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Well, have ya ever been pinned down by asniperinFrance?)
and constantly groused and snarled at his spouse, his kids, and random strangers.
For crying out loud, Anderson growled, imitating his father.
What are we, the Rockefellers suddenly?
When she walked into a room, she commanded it.
But she never, ever let us feel the brunt of that.
She always had a smile.
She always got up every morning and made us breakfast our whole lives.
I can still smell the oatmeal, the eggs, and the toast and bacon.
Anderson strove to be more like his mother.
Christine was acerbic but never wantonly vicious.
Her unconditional love always shone through.
The cover showed Anderson dressed up as his mom.
Throughout his career, he expressed nothing but love for the woman, in public and private.
She had so much of it that it dribbled onto me.
I didnt want it, but I found it.
Dad, not so much.
Its a volume of posthumous letters to a patriarch who died in 1980.
But really, Dad, what did we do together?
I cant think of anything.
Or at least I cant think of anything fun.
I guess maybe I should complain about that.
After all, a boys got a right to share some quality time with his dad.
But its funny how were taught not to complain.
The jokes were preemptive: He knew if he didnt make them, someone else would.
Hes doing whats expected before shifting to the unexpected.
The transformation was so full that he belatedly began directing a bit of that warmth toward his father.
Imagine being with your sister and having her go one place and you go another.
Forgiveness was easy for me when I found that out.
And I miss him.
I miss the grumpy, coffee-sipping person that he was.
One time my dad goes, I hate that guy.
I go, You dont even know him.
He goes, I dont need to know someone to hate them, Louie.
Thank God for my dad Im still doing the humor.
I actually think Im a vehicle for this, I really do, he told Hawaii Public Radio.
And I take a stab at make Louie Anderson the person disappear in there.
Disappearing into the vessel of his mother helped Anderson find his truest voice as a comedian.
Anderson wrote about feeling himself become stronger as a person and an artist by trying to understand his parents.
Im finding new reservoirs of strength, he wrote in one of the posthumous letters ofHey Mom.
I really love you and miss you and wish Id been nicer to you.
Did I say that yesterday?
Does everyone wish theyd been nicer to their dad or mom after its too late?
