James Pravasilis – The Asshole's Guide to Everyday Living by James Pravasilis

Author James Pravasilis

Ugh, writing a freakin’ Bio sucks! But, I suppose ya wanna know a little about the guy who wrote this book. Well, That’s me, James Pravasilis (go ahead and call me Jimmy). I’m a born/Bred New Yorker from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Now, if any of you reading this know Bay ridge or Brooklynites, you’ll need no further explanation as to how and why a book called The Asshole’s Guide To Everyday Living came about. For those of you that have never had the distinct pleasure of the un-gentrified, south Brooklyn experience, read on.

Growing up as a little kid in the 70s and 80s as what most people refer to as generation X, we had a much different experience of the world. Sure, there were rotary phones, ugly-ass shag carpets, stickball in the streets, and mothers who drank Tab and chain-smoked enough for their kids to get emphysema. But there was something else. We had to grow up figuring things out for ourselves. Whether it was the street smarts of being a latch-key kid or plagiarizing from outdated encyclopedia Britannica to get through the monotonous, soul-dulling Brooklyn public school system. We had to learn to trust our instincts in everything we did. Building character depended on keen awareness and judgment calls that experiences could only mold in a non-virtual world of immediate consequences.

These experiences created a sense of independence and discernment that taught me to question everything. Trust is something I’ve learned to employ carefully. Now, you might think this would create a sense of paranoia, anxiety, and skepticism fueling the characteristics of a, well… an Asshole, and you are 100% correct! But! It also developed an individual spirit that peers deeper into the different layers of consciousness and life.

This Spirit is what got me picked out of the crowd to perform a short skit with Lassie the dog at Radio City Music Hall at eight years old. It’s what led me to wake up one morning and say, “Ma, I want a guitar,” which led me to become a professional musician and a graduate of the Mannes College of Music. This Spirit continued to do its thing by inspiring me to pursue that small voice inside that said, “ Hey, rock star wanna be, you’re also an actor.” That voice led me to countless stage productions of off and off-off broadway shows and eventually shows such as Ray Donvoan, The Blacklist, The Deuce, Billions, Trial of the Chicago Seven, and I know This much is True. The Spirit continued to guide me with writing many short plays and two award-winning short Films, “The Prime” and “Three Grand Souls,” as well as feature films ready for pre-production. And of course, The Spirit gave me a swift kick in the “Nads” the summer of 2020 as I was complaining about the degrading state of the world. Getting tired of my ranting bullshit, a friend turned to me and said, “so why don’t you just write a book and shut the fuck up already?” And just like that, a title popped into my head, and The Asshole’s Guide To Everyday Living was born.

If being a defiant independent free thinker who won't bend to divisive narratives and polarized ideologies aimed at high-jacking people's consciousness makes me an Asshole..... then so be it! Join me and allow me to be your guide .

GOD SUCKS AT DESiGN! No? Okay then. Why would you take the dirtiest, stinkiest, most bacteria-ridden part of the body, and put it where you can barely reach it or see it to clean?