Foreword

Spilled Gravy. Now doesn’t that sound like something I might be involved with? I usually don’t write forewords to books, not because I think I am above it, but because I am so lazy. I’ve known Driscoll (that’s what I call him) for quite a while. He told me he was writing a book, so I said, “Hey, I’d love to read it.” You know, just being polite. And the next thing you know, here I am, me and my big mouth, writing the foreword. But, boy, I’m glad I am. Driscoll has written a book that looks at life in the same way I tend to look at it. Not just stories that make you laugh, but stories that take you on a ride—from the ups and downs of life, to the challenges of recovery, to the ins and outs of big-time show business. He writes with honesty, candor, and humor about his sometimes painful inner search for meaning. Driscoll takes a straight look into his life mirror, and he shows the willingness to make changes that aren’t easy but are necessary if he is to revisit that mirror.

After reading Driscoll’s soon-to-be best seller, I must say I now know him better and deeper. He is a great comedian, a great comedy writer, and now a wonderful author. I am glad to know him and honored to write this foreword. I will stop writing now because no foreword should be longer than one page, especially if I have to write it. Let me just say, you’ll never look at gravy the same way.

                                                                        Louie Anderson

                                                   Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank the many people who enabled me to write this book, some with their technical expertise, and others who helped simply by giving me their unconditional support. I’d like to name them all, but the list would probably be longer than the book itself, which I’ve been told is not a great selling point. However, I definitely need to thank the following: Edward Driscoll Sr. and Margaret Driscoll, for being attracted to each other enough to give birth to me, and for the rock solid values they taught me and my sisters. And oh, yeah, I guess I’d better mention my sisters, too, or they’ll probably stiff me on my Christmas gifts: Kathleen Driscoll, Colleen Braim, and Maureen Watko. Thanks also to Tom Braim, Neil Watko, my nephews Sean Watko and Ross Watko, my dear friends Maggie Adams, Jeanne Basse, Dina Conway, Nick Rosenbach, as well as Varol and Kim Ablak, Bill and Nancy Braudis, and Jim and Lori Moore and their wonderful families. Thanks to Louie Anderson, Billy Crystal, David Steinberg, and Dennis Miller, for their help and guidance in my career. A special thanks to Helga Schier, without whose editing prowess this book would be one long run-on sentence. Also, a huge thanks to my manager and close friend Ahmos Hassan and his wonderful wife, Tina, and son, Ramses.

I could never have written Spilled Gravy without the love and support of all these incredible people. So if you don’t like the book, please blame them.