I want to start off today by saying this was a unique adventure that couldn’t have gone more unexpected if I had planned it! These last couple weeks I have been pretty busy and though it took me forever to get through, I absolutely loved it! We are going through a unique curiosity for me… it’s called Mankind: Have a Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks.
I know, what a title, right?! It was written by Mick Foley himself. Now, if you aren’t aware of anything remotely involved with professional wrestling, this will be a unique curiosity to delve into. It was unique to me even and I have if not a quiet and reserved passion for wrestling, I would definitely call it a respect for professional wrestling.
Why a Pro Wrestler’s Autobiography for Time for a Book?
I wanted to dive into this book and curiosity today for a few reasons. First and foremost, my best friend in the entire world was suggesting it to me almost daily until I caved and agreed to spotlight it here. Second, I honestly do have massive amounts of intrigue and respect for the business, even though much of what I witness as a fan gets me heated and angry (more on that later). And thirdly, though most of Mick Foley’s career is well before my time, when I have seen him on the big screen, I would have to call him my first and always favorite. His persona is exceedingly unique and memorable – much more so than most of the other wrestlers I have seen.
So, without any more beating around the bush, I will get right to it and admit to the world that though my intrigue is reserved, a passion is a passion and I was more than willing to jump into this curiosity with you, Curious One. Without further ado, Mankind, here I come!
A Real Autobiographer
Have a Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks is an autobiography of the one and only Mick Foley. As you’re well aware, I’m sure, many autobiographies (partly deceiving in their name) aren’t always physically written by the person on the cover page. Most times they are ghost written by a talented writer who gets the chance to explore and dig into the personal life of their person of choice. However, Mick Foley actually wrote his own. He wanted to be able to claim that if the book failed, it failed because HE didn’t do good enough. That if the stories were terribly written, it would be HIS fault they were, not someone else who was essentially deciphering words said over a recording and put into his supposed mouth. I can certainly admire him for that. I would feel the same if it were my own autobiography written.
Within the two pages of the introduction you are given a glimpse into the man he is. It’s remarkable really, how he wrote this all down by hand on 760 pages of paper between matches and flights. Truly remarkable. If you’re not well-versed in the world of professional wrestling, Curious One, don’t worry. If he used professional terminology, he quickly describes what he means and doesn’t expect the average Joe reading his book to know what the terminology means. It wouldn’t be like sitting down with a medical journal and expecting to decipher it if you hadn’t the faintest idea what half the words meant.
Fantasy In the Real World?
Foley did a wonderful job and I was pulled into each chapter. By now, you know me relatively well and can guess that autobiographies are certainly not my usual cup of tea. That is very accurate. I’m not one who enjoys sitting down and reading about someone in a realistic sense. It sounds odd to say, but I prefer the adventure and intensity provided in almost every other genre (aside from any biography of course). Simply put, I find them dull and hard to get sucked into. I want to be carried to a new world with expanding thoughts and figurative scenarios that give me a chance to believe that magic and adventure can be experienced by anyone, not just those who have the right name or the right amount of money.
So, Mick Foley accomplished a massive feat, if you ask me, for getting me sucked into his stories and the way his life went from day the first word to the last. Like I said before, remarkable!
I know you’re probably telling yourself that this is gonna be boring and dull and you don’t want to get into this Curiosity with me, that’s fine, if it’s not your preference, don’t force yourself to endure it, but I can say that if you do give Have a Nice Day a chance, it will undoubtedly be worth the time. On that note, let’s begin!
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Have A Nice Day Beings
Foley begins with a match he had in Munich, Germany on March 17, 1994. To sum it up in a sentence or two, they use to use elevator cable covered with a rubber-type casing for the ropes in the ring. Foley is a wrestler who did lots of damage to his body to get the desired results from the crowds and during this specific match, he lost an ear. There ya go. Hahah! Summed up in two sentences for you.
The chapter may be summed up in two sentences, but man, the topic can go on for a thousand words about losing an entire ear for your career. He has said a couple times that it wasn’t even his most painful injury. Could you even imagine losing an ear, Curious One? I mean, if the topic comes up about theoretical injuries most people instantly think about losing an arm or leg or your sight, you know? Not something as “menial” as an earlobe. I just… I seriously couldn’t even picture the scenario without the help of Foley describing what was going on in his mind at the time. Speechless.
And he opened his book with that match! That was awesome! On the note of timelines, Have a Nice Day did confuse me a time or two. Sometimes another wrestler would come up and he’d tell a story about them before moving on and then a few chapters later the guy would be back, but it would be before the time of his first story, so I will admit to having to go back and forth a time or two to realize where I was confused, but it wasn’t so bad as to ruin the experience.
For example, he talked about Owen Hart and when he fell from the rafters and died and I figured that was the end of that conversation, but then two chapters later he was talking about an Owen and it took a moment to realize he was actually talking bout Owen Hart again. Just a little bit chaotic. But it a sensical way. Haha! If that made sense…
“Fake”
Most people assume that professional wrestling is fake, but if you read Have a Nice Day, you will get more and more evidence piling up on the contrary. Just because timing and sound and experience can keep you from getting a broken jaw after 10 slaps to the face doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt and make your teeth fall out or even make your mouth bleed. The blood is real. It’s not like they walk around in the ring with fake blood packets in their mouths and after 10 minutes of getting beaten up can suddenly choose to bleed. That’s not how it works.
Foley even said himself that in the world of professional wrestling, fact is often stranger than fiction, and the line between them slowly gets harder to distinguish. I can imagine how difficult it is to keep your in-ring persona separate from your real life persona with your family. It would be incredibly difficult and getting a bad rap for being a “fake sport” is absolutely absurd. Anything that abuses the body, to me, should be considered a sport and that includes professional wrestling. In 503 pages, Foley goes through almost his entire life with story after story.
I think that’s why I liked it so much. It wasn’t a boring reiteration about facts and trying to come off as an amazing person who changed the whole world. And it wasn’t political. The stories are so unique and real and honest that you can’t help but feel this emotional connection, making you want to send the guy a virtual hug.
A Surprising Story
Since it’s an autobiography that’s over 500 pages, I’m obviously not going to recap like I usually do. However, some things are important to point out.
Like Colette. His wife. You are only given some quick glimpses into who she is, but I fell in love with her story just as much as Foley’s. She is a strong and amazing woman. It’s hard for anyone to take on a life where your significant other is travelling all the time, let alone when you throw in your own career and a couple kids later. She was just always full of compassion and understanding and their obvious communication was beautiful.
She should genuinely be a role model to any woman struggling with her family life. Foley’s life was pretty hectic and he got disrespected a few times by the business. Which, I mean, any career at some point will disrespect you, but Foley didn’t put up with it and the fact that Colette understood that and supported him with his decisions should speak volumes. I’m not saying that it was easy for her and them, but they refused to allow the choices made by the business to continually affect their devotion and love towards one another. Colette is just an amazing role model and I loved how she was included in her own way into Foley’s Have a Nice Day autobiography. It says a lot about how much he loved her.
Have a Nice Day…of Injuries!
The next thing I want to touch on is the extensive list of injuries Foley acquired during his career up to the point of publication. After dozens of stories, you can imagine the extent of the damage he sustained. Thankfully though, there is a depiction on the back of the cover. Let’s just go over them real quick here:
-Eight Concussions
-Two Broken Noses
-Broken Jaw
-Dislocated Left Shoulder
-Fractured Left Shoulder
-Broken Left Thumb
-Five Broken Ribs
-Bruised Kidney
-Broken Toe
-Torn Meniscus
-Torn Abdominal
-Broken Right Wrist
-Bone Chips in Elbow
-Two Herniated Discs
-Second-Degree Burns on Arm and Shoulder
-Separated Right Shoulder
-Broken Cheekbone
-Four Front Teeth Knocked Out
-Two-Thirds of Ear Ripped Off
-Over 325 Stitches
Does any of that not sound like sport injuries to you? And I’m sure he sustained even more since his career was not over by the time he wrote this book. I mean, come one, someone who will literally lay on an exploding board more than once and get stuck in barbed wire for their career should be given a medal for dedication if nothing else. It’s astronomical how his story played out. No one should be disrespected after giving so much of their lives and bodies to their careers.
The worst part is that he’s not the only one! Not by far…
Full of Passion and Determination
It’s hard to stay relatively objective for me here. I immediately root for underdogs and get angry at those full of arrogance and that “holier than thou” mentality. Nothing makes me mad faster than that and there is so much of that playing out in Foley’s story.
Have a Nice Day is so full of passion and determination in the face of disrespect and disregard. Both heartbreaking and heart fulfilling.
Oh! I also love how the graphics were included! I have the hardcover edition, so I can’t speak for the paperback, but there are 17 full color images of varying stages in his career. There are photos included in the actual writing as well, and some of his personal writings. Like songs or poems that he made for others during his career. It is a fun break-up to the intensity of his life.
I have to admit also that I totally cried… (yes, I’m making a semi-embarrassed face at that admission). You’re aware, I’m sure, how much my emotion shows while reading a book, but man. This one got me. I can’t even really explain why without just repeating myself. It was a hard one. I really think you should read it if you haven’t. It’s really worth it.
It ends on a great note though! He fought his entire career for the chance to get the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt and after too many years he finally achieved it. It really is a remarkable journey that Foley went through and I’m glad he shared it with the world. And I’m glad that my friend convinced me to read it and give the curiosity a chance. I couldn’t be more happy with the results and I recommend it to anyone.
Final Thoughts on Have a Nice Day
I don’t care if you are or aren’t interested in autobiographies. I don’t care if you are or aren’t interested in professional wrestling. I don’t even care if you are or aren’t old enough to understand the struggle of giving everything you have to a career that throws it back into your face. Read Mankind: Have a Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks because it’s powerful, and more people should have a passion so strong that they never give up on it.
Between Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind, you cannot go wrong with the writing of Mick Foley, Curious One. If I haven’t convinced you, that’s alright. But even if it’s the smallest inkling of curiosity, go for it!
I know this was a very different discussion than usual, but I hope this is finding you in nice weather, beautiful laughter and a wonderful time with family. Have a beautiful week, Curious One and never give up on a passion. No matter what anyone else tries to convince you. Passion is what keeps us human. Don’t let it go. Now…you guessed it! It’s time for me to find another book…
Check out Mick Foley at the following links:
@RealMickFoley on Twitter
On Cameo
Mick Foley’s Website
Mick Foley on Facebook
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