Eddie Krumble is the Clapper

by Dito Montiel

Meet Eddie Krumble. He's a relatively happy guy. Content-ish. Fresh to Los Angeles, Eddie and his friend Chris Plork land their first gig: clapping as paid audience members for infomercials and sitcoms so heinous that tourists won't even attend. Eddie spends long days clapping, laughing, and hissing — on cue, of course — and his life slowly begins to take shape as a relationship with Judy, a gas station attendant, begins to brew. Suddenly his life is turned on its head. In one of his nightly rants, Jay Leno scrutinizes the state of late night TV and ends up unveiling two stills of Eddie as audience members for two different infomercials. Eddie is singled out as clapper-for-hire, Eddie's career comes to a halt, and Leno turns his discovery into a segment on his show: "Who is THE CLAPPER?" takes the public by storm, and Eddie's face appears on TVs and billboards throughout the nation. A clever satire about fame, consumerism, and reality TV, Dito Montiel's Eddie Krumble is The Clapper is the first work of fiction from the acclaimed author of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2007

About the author

Born in New York City, he came into the public eye after the breakup of his hardcore punk band Major Conflict. Later, Montiel would gain notoriety in 1989 when Geffen Records signed his newly formed outfit Gutterboy to a $1 million record deal – an unheard-of sum at the time. The band was dropped after its debut and was dubbed one of the most "successful" unsuccessful bands in rock history

Reviews

[j · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don't know what public opinion on dito montiel is, but i don't care-- i unabashedly love this man.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is what I think, I think that Dito Montiel (could you have a cooler name than that) isnt the worlds greatest literary writer, but I am pretty sure that he is naturally a very funny person and probably lives his life pretty free and thus he comes into contact with all kinds people, thus giving him lots a great stuff to work with. This book is a fast and fun read and I can't wait to see what he does next.

[Ket Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever done a focus group, wondered who those people are in informercials, or been curious about human medical guinea pigs, The Clapper is for you! Dito Montiel hands over a cute tale about Eddie Krumble, a slacker who survives in Los Angeles by being paid to applaud at hideous TV programs only insomniacs would watch. Along the way, Eddie falls for a stranger named Judy, who works at the local gas station, but all he knows about her is her first name. Will he or won't he ever ask her out? When Eddie's anonymous career is jeopardized on national television, his life gets crazier than ever in this somewhat predictable Hollywood satire. No wonder Montiel is shooting a film of this kooky comment on reality TV this summer with Ed Helms and Amanda Seyfried. "Krumble," and read it on the plane to L.A., or wait for the movie. You'll never look at clapping the same way again.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise is pretty funny and made me giggle at the library while reading it, it falls on its face by Act 2. Author Dito Montiel could have made this a truly cynical affair, but he turns the book into a cheesy romantic comedy.
Plus, I hate it when actual celebrities are characters in novels (in this case it's Jay Leno--egad!) and unfortunately, the Tonight Show plays a big part of The Clapper.

[K.G. White · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very sarcastic, and mildly entertaining. It was a short read, so my time didn't feel wasted.

[Kim Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard od this book until I was doinh my weekly holds the library and came across the movie starring Ed Helms. In my effort to read books before watching the movie, I discovered this was a book. I am so glad I did! Touching, funny, and relatable. Recommend!

[Elena Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this one. I like the way it was written on the pages, it made it an easy read and I actually laughed out loud a few times. It was a nice, easy sort of mindless read and that's exactly what I needed for my mental health.

[Christopher Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the price

First saw it on Netflix, and like NEtflix this is about the part of Hollywood they won't show you on the Commercials

[Ranette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly little book about two ordinary people falling in love. One has a job as a clapper for tv shows and the other a cash register attendent.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's like he was writing a book to be made into a screenplay. Cheesy and predictable.