This past season of Jersey Shore saw a lot of changes in the lives of the cast, but arguably no cast member went through as many alterations as Vinny Guadagnino. Immediately following the roommates' return from Italy, they reconvened in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, to spend the remainder of their summer partying and having fun. While that objective was eventually fulfilled, it took a while to get there. After the roommates returned to the U.S., the season's first few episodes saw Vinny struggling with anxiety problems due to the strenuous shooting schedule. Issues, he said, that he'd been dealing with most of his life. After a short absence from the Shore house for some downtime, Vinny returned midway and finished off the season with the rest of the cast.Â
For even the most seasoned Jersey Shore viewer, Vinny's revelation may have come as a major surprise; generally seen as the most calm, cool, and collected dude in the house, next to perhaps Pauly D, Vinny had been given any indications about problems or stresses in the past.
Now, Vinny is coming out with a new book, titled Control the Crazy, to talk more in depth about dealing with anxiety issues. Though, and he'll be the first to tell you, the advice the first-time author offers in the book are all pearls of wisdom that anyone can benefit from, no matter what they're dealing with in their lives. Drawing from various methods of relaxation, meditation, and learning to control ones own mind, Control the Crazy is, perhaps, not a book featuring the sort of subject matter one would expect to see from a Jersey Shore alum. However, after considering his impressive credentialsâa bachelor's degree in Political Science, and aspirations to be involved in politics and former dreams of attending law schoolâit's exactly the type of book one would expect to see from Vinny.Â
With Control the Crazy hitting book shelves today, Complex spoke to the Jersey Shore vet about the publishing process, his experiences dealing with anxiety issues, and his thoughts on The Pauly D Project.
Interview by Tanya Ghahremani (@tanyaghahremani)
Follow @ComplexPopCult
First of all, I read your book, it was really great.
Thanks!
You must be so excited.
I am. Iâm excited for people to finally start reading it, because the process has been about a year or something like that: a year for the actual book itself, and just three years of me putting it together in my head. So Iâm definitely excited to share it with people that I know have never heard this kind of stuff before.
Youâve always seemed to be the super-chill guy on the show, so it was a huge surprise last season in Jersey Shore to see that youâve been dealing with anxiety issues for a good chunk of your life. What made you want to speak out now?
Well, the reason why Iâm always so chill and usually able to help out other people is because I have been to dark places myself. Iâve had some rough times myself, so I was able to, like, learn things and I always try to stay in a giving state of mind, so thatâs why Iâm usually playing the peacekeeper on the show. But like I said, thereâs a reason why I know all that stuff, itâs because I can be set off occasionally as well. And the show is reality. They caught me at a time when my stress level was through the roof because we were filming so much, and it was just there, I couldnât fight it anymore. Itâs not something thatâs fightable, especially when youâre exposed like that; the more you try to fight it, the worse itâll feel.
So I just kind of opened up about it, was honest about it⌠Iâm like, you know, this is my life right now, this is my past in life. Iâm gonna just own it and accept it. What got me through was saying that one day Iâm gonna share this stuff with other people, and maybe thereâs a reason why millions of people are watching me go through this. Maybe itâs for the benefit of other people, and I can help people one day, and thatâs honestly what got me through.Â
Since the fifth season aired, have you received any feedback from people who might have the same issues?
Oh my god, every day. Like, amazing, just story after story and thank you's, and people being so thankful. Itâs just amazing, theyâre thanking me just for saying the words, because itâs such a lonely thing, a lot of people donât even know what it is that theyâre feeling. Itâs not easily labeled; you donât have to label it, and a lot of people donât. I didnât for the longest time myself, and I still donât label it, really, I just occasionally feel like crap, and when someone else sees someone else going through it, theyâre like, âGod, thank you! Someone else has these feelings!â It makes them feel better automatically. So, I hope all those people will actually get the book and really take it one step further, and not only see that Iâve gone through it, but see that thereâs actually ways to manage it, easily.
Right. I feel like a lot of people do have anxiety issues, and itâs an issue that's not really represented on television or in the media that well. Itâs just not talked about much.
Yeah. Definitely not. Itâs usually kind of embarrassing, saying, like, âYouâre weak,â because itâs a fearful thing, you know? Anxiety is set off by fear, thatâs why it exists, everybody has it, itâs how humans adapted to survive over the years. But the funniest thing is, every single interview I give, to every radio host, to like, the biggest, toughest ones in the game, to every TV show I go on, when they hear about it, theyâre like, âOh my god, I feel the same way sometimes, Vinny!â
Itâs just like this unspoken secret that like everybody feels, and they can only talk about it once they hear that someone else has it. Once they can identify with someone else, then itâs OK to talk about it, but itâs never OK just to come out and say it, you know.
Itâs true. People donât want to look weak in front of others.
Yeah, and Iâm trying to make people look stronger for doing it. What I had to do is⌠You know, Iâm on a show about partying and having fun, and Iâm always like the cool, calm guy, and it took a lot of strength to say that stuff in front of millions of people, and sometime I hadnât even said it to my own parents. It is what it is; I had to do it, and now Iâm trying to turn it into a positive thing.
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How did the decision to write a book come about?
When youâre a celebrity, you think of different things to do with your career. Like, do you want to go on another TV show? Do you want to go into music? You have a platform, and the book thing always comes up. My other cast-mates have written books. And I went to school for political science; I was always academic, and I had always considered writing a book, but I just didnât know what to write a book about. Simultaneously, I was studying this field of spirituality and self-improvement through all these other books that Iâve read. I was addicted. I read one after the other, I attended seminars, and I was just doing this on the side. I was just putting it together in my head, not because I wanted to write a book.
And then as I became really educated in this field, I started to put together something in my own head, and said, "You know what? Maybe one day Iâll release this." I typed up a little proposalâthis is before Season Fiveâand once Season Five happened, like I said, I was like, âNow Iâm gonna share this with people because I need to help people.â Because, to get out of my own head, I wanted to help as many people as I could, and I felt that, like I said, I was going through this for a purpose. Thatâs what really solidified the idea, and all aspirations I had of writing the book became reality once that happened.
How did the process of getting it sold to a publisher go down?
Really amazing, actually. One of the things I talk about is the power of intention, and the laws of attraction and all tha. It was just like everything just led to each other. My management company, they actually work next door to a literary agent, Foundry, and when I had the idea, we talked about it with them. And Foundry, they were pretty inspired, because when I talk about this stuff, itâs not BS; it comes from the heart, so they liked the idea. Then they were like, âWow, we have the perfect writer if you want to collaborate. Her name is Samantha Rose. Let me see if sheâs available.â
Samantha was available, so we wrote a proposal together. A proposalâs like a chapter of what the book is going to be about. And then my literary agent, sheâs awesome, she knows all of the biggest publishers in the game, and we just went around and said, âHey, check out these proposals. Youâll never believe that someone from the Jersey Shore is writing this type of stuff!â They ended up reading it, and everybody whoâs ever read the proposal ended up loving it, and through a process of interviews and stuff, Crown Random House ended up being my publisher. And Iâm really happy, because theyâre awesome.
For someone who hasnât read the book, if you could give one bit of advice to someone dealing with anxiety and depression, what would it be?
Well⌠Just one more thing, I want to make sure that people know: If I had to give a message to anybody that wants to read this book, I would say, this isnât a book for somebody with anxiety/depression.Â
I know the stuff that I know, and the little tips and workouts that I give, I was led there because I have anxiety, but anybody can benefit from this stuff. Whether youâre in a tough relationship, whether youâre addicted to drugs, whether youâre trying to lose weight: these are all just mechanisms for quieting your mind, because your thoughts are the roots of all evil. Thatâs what I would say to people: You give your thoughts their own reality, and if you donât take your thoughts so seriously, and realize that theyâre just thoughts, then your life can be a lot happier. Live in the moment, and donât let your thoughts ruin your life. You can solve a lot of problems like that, including anxiety, weight loss, bullies. Just everything.
So, basically, you can be your own worst enemy if you let yourself be?
No one else is physically putting these feelings inside of you; no one is injecting you with a needle of insecurity or anxiety. Itâs you giving everything a meaning, because youâre taking your thoughts so seriously, and your ego. So thatâs one thing you realize, and really, the way out of it is realizing it and accepting it. The easiest and hardest thing to do in life is just to be present, there, and not let your thoughts ruin your day.
Switching gears a bit, I saw that you were recently in Cannes. Any interesting stories from your time there?
I wish I did, honestly! Itâs not really the season right now for Cannes. I was at a MIP, and it was kind of corporate, it wasnât really like the film festival where every club and bar is open. It was educational for me, though. I saw how the international TV industry works. I got to represent for MTV and Chris Linn, our executive producer of the show, so that was cool. Then I went to Paris, and I saw some art. It was another accomplishment in life, because I try to set goals, and I never thought Iâd be traveling places. Iâve been to places all around Europe, and I wanted Paris to be one of them. So, it wasnât like off-the-wall crazy, but, it was definitely an educational accomplishment.
With the news that Snooki is pregnant, and Mike, "The Situation," just got out of a two-week stint in rehab, next season of Jersey Shore stands to be a lot different than the past. What are your thoughts on that?
Well, the way the show is filmed, itâs a documentary: Thereâs no pretense, thereâs nothing that they set up. I donât know whoâs going to come back, or what theyâre going to do, they just say, âVinny, be here,â and we go, then the show is created from there. So, I donât know what the differences are going to be, or what itâs going to be like, but after the show films, then we can tell people, âOh, OK, yeah, this had an effect,â or âThat had an effect.â But as of right now, itâs just a mystery.Â
So, youâre definitely coming back.
Yeah, Iâm on board. I know the same thing that everyone else knows. I read in the press that thereâs gonna be a season six, and I was like, âOK!â Unless they change anything, Iâm coming back.
You give your thoughts their own reality, and if you donât take your thoughts so seriously, and realize that theyâre just thoughts, then your life can be a lot happier. Live in the moment, and donât let your thoughts ruin your life.
What about after the Shore? You just released a book, and I know youâve said you want to pursue acting. What do you have planned?
I continue to take acting very seriously. I go to acting classes, I keep on auditioning and doing these little guest spot roles just to build up a resume, so thatâs my main dream. Itâs not something I think can happen so easily; I mean, I hope it does. But thatâs like my main, main dream.
And until then, Iâm going to keep on taking opportunities that come my way from being on this platform, such as writing this book, maybe hosting something⌠I just want to keep busy, and keep doing something I love to do, and just have a steady income from being around the entertainment industry. Like I said, my main goal is acting, thatâs the main dream, but until then I just want to keep on keeping on, keep busy. Iâm a creative guy, so I think thereâs a lot of opportunities for me to do that.Â
I know thereâs still a lot of people who donât know that you originally wanted to go into law and politics, and you said you majored in political science in school. Have you ever considered going back into those fields?
Well, Iâve always had a passion for politics, even at MTV. I join a lot of their social movements, where theyâre involved in a lot of grassroots movements through kids, and I like to be involved in that, whether itâs sexual education, anti-bullying, whatever it is. So I always keep involved in some kind of politics, I always find a way to keep involved, because that stuff is political. Maybe one day when Iâm older and wearing a suit everyday, Iâll start to consider running for something, I donât know. Iâd have to do a lot of campaigning, because people have another image of me right now.
Mayor of Seaside, perhaps?
Yeah, exactly. Iâll definitely get that vote. But if I want to get other votes, I got to say, âGuys, I was just having fun!â But thatâs why I wanted to get me law degree, so I can do things like that. Because I feel like a law degree⌠I didnât necessarily want to be a lawyer, but I wanted to be able to run for something, or work for foreign policy or something. Just having a degree helps.Â
I saw a review about Paulyâs new show, The Pauly D Project, and it said that said heâs cheating on you with four other quote-unquote bros. How do you feel about that?
We have an open relationship, and we share each other⌠Itâs kind of like a "donât ask, donât tell" type of thing. No, those are my boys, his crew. Iâve known them for a while since Iâve met Pauly, and theyâre all good kids, and I really, genuinely wish them success. I hope they have a lot of fun, because theyâre really good kids, and theyâve always been. Theyâre not douchebags. So itâs fun watching them, because I know them.
So youâre not too heartbroken.
[Laughs.] A little bit. A little bit.
Interview by Tanya Ghahremani (@tanyaghahremani)
Follow @ComplexPopCult