Kevin Fitzgerald has practiced veterinary medicine in Denver for over 40 years. He helped pay for his education working for rock promoters and providing security for touring bands. For 11 seasons he was one of the featured veterinarians on Animal Planet’s popular series “Emergency Vets” and “E-Vet Interns.” He is a staple of the Denver comedy scene and has worked with Joan Rivers, Norm McDonald, Kevin Nealon, Kathleen Madigan, Craig Ferguson and George Lopez. His true passion is conservation and he believes that when a species becomes extinct, the world becomes a less interesting place. He lives in Denver with his dog, Mrs. Thompson.
SunLit: What prompted you to collect all your experiences into a book?
Kevin Fitzgerald: The COVID pandemic closed the world. No comedy, no restaurants, no movies, even at our vet hospital we were seeing animals and clients in their cars in the parking lot. Suddenly we all had a lot of time on our hands. People had always told me that I needed to write a book, that I had a book in me. I used those two years to write every night. Now I had the time.
SunLit: Place the excerpt you selected in context. How does that era of your life fit into the book as a whole?
Fitzgerald: This excerpt sums up well the excitement and energy of the time of our TV show, on a new channel and when “reality TV” was a brand new genre. Our TV show in 1997 was one of the first such reality shows and, for better or worse, opened up the door for a host of other new shows.
SunLit: So many experiences informed the project. How did you decide what to leave in, what to leave out – even in a book of more than 450 pages?
Fitzgerald: Memoirs are a different animal. Everyone’s life is interesting to them, but is it interesting to an audience of strangers? Does a group of people that you have never met find such a book readable?
UNDERWRITTEN BY
Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.
I divided my life into five distinct parts; growing up Irish Catholic in Denver in the 1950s, then bouncing for bands and providing security for touring rock acts, then veterinary stories from my job, next standup comedy stories and a look at the nature of humor, and finally my conservation work and work for the Denver Zoo — polar bears, rattlesnakes, my bees, Mongolia, Antarctica, why conservation matters, and a plea for science.
I conclude with a chapter on what you can do to make a difference. I tried to put a positive spin on conservation and show that we are not helpless. I selected several memorable events from each segment of my life, hopefully events that are striking and interesting to readers.
SunLit: Do you see any connective tissue tying together the very different parts of your life – from rock and roll bouncer to comic to TV star to veterinarian to environmentalist and conservationist? In other words, is there overlap or do you see them as distinct periods?
Fitzgerald: The only overlap is that it is always me telling the story. I am the only thing present in all the sections, the only constant. So, the stories are always told from my perspective, through my eyes. That in itself is the connecting motif and flavors the book. My life has had all those different stages or phases but at each segment’s basis is the same little boy from Denver trying to navigate this world.
“It Started with a Turtle”
Where to find it:
- Prospector: Search the combined catalogs of 23 Colorado libraries
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- NewPages Guide: List of Colorado independent bookstores
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SunLit: As you took stock of all your life experiences to produce your book, was there anything that surprised you in retrospect? Any observation about the broad sweep of your life that you hadn’t thought of before?
Fitzgerald: What I noticed that struck me, was that for every segment of my life that I wrote about (early Irish Catholic upbringing, bouncing for rock bands, veterinary medicine, standup comedy, conservation) I have been blessed with mentors, teachers, and guides who guided me. Without them, nothing would have happened. I am humble and grateful and owe everything to my many teachers. Thank you.
SunLit: Throughout the book, you mention various life lessons you learned from your experiences. Can you talk about a couple of things you felt were particularly important?
Fitzgerald: I am 74 years old now, and I have learned so much, but if you are serious, you never stop learning. Young people tell me, “I want to do what you do,” and I say, “Yes, but do you want to do what I did?” I have learned very little happens by chance and you have to do the work.
Also, I have learned you cannot win if you don’t play, you have to put yourself out there. To get new experiences you need to open the possibility that they can happen, and this often takes some homework. Finally, I have learned that kindness is the only universal currency.
SunLit: In terms of the craft of writing, what were the biggest challenges you faced in writing your book?
Fitzgerald: I wanted to include as much as I could in my memoir, to cover every part of my life. My biggest challenges were having the time to sit and write and do the work, but also the time editing took to get objective, constructive criticism from someone I knew and respected. It took a long time to write but it took even longer to get it edited and get it back. One of my biggest stumbling blocks is time. And waiting for editing.
SunLit: There’s a good amount of levity in the first half of the book and then quite serious stuff regarding species and conservation. What do you want readers to take away from reading “It Started with a Turtle?”
Fitzgerald: I would like readers of my book to realize that our lives aren’t one-dimensional, we can do many different things. To do this we need to be fearless and totally throw ourselves completely in. I would like them to learn that we are not helpless and there is a lot a person (one person) can do to improve the current state of things.
I would like readers to learn that they create the future they want to face. I would like them to see the beauty of the world around them and to realize that life is beautiful, every day is a gift, and being alive is not a cold bag of chisels. I would like them to realize the importance of conservation and that there is a lot they can do to ensure our success.
SunLit: Almost one-half of your book is devoted to conservation. Why is conservation so important to you?
Fitzgerald: There are 10 million other forms of life on our planet beside human beings. Each species, no matter how humble or inconspicuous, is a masterpiece of evolutionary engineering, and exquisitely suited to its particular niche.
Right now, there is a sixth extinction phenomenon at work. The extinction rate right now is 100x what it was at the end of the dinosaurs. The destruction and loss of habitat alone will threaten one-half of the world’s plants and animals by the end of this century. The destructive potential and power of the human species is limitless.
All the other species on earth are waiting for us to change our minds (and behavior). We are witnessing the pauperization of the world and its beautiful and important resources. There is no solution available to us to preserve the natural environment other than to act now. The challenge of the next century is how do we continue to raise the standard of living without destroying the planet. We must win this battle if we are to survive.
Half of my book is dedicated to conservation because we must answer the question, “Do we love life enough to save it?”
A few more quick items
Currently on your nightstand for recreational reading: “The Wager” – David Grann; “What Nails It” – Greil Marcus; “Big Dumb Eyes” – Nate Bargatze; “Carnival of Snackery” – David Sedaris; “Say Nothing” – Patrick Raden Keefe; “All About Me” – Mel Brooks.
First book you remember really making an impression on you: I used to go to the library when I was too young to check out books or get a library card. The library was peaceful compared to my home. I read “Johnny Tremain,” Jules Verne’s “ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and later in school “The Old Man and the Sea” and anything by Hemingway, and “The Ginger Man” and the works by J.P. Donleavy. From reading Hunter Thompson, I came to appreciate the rhythm of words.
Best writing advice you’ve ever received: Reread everything you have written continually. Self-edit and make it more readable and stronger. Rewrite constantly and search for the right word. Make it better. Always.
Favorite fictional literary character: Sebastian Dangerfield – “The Ginger Man”; Philip Marlowe; Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird”; Strider from “Lord of the Rings” trilogy
Literary guilty pleasure (title or genre): I love humor – Sedaris, Thompson, P.J. O’Rourke, but I also like biographies and historical non-fiction. I love the natural history writing of E.O Wilson.
Digital, print or audio – favorite medium to consume literature: For me there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like a book. It was meant to be held and paid attention to. You can reread sections and do things you can’t do with audio. Books are essential – they demand a quiet place and a chunk of time. It is the way things were meant to be read. Comfortable and warm, shutting off the world from everything except what you hold in your hand. Books are magic, take us to another place, and tell us another story. Books are as close as we come to time travel.
One book you have read multiple times: “Pictures in My Head” – Gabriel Byrne; “The Ginger Man” – P.J. O’Rourke; “Creation” – E.O. Wilson; “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” – Hunter Thompson; “The Tao of Willie” – Willie Nelson
Other than writing utensils, one thing you must have within reach when you write: A bottle of Coke Zero. Essential.
Best antidote for writer’s block: (a) Sleep. Your best writing doesn’t come when you are tired. Get a good night’s sleep.(b) Working out. Staying fit helps how you think. (c) Reading. Reading and being inspired from the work of others. (d) Discipline. Making yourself sit down and do it. If you want to be a good drummer, you have to drum a little every day. Same with writing. You must write a little every day. (e) Setting goals. Writing at the same set times, make yourself do it.
Most valuable beta reader: My most valuable beta reader was the late Kathy McCormick Price, who tore my book to pieces and was responsible for making it better and reader friendly. Everyone must have another serious set of eyes on their work. It has to be someone you respect, trust, and are willing to listen to.