- ISBN13: 9780743236010
- Condition: USED – GOOD
- Notes:
Product Description
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to spin brilliant prose ou… More >>
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
*rolls eyes* could not even finish this book. One of the worst books I have ever picked up.
Rating: 1 / 5
After scouring the paperback table for a few minutes, this book caught my eye and from the quick read off the jacket I was interested. Now, however, just three chapters in, I wish I kept my receipt.
This book has no plot or story and is nothing more than the ramblings of an anybody slacker ranting about inane pop culture garbage, how he can’t get laid, and most dissappointingly, sheds no light on already overworked topics. At best, this book sounds like blogspeak, which is hardly worth your money.
For example, there’s an entire chapter devoted to the ‘TheSims’ followed by a chapter where the author expounds on his keen [sarcasm] insight regarding MTV’s ‘The Real World’.
He speaks with a know-nothing-know-it-all bravado but worst of all, his observations are tame and boring. Don’t bother.
Rating: 1 / 5
Chuck Klosterman, unlike most people *celebrates* his lack of insight. There is nothing ironic about the subtitle, “A Low Culture Manifesto”.
What he tries to do / does:
* He tries to examine pop-culture phenomena (any piece of trash that trickled its way to him) in a ‘postmodern’ light or in a ‘philosophy for shallow people’ way – except if submitted for a college assignment, he would fail (because of plagiarism). There are no new ideas: It is a rehash of a particularly bad reading of ideas put fort by Baudrillard (about 30 years before Chuck wrote this book) and other culture theorists (post modern or not). It is quite formulaic: Throw in references to ‘authentic’ crap of later half american pop culture, mix it with punch-line pseudo-pseudo-intellectual ‘philosophy’, swear around, make sex/drug jokes, finish essay (not nec. in that order)
* …or he simply lauds certain trash, for no good reason apart from “I like it, it is not cool, it is not even uncool, hence it is great, so I like it”. He is pride of being an edgy, authentic hick, of being uncool, and shallow. Admitting, or being pride of mediocrity is used as an excuse, and justification, for his utter lack of insight.
*He also comments on women (girls, chicks, and more – he has a particularly well-developed vocabulary of ‘bad’ terms for women) and is somewhat proud of his unjustified, ignorant sexism. He announced that no woman will ever satisy him (as if that is what women are for, satisfying men, thanks for letting us know, Chuck). He is somewhat obsessed with little girls, little boys, and little children in general, bordering on the pathological, which is very disturbing.
Conclusion
It is not even funny. It is a complete waste of your time and money. If you enjoy watching thousands of hours of reality TV, this book is just for you. It is not a manifesto of low culture, it is not even low culture, the book is just parasitic, insincere. The author is not only conceited, but is one of the most profoundly dumb writers I’ve ever read. Read at your own risk.
Rating: 1 / 5
This is simply not a book. I went in thinking some kind of story would develop and that some kind of underlying theme would connect everything he wrote about. The first chapter on love even appealed to me. I liked it! Hell that’s why I bought the book I thought it was rather witty and insightfull. Then the Sims review came…. Then Real World… Then Billy Joel…. each ‘chapter essay’ getting worse than the one before. I continued on and only found out that there was a reason this book isnt filed in the Literature section. Its filed under Rock since this cannot be considered an actual literary work.
As for Chuck,I find this man to be pathetic and not cool at all. All he does is whine and complain about things and then throw in insanely idiodic stories about how homeless people are beneath him and how they should remember if they already asked him for money, because clearly their lives aren’t so hard.
This guy is just a waste of space. I read the entire book looking for what I thought was humor in his first chapter. His first rambling statements rang true to me, but the rest of the book is about pointless references to pop culture that most people dont even take a second glance over.
My advice. Read the first chapter and throw the book away. The guy thinks hes above everyone when all you ahve to do is look at his picture, the guy is a dork or writes for a magazine for dorks. Don’t encourage him anymore.
Rating: 1 / 5
I heard rave reviews about this book so I went out and bought it. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs? Who WOULDN’T like a book with a title like that? ::raises hand:: I thought it was awful. If you like pop-culture, you might like this book. I like pop-culture, however, I thought this book was so boring and pointless that I couldn’t read past the first few chapter. So, take my review for what it is — a review by someone who hasn’t completely read the book, but was bored to death by the beginning.
Rating: 1 / 5