Will the two whiteboys make it a white boy summer on Netflix?
Gunner Bush’s new memoir, Suicide Notes to Kurt Cobain, takes us on a fear and loathing trip through the fall of 2016. The memoir circles through the political processes of Trump rallies and Hillary Clinton speeches, runs through several casinos for significant plot points, and follows the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series while introducing the world to Gunner Bush and Sawyer Barnes.
It is Gunner’s memoir, but the balmy, simple-minded character of Sawyer Barnes is part of the book's appeal. While Gunner lashes into the feebleminded folk of flyover country, it is his personal interactions with his high school buddy that dives into the mind of these Trumpies.
SNTKC was released posthumously as the Louisville, Kentucky native Gunner passed away last November. The memoir is now in talks to get the Netflix treatment (or perhaps Amazon Prime), and Gunner’s sister, Kayla, who edited the book for her brother, informs us that her brother did have a wish list for each character.
“Gunner had a list, and Chet Hanks wasn’t just who he wanted to play Sawyer; I think he tweaked that part in the book to fit Chet. Once you know the relationship and read it, your mind puts Chet into the role, and it’s almost uncanny.”
Chet is the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and he is both an actor and a rapper. Last year, he signed a record deal with Soulja Boy’s SODMG imprint and had recurring roles on Empire and Shameless.
Suicide Notes to Kurt Cobain isn’t just a look at the political realm of 2016; it dives into where the country was in 2016. It is a rollercoaster ride that includes an interaction with a witch to help expel the 108-year curse on the Chicago Cubs; it is a road trip full of sidequests showing the darker side of our country, which makes it fitting that the primary catalyst of the memoir is a mass shooting and the “rightening” of America.
Gunner didn’t just have Sawyer Barnes’ character pegged; he also wanted to interview an unknown dancer for the female role of Morgan. The dancer was a young lady also from Kentucky named Cassidy Ann Payne. Kayla Bush told us more about Gunner eyeing the beautiful Ms. Payne.
“Gunner loved Louisville and the whole state of Kentucky. He saw this girl dance online, and he told me that she would be perfect for the part of Morgan Gayle.”
Morgan Gayle is a Hillary Clinton staffer, compiled from three separate real-life staffers, and seen as a beautiful yet very opportunistic person. Now, whether Gunner’s suggestions are taken into account isn’t known yet, but those options should be looked into at the very least.
Gunner, who first made his name when he published a rogue blog while working inside the last days of the Trump White House, didn’t have a major actor picked to play himself, but as Kayla Bush is working on getting a screenplay written for the memoir, she mentions her top play to play her brother.
“Jack Harlow would be ideal. He is a Louisville kid like Gunner was, but also a kid from the Highlands like Gunner was. Gunner loved the Louisville music scene, especially hip-hop music, and Jack is the quintessential rapper from Louisville. As we get the script together, I think that we need to contact Jack first.”
Kayla is currently looking for help in writing the script, something she has never done, but she knows it is only a matter of time with the memoir's success so far. Kayla is asking anyone with screenwriting experience to reach out to her.
Suicide Notes to Kurt Cobain is a three-part memoir that has surpassed memoirs by former first lady Melania Trump and former President Barack Obama on the Amazon charts. It ranked second behind Andrew Yang’s “Forward.” It won the 2021 Cush Jar book of the Year award, and Gunner is being hailed as the second coming of Hunter S. Thompson.
AMAZON: SUICIDE NOTES TO KURT COBAIN