and, like always, I cocked my ear to hear my mentor's voice while it was still in hardback...Unlike most of his works, which are collections of various essays and magazine columns, this one is set up as a conventional book-type-book, with a beginning, middle, and end, all to explain Peej's current view of politics, government, and how he got from being a smelly hippie to where he is today. The finale is a riff on how the Goldwater/Reagan movement got bogged down in the minutiae of Carrie Nation and Pat Robertson and thereby gave the reins of power to Those Who Care Even More:
I am the very model of a Democratic president,Two vigorous thumbs up. His best look at American politics since Parliament of Whores
With plenty of ideas vague, expensive, and irrelevant,
What I'm saying may be nonsense but I'm saying it emphatical,
What I'm doing may be lousy but pretend it is pragmatical.
. And he even devotes, for the first time, a whole chapter to the inanity of gun control!
He also gave a great quote recently: "This is not an election on November 2nd - it's a restraining order."
ReplyDelete>>The finale is a riff on how the Goldwater/Reagan movement got bogged down in the minutiae of Carrie Nation and Pat Robertson ...<<
ReplyDeleteExcuse me. Some things just demand being said twice.
Glad she pays rapt attention to her master's voice. I hadn't heard about his new book. Already ordered from Amazon. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteComing to a Kindle near me!!! Today!
ReplyDeleteP.J.'s on top of his game.
ReplyDeleteAlready got it, but it's a couple of books down in the "to read" stack. With this preview, I'm going to have to move it to the top.
ReplyDeleteI've been a big fan of P.J.'s since his liberal hippie days at "National Lampoon" (primarily because they coincided with my own liberal hippie days). Fortunately both he and I have grown out of such nonsense.
What was his name? Woofer? Tweeter? I'm thinking Nipper!?
ReplyDeletewv: uleaks (so many jokes, so little time)
The RCA dog was Nipper. I was told it was modeled after Sarnoff's dog, back in the days when TV stations aired a test pattern more hours a day than "programming." Although J. Fred Muggs was pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of reading it right now, and your evaluation is right on.
ReplyDelete"Voting only encourages the bastards".
ReplyDeleteMy Dad has been saying that for years. Someone owes him royalties.
You're a BAD person.
ReplyDeleteSecond book I bought tonight for the Kindle...
Tam, don't know if you're still up here in New England but if so, you may want to take a drive down on Saturday for this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.toadbooks.com/event/peterborough-pj-orourke-signs-and-discusses-dont-vote-four-days-after-election-day
PJ lives in the next town over from P'boro so this is his hometown gig.