Pure Innocent Fun: Essays

by Ira Madison III

In this nostalgic and raucous collection of sixteen original essays, Ira Madison III—critic, television writer, and host of the beloved podcast "Keep It"—combines memoir and criticism to offer a brand-new pop-culture manifesto.

You can recall the first TV show, movie, book, or song that made you feel understood—that shaped how you live, what you love, and who you would become. It gave you an entire worldview. For Ira Madison, that book was Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, which cemented the idea that pop culture could be a rigorous subject—and that, for better or for worse, it shapes all of us.

Here Madison explores the key cultural moments that inspired his career as a critic and guided his coming of age as a Black gay man in Milwaukee. In this hilarious, full throttle trip through the 1990s and 2000s, he recounts learning about sex from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his mom's Lil' Kim CDs; facing the most heartbreaking election of his youth (not George W. Bush's 2004 re-election but Jennifer Hudson's losing American Idol); observing how Jerry Springer accidentally shaped queer representation; and how never getting his driver’s license in high school made him just like Cher Horowitz in Clueless: “A virgin who can’t drive.”

Brimming with a profound love for a bygone culture and alternating between irreverence and heartfelt insight, Pure Innocent Fun, like all the best products of pop culture, will leave you entertained and surprisingly enlightened.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Memoir, Audiobook, Pop Culture, LGBT, Queer

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Traci Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so hyped for this book but think the idea was pulled off better than the execution. I do not feel like I know Ira Madison any better after reading this book nor do I have a better understanding of pop culture. A bit all over the place.

[Monte Price]

Continuing with my trend of not rating memoirs I didn't fully connect to... but please don't think that I didn't enjoy this.

The biggest issue I had was this felt like anyone could have written it? Sure, weaving in bits of pop culture criticism as a scaffolding to talk about your life did sort of ground it in why I was interested in this from Ira, but at the end of the day the actual text felt rather bland. The occasional parenthetical expression or the occasional footnote was really where the text felt that it had a voice and a point of few that I really found myself wanting from the rest of what I was reading. It certainly didn't help that at times the text felt repetitive. Not in a way that Ira was calling back to something, but almost as though the essay had already told us this and was acting as though this was new information never before shared. It was jarring in a way that often took me out of what I was reading.

It could be that this might pop more should Ira read the audiobook version, or maybe any narrator would be capable of finding the life within these words. As it stood the life described often felt like I wasn't being let in. The text being as lifeless as it read was in some ways a method to keep the reader from feeling as though they were really being let into the life of Ira Madison III; by being as impersonal as it was it could have been really easy to set this aside and not return to it.

It's not so much that this is bad. Mostly it didn't life up to expectations, but I did get something out of it. In each essay there is a moment of brilliance, something that I was able to connect to. I am happy that I managed to get all the way through this and I think that this might resonate more with other readers than it did for me. As someone that was really excited to get into this ultimately I left feeling a little let down moreso than I would like from this sort of storytelling.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published February 4, 2025.

A collection of sixteen essays by this critic, TV writer and podcast host (I did not know his name or podcast but may have come across him before) about pop culture and his own life. His personal bibles are/were “Entertainment Weekly” (I am never, ever getting over the loss of the print version of that great magazine, which I loved more than nearly everyone related to me) and Chuck Klosterman’s wonderful book SEX, DRUGS AND COCOA PUFFS so we definitely share the same heartbeat. I love him already.

Madison, who was born in the late 80s and is, therefore, younger than me, but could look on me as a wise, fun older sister type covers things like Newports, “Martin,” Coldplay, Tom Cruise (gag), Power Rangers, “Survivor,” “Passions,” Whoopi Goldberg and going to an all-boys, Jesuit high school, among other things. Oh, and he was never, ever cast in any role in any high school play. He’s still carrying a fair amount of bitterness about this and the longevity of this grudge? I AM HERE FOR THAT.

Reading this made for a fun couple of hours. Thanks, Ira!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Ira Madison III is one of the host of my favorite pop culture podcast Keep It. Along with his co host Louis Virtel they discuss the important things that obsess all of us like when is Angelina Jolie making that sequel to the movie Salt or why isn't Ashley Simpson the biggest star in the world?

Pure Innocent Fun is a collection of essays about Ira growing up gay in Milwaukee and all the pop culture things that shaped him.

I love Ira so I obviously loved this book. If you listen to Keep It then I think you'll enjoy as well. If you love millennial era pop culture than go start listening to Keep It or watch it on YouTube.

[Nev · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I love memoirs or collections of essays where people are using pop culture to discuss their lives and experiences throughout adolescence. Ira Madison III’s book is full of stories of growing up as a young gay, Black man in the 90s and early 2000s. Stories of racism and homophobia in school are also stories of The O.C., American Idol, Lil Kim, Britney Spears, Jerry Springer, and more.

This is a quick, breezy read that employs a lot of humor. Even when more serious subjects are brought up it still feels like it’s done with a light touch. I did enjoy my time reading this, but at times it felt pretty repetitive for such a short book. Also, sometimes within the essays the connections that were being made to move from talking about subject A to subject B felt very tenuous. So it made the book feel a bit disorganized or all over the place.

I’ve only listened to random episodes of Ira’s podcast here and there and I haven’t ever followed him online, so maybe people who have more of a connection to his work will enjoy this book even more.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this collection of memoir-ish essays that provide a glimpse into what it was like for the author growing up as a gay, black millennial and how the pop-culture of that time influenced and shaped him. Especially enjoyed the humorous footnotes that explained things that were commonplace at the time but no longer exist nowadays. Millennials, Gen-Xers and fans of the author will likely appreciate the deep dive into the pop-culture this book offers.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this - I was a fan of Ira's earlier online writings and love his current podcast Keep It. And to be sure there were still jokes and cultural analysis that I liked but it also felt a bit repetitive and lazy. Especially since I knew that this had been written and conceived of as a whole book - I'd have been more forgiving if it were collecting and reprinting essays that were from elsewhere, but this wasn't that. So he could have developed more of a narrative throughline about growing up with his grandma and being influenced by her pop culture choices instead of reintroducing us to the fact that he was raised by his grandmother.

Honestly just felt like it needed another editorial pass. SORRY IRA

[britt_brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Channeling Chuck Klosterman; a compliment! I love these kind of funny, pop-culture focused, personal essays. Bonus that I’m familiar with many of his Milwaukee references from the time we lived there. The perfect palate-cleanser. A fun read!

Note: Elder Millennial = Generation Catalano. #iykyk

[Tell]

Loved! As a longtime Keep It! Listener, I thought I was familiar with Ira's encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, but this was an experience: I have a syllabus for movies to watch after digging into this deep dive of nostalgia, obsession, and how pop culture shapes us- and we shape it. Ira is brilliant and his brain continues to inspire and impress.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're thirty-seven years old (plus or minus four years), grew up watching Erica Kane marry half of Pine Valley with your grandma during the summer, set your analog TB to record early 2000s teen dramas on a blank VHS, have ever been deeply offended when someone insists Justin Timberlake is the most talented member of NSYNC, or were involved with high school theatre state crew, you'll likely devour Pure Innocent Fun. If that sounds oddly specific, you're clearly not a queer millennial. Our shared experience of reading Buffy fanfiction at 1 AM, watching basically the same ten music videos every day after school on Total Request Live, being allowed to watch Jerry Springer but NOT South Park or the Simpsons, and watching soap operas with entire plots about the ghost of Princess Diana is truly the glue that binds us as a generation.

Aside from recognizing Giordano's as good Chicago pizza, Ira's essays were a perfect balance between memoir, stream of consciousness, and pop culture critique. It was an inviting book that felt like revisiting the early aughts with a friend.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5

[Matt Pedretti · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/10 this actually couldn’t have been worse if it tried. Stop giving gay guys with podcasts book deals, nothing interesting will ever be said.

A deadly combination of having an author/narrator who is a known repeater and I guess an editor who was kidnapped and went missing during the review process??? Crippled with stories that repeat themselves with LITERALLY the same anecdotes, half baked criticism, and OVER explanations.

Ira, I truly promise you that anyone that picks this book up knows who Oprah, Whoopi, Mariah, Buffy and Tom Cruise are…… pls don’t flatter yourself.

Couldn’t recommend this to anyone without expecting a bounty on my head but thank you for activating my purest form of hater energy!

[Danny_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly love these kinds of non-fictions. Even though I liked the writing of this, I did feel kind of disconnected, since this talked mostly about pop culture of the late nineties (which I am not very familiar with).

I'm always fascinated by how we are shaped by pop culture, and I love hearing people talk about their favorite childhood shows - so I really liked Madison's discussions of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The "Steve Urkel" essay was probably my favorite of the whole collection!

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a joy to read! Each essay was packed with funny anecdotes and pop culture references from the 2000's. I didn't live through that time, but the way Ira Madison III explains things is easy to understand and really draws you into his world. I'm very interested in the world of pop culture journalism (to the chagrin of many who know me) so this was a fabulous introduction into it.

Iykyk, but Pure Innocent Fun: Essays might be to me what Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto is to Madison. 👻

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but this is another case where I am not the target audience for this book. Essays purporting to explain popular culture to the reader popular reflected on a young, black gay man were not as enlightening as I'd hoped, but for the right reader, this could be a lot of fun and very relatable.

[Laura B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to have to be more careful in selecting essay compilations, because this is just one in a series of those recently that have felt completely divorced from the concept of an essay with not much to take away from any of these, no real driving force, connection made, or true thesis. it comes as no surprise the author is a podcaster, as the book feels a lot like listening to a podcast: name-dropping millennial shows and artists at rapid fire, recapping one's personal history without deep introspection, and repeating oneself sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. I wish there had just been one essay focusing on Angelina Jolie, Buffy, Lil Kim,
or his one friend who came out in high school instead of sprinkling nods throughout the book without pursuing anything further than just a namedrop.

[Emily Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun and I enjoyed every essay in the book. It also gave me some new insight into Ira, despite me being a regular Keep It! listener since it started. Highly recommend the audiobook! Some reviewers seem to have not liked that it wasn’t deeply personal, but that feels a bit unfair because 1) there are some very personal moments woven throughout the book and 2) when it comes down to it, it’s a collection of essays about pop culture, not a memoir! Not that I wouldn’t love to read the memoir too, Ira 👀

#9 of 75 of my 2025 “We have unread books at home” reading goal.

[Connor Gilroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Rob Harvilla's "60 Songs That Explain The 90's" earlier this year, I was a bit wary of reading another collection of essays from a podcast host that discuss pop culture and personal experience with it ad nauseum. As a gay man myself, however, who is also obsessed with a myriad of esoteric pop culture moments and media from millennial standards to modern day, this essay collection was of course right up my alley.

Ira Madison III is a pop culture podcast host and culture critic who has worked in the industry for years writing for everyone from BuzzFeed to Variety and even has credits for Netflix programs (including Q-Force, a queer animated series that got way too much hate and that I miss dearly).

Madison explores his growth and self-discovery as a gay Black man in the midwest and the closeted youth that led to that discovery through the lens of several pop culture moments and media that span decades. It is his humor and casual turn of phrase that give this collection a lot of charm and I found myself laughing out loud at several points reading this. Despite being born a bit late in the cultural period Madison is most drawn to in this book, I felt like he knew a lot of the things that I either wound up also fascinated by in my youth or what I would later discover on subsequent nostalgia trips in my own queer awakening. Much of the book reads like a conversation I have had many times with a dear friend over coffee about the formative things we watched, read, or listened to that shaped who we are now approaching or just starting our 30s in the 2020s.

I connected a lot to these essays on a personal level, though I do feel at times that the lists of media can feel like an overextended tangent at times, and I think Madison could stand to connect us a little bit more to himself during the time often spent just describing a Nicole Kidman movie or giving us every detail of the career of a 90s pop diva.

I appreciate the lines and references to cohesion that were made as well to make us feel like these essays are the continuation of a larger narrative. Many essays refer to things already discussed in essays prior in the novel and Madison treats us at times like we are already in the know and don't need to be reminded. However, sometimes it felt like we would jump to a completely different topic without proper transition and I often found myself wondering how certain sections related to the proposed topic of each essay. Also, and this is a nitpick, there were a lot of typos in this book. Enough that it was a little distracting. I assume though that this is the fault of the editor, but it had to be noted, I'm so sorry.

Still, a great debut and as a foray into the traditional written medium for critic and podcast host, this is a strong start.

[Miriam T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d prob rate this a 3.5 if I could. I used to love Ira back when I listened to Keep It and generally think he’s such a sharp culture critic, but I didn’t love this book. I feel like essay collections can be hard for me to read bc they’re often sort of disjointed, or they repeat aspects of the stories because they’re clearly written in random times etc and I felt like this was the case for this one. There were a few particularly enjoyable essays but in general I didn’t find the cultural observations or writing to be all that engaging? Def still a big Ira fan and maybe it’s the medium more than anything else

[Carl Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. As an elder millennial this hits hard. It captures and reexamines pop culture of that era with an affinity and sense of humor, evoking nostalgia with realistic expectations. Will absolutely be reading this again at some point.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion is biased because I love Ira and have been a Keep It fan since the beginning. This is a collection of essays, not a memoir, so they’re meant to stand on their own. This is probably consumed best an essay here and an essay there since it can get a little repetitive due to them being a collection of essays instead of a memoir. But I loved them all and always appreciate Ira’s takes on pop culture and enjoyed listening to how it has shaped him.

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ira and want him to narrate my life so obviously enjoyed this. I wish I understood more of the pop culture references but still entertaining! Also listening to this led me to learn that his Wikipedia page has an entire section dedicated to his Twitter suspension, as he should!

[Devin Jackman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lives up to its title.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5 ⭐️) I was expecting brutal cultural commentary in this book of essays by a credible, experienced, and witty podcast host but was maddeningly distracted by the repetitive anecdotes, elementary paragraph structure, and numerous grammatical errors (I counted five simple spelling mistakes which is unacceptable in a published work) throughout the book.

It felt as if each essay was written in a vacuum and expected to be read in one too. There was almost no trust in the reader that they would remember certain details, about Madison’s personal life or the pop cultural references, from chapter to chapter – at worst, from paragraph to paragraph.

I literally said “wow” out loud at Madison’s vulnerable admission to binding his chest with a belt for years as a teen out of shame for his body, but within just a few sentences there was a typo referring to Oprah’s “protein power” (rather than “powder”) which deflated the emotional response I had to the previous confession. Within this chapter he addresses Oprah’s recent acknowledgment of using Ozempic (or medication similar) for weight loss, and addressing her complicated relationship with her weight and the media. However, he brings this up three separate times within fifteen pages as if it hasn’t been mentioned yet:

Page 72:
“In 2024, [Oprah]…discuss[ed] her use of Ozempic, the antidiabetic medication also used for weight loss, and how she finally conquered her struggles with weight…she blames the media for bullying her…”

Page 75:
“Oprah herself recently embraced weight-loss medication on the cover of People, insisting that she was taking back the narrative of her weight loss.”

Page 84:
“…Oprah has recently come out as using a form of the antidiabetic drug Ozempic to maintain her weight…she still views it only as the result of having been attacked in the media for her weight…”

This is just one example of dozens where Madison repeats something initially witty or interesting with almost no further commentary. There were so many I started taking notes as evidence, which just made me feel like a petty asshole, so this is the only example I’m including (but trust me, there’s a lot). To be clear I only partially blame the author, and the rest of my confusion is left for the editor (who I won’t name, even though Madison thanks them in the acknowledgment section and they have “Executive Editor” as part of their professional title).

Besides the repetition and spellcheck malfunctions, I also had an issue with the structure. Almost every essay followed the same skeleton of one topic arbitrarily leading us to a different topic which neatly set us up for a Wikipedia-style summary of the next pop cultural subject and so on. Sprinkle in some personal anecdotes (which we may or may not already know about) and wrap it up by plopping the first or second topic at the end to mimic the conclusion of a thesis statement.

I continued to pick up the book as it was a simple, easy read, and I even enjoyed some parts. I do listen to Keep It! on occasion and have always appreciated Madison’s wicked, dry sense of humor. The title is very honest in how seriously the reader is meant to take its contents, but fun does not automatically equal un-edited, amnesic, surface-level text.

Overall I don’t know who this book was for other than Madison himself. Anyone who knew his references didn’t need the tedious, regurgitative explanations of, say, Mariah Carey’s 2005 comeback, or the playbook of an infamous American Idol episode. But anyone who isn’t a Millenial or interested in the late ‘80s through early 2000s would feel left out from the obvious nostalgia, or even condescended to for growing up in a different era.

I still know Madison is a great thinker, with worthwhile experience and relatable interests – this project just wasn’t successful in proving that. To end things lightly, my favorite joke in the whole book was ribbing JC Chasez’s solo album Schizophrenic for going “triple cardboard in 2004”. You got me with that one, Ira.

[Lissa00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of memoir/pop-culture essays that touch on younger Millennial experiences. I don’t think there is anything life-changing in these essays but I definitely found them entertaining. The author is all over the place, and often interrupts himself in the middle of telling a story, to tell a different story. It is a chaotic and charming reading experience and I am glad I picked up this book. I received a digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Katie Derus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, I’m a pop culture loving millennial from Milwaukee who went to DSHA while the author went to Marquette (a year different) so the Venn diagram here was just a circle. Love this. Loved the Milwaukee references. Extra loved the specific DSHA/MUHS stuff and diiiiied at the Whores On a Hill deeeeep pull.

[Laura Frey (Reading in Bed) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last essay was the best - short, and connected a pop culture phenomenon with the personal. Too many of the other essays were long, repetitive, overly-explained, and jumped from topic to topic with no transition or structure.

[Alex Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part memoir, part essays on culture. I really liked this book! But I also really like Ira, so I was primed to enjoy it. Aside from the personal anecdotes, it’s so clear how heavily influenced he is by Chuck Klosterman — The pop culture anthropologist of our time! But it’s those personal details that are the beating heart of this book. So much of his journey/search for identity is wrapped up in the media he was consuming at the time. And, as a fellow millennial, I really appreciated/needed that deep dive on Backstreet Boys vs. NSYNC.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

New year, new books! Look no further than Ira Madison III's new book of essays titled Pure Innocent Fun. He is the host of pop culture podcast Keep It. He has written for many publications including MTV News and GQ. He's also appeared on WWHL with Andy Cohen and The Wendy Williams Show. To say he is qualified to write about pop culture is an understatement.

In this nostalgic collection of original essays, Ira combines memoir and entertainment criticism. The essays are written strong enough to stand alone but together, they create a worldview of pop culture in the 90s and 2000s sprinkled with Ira's coming-of-age as a Black gay man. Key cultural moments shaped him into the funny talented man he is today.

Reading Pure Innocent Fun was like meeting an old classmate at a reunion brunch and reminiscing. Ira had me cackling and nodding my head in agreement throughout most of the book. He captured the sentiments of Gen X / millennials that grew up watching a lot of Black families on TV.

His takes are hilarious on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Steve Urkel vs. Stefan Urquelle, Marlena Evans being possessed by the devil on Days of Our Lives and the younger daughter from Family Matters that was written off the show with no explanation. I thought I was the only one that remembered she was sent up to her bedroom and never came back downstairs!

Ira could not have picked a better title. It is pure fun to read this collection of essays, especially if you were born in the 80s. Prepare to be entertained!

Happy Early Pub Day, Ira Madison III! Pure Innocent Fun will be available Tuesday, February 4.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake)]

When I added this in spring it sounded like exactly the lighthearted pop culture book I could use in between tougher reads. Plus, I am very much into neon covers right now. But I couldn't get into it. The writing is very whatever, not that funny and a book like this I wanted to be funnier. Not fluffier, I liked that it looks at tougher topics underneath that lighthearted coating but it should have been funnier.

The structure in the first 2 essays was very messy (the only essays I've read), switching the focus of what they seemed to be about several times and by the end neither essays said all that much. Just a guy babbling about TV shows and race and then Tom Cruise and then about being gay and growing up in a white catholic school and then Buffy and the OC and some music references and back to Oprah interviewing Tom Cruise. I am the right age group but this was too scattered, I did get most of the references but this read too much like a guy who likes to hear himself talk, I wanted more from a guy who had a few things to say. So I dnf'd, no harm, no foul, no rating because I really didn't read enough of this.

[Theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best pop culture books explore topics and subjects in ways that even if you aren't a devotee or even don't know/care about a topic, the writing makes you care. Unfortunately for me, Madison's book missed that mark.

Nothing highlighted this miss for me more than the American Idol chapter. Because the show was a juggernaut and I'm a Millenial, I am familiar with it without watching a single episode (or following the musical careers of the vast majority of its contestants). I was so bored with the chapter as Madison recapped the show more than explained why it mattered or what moved him about it.

The best parts were the pop culture love that Madison and I shared, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in part because I could add my own reverence. The bits about his coming out felt underdeveloped and like they could've been a singular essay, not an entire book. I was disappointed because I enjoy Keep It! and loved Madison's guest appearances on Buffyverse podcasts.