Book groupies are a strange group…of groupies
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by jessekg in Art, Curiosities, Pop Culture
This is a real tattoo, and by real I mean very permanent. If you have a favourite movie and it happens to be based on a really good at-one-point-cult-but-now-wildly-popular book because two of the biggest actors of their day were in the movie version, then do yourself a favour. That favour would be to do the opposite of what this guy did, which would be NOT to get a tattoo based on the movie adaptation with a bloated looking Brad Pitt holding a bar of soap. It’s the equivalent to buying the hardcover of a classic book, say “The Godfather ” by Mario Puzo, but because it’s been made into a movie the regular book cover has been updated with a giant picture of an actor’s mug on it, say, I don’t know, the guy who played Fredo, then reading that book proudly on the subway. Except it’s not a hardcover book. It’s your entire f’n leg!
Worst part is, there’s more where that came from. Also, what the hell is with those two legs in the background? Is the right shoe in 3-D?
Dust
May 5th, 2010
Updated cover or not, I always feel self conscious reading a classic novel which has been remade into a major motion picture.
For example, I have Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. Every time I’ve busted out that book, people look at me like I’m the stupid one who bought a book based on a Hollywood bomb. As if I were reading a Star Trek book or something…
-d
jessekg
May 5th, 2010
Ya, it’s kinda snobby, but I almost wont read a good book that has been turned into a movie unless I can find a used, pre-movie version, for those exact reasons.
That said, when i was a kid, my friend had Back to the Future part III, the book, based on the movie, and it was the coolest.
Simon
May 5th, 2010
I have a hardcover novel of the entire Death of Superman comic book arc. That’s like, 30 comic books turned into a novel. It’s as bad as it sounds, but I bought that thing anyways dammit. Who cares what other people think.
Jef
May 5th, 2010
1) Haha at that tattoo — that man has abs…on his leg!
2) Starship Troopers is awesome in all forms.
3) My pops bought me a copy of the movie adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade from the supermarket. For years I thought that movie was based on my book.
4) Simon, I thought of buying that book like 30 times. I would go to the store, stare at it, and never follow through out of shame. What I’m saying is, can I borrow that book? No wait, just kidding. No but really.
5) I bought a copy of “I Am Legend” around the time the Will Smith movie dropped, but of course I didn’t want the Will Smith cover. So I finally found a cool looking one with a painted horror cover — all it had was a red sticker on the front that said “NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING WILL SMITH”. Then when I brought the book home, I realized that it wasn’t a sticker. I hate that book cover so much.
Anupa
May 6th, 2010
So basically we run a blog together because we all can’t fucking stand movie covers to books. Is this common in the general population or are we all a bunch of snooty fucks?
Related: Still looking for a pre-movie copy of The Virgin Suicides.
jessekg
May 6th, 2010
I know someone who was a pissed because Revolutionary Road was made into a movie and it is one of her favourite books, so I dont think it’s just us. I mean, who wants to be seen reading a book with a giant picture of Leo on the front? It’s like you’re reading a Tiger Beat.
I was also really pissed that my favourite book, Adam Resurrected, was made into a movie. But it worked out for two reasons. I got to see it at TIFF (I sat behind Jeff Goldblum and beside that Caulkin kid from Igby Goes Down, who almost didnt get past security lol), which I thought was pretty cool. And the movie was awesome, but went straight to DVD. So, good movie adaptation, no fear of cheesy book cover because nobody really liked either.
Short answer: yes, snooty.