Amy Poehler knows how to promote her upcoming book, Yes Please, which arrives in stores (and in your Kindles) on Oct. 28. Yesterday’s coverage of Amazing Amy (see what I did there?) discussed her divorce from Will Arnett and how Louis CK’s advice helped her cope. I appreciated Amy’s candor on how she and Will were able to co-parent their two children during their split. It’s not easy.
There’s much more to this memoir of sorts. Amy’s book includes a chapter called “Obligatory Drug Stories,” which sounds … suspect. I do appreciate her honesty (if she’s not embellishing the truth). This chapter will also make for a fun read and some decent gossip:
On cocaine: “I tried cocaine, which I instantly loved but eventually hated. Cocaine is terrific if you want to hang out with people you don’t know very well and play Ping-Pong all night. It’s bad for almost everything else…The day after cocaine is rough.”
On ecstasy and/or Molly: “I remember a wonderful UCB (comedy group United Citizens Brigade) New Year’s Eve party where we all danced and drank water and loved each other. I also remember the next day when I thought I had no friends and I was so sad I wanted to sink into the carpet and permanently live there.”
Life as a single mother of two: “The next day is the thing I can’t pull off anymore. How do you explain to a 4- and 6-year-old that you can’t play Rescue Bots because you have to spend all day in bed eating Cape Cod potato chips and watching The Bicycle Thief?”
She doesn’t even smoke pot much anymore: “I can’t perform, drive or write stoned, and therefore I smoke pot a lot less than I used to.”
On mushrooms: “Everyone needs love, never hurt a living thing [and] don’t worry about the choices you make because everything will be fun because life is a closet filled with pool toys.”
[From Radar Online]
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of these antics took place during SNL cast parties, which are notorious for their shenanigans. Some of these revelations make me feel exhausted. I don’t judge Amy for her drug experimentation, and she seems to give the message that drugs (other than weed, which she still enjoys on occasion) are pointless wastes of time, money, and energy. Does it seem like Amy’s bragging? I think she’s simply trying to entertain her audience. The fact that she calls them “obligatory” drug tales seems tongue-in-cheek instead of wholly factual. That’s fine. She’s a comedian. She tells tales. No one expects everything to be true.
Book cover courtesy of HarperCollins; photos courtesy of WENN
These stories don’t seem particularly interesting or unusual, so I’m not sure why there’s a notion they would be embellished?
IDK – I grew up in a small town with not much to do – we all did drugs in high school. I was mostly a drinker in college, but then I moved to Miami and the drug scene is a whole other level. It’s always been my (possibly wrong) assumption that most people have at least experimented with the drugs she’s listed. It’s not like she’s talking about shooting up, or staying up for days on Meth. I like Amy, a lot, but so far the excerpts from her book are on the border of meh and snoozefest.
There are those of us that haven’t experimented. I just very much like to be in control of my faculties, and drugs do not afford me that control.
And it’s just never appealed to me.
Thanks. I have not tried and never had the curiosity with the exception of Alcohol. I didnt even know the smell of pot up to recently when my neighbor was smoking like a chimney and our apartment smelled horribly.
me too. i never got the appeal. it still weird to me that society celebrates so many drugs which in 99,9% of the cases lead to embarrassment, severe health issues or crimes and only in 0.1% to great 70s albums.
i love beer, but i have been turned of from heavy drinking by seeing how people act when they are drunk and how people who dont drink are mocked or even pressured into drugs.
i still hate that girl that wanted me to smoke pot. yeah i know its not like i woul have overdosed on a joint but why do people think its ok to talk others into drugs? and if its one little shot of liquor, its still not ok.
not even taking into account what kind of people you fund when you buy cocaine and ecstasy. people get so high and mighty when someone uses buys a not fair traded piece of cloth, but have no problem buying goods from people who behead children.
i also dont think “most” people do hard drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, its just an excuse from weak people who cant say no.
Never tried drugs either. I never understood the appeal. There are better things I can do in my spare time.
And you’re a puritanical goody goody if you don’t. It really bugs me when people get on their high horse about people who don’t use drugs. I respect your decision to do whatever you want to do with your body. Don’t pressure me or degrade me because I don’t want to do what you want to do.
@Sara, I think you can state your point about your own choices without determining the cause for other people’s choices, and labeling it as ‘weak’. There are people who go through experimentation or adventure in a lot of areas in life, without becoming menaces and idiots.
Smoke pot a handful of times in my early 20’s. Didn’t care for how it made me feel and never tried anything stronger than that.
I’ve never experimented and have no desire to. I don’t get the appeal.
Ive never tried drugs either.
Never tried drugs either, never saw the appeal. I try not to judge people, but I’ll be honest-the people I do know that are recreational and/or drug addicts are some of the most one-note, self-righteous people I know. A relative of mine, for instance, will damn near lecture you for taking an anti-depressant but in his time has tried ever illegal substance there is. Was never very impressed with his drug fueled stories either. Not much substance there except the usual youthful self-indulgence. JMO
Agree, never done them either, though I do like a nice gin and tonic…
I have experimented with drugs through high school and college too. Most people do. I agree that what she is telling is not in any way unusual. Young people just need to careful especially if they have an addictive personalities.
Double post. Sorry.
Well, yes, I know that many people have never done drugs or even had a sip of alcohol. My point is that her drug stories are hardly Charlie Sheen level and seem like the pretty average experience for many people who have experimented with these drugs. I don’t see why anyone would think these stories would be embellished at all.
+1. Yes. There was nothing shocking in her admissions at all. Seems like the average experience to me as well
As a Dutch person it always astounds me how much experimentation goes on in the States. I tried pot twice and mushrooms twice. In my group of friends not many people have tried anything else besides pot and we’re not exactly puritanical about stuff like this. But the things I hear from American friends about their experiments…I wouldn’t even know where to get all those types of drugs. I recently saw some statistics on drug use and it turns out Dutch people on average use very little drugs and people in the US use quite a bit. Just goes to show that you might think you live in Sodom and Gomorra, but that appearances are deceiving.
That’s an interesting statistic. All of the Dutch people I know (generally, of course) seem very even keeled and secure in themselves. They seem to have a very solid sense of self, if that makes sense. I wonder if this plays into that statistic.
I also think that the “obligatory” part has more to do with the fact that she is an entertainer, and more specifically, a former cast member of SNL! Drug use has been rampant on that set during certain periods, and must have been pretty strong still in her day. I don’t think she is embellishing, especially about the coke and Molly. She and I are about the same age, and I have always been loosely associated with the music/art/acting scene, and you can get drugs anywhere quite easily if you want. I am always turning things down!
Alcohol seems to cause a lot more problems than drugs for all the hand wringing and judgment that goes on. Regardless, Amy seems like most people, she’s tried a few things and liked them or not. I don’t think a person who tries drugs is any different from a person who tries alcohol. One is arbitrarily illegal and one regained legal status because illegality failed miserably. No one should be pressured to use drugs or alcohol but nor should people assume some kind of moral superiority for abstaining.
I don’t think it sounds suspect. But more like she felt obligated to admission, told both negative and positive aspects, and moved on. It sounds like this wasn’t a dramatically large portion of her experience, but enough to mention it.
Yeah, same here. Why would she lie?
She doesn’t sound like she’s bragging to me, she seems a bit sheepish about how silly and melodramatic the drugs made her. Of course there’s a funny spin to her tales because she sees the world through a comedic lens. She seems like she’s being pretty honest about her youthful dabbling.
I think I’m more perplexed by thinking she could be “embellishing.” Why? I mean, Amy is fine (I’m not a huge fan; she’s fine, but I don’t think she’s “amazing”), but she’s not perfect. And who likes a perfect goody-goody anyway? She’s a comic in the biz. Of course she has done drugs before. Isn’t it naive to think she hasn’t?
Well, I love Amy & I’ve never done any drug other than weed. As an alcoholic, I find alcohol & binge drinking far more dangerous (than weed). I’d be smoking currently to deal with my maniac depression & anxiety if it were legal and wouldn’t cost me my job. I appreciate Amy’s honesty & it sounds like the same reactions from most people I know who’ve tried other things.
embellishing?! in my crazier days, i have done all that and more in one weekend, and you would never know by looking at me. those sound the opposite of embellished. they almost sound elementary.
Unless the details get much more specific and wild in the chapter, I agree with you. She’s a mom and a role model who didn’t want to go into all the gory details, but I have zero trouble believing she did plenty of coke and molly at comedy parties… and in other places.
That is a really strange interpretation. Why would she make up stories of drug use? Obligatory Drug Stories reads more like a wry nod to the fact that she is a celebrity and used to be a part of the SNL cast – “Yep, I tried it. Nope, it wasn’t for me.”
That’s how I read it too.
Given the environment she was in for so long, I’d be more surprised or suspicious if she claimed she never touched anything.
I’ve always liked her, but P&R made me a superfan. Leslie is one of the best characters on TV and an amazing role model, and I think a lot of that comes from Amy. She’s also really stepped up her game in terms of directing, producing, writing, etc, and I think she’s become a strong voice for women in the industry and beyond. Her Smart Girl page is well worth following.
P & R has made me a superfan, too. I recently discovered it on Netflix and just love it. Amazing that a network TV show can be so hilarious and smart and also positive. Such the polar opposite of crap like what the Duggars are selling.
ITA that Amy is such a strong voice for women and that Leslie is a real role model.
This is TAME for Hollywood. So tame. Hollywood is a cesspool of just pure nasty.
I can’t picture her doing drugs at all, she looks so wholesome, but it sounds believable to me. Sounds like a normal person who experimented and was lucky to get away from them. I tried a few things in college but I didn’t like feeling out of control or different in my head, so now I only drink occasionally since I still feel like myself with that. I don’t care if people wanna smoke weed, it’s a natural herb and no different than wanting to get a buzz with alcohol in my opinion, people are extremely pleasant on marijuana and don’t bother me, lol. Wish they’d go ahead and legalize it, so many other dangerous drugs they could focus on.
Why wouldn’t they be true? Everyone I know has experimented with drugs. Everyone, and I run with a fairly responsible crowd. Goodness.
Plus, in comedy and entertainment, it’s basically a requirement to have past or current drug and alcohol use.
Yeah, she basically summed up my opinion of cocaine and even my evolving relationship with weed. Using drugs (if it doesn’t spiral into addiction) kind of runs its course… it’s not for every stage of life or social group. And yes, your last sentence is why she said “obligatory”… and why I believe these are milder versions of the truth.
I love shenanigans. And tomfoolery. That is all.
🙂
I don’t think “obligatory” has anything to do with these stories not being completely true (if anything, I’d wager they’ve been toned down a lot). I just think she’s being self-aware about the fact that most celebrity “memoirs” mention past drug use, and about the fact that coke use is the status quo among improv comedians and SNL cast members in particular. She didn’t want to slip salacious druggy details into other chapters; she knew people would want those details, so she put them all in one place and was done with it.
Yup, exactly.
this just seems like a funny take on some decision she’s made that weren’t the best in retrospect. i don’t understand why she’d be “embellishing.”
Reminds me of the one time in college I tried speed. My best friend and I had the best night of our lives, zooming all over Philly in a state of cracked-out bliss, dancing endlessly and feeling like a billion bucks.
Then came the crash, three hours spent feeling stuck to a shared dorm bathroom floor (ew) and the next morning when we laid in bed and cried for two hours not even knowing why lol.
I’ll stick to weed, thankyouverymuch!!
Were you all, “I’m so excited! I’m so EXCITED!” a la Jessie in Saved by the Bell? 😉
Lol
Experimenting with drugs happened at such a young age for me. In fact most people (or you would call them kids, as we were in junior high -grades 7-9) have tried drugs. I am now 32yrs and only know one person from my childhood that didn’t try drugs. That being said, I tried drugs at a young age and found out that they were not for me. ACID was the first drug in the summer going into grade 8. We tried mushrooms, pot, Ecstasy all before college. In college I only drank beer or booze. That seemed to get me into enough trouble, but by that time I was done with drugs! I am now so far from drugs and only drink beer and wine. I don’t think trying drugs is a sign of weakness as someone earlier posted. That is a big stereotype and an old world perspective.
Upright Citizens Brigade, not “United Citizens Brigade”
I don’t care about the drug stories. They are tame in comparison to what a lot of celebs I’m sure experience.
What really bothers me though is the “single mother of two kids” titles. She is not a single mother. She is divorced and the children’s father is very much in her life. She has a boyfriend, is not single. Her and Will Arnett co-parent. Single mothers everywhere deserve to be honored in raising children without a father or with a deadbeat one. People need to be stop using this phrase when describing women who aren’t with the father anymore but said father is still in the children’s life and has an active role. Roar. It bothers me. I have a recently divorced friend who calls herself a single mother but is the farthest thing from that. She and her ex have the girls the exact same amount of time. Now her younger sister is a single mother, raised a son on her own since 15 and did a great job. THAT is a single mother.
Okay rant over 🙂
It doesn’t come off as either sad or braggy to me, just open.
I wouldn’t say it’s really intentional bragging, more like a little…tone deaf. You really have to wonder how much her privilege as a wealthy, white woman impacts her ability to say these things. The fact that there are drugs doesn’t shock me – everyone should know that they’re ubiquitous in Hollywood at this point. But the fact remains that the drug war has put a lot of otherwise decent people with bad circumstances behind bars, serving time for a crime that positively blasé in the upper classes.
Straight up- this does not seem embellished, just a really basic summary of times on those drugs. Can relate, and I’m not exactly a fiend.
Geez, sounds totally tame and not worth the cost of the book lol. Hope there is more in the actual chapters! I still smoke weed. It’s fun. Reason enough for me.
Hmmm, I think this article is coming off as a bit judgey for no reason whatsoever. So she did drugs and so she is writing about it like she doesn’t realize others will judge her for it, gah, so what? Its only when I mention “i did drugs” and hear the pin drop in a room full of Moms who then say “Oh, I never did them” that I realize, oh fukk, they be judging me RIGHT NOW! Sigh.
Yeah, its just stupid to even look at someones past and not see their present or take them for face value of what they are just sharing. She’s written a book, she’s gotto sell SOMETHING.
I’m more or a weed and caffeine gal myself since we’re sharing.
It was my understanding that most to all comedians are vacuum cleaners…
It actually reads OK to me. If she didn’t include “My Drug Experiences” everyone would assume she was either a hardcore drug maven or a prude. [Not that I am calling all of you non-drug-trying people prudes.] So she gives us a tame look at her experiments. Seeing as she’s a member of the NYC entertainment industry, it strikes me as pretty pedestrian. Then again, I don’t usually judge people by how outrageous their drug histories are, sooooo… yeah.