Once again, here's a book that claims to be dark that I didn't think was that dark. And it was written by the older brother of the author of Sellevision (and Running with Scissors, which was better).

The title comes from an Aspergian difficulty of looking people in the eye because it's distracting, especially while talking. Robinson often stopped talking altogether when he saw something interesting when he was younger; he had to master driving and talking at the same time.

His memoir doesn't really focus on Asperger's though. His life is rife with great material - from setting fire to a mannequin in the middle of an elaborate scene so police think someone was hung and burned as part of a satanic ritual to designing stunt guitars for KISS. Yes, this kid dropped out of high school and designed guitars that shot smoke and fire and lights.

He also had the habit of giving people his own personal names, which he used consistently for them. His younger brother was Varmint. His mom was Slave. His first girlfriend and wife was Little Bear; their son Cubby. His name for his second wife is Unit Two, which I think is much less cute and endearing, but he dedicated the book to her and Cubby, so she must not have minded too much.

He once blackmailed an executive at work after he caught the executive snorting fake cocaine on video. Earlier, he shot a huge snake outside a Florida hotel room in front of small children. He was with a friend when they someone managed to set fire (accidentally) to a bathtub full of gasoline and magnesium - which firefighters only exacerbated by trying to douse it with water.

Great stories. I kind of wish I could be his friend, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have anything to contribute to the conversation. And Lord knows what he'd call me...