James Frey: It's Getting Ugly
In response to yesterday's NYT article alleging that James Frey's portrayal of rehab at the Hazelten Clinic was a complete crock, Random House has offered the Times two men who say they can corroborate Frey's work.
To which one can only say: If this is the best they can do, the Times really ought to shift
A Million Little Pieces over to the fiction side of the bestseller list.
Consider the two sources. One, as the Times puts it, is Alan J. Green, "a state judge in Louisiana who in June was convicted of mail fraud." Green is facing up to 20 years in prison.
The second is "a man named Richard, who said he was a Houston lawyer and accountant but who would not disclose his last name."
Hmmmmmm. Did anyone check where Jayson Blair was during this phone call?
What do the men say? That Frey's descriptions were "pretty much" accurate.
On the other hand, neither one recalls any fighting, vomiting of blood, or gambling among patients during lectures—the very details that elevate Frey's story above a run-of-the-mill rehab diary. In fact, both men strongly suggest that such incidents never happened.
And remember—these are people who are supposed to be
supporting Frey.
Frey issued a statement that said: "It appears that my fellow patients in treatment have essentially corroborated my account, and any differences are incidental."
Argh.
No, James, it doesn't appear that way at all. The differences are not incidental; they are fundamental.
I think Mr. Frey's addiction to lying is far more serious than his alleged addictions to drugs and alcohol ever were. It's certainly lasted longer.
