Más vale bolo famoso que alcohólico anónimo

Question

what does mas vale bolo famoso que alcohólico anónimo mean

Answer 1

Here's an attempt: "..better to be a famous idiot than an anonymous alcoholic". The trouble is, you really want the word order "alcoholic anonymous" to carry the reference.

Answer 2

I think it makes more sense if you use the first meaning given by the RAE for "bolo": "1. adj. Am. Cen. y Méx. ebrio (‖ embriagado por la bebida). U. t. c. s."

So the direct translation would be something like: "better to be a famous drunk than an alcoholic anonymous".

As Birdland points out, it just doesn't play out naturally. Word play is almost always impossible to translate as word play, sadly.