false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157224104m/707.jpg 707 3 Sometimes it seems like every standup comedian worth his or her salt just <I>has</I> to do the book thing, and you might feel that yet another warmed-over stage routine is the last thing you need taking up valuable bookshelf space. Jon Stewart's book will come as an extremely pleasant surprise. He eschews the standard standup patter and instead gives us 18 short comic essays in a variety of styles that recall the prose work of Woody Allen, only with a few more references to genitals. Stewart proves himself a remarkably nimble humorist with a sharp eye for parody, whether he's writing "A Very Hanson Christmas" or "Adolf Hitler: The Larry King Interview." <p> <blockquote> HITLER: ...Larry, look, I was a bad guy. No question. I hate that Hitler. The yelling, the finger pointing, I don't know ... I was a very angry guy.<p> KING: And this ... new Hitler?<p> HITLER: I get up at seven, have half a melon, do the jumble in the morning paper and then let the day take me where it will.... Me!! The inventor of the Blitzkrieg... When you stop having to control everything it's very freeing. </blockquote> <p> Stewart is not afraid to flirt with bad taste, in fact, some of the pieces in this collection do for "flirting with bad taste" what Bill Clinton did for "not having sexual relations." But it's wonderful to see an edgy comedian taking on the traditionally cozy genre of the humorous essay, creating work that combines the wit of Robert Benchley with the energy and attitude of the best modern standup. <I>Naked Pictures of Famous People</I> proves that Jon Stewart is as comfortable, and accomplished, in front of a word processor as he is in front of an audience. <I>--Simon Leake</I> 2133262 1998 Naked Pictures of Famous People total:1731|5:282|4:591|3:608|2:208|1:42| 1731 6056 2303 181 5 2 false false Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Sep 01 09:35:45 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 09:36:15 -0700 2007
"I imagine myself as the persuasive leader of a messianic cult. Somewhat of a stretch considering I have yet to be able to sell off a box of Amway products I ordered in 1986. Still, would I have the strength? Would I be able to overcome my fear of death,...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Thu Mar 01 14:43:01 -0800 2007 Fri Mar 02 10:36:00 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Sat Jun 07 18:00:34 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 04:49:29 -0700 2008
Jon juxtaposes some great cultural icons, such as th...more...]]> 2 3 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jun 12 21:43:59 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 12 21:48:22 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Jan 05 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jan 31 06:50:38 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 09 04:18:18 -0800 2008 Steve Martin's Pure Drivel or Woody Allen's Without Feathers, and it is quite funny. Not really laugh-out-loud funny, but funny. I think Stewart's comedy is best rendered as a spoken art. ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Oct 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 16:24:31 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 03:32:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 14 23:14:01 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 23:14:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 12:31:48 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 12:32:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 31 14:16:47 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 14:21:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Apr 11 20:23:44 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 11 20:23:44 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Fri Jun 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jan 15 22:59:19 -0800 2009 Fri Jun 05 23:16:26 -0700 2009
This short book of satire has eig...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jan 25 15:15:25 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 15:22:05 -0800 2009 1
That said I expected a lot more more from this collection of his essays. Of them only the first in the book ("Breakfast at Kennedy's") stood out, which is why this is getting 2 stars rather than one. The rest, while I appreciated his mixing abs...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 10:09:19 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 10:12:06 -0700 2009 one more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 14:55:42 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 06:45:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Feb 02 09:23:36 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 09:23:36 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 29 09:58:01 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 13 07:16:32 -0800 2009
I feel like I was snickering through most of it if not laughing out loud for the rest. I especially enjoyed the chapters with Hanson's Christmas letters & the Larry King interview of Hitler. Oh & the Last Supper at "Jerry's"...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 06:17:04 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 06:19:02 -0800 2009
At any rate, it's a quick read. And I needed a break from the depressing stories in "Say You'r...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 12:53:09 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 12:56:08 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Sep 05 22:02:41 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 22:08:11 -0700 2009 Lenny Bruce: The Making of a Sitcom. I have the words "Greetings from Miss America" written in lipstick on my vanity stand mirror (read it and you'll get it).
]]> 3 0 false false Wed Dec 03 10:20:31 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 10:23:34 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=707