A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney

by Andrew A. Rooney

Provides a collection of more than fifty of the best of "Sixty Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney's award-winning essays on the current American political, economic, and social scene

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Essays, Comedy, Biography

245 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Megargee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1982, this book is an edited collection of Andy Rooney's remarks and reflections in the closing three of four minute segment of the 60 Minutes TV show in the 1960s and 1970s.
The ultimate "dip in" book, I kept a copy in the car to pass the time when my wife ran into a shop on a brief errand or two. Although timely in their day, Mr. Rooney's comments are naturally dated three or four decades, which is hardly Mr. Rooney's fault.
If you only have time for one essay, go to page 211 and read his two page remembrance of D-Day 1944 written 35 years after Rooney went ashore on D-Day +4.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've seen so many of these Rooney readers at flea markets, etc., that I just had to read one to see if I was missing anything. Well, I feel I am not. His curmudgeonly wit has not aged well and was maybe never incisive. If anything, it was a quick read - I breezed right through it. These brief essays are abbreviated transcripts of this TV talks and maybe it is in front of the camera that his real talent emerged. This is is an avuncular fogey with a considered opinion on all: fences, chairs, menus, etc. This longest piece toward the end is about work in America and is not particularly insightful. He seems to be trying to make it about union versus capital and finding honor in workers even while they lean on their shovels. Rooney is no Studs Terkel, but of the various interviews the ones that come across as the most satisfied and self-confident are those that gave up stressful, rewarding careers to make less money and earn more joy: a beachcomber, one that left the city, one that works with horses - the last two were not chasing dreams they left what they knew behind to jump into something new and unknown.

[Andrew Shutes-David · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the final page of this book I wrote, "The end. Finally."

[Adam Nedeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally sought this book out after the first time I read Andy's much later book, "Years of Minutes." He made a curious complaint about his life and reputation, talking about how a person's fame is rarely in sync with their best work. And he said that it bothered him that he was going to be remembered for his "60 Minutes" commentaries when the best work that he did was a series of documentaries he made for CBS in the 1970s. I had no idea he had ever done such a gig...

I stumbled upon this book in a used book shop; it's relatively early into his tenure on "60 Minutes" (only about three years or so into the gig) but consists of most of what he had written for television to that point. Before delivering essays himself, he wrote them for Harry Reasoner to deliver. This book is a collection of essays that he wrote for himself and for Reasoner. (My one and only gripe with this book is that he doesn't note which essays are which. I'm sure it doesn't make any difference but it left me curious.)

But in addition to essays, I was delighted to find that the book contains complete transcripts of three of his documentaries, "Mr. Rooney Goes to Work," "Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington," and "Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner." The documentaries about work and dinner can adequately be described as really, really long versions of his "60 Minutes" pieces. The Washington documentary is a VERY funny indictment of government waste, chronicling Rooney's efforts to identify the nearly 3 million employees of the federal government and figure out exactly what they do (among the highlights are a list of incomprehensible and redundant job titles for employees in one department, and an exasperating phone call to illustrate how much red tape Rooney had to deal with while producing the documentary).

Another gem found in the book is "An Essay on War," a commentary that Rooney wrote in 1971 for Harry Reasoner that CBS refused to air. Rooney quit, and promptly went to PBS to deliver the essay himself on a comedy show, "The Great American Dream Machine." The essay is actually a pretty powerful one, examining the dual nature of human beings--we all want peace, and yet, war seems to bring out our best qualities.

If you're a Rooney fan, this is a must-own collection. I suspect the man himself would have considered this his best work.

[KennyO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here are the collected essays from a couple years of 60 Minutes' most parodied contributor. Much writing that seemed curmudgeonly was misattributed to him but much of his writing for his 60 Minutes segments was, indeed, curmudgeonly in tone. Rooney often wrote/spoke with dismay but I only once saw him bitter (about Harry Reasoner's death due to smoking). Much of this is quite dated and both the topics and the wit lose something in that. I really enjoyed it when it was fresh but all these years after his death its freshness has passed as well. I would that it were timeless, but it isn't.

[Hubert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, doesn't age well. I really enjoyed Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes as a kid. Sometimes I would just wait until the last 5 minutes of the show to catch his segment. The one I most remember is the segment about the blender, the different buttons on the blender, and whether all those buttons really mattered.

Here, seems like he has a vendetta against two things, unions (read socialism) and government waste (bureaucracy). Some of the shorter segments on various specific topics are interesting though.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Andy Rooney saying we’re becoming a socialist nation in 1977 ☠️. The book is overall a 2.5 it’s def problematic at times but as someone who wasn’t alive in the 80s it’s a wild ride too. I picked it up at a book sale in middle school, I was an Andy Rooney fan! Ha! Every Sunday before Amazing Race I’d catch him on 60 Minutes. About 15 years later I finally read the book. I have one more of his books I’ll still read, why not! At the end of the day I liked his chapter “Youth” the best.

[Cienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Andy Rooney on 60 minutes, his two minute random complaints about the world were very funny. Unfortunately this older edition of his talks included a lot of sexist commentary and jabs at minorities (color, gender, etc). Was hoping it would be entertaining and found that I actually was fairly upset.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1983. Collection of over two hundred of Rooney's commentaries from 60 Minutes.

[Leew49 · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years CBS's award-winning journalism program "60 Minutes" closed with a short but always memorable commentary by a gnomish, wild eyebrowed curmudgeon named Andy Rooney. After listening to stories of political corruption and exposure of lowlife scams, viewers could enjoy a few minutes of Rooney's unique and insightful humor. This collection of essays, some of which are taken directly from the television series, will take readers back to an era when criticism and political commentary were expressed with originality and wit.

On letters from charities, Rooney observed, " . . . if you give $25 to a school or college or other good cause, they'll turn around and spend $50 trying to get you to give more." And his essay on government, written prior to the digital age, describes an award given to government employees who saved the most paperwork, noting that the nomination form had to be filled out in six copies. We all have had similar experiences, but Rooney was the one who noticed the annoying little things in life and expressed them with his unique plaintive humor.

The essays range further than What Annoys Everyman. There is a carefully researched and elegant essay on chairs, for example. We get a look at what and where Americans like to eat, changes in the hotel industry over the centuries, sports, attitudes toward work, and attitudes toward saving.

What I found most satisfying and gratifying were two essays, one on D-Day, another on war in general. Rooney was capable of admiring the heroism of war while all too clearly understanding its horror.

This book was first published in 1966. Mr Rooney died in 2011. But other than specific names and a few references to technology, it is the farthest thing from dated that you are likely to read.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not shitting you, I think there's just something about Andy Rooney, at the end of a rough day it's fun to read the opinions of someone who is nearly always crotchety. No one believes me but I think he's funny and interesting.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few minutes with Andy Rooney, by Andy Rooney
Loved watching and listening to this reporter on TV sunday nights. So many things that make you say 'hmmm' I've always wondered about that.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a quick little read of Andy's thoughts. good for a breather in between books.

[Cheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it in the 1980s, when it came out. Now, after almost forty years, most of what Andy Rooney had to say here is no longer relevant.

[Shannon Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't age well

[John Truby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book only a curmudgeon would love.

[Robert Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this one in the back of a classic thrift store, somewhat near my house. It is the last of these types of thrift stores that I came of age frequenting that I know of - the mothball smell of the old clothes, the yellowed atmosphere. In the back room where they keep all their books, board games, puzzles, old magazines, and records, this book caught my eye from the overstuffed bookshelves.

My family and I used to watch 60 Minutes ritually when I was a kid, and Andy Rooney’s rants were my favorite part. However, the cleverness has faded, and the text has aged rather badly. This book filled me with a kind of nostalgia when I read it, a glimpse of a world long gone (the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s). Many of his "witty" gripes have been dissolved by advancement, or the cause has disappeared altogether, or proves to be sexist or even racially insensitive.

However, there are a few must-reads here: D-Day, An Essay on War, and Savers. I would give an honorable mention to Chairs, a classic of Rooney’s curmudgeonry. I did like In Praise of New York City as well, where he said that diversity and the failure of immigrant cultures to melt into society at large, combined with the successes of integration into the same society by the same immigrants, lay at the heart of the city. Wonder what he’d say about it now? These parts that I delighted in amount to a total page count of 28 pages in a 245-page book, so take that as you will.

In the end, I really cannot recommend this book. I picked it up in a fit of 1980s nostalgia; it has aged badly save for the bits I mentioned above. Although the parts on WWII are really worth seeking out and reading, though very short.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written when Mr. Rooney was at the peak of his career, and it is filled with written versions of many of his speeches and columns for 60 minutes and other TV broadcasting platforms. this book was so much fun to read, and it reminded me of the joys of a leisurely way of life that I have missed since social media and cell phones came to be. The humor is mostly gentle, and I smiled through every page.

[Nancy Thormann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched Andy Rooney every Sunday on 60 minutes years ago. I liked him on TV so I thought I'd read one of his books. I'd give this book a 2.5. Some stories are interesting, but others are very outdated. I'm glad I'm finished with this book. I was bored to tears near the end.

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

No review but I did find some quotes I am going to copy into Evernote for my own use.

[Belle Meade School]

814.5

[Ted Manahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few of these essays are downright offensive, but mostly I agree with Andy. He generally seems to have a positive outlook on the human race.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated as I expected, but the humor was still there. Rooney sees the obvious humor in everyday life. Very much a precursor of later comedians such as Seinfeld. A very fast read.

[Alexis Arian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is insightful, I’ve gained many pearls of wisdom. That being said, the book also has some of the most boring chapters I’ve ever read.

[Teri Dona · Rating 4 out of 5]

always fun to read Andy Rooney, maybe even more so the older I get

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Rooney is one of my all-time favorite people. He has always been on of my favorite parts of 60 minutes. He has a gift for seeing things in a different light--kind of like Bill Cosby. These men are very unique and blessed with this gift. He can make all the ordinary things seem funny and give you a fresh view.

[Vito]

Andy Rooney's jeremiad of 1970's American society. Observations on topics such as: chairs, soap, street names, public phones, gender, eyeglasses, and the Draft. Also includes Andy's personal thoughts on the Faces of Christ and D-Day.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual curmudgeonly complaints of 60 Minutes' fossilized end-of-show feature. Surprisingly entertaining, particularly when Rooney speaks with a representative of Morningstar Farms (maker of my favorite pseudo-sausage patty). It's the wave of the future indeed.

[Brett]

Non-fiction

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for his humorous essays.