Child Star Turned A-Lister

I believe it was Britney Spears who said: “It is better to burn out than to fade away.” Or was it Scott Baio? Regardless of the source, surely I am not the first to recognize that such a profound statement applies not only to pop and/or childhood stars, but to graduate students destined for at least 15 minute of fame…or notoriety. If James C. Coyne were a child actor starring in a hit sitcom, who would he be? Dustin Diamond as “Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers” on Saved By the Bell? Andrea Barber as “Kimmie Gibler” on Full House? Or perhaps Jaleel White as “Steven Q. Urkel” on Family Matters? Who is to say? All we know is that when it comes time to produce the “Where Are They Now?” show, James Coyne could be proud.

Coyne’s character makes a bold entrance from stage left with the title of his chapter: “Thinking Interactionally About Depression: A Radical Restatement.” The audience is immediately captivated by the promise of something “radical.” However, in his first monologue, Coyne’s character shows some vulnerability, acknowledging that the breakout performance that elevated him to at least the D-list (as far as the red carpet goes), was in fact a naïve statement, made by an inexperienced graduate student.

Coyne continues with, shall we say, a defense of his previous work by denying it as an attempt to establish a formal model of depression, but rather as a suggestion that a set of processes associated with depression could be related to interpersonal issues. More than anything, it appears as though Coyne’s intention was to propose a theoretical approach with respect to depression and to call to action his colleagues for their insight and contribution.