stahl at his very best. Get this one and laugh till you choke!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Jerry Stahl, author (and Old Guy Dad) and Goodreads First Giveaways for the copy of OG Dad that I won in the Giveaway.

If you are looking for good humor, Jerry Stahl delivers in OG Dad. His point for view is unique from first being an older guy when he became a Dad for the second time and second from his Jewish background and years of drug and alcohol usage and recovery. He also has a good sense of humor and some real crazy ideas.

His instincts of what is important for his little girl when it came to a physician telling him and his wife that their daughter was not meeting normal milepost was to find a new doctor. Being a unique individual he must have realized that all children from birth and before are unique and develop in at a rate that is right for each child. I can base this in forty-three years as a preschool educator and the many children that passed through my classrooms and programs, plus the degree I hold in child development and the ninety hours of graduate study on the subject. OG Dad is not a book to base your child's developmental ideas upon but it is highly entertaining with lots of insight from the point of view of a mature caring father that loves his child.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, pretty damn funny. And weirdly sweet (in a grouchy, yet charming Marc Maron/Tony Bourdain kinda way).

Even if I (the 48 year old mother of a 9 year old daughter) found myself alternating between vigorous nods of agreement and cackling in judgement at Stahl's bumbling parenting narrative...

I also found myself wishing he'd waited to write this when his new kid was older than 3. I mean, come on! Babies are EASY dude. Being an older parent and dealing with pre-teens or teens? Yeah, not so much. Just kill me now, because I'm not likely to survive it anyway.

At least Stahl has a young chippy of a baby momma to pick up his old guy slack.

Aye, there's the rub. I should've shacked up with a 20-years-younger-than-me baby daddy instead of going the single mom route. Oops. My bad.

Hoping this ends well (the book, AND my late in life child rearing adventures). Perhaps a Part II is in order?

[Ryan Leone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to see Jerry do a live reading at Stories in LA. He's a super witty, hilarious, and humble legend; if you ever get a chance to see him do a reading, go. Although I'm a big fan of his fiction ( Bad Sex on Speed, Painkillers, I, Fatty, etc) I'm happy to see him return to his confessional stuff. Permanent Midnight made me a fan for life and OG Dad proves that he can still provide the sharp satirical commentary on his own life. Jerry Stahl is the kind of writer that makes you feel like you know him, like it's one of your old friends telling you war stories. His observations about the mundane are unmatched. If you're a father you'll appreciate this book, and if you aren't a father ( like me) you'll REALLY appreciate it because he tells you how it is. An endorsement for the pull-out method by an OG ex-junkie messiah. Reccomended.

[Steev Hise · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a lot of this book, I would reluctantly have to categorize Stahl's writing as basically "trying too hard." Occasionally he has a moment of real cleverness, or of real profundity. But too often he edges past those points and over the cliff of ham-fisted awkwardness.
I think if I wasn't myself a parent, and for that matter a quasi-OG Dad myself, I would only give this book 3, or even 2, stars. But there's enough stuff that resonates and is a smart take on things I've been living too, for it to be worth wading past the dumb bits. I think maybe Stahl's been in the Hollywood TV writing world for too long, or something. His writing here often feels like Groucho Marx trying to be Charles Bukowski - or maybe vice versa. I have felt for years like I would like to someday read his celebrated memoir "Permanent Midnight", but if it's the same level of craft as this, I might not get around to that.

Still, there are some great gems. He adequately conveys some of the experience of being a creative, "edgy", but aging, guy who finds himself, amazingly, a new father. If you don't care about the aging part, I think Neal Pollack's "Alternadad" is a better read. But Jerry Stahl has clearly been through the shit and come out the other side.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had very little interest in this book's subject matter, dealing with being a new parent in one's post-fifties, but I like Jerry Stahl so much that I will read just about anything he writes. I was pleasantly surprised by OG DAD--Stahl's perspective on being a new parent was twisted enough to keep me well entertained--and uncomfortable--no one can provoke squirmy mortification quite like Jerry Stahl--the man is a master!

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I changed her on the hood of my old Cadillac, just off a skeevy stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, and caught some pervaloid homeless guy smacking his gums and peeping from behind the dumpster. Then he called my name and I realized I'd been to rehab with him. He was my drug counselor. Life." --OG Dad page 230

I don't have kids, I don't want them, and I don't even like being around them, but what the hell, I'll read a parenting book by the guy who wrote the best addiction memoir I've ever read.

It is short and quick, and if you enjoy content like sampled above then you'll get some laughs out of this book. It was clearly put together quickly from a series of columns. (There were some typos.) Some info is repeated, and some is just plumb fast-forwarded through, like when did girlfriend become wife? But it's Jerry Stahl, bleak, dark, and hilarious.

[Amanda Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Jerry Stahl before reading this memoir. Apparently it's not his first memoir, and his "real" job is writing columns for a Los Angeles newspaper. This memoir is actually a collection of his newspaper columns, specifically focused on the birth of his second child and his role as a later-in-life father, the "Old Guy Dad."

I did chuckle a few times, whether from the author's near non-stop caustic humor or from being able to relate to his baby-centric tales, this book is nothing if not a quick and entertaining read.

I wouldn't say the author really has anything too far off the beaten path of babyhood experiences, other than he admits he can no longer wear skinny jeans at his age, nor does he realize he's mispronouncing Iggy Azalea's name until he exits the hipster crowd whom he was discussing the female rapper with. But, clearly, he infuses enough humor and sarcasm into these stories that they're extremely readable and relatable (except for the heavy-handed, frequent mentions of his past life as a hardcore drug addict).

I was happy to have won this book in a First Reads contest.

[Cleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Permanent Midnight, but this book seems slapdash in comparison. I suppose the short-attention-span style of the book is appropriate, given that much of it was written during Stahl's sleep-deprived time as a new dad. But I just found it hard to sink my teeth into.

At times his writing is so overly clever and heavily reference-laden that it's exhausting to read. I almost gave up on the book halfway through. But I stuck it out, and it got a little better by the end (maybe because the baby was older and Stahl was less sleep-deprived).

I'll also admit that I did laugh out loud a few times.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in a giveaway. I enjoyed Stahl's writing style, but couldn't identify with any part of this book. So, I never fully got into it.

[Andrew Mclaughlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do wonder if he would ever have gotten this published without having previously published Permanent Midnight, not very good.