It’s happening. The New York Times Bestseller is officially going to be turned into a movie. Talk of the project has been floating around for the past few years, but after contacting Neil and his assistant recently, we can confirm that it’s official…
A story like Neil’s will no doubt make an amazing movie. Plus, there’s also talk of Orlando Bloom or James Franco to play roles as Mystery, although these claims are unconfirmed.
We will no doubt see some famous faces though, considering the book itself introduces us to stars like Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Courtney Love & Paris Hilton.
The Book…
Back in 2005, Neil Strauss gained the admiration of thousands of men (and slightly fewer women) worldwide when he published the infamous ‘The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists’.
The book was a massive hit and was featured on the New York Times Bestseller List for two months following its release. It reached prominence again in 2007 during the broadcast of the VH1 television series The Pickup Artist, which was hosted by fellow pickup artist Mystery (Erik Von Markovik), who played a huge role in the book as Strauss’s mentor and close friend.
At a glance, the book is a shallow and almost satanic guide into manipulating women into bed, but as the old saying goes, we should never judge a book by it’s cover…
The Game is not a guide to sleeping with women (he wrote a separate book for that: The Rules of The Game); it’s a deep, insightful and unique story about how Neil himself went from struggling with women from an early age, being ‘friend-zoned’ and ignored by any woman he showed an interest in, to being able to approach any woman he admired and use simple teachings from numerous mentors to get these women to want him back… and yes, more often than not, sleep with him.
One of the most popular tactics is something called a ‘neg’ – a negative comment aimed at a woman that you’re interested in to, not necessarily lower her self esteem, but to show her that you’re not trying to sleep with her or earn her respect in any way. The idea is that whilst every other male that wants her attention is complimenting her and asking her if she comes here often or if she wants a drink, you’re making her wonder what makes you so great that you don’t feel the need to hit on her. You’re simply projecting a high value onto yourself instead of onto her.
Neil indulged himself in the industry, becoming obsessed with learning the ins and outs of the art of pickup, and before he knew it, he was named the best pickup artist in the world.
There are some familiar names in the book, most of which play important roles in Neil’s journey, including Courtney Love, Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.
Project Hollywood…
This was the best and worst idea that Neil and his fellow pickups ever had. After touring and conquering cities, earning thousands of dollars teaching what they knew to other men going through the same struggles they once had, a suggestion from Mystery led Neil and a number of other pickup gurus to decide that renting a mansion in the Hollywood Hills and teaching directly from their home was a brilliant idea. They would have house parties on a regular basis, and bring back dozens of women from the local clubs that they had ‘sarged’ as the industry calls it.
Unfortunately (and predictably), conflict arose in the house and fights broke out. Manipulation, disloyalty, love and hate led the team of pickup gurus to fall apart one-by-one.
By this point however, Neil has met his match: a musician named Lisa who is all too wise to fall for his tricks. And with perfect timing. Neil quickly realises that being able to sleep with as many women as he wants is not filling the emptiness inside him that he thought it would. It suddenly clicks that he has spent all this time learning how to get women, but not how to keep them.
In the end, Neil has some important messages for men like him, who feel they have never been able to attract women but feel that it’s important to them. Now, I won’t ruin the ending for those of you who haven’t read the book – I can only highly recommend that you read it and find out for yourself where Neil’s journey led him. But, I can tell you this. The Game is nowhere near as shallow and as demeaning to women as what you think it may be. It’s a deep, emotional story of self-growth and acceptance.
2015: The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships
A decade later, following Neil’s fame, The Truth is a sequel to The Game, and although we come across the same author we did ten years ago, this book shows a completely new Neil Strauss. We see the same depth and honesty in the book as we did the last, but Neil’s outlook on life has developed dramatically.
He reveals early in the book that he has cheated on his current partner, Ingrid, with her best friend… on numerous occasions.
This is, once again, a story of self development. Neil checks himself into rehab for sex addiction following advice from new found friend Rick Rubin, in order to understand and conquer himself so that he can really want to be in a monogamous relationship with the woman he loves.
This book takes a very modern approach into gaining real insight into romantic relationships. If you’re struggling to gain or maintain a trusting, secure relationship, there’s absolutely no doubt that this book has a some serious knowledge for you to absorb.
