I don’t fault Tim Allen for being an emotionally liberal arch-conservative, and he definitely deserves a round of applause for being 30 years sober. But fuck his kneejerk dismissal of Gavin Newsom, the only tough, blunt-spoken Trump pushbacker with a pair of steel cojones….doesn’t back off.
Allen: “I drank when I was eleven years old. All my buddies were vomiting and getting in trouble with their parents, but it never affected me [too much]. I never said no to a drink.”
Maher: “The more you’ve had, the more you forget how much you’ve had.”
HE-posted in 2019 and again in’20…
Speaking as one who happily sipped wine for decades before realizing it was no longer an option, I can say without question that alcohol really did seem to bring a certain glow and ebullience to my life.
I used to think that civilized drinking was essential to a certain kind of joie de vivre. My European visits in the late ’90s and aughts were, I sincerely believed, immeasurably enhanced by the right kind of vino, especially when the bar or restaurant was lighted subtly and softly.
I was never a pathetic, falling-down drunk, although I experienced some truly insane and hilarious episodes when I was buzzed. Especially in my 20s and early 30s. Like falling asleep at a party in Marin County in ’83, and waking up at 6:30 am in a sitting position in a large high-back chair with a half-full glass of Jack Daniels and ginger ale in my right hand.
I was almost never shit-faced (or at least not after high school), but at the same time my motto was “life would be unbearable without alcohol.” I was just having a good time. Breaking no laws, spilling nothing, getting away with it. I’m especially glad that I got to carouse around Italy three or four times before I renounced. Drinking good wine in a sensible way can be wonderful.