Andy Corren's memoir 'Dirtbag Queen' expands on a viral tribute to his mother

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

In 2021, Andy Corren published an obituary for his late mother in The Fayetteville Observer. "A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday," he wrote. His colorful, candid remembrance went viral on Twitter, and now Corren has expanded the tribute into a memoir. Dirtbag Queen recounts the author's experience of growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with a single, Southern, unconventional mother of six children. In today's episode, Corren speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the bowling alley that anchored the author's childhood, nights spent in the city's red-light district, and being raised in his mother's image.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's book of the day. I'm Andrew Limbong. There is a freedom in writing about someone
0:07.7	after they've died. Even if the subjects got the thickest of skin and can attest to being able to
0:13.4	take any level of honesty, I think there's just a natural inclination from writers to hold back,
0:18.9	if only a bit, which is what makes today's book feel so
0:22.0	fresh and lively. It's titled Dirtbag Queen by Andy Corrin, and it's a memoir of Corrin's
0:27.6	life growing up with his exuberant mother. The book is actually an extension of the obituary
0:32.5	Corrin wrote for his mom back in 2021, which went viral. He told NPR Scott Simon that while his upbringing was wild and rowdy, he was cared for
0:42.2	and loved, just in ways that might look different than other families.
0:47.2	That's coming up.
0:48.6	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:53.4	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:57.9	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:00.1	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:03.8	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:07.6	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:12.9	December 15, 2021, an obituary appeared in the Fayetteville, North Carolina Observer.
1:19.8	A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday.
1:24.8	Because she was my mother, the death of Zafting, good time gal, Renee Corrin, at the
1:29.9	impossible old age of 84, is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence
1:36.1	she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash reading, talking, and watching women in
1:42.3	North Carolina, Florida, or Texas was not to be found.
1:46.4	Ah, nothing like a son's love is there. Andy Corrin, the performer and playwright, has written a
	...

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