Comedian Mastermind: The Best of FatCyclist.com, 2005-2007

by Elden Nelson

Comedian Mastermind is the way the unintentionally brilliant Dr. Michael Lämmler once sarcastically described Elden “Fatty” Nelson. Now it’s the name of the first Best of FatCyclist.com volume. So take that , Dr. Lämmler. Taken from the first two-ish years of the FatCyclist.com blog, but peppered with new insights, introductions, and an absurd number of footnotes describing what Fatty was thinking as he wrote, this book contains valuable information every cyclist absolutely must know. Marvel at Fatty’s penetrating analysis of cycling company ads, his completely scientific method for rating the value of each cyclist you pass during recreational rides, his keen insight regarding how to pee while riding your bike, a whole bunch of epic ride stories, and quite a few pretty decent swipes at Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France. And more. Much more. No, even more than that . Comedian Mastermind is like the FatCyclist blog, but with Fatty standing behind you, reading over your shoulder, and telling you what he was thinking while he wrote and why he wrote it, all while eating a sizable sandwich. And it’s only the good parts – none of the stuff where Fatty just phoned it in. It makes excellent bathroom reading material.

Genres: Cycling

338 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Chad Brown]

It is kinda strange to buy a book of blog posts, but i really enjoyed the journey inside Fatty's brain through all of the footnotes he added. Next time I run in to Fatty I'm definately going to start singing 'They Might Be Giants'. It's still stuck in my head...thanks.

[Patrick]

I don't like his fake news segments, and they take up a huge portion of the book (or maybe it just felt like that.) The rest was a really good way to catch up before adding his feed to Reader.

[Chris]

though I enjoyed reading many of these blog posts when they were first published, something seems to have been lost when they are all combined in book form.

[Barry]

A bit mountain bike centric, but still a funny take on the cult of cycling

[Jill Brown]

I am a fan of his blog so this was a fun look at some of the best posts

[Amy Macak]

more of a guys and mountain bikers book but a few funny spots

[Phillipa]

For the cyclist in your life. A bit of light relief.