Brooks on Books: Twilight of the Gods by Steven Hyden

Twilight of the Gods is a funny exploration of classic rock and anyone who grew up listening to the music on the radio, as author Steven Hyden did, will enjoy it--whether or not you actually enjoy the music itself. Now, you might wonder, what exactly IS classic rock? Is it just "music that is played on stations that call themselves 'classic rock'?" Well, yeah, kind of. Hyden attempts to define the oft-nebulous world of this genre in a series of loosely connected essays, drawing heavily on his own personal experiences to create an enlightening and amusing book.

Now, I will admit that for a while Twilight wasn't exactly gripping me the way I hoped, but I believe that is on me, not on Hyden. I was anticipating something a bit more like Chuck Klosterman's work. Hyden doesn't exactly have a lot of the deep (or faux-deep) insights that pop up in Klosterman's work, and for a bit I was a little disappointed that Hyden wasn't really defining classic rock the way I was expecting. However, the more I got into the text, the more I enjoyed it. In the end, I think maybe it's more "just" a collection of interesting chapters about different aspects of classic rock rather than one "grand unified theory." But so what? It's a lot of fun.

Hyden puts all of himself into the book, building it around his own experiences attending shows, interviewing musicians (in addition to hosting the Celebration Rock) podcast, he writes for Uproxx and has been a writer and music critic for outlets like Grantland, The AV Club, and many more), and, yes, listening to the radio! As a devoted radio listener back in the day, including the local station that billed itself as "classic rock," I identify with many of Hyden's experiences. He shows how what we consider classic rock is in large part a function of what a group of programmers decided to play.

Younger music fans might not understand what the big deal is and why we would ponder why REP Speedwagon and Styx are lumped in the same category as Led Zeppelin, but I find the labels and sublabels (corporate rock, anyone?) fascinating. Along the way here, Hyden  explores the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,  the enduring fervent niche appeal of Phish, and the difference between supergroups and "shrunkgroups" (the latter includes the likes of Axl/DC and the Dead and Company--"aging bands break down and then melt into one another").

Maybe my favorite chapter is So Bad, in which Hyden explains how the "worst" parts of a band's discography actually come all the way around to being good. I think this is the quintessential section in Twilight, with Hyden's creative analysis laying out an entertaining case for appreciating things others label as garbage. He talks about the stages in which this happens--completism; in which he has to seek out everything a band does; grudging appreciation, in which some of the more unconventional aspects of the work become appealing; and what he calls "brainwashing." As he once summarized the notion of a good bad record for The AV  Club: "a record that you talk yourself into loving after you've grown tired of all the acknowledged masterpieces and respected second-tier releases in a legendary artist's discography." Hyden's chapter-length elaboration of this is hilarious, drawing on examples from the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Neil Young among others.

Ultimately, I am not sure that Hyden really determines why rock is on the downslope or whether it will last forever, but he ties it all together at the end by bringing it back to his personal experience and reflections. More importantly, Twilight of the Gods is packed with enough provocative insights and humor to make it a great read for any serious rock music fan.

Fall Books Preview (by "preview" I mean "list of stuff I want to read")

Do you like to read? I like to read! Sometimes I think what I really like is getting books and not having time to read them. So I shouldn't be going through lists of upcoming releases and adding items to my ever-expanding wish lists...but I do because I enjoy it. Here is a rundown of some of the Fall books (some already out) that interest me:

Big Game by Mark Liebovich (out now):  A political reporter spent time researching a book on what complete jerks the NFL owners are. Sounds pretty good to me!

Boom Town by Sam Anderson (out now): The story of Oklahoma City, somehow combining history, Big Oil, and the NBA.

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (out now): This guy writes a lot of acclaimed espionage-themed books, none of which I have read yet, and this one sounds very cool.

Hooked on Hollywood by Leonard Maltin (out now): A collection of archival interviews and features covering mostly old-school Hollywood cinema. No-brainer, and it happens to be available at a very nice Kindle price right now.

Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago by Max Allan Collins (out now): The title says it all. Noted mystery/detective novelist Collins delivers an acclaimed nonfiction account of one of the epic crime sagas of the 20th century.

One-Dollar Football by Jeff Pearlman (out now): Pearlman has written some fantastic sports books, and this is his passion project, a history of the dearly departed USFL.

In Pieces by Sally Field (out now): I'm sure she has a lot to say!

Death of the Territories by Tim Hornbaker (September 18): Pro wrestling historian talking about the old territory system and its collapse as Vince McMahon went national with the WWF. I think I would read this in a night or two if I got it.

Grant by Ron Chernow (September 25): U.S. Grant, that is. I still haven't read Chernow's huge Hamilton bio, though (I did read Richard Brookhiser's)!

The Big Fella by Jane Leavy: (October 16): Do we really need another "definitive" Babe Ruth biography? Maybe not, but when Leavy (author of Sandy Koufax and Mickey Mantle bios) does it, it's worth a read.

My Love Story by Tina Turner (October 16): Remember when I said Sally Field had a lot to say? Well, that X2.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean (October 16): A story of a library fire and "a love letter to libraries"--sounds good to me.

American Dialogue: The Founders and Us by Joseph Ellis (October 16): I wish I had time/made time to read all of Ellis' books.

Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story by Roger Daltrey (October 23): I'm sure HE has a lot to say!

I'll Be There for You: The One About Friends by Kelsey Miller (October 23): I'm not ashamed to say I am interested in reading an authoritative look at the show Friends. It seems like enough time has passed to get some good candor from the people involved but not so much time that the show is no longer relevant.

Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes' Hollywood by Karina Longworth (Novermber 13): Longworth touched on this material in her excellent You Must Remember This podcast, and I'm delighted that she has expanded it into a book.

Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants by H.W. Brands (November 13): I wish I had time/made time to read all of Brands' books.

Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) by Jeff Tweedy (November 13): Tweedy is an interesting dude, and I expect this to be a compelling read.

Brooks on Books: Caddyshack: The Making of a Cinderella Story

One thing that stands out after reading Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Nashawaty's outstanding account of the making of the beloved comedy Caddyshack is the darkness. Oh, sure, we quote lines from the movie, we think of what a lark it must have been to be with all those funny people, we crack up at the sheer unhinged nature of Rodney Dangerfield...BUT...

But the movie was not a success when it premiered.

But not all the performers had a great time. It strikes me that Cindy Morgan, so sly and charismatic as Lacey in the film, had some terrible experiences during shooting, like being bullied by Jon Peters into doing nudity. Straight arrow and early riser Ted Knight resented his castmates' partying and didn't mesh with Dangerfield.

But the movie's co-writer/producer Doug Kenney died in a mysterious fall in Hawaii--way too young and believing his big project was a failure, never knowing the cultural icon it would become.

But rampant drug use throughout production may have seemed harmless at the time but casts a bit of a pall over the story now, especially considering the fate of the heavy abuser Kenney.

But if you sit and watch the movie now with fresh eyes, it's funny and memorable and a great time...but it's not really that great a movie. Even the people most involved in the production, like the late director Harold Ramis, admit it's a mess. The finished product in some ways reflects the inexperience of the filmmakers and the chaos caused by people winging it while fueled by various illicit substances.

Having said all that, I did rewatch it right after reading this book, and I had a good time. It's not a great movie, but it's a great watch, and the Dangerfield scenes are as funny as ever. Bill Murray is funny. Ted Knight is a tremendous slimy heel.

Let's talk about the book itself, though. Nashawaty began his research on Caddyshack when doing an article on the movie, then expanded it into this book. The good thing about the work's origins is that he was able to talk to Ramis before he died way too young. The author hustled and spoke to just about everybody important who was still around--yes, including Bill Murray, and, yes, there is a story behind it--and did a tremendous job shaping a focused, sharp narrative out of such a wild production.

One thing that stands out is that after a prelude, we don't really get into Caddyshack itself for over 100 pages. That's because Nashawaty goes all the way back to the beginning, telling the story of National Lampoon in great and compelling detail, then transitioning to a lively account of the making of National Lampoon's Animal House. 40% of the book is done before Caddyshack begins, but that makes perfect sense because, as Nashawaty shows, the film is a direct result of Kenney, Ramis, and co-writer Chris Miller wanting more control over their work after feeling director John Landis ended up with most of the responsibility (and power) on the smash hit Animal House.

There are many great "characters" in the narrative--Dangerfield, the volatile Chevy Chase (whose feud with Murray actually cooled during the movie), controversial producer Jon Peters...but perhaps the most intriguing is Kenney. The writer is lauded as a comic genius time and again in the text, yet his drug use spirals out of control as the book advances, ending up in death and confusion for friends like Chase, who left him in Hawaii days before his death. The realization that the troubled creative force never realized what an impact the movie had makes a bittersweet conclusion to the book.

Make no mistake, though, you get great stories about drugs, sex, and rock and roll (yes, you get the story of how Kenny Loggins came to write the movie's theme song). You learn about the original direction of the screenplay, with all those caddies whose scenes wound up shredded to ribbons. You read about the massive overlong early cuts and how editing saved the movie (with Peters, of all people, contributing the idea of using the gopher as a narrative throughline to pull things together).

It's a tremendous read, well written and backed by great research and interviews. I think the story of Caddyshack captures the highs (no pun intended) and lows of an era of comedy, and the bittersweet feeling at the end is appropriate. If you do need a solid laugh, though, just put on the movie and head right to the Al Czervik scenes.

Brooks on Books: "Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted" by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Note: This post appeared originally on battleofthenetworkshows.com, the home of our podcast covering television of the 70s and 80s. Check the site for more posts like this in addition to episodes of the show!

I'll check out just about any book-length treatment of 1970s and 1980s TV, but when this book came out in 2013, some negative reviews (particularly a few on Amazon) scared me away. I revisited this after we covered The Mary Tyler Moore Show earlier this season, though, and I recommend it for any fan of the series. It has its flaws and quirks, but it also has tons of great info and is a fun read.

First, let me mention those quirks: The book starts off reading like an agenda-driven effort to focus on the female writers who worked on the show. Oddly, that emphasis fades once the book gets going, and while Armstrong does keep checking in on some of the women who helped craft the series, it's not like they overshadow co-creators James L. Brooks and Allen Burns. Feminism is absolutely a big part of the series' story and appeal, but it feels like there is an inconsistent approach to it in the book, and MTM is maybe inflated a bit to seem like more of a singular advancement for women that it was.

More importantly, there are some strong factual errors, especially early in the book (a misidentification of Room 222 jarred me), that make you wonder about the rest of it. Some of the choices are a little odd, like the decision to tell so much of the story of a dedicated fan who grew to knew the show's principals but comes off kind of like a stalker.

That said, the book is really easy reading with lots of cool details. We've alluded to some of them here on the site, like the complex relationship between Ted Knight and Ed Asner. The saga of how MTM was cast makes a fascinating story in itself. Gavin MacLeod read for Lou Grant before asking, almost as an afterthought, to read for Murray. Asner himself struggled to get the Lou character down. Producers were skeptical of Cloris Leachman but casting exec Ethel Winant pushed for her.

Armstrong does a great job of chronicling the establishment of the series and how it takes off. Her sections on iconic episodes like the finale and the Chuckles the Clown funeral make me wish she spent more time talking about specific installments. The decision to semi-focus on the lives of some of the key female scribes may mean less time for more of the actual goings-on of the series during its prime years.

Overall, though, the anecdotes and info in here make this a must-read for MTM fans and a recommended one for fans of era TV in general, with the caveat that there are some inaccuracies and misleading bits in the text (see those Amazon reviews for more). I personally think Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted improves as it gets going, and I will likely seek out Armstrong's recent book on Seinfeld.

Brooks on Books: "Slugfest: Inside the Epic 50-Year Battle Between Marvel and DC" by Reed Tucker

I love this book. It's just the right blend of taking the subject seriously and having fun with it, just the right combination of facts and opinion, just the right amount of reportage and gossip.

As a DC guy for all my comic book life, though--which is close to 100% of my total life--it pains me to read it. Oh, I'm not one of the hyperpartisan fans mentioned in the text who support one of the Big Two comic publishers at the expense of the other. I have always read both, and when I bought comics and stayed "current" in the hobby, I bought both. But my heart has always been with DC, and my favorite characters are the ones controlled by that company.

So it's tough reading so many anecdotes about Marvel surpassing DC in commercial and critical success, Marvel being perceived as the cooler and hipper outfit as DC time and again tries to imitate it and play catch-up. It hurts, I tells ya.

It's a lot of fun, though. Tucker, a former New York Post staffer and freelancer who is not in the industry, offers an evenhanded but lively account of the decades-long rivalry between DC and Marvel. The former company got a 20-plus-year head start, but when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby invigorated the field with Fantastic Four and other creations, the tides turned and the game was on.

At times it does seem like a game, with publishers, editors, and creators taking playful snipes at each other but still socializing and competing in friendly softball games. At other times, it feels more like a cold war, with personal animosity driving business and creative decisions (like DC and its executive Paul Levitz's anger at Marvel executive Joe Quesada's brash, insulting interview blocking efforts for a Batman/Daredevil team-up). Over the years, though, the two companies managed to cooperate on special projects, share talent, and work together on relevant issues. In Tucker's narrative, there is always at least an undercurrent of rivalry, though.

Tucker spoke with many comic book notables and also gathered info from sources like mainstream newspapers and fanzines and comic book magazines. His skillful integration of that research makes for a smooth read. The history of the medium has been told (and told well) before, but Tucker offers a unique slant on the saga. His focus on the relationship between the two largest publishers mean there is a lot here for people who have read other tomes. Sean Howe's excellent Marvel Comics: The Untold Story  is similarly compelling and gossip-flavored, but there is a lot new in here even if there is some overlap in the themes.

If Jim Shooter, former Marvel editor-in-chief, was a controversial figure in Howe's book, he may be topped by former Marvel president Bill Jemas in Tucker's. One of my favorite moments, even though I am a DC guy, is when the publishers meet for a Comics Code Authority conference and Jemas makes it a point to bring a bunch of guys he just hired away from DC just to stick it to the other side. DC has two reps there, Archie Comics has one. When DC squawked about the unnecessary entourage, "Jemas contended that the number of people from each company was in direct correlation to sales."

That's a great example of the kind of tidbit you get in Slugfest, but most of the time, the feud is friendlier. Tucker shows how the underlying tensions remain even as the specific dynamics often change. In the 1960s, it's the upstarts at Marvel against the staid, conservative DC. Both companies get new corporate overlords and flirt with financial disaster. DC finds licensing success and movie success with Superman while Marvel tries again and again to get some movies off the ground. Now, of course, Marvel Cinematic Universe releases are massive events while DC struggles to find consistent success despite its favorable results on the small screen.

And of course, the battle wages on in the comics itself despite a landscape that is much different than it was in the 1960s. After years of skirmishes in areas like price increases, page counts, variant covers, etc., the two publishers seem like intellectual property farms in an increasingly narrow market for readership. They are still around, though, and still competing not only against all of the other entertainment options out there, but against each other.

Tucker offers valuable perspective on the epic rivalry while wisely refraining from choosing sides. He references the sniping between fans of DC and Marvel but concentrates on the people actually working for the two companies. Slugfest shows that the giant adversaries have a symbiotic but contentious relationship and that their conflict has been an entertaining driver of change in the medium for years and will continue as such. Anyone who grew up on comics and took a side in the eternal DC or Marvel debate will love this, but so will those who always made room for both. Tucker's book is strong enough to bring everyone together--maybe even Paul Levitz and Joe Quesada.

Brooks on Books: Based on a True Story--A Memoir by Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald, standup, host of "Weekend Update" on SNL, and all-around wise-ass, is a funny dude, and it's no surprise that he has written a funny book. The nature of it is a real surprise, though. I guess I should have been tipped off by--oh, the title, for example, and maybe by the fact it was in the non-fiction section at the library instead of in the biography section. Yet I was taken aback that it wasn't actually a memoir.

If you are smarter than me and can pick up on such subtle clues earlier, this is a great read if you understand what he's doing. There are some stories from Macdonald's early life (not a lot) and from his showbiz career, and some of them may even be true, but mostly it's a narrative of a wild, drug-fueled adventure he and sidekick Adam Eget (always referred to by first and last names like that) undergo in an attempt to gamble into enough money to open a ranch. Along the way, Norm tells stories of his life to Adam Eget. Even weirder, there is a ghostwriter character who appears and sometimes writes short chapters as himself. I really don't want to give away more except to say that there is indeed a narrative here, and Macdonald ties all of it together.

The writing is much like you would expect a Macdonald book to be--extremely dry with all kinds of off-kilter jokes. Much of the humor comes from Macdonald staying in character and treating fictional stories like his attempt to court Sarah Silverman as if they were not only true stories, but also as if his own view on them was sincere. For example, he mentions a restraining order she filed and says he couldn't understand it because he was in her bushes and following her every day but never saw a stalker.

Speaking of tying it all together, one of the brilliant aspects of the text is how it rewards you. There are setups that pay off sentences, pages, even chapters later. I also think the book gets better as it goes along. He dispatches his childhood quickly, and things pick up once he starts to explain his career in show business.

There are tidbits about Saturday Night Live, but only casual references to The Norm Show and nothing about hilarious appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. You will be disappointed if you want to hear "the real story" of his dismissal from Weekend Update for making too many O.J. Simpson jokes, but his version in this book is so hilarious, I say, who needs the truth? Some of what he says about the making of cult movie Dirty Work may be true, but a lot of it is "just" funny stories.

I would almost be stunned if Norm took himself seriously, but I didn't expect him to treat his whole life as such a farce. I hope the morphine habit isn't as true as the gambling, at least, but who knows? I don't think I want or need to know. Based on a True Story is a unique and addictive (not as much as morphine and gambling) "memoir" that will please anyone who enjoys Macdonald's type of comedy. What is that type? Ah, don't ask me. Let's just go with "funny" and say that you know what I mean if you like him.

Brooks on Books: Boys' Toys by Jed Novick

I found this compact 128-page 2005 hardcover at the liberry and couldn't resist exploring the world of classic "boys' toys" like G.I. Joe, Lionel Trains, and even less stereotypically gender-specific items like Viewmaster. Jed Novick's text is sharp, and the design is outstanding. I just wish the book were bigger.

128 pages, including an index, intro, and table of contents, doesn't leave a lot of room. Novick includes a lot of mostly Baby Boomer-era toys, but he lacks the space to really get into them. So each section has a brief origin of the toy and maybe a fun fact or two, plus a picture, but, man, it really leaves you wanting more.

Novick's a clever writer who could do a lot more, and he tries to make the most of the limitations. It's amazing that the book reads as a tribute to All-American childhoods when he himself is English and the book was developed in the U.K. Many toys don't even get a full page, though, and few get more than one. We're not talking about one specific thing, either--I mean, like, Matchbox cars get a two-page spread. It's frustrating to see a reference to a rare variant or a famous action figure in a line and not see a pic.

Let's focus on the positive, though: Boys' Toys shows affection for its subject but is not too reverent. Novick keeps things light and includes some funny comments but strikes the right tone and doesn't sacrifice information. As I said, the design is eye-catching, loaded with color and vivid photographs.

Subtitled "An Illustrated History of Little Things That Pleased Big Minds," Boys' Toys succeeds in providing an attractive survey of famous playthings like Mego figures, board games, and erector sets It doesn't aim to be encyclopedic, and it serves as a great gift item or appetizer for people wanting a warm blast of nostalgia. It sure would be great to see Novick get a chance to do something a little more detailed, though!

Brooks on Books: Of All the Gin Joints: Stumbling Through Hollwood History by Mark Bailey and Edward Hemingway

This is a delightful and unique blend of vintage Hollywood history, gossip, and, yes, booze. I'm no expert on alcoholic beverages, and I thought the drinking content might dominate the text. However, much to my surprise, there is every bit as much pure movie gossip, including some outrageous stories. It's one of the most entertaining showbiz books I read in recent years.

You lushes know who you are, but I am not judging. I think I AM gonna judge old Hollywood, though, which consists of nothing but depraved drunkards. OK, I exaggerate a bit. And the tone of the book is decidedly on the lighter side of binge imbibing and chronic alcoholism. Still...sheesh!

The book divides Hollywood into 4 distinct eras, ending in 1979. Each mini-sized chapter begins with a profile of an individual--actor, screenwriter, director, etc.--and is "chased" with a look at a bar/lounge/some other place where drinks were imbibed. Often a cocktail recipe closes out the section. Hemingway provides brilliant illustrations while Bailey writes the witty and savvy text. Behind-the-scenes accounts of specific productions like Beat the Devil, loaded with anecdotes, make for amusing sidebars.

Yes, everything revolves around alcohol, but, wow, when we talk about movies and booze, we are covering a lot of ground. One way or another, most of the big names and faces in the history of the medium find their way into their book, whether they were alcoholics or not (and many were). You get all kinds of debauchery and bad behavior; a lot of it is hilarious, but some of it is quite sad, even tragic.

A lot of this is familiar to enthusiasts--stories include the trial of Fatty Arbuckle, the near-fatal car crash that forever altered Montgomery Clift's appearance, and Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio's ill-fated attempt to bust into a reputed dalliance of Marilyn Monroe's. Yet the telling of it all is concise and enlightening, and besides, there is a lot on here that is less familiar, at least to me.

There's Steve McQueen taking LSD with Mamie Van Doren, William Holden dangling from a 14th-floor windowsill, Charles Butterworth dressing in drag to enter the Garden of Allah, and Talullah Bankead wooing Johnny Weismuller. There are great mini-histories of long-vanished hotspots like Romanoff's and places that are still around in some form, like the Polo Lounge.

My guess is that the connossieurs out there won't need the recipes for the drinks (many of which were invented by figures in the book), but they will be amused by their origins and the details. The rest of us can sit back and enjoy this tour through the wetter side of filmdom, and if we are inspired to pick up an adult beverage, what's the harm? Apart from some of the terrible things that happen to people who drink too much in the anecdotes in the book?

10 Things I Loved in 2018

Don't consider this a top 10, but consider it...a 10. Don't consider this a Bo Derek 10, but consider it...Ah, you get the idea. Here are 10 things I loved in 2017. I recommend you check these out, love them, and create your own list of 10 including these exact things at the end of 2018. Just please try to change the wording a bit.

*The Lego Batman Movie: I didn't see all of the superhero movies that came out this year, or hardly any of them, but you'll have a hard time convincing me any of them are better than Lego Batman. It's so good that I am willing to endure 10 more Will Arnett live-action sitcoms (the idea of them, not actually watching them).

*The Terrible Podcast: Minute for minute, kilobyte for kilobyte (OK, I don't know what I'm talking about), no sports podcast--maybe no podcast, period--gave me more joy in 2017 than this Pittsburgh Stillers show, "just a couple of Daves talking Steeler football." In season, they do 3 shows, almost always an hour apiece, and with absolutely no ads or ad reads. It may be the best bargain in 'Burgh sports (insert Mike Hilton comment). Even when my enthusiasm for football dims, I look forward to this podcast.

*The Honeymooners on Blu-Ray: One of my favorite presents last Christmas brought me all kinds of entertainment throughout the year and continues to do so. I remain both delighted it was so cheap on Amazon and also sort of offended that it was.

*Comic Book Fever: See my review here of George Khoury's delightful exploration of seemingly 50% of everything I loved as a kid.

*Eight Is Enough on Warner Archive Instant: This comfort food is the TV equivalent of eating an old sock. Wait, I think I screwed that up. WAI deserves criticism for, uh, not doing anything for months on end, but as long as it has all 5 seasons of EIE, I'm there.

*800 Words on Acorn TV: I signed up for Acorn to watch Doc Martin, but I stayed because of this charming, simple dramedy about an Aussie family that moves to New Zealand. Well, actually I didn't stay, but I will be back eventually. It's also a fun comfort-food kind of show.

*Burger with fried egg: I tried this for the first time this summer and loved it. The truffle fries didn't hurt, either. I had another one recently at a different location, and while I now acknowledge the legitimacy of egg on burger as a concept, it was really the specific location that made the meal so awesome. Plus there was undoubtedly some kind of fattening sauce, butter, and, what, two different kinds of cheese. Dag, I'm hungry now.

*MLB.TV: The Pirates looked awful at times, but this was the first season I had MLB.TV and access to all of the games (well, almost all; let's not get into the inane blackout rules right now) for a whole season, and it was splendid, even if I get sick of seeing the same commercials over and over and over again.

*Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond: I said after I watched this that either Jim Carrey is one messed-up dude or he is a fantastic and pretentious BS artist. Probably a little of both. This documentary showed up late in the year on Netflix and mesmerized me with its combination of Hollywood history, Hollywood ego, Hollywood nuttiness, Andy Kaufman, pro wrestling, and, yes, maybe even a little bit of the human condition.

*SeanMC's YouTube Channel: I love, love, love, old TV promos--I launched a recurring feature devoted to sharing them on the blog this year--and Sean Mc is a reliable uploader of great vintage 1970s/1980s content, much of it absurd hype jobs voiced by legends like Danny Dark, Ernie Anderson, and Casey Kasem. Opening YT and seeing Sean posted a batch of fresh vids is like--uh, I'm out of strained similies, but it's awesome.

More on "Mr. Novak": An interview with author Chuck Harter.

Please see yesterday's post for my review of the new book about the 1963-1965 TV  series Mr. Novak. THe author, Chuck Harter, was kind enough to answer some questions and share even more insight on his work and on the TV series. Please enjoy, and I highly recommend you hit the links below to check out the book.

 

 

RICK: Thanks for taking the time to talk a bit about your excellent new book, Mr.  Novak: An Acclaimed Television Series. As a classic TV lover and someone who appreciates efforts to preserve and explore the history of the medium, I feel like I need to thank you and your publisher, Bear Manor Media, just for producing a comprehensive account of an underseen gem like Mr. Novak.

You do touch on this in the book, but could you briefly explain what motivated you to not just seek out the show, but to research and write about it?

 

CHUCK:       On behalf of myself and Ben Ohmart (Publisher) of bearmanormedia.com, your thanks for our efforts are very much appreciated.

My interest in pursuing a book project on the Mr. Novak series began with a viewing of a couple of episodes some three years ago. I was so impressed with the excellence of the scripting, acting, directing and production that I wished to purchase a book to find out more about this amazing program that had somehow slipped through the cracks and been largely forgotten. As I viewed additional episodes, I was pleased to see the high level of creativity and presentation maintained which motivated me to expend maximum effort to create a book as good as the series. Another factor was the enthusiasm and generosity of virtually everyone that I was able to contact who were either a part of the program or were fans. The result of my efforts has been a 100% positive reaction to the book which is very gratifying.


RICK: It seems to me that today, the combination of critical acclaim and (I assume from the significant anecdotal evidence in your book) the desirable young demographics of Mr. Novak would give it a better chance to stick around for more than a few years. You point to several different factors to its early demise. Do you think one single decision/factor could have made the show a bigger success, and if so, what?

CHUCK: The one single factor that would have enabled the Mr. Novak series to continue for several more years than it did would have been a different day’s time slot. In the days before vcrs, people were unable to tape a show for later viewing and many homes had a single television.  There have been several cases in the history of TV where a superior show was broadcast opposite an extremely popular series that achieved higher ratings. The result was eventual cancellation despite , in many cases, critical acclaim. The Tuesday 7:30 p.m. time slot for Mr. Novak was ideal but unfortunately it was broadcast opposite  the very popular Combat, which consistently won the Nielsen ratings. If Mr. Novak had aired against programming that wasn’t quite as strong it would have undoubtedly won its time slot and could have continued. It was a case of a cerebral dramatic show versus an action series. The quality of Mr. Novak’s presentation does hold up remarkably well for the two seasons that it did air.

RICK:  One of the fascinating threads you weave into the account of the series' history is the love/hate attitude of the fan magazines toward star James Franciscus. You provide plenty of information contradicting the chatter during the show's run about friction between stars James Franciscus and Dean Jagger, and you indicate that much of it was probably fabricated. How much credence do you give to those rumors? It seems like there was a lot of smoke there.

CHUCK:     James Franciscus did not like the TV and movie fan magazines that published salacious and gossip styled stories about him and his family. He was quite vocal about his distaste for this type of fabricated publicity. His lack of cooperation with these publications twice won him a Sour Apple Award and the writers and editors of the fan magazines were out to discredit him. They not only fabricated a feud between the actor  and Dean Jagger but also published several stories about a feud with Dick Chamberlain. In the case of the stars of Mr. Novak, there was no feud. They were working professionals who were cordial with each other and had a mutual respect. Mr. Novak was a dialogue based show and both actors prided themselves on being letter perfect in their scenes. They wouldn’t socialize  together after scenes were shot because they were running lines in their respective dressing rooms. Franciscus and Chamberlian  also respected each other but moved in different social circles since Jim was married and Dick was a bachelor. While they both filmed their respective series at the MGM studio, the days were long and arduous and they might only briefly exchange pleasantries at lunch in the commissary.

 

 

RICK:  Again, you do get into this in your book, but what do you think ultimately doomed the series to such a brief run? Creative changes? Timeslot difficulty? Is there any single reason that such a quality show fell into the "went too soon" category?

 

CHUCK: I believe there were two main reasons the show was doomed to a brief run. The first was the loss of series’ leads Jeanne Bal and Dean Jagger. An audience identifies with the stars of any program and when there is a departure, it can weaken the viewer’s interest. If they had both stayed, it might have been a different situation of survival. The other reason occurred when series’ creator and executive producer E. Jack Neuman stepped down from a hand’s on approach in the second season. He understood his own concepts of the show and when these were followed, the program was critically acclaimed. When Leonard Freeman became the producer of the second season, he had a different idea of what the series should be. I’m sure he was motivated by the suits since there was a justifiable concern about the lesser ratings situation. The unfortunate result was that there was less emphasis on school life and the involvement of the other teachers. With that said, there are many great episodes in the second season. When Burgess Meredith, replaced Dean Jagger in the middle of the second season, it took some episodes for him to get a grip on his character as the new principal. He was really becoming a major part of the show when it ended. Had there been a third season, I think he would have had as good an impact on the audience as Dean Jagger did.

 

 

RICK: Many of Mr. Novak's key figures had passed away well before you started the book. If you had a chance today to ask something of any of them--whether it be Franciscus, Jagger, or creator E. Jack Neuman--what would it be?

 

 

CHUCK: Three questions for three members of the Mr. Novak family.

 

 

 

 1.       James Franciscus – I would have liked to have asked him about his writing of the columns for ‘TEEN magazine in which he gave constructive advice for his youthful followers. Apparently he took the writing seriously and was pleased that they were well received. He wanted to use his stardom to help his viewing audience which was a very admirable thing to do. I would also have liked to question him about his willingness to cooperate with the teen mags as opposed to his refusal to cooperate with the fan magazines and finally what he really felt about being such a positive influence on the educational community.
           

2.       Dean Jagger – I would have liked to have asked him about his positive influence on the educational communities and how he felt about made a member for life by the  National Association of Secondary School Principals. I would also have liked to ask him about his effective underplaying as Principal Vane. He often would mutter seemingly throwaway lines that would be dramatically effective. Many of his best scenes as Principal Vane are underplayed and are still emotionally moving in the current day.

 

 

3.       E. Jack Neuman – I would have liked to have asked him about his feelings regarding the many awards that the series won . Since this was his vision and creation, this must have been tremendously gratifying for him as a creative artist. I would also liked to have asked him about his views on the portrayals of his leads by Franciscus and Jagger and how he felt about seeing the shows all these years later and how well they stand up.
 

RICK: Do you have any other projects on the horizon you'd like to mention? It looks like you are busy with music and other endeavors, but would you consider giving any other classic TV shows a similar treatment?

 

 

CHUCK:  I am considering another possible book project on a short lived TV series from 1961. I do need to ascertain if there is enough material to justify a modest book on the show so I’ll  keep that close to my vest at this time. I’ll just say that if it does proceed, I’ll expend the same energy and perseverance that I did on the Mr. Novak project. I also plan to return to musical performance and perhaps do some recording.

Please note that the book is available in hardback, paperback and Ebook editions. They can be ordered from amazon.com and bearmanormeadia.com   The book’s website is https://mrnovakbook.com/

 

Brooks on Books: "Mr. Novak: An Acclaimed Television Series" by Chuck Harter

These days, I am thankful for any appreciation of the history of classic television, let alone a book-length analysis of an unheralded gem. So while I was provided a review copy of Mr. Novak: An Acclaimed Series, any predisposition I have to view it favorably is due to...well, just due to its existence. Fortunately, author Chuck Harter excels at telling the story of one of TV's forgotten classics, supplementing a thorough and engaging history of its production with an episode guide and a host of appendices. The result is a must-read for those with fond memories of Mr. Novak and an irresistible package even for television fans who have never seen the series.

 

 I suspect there are many in that category. Mr. Novak ran from 1963 to 1965 on NBC Sunday nights at 7:30.  As the titular rookie high school English teacher, James Franciscus won over many younger viewers l with his charm and good looks, but the show was far more ambitious than just a vehicle for creating a teen idol. Principal Albert Vane (Dean Jagger) was an integral part of the premise, with his wise authority figure offering a distinct counterpart to the fresh-faced newbie.

Creator E. Jack Neuman was determined to create a realistic and relevant drama about the world of secondary education. As Harter relates, a host of awards and acclaim from scholastic organizations indicate he succeeded. Similarly, the show drew kudos from most critics. Ultimately, a variety of factors--creative and cast changes, timeslot competition, and others--held Novak to only two seasons, which is a shame.

The series has had a limited afterlife, with its highest-profile run a stint as late-night/early-morning programming and filler in the early days of TNT. Scuttlebutt has it that Warner Archive will finally release Novak in 2018; I'd love to see it on Warner Instant before then, but if not, I'll be tempted to pre-order  as soon as it's announced. The handful of episodes I've seen back up Harter's assertion of the series' quality. As a big fan of Dr. Kildare, many episodes of which were written by Neuman and which features a similar mentor/pupil dynamic between Raymond Massey and Richard Chamberlain (to whom the media often compared Franciscus), my wheelhouse has plenty of room for a thoughtful "social issues" drama like this one, and I can't wait for more.

Harter begins the text by talking about just how he got hooked on the series and why he went to Bear Manor with this project. Then he gets right into the history of the show itself, explaining Neuman's ambitions and how he put the project together. Most every major detail of Novak's creation is recounted in detail, and Harter's impressive research is evident.

Though most of the show's  principals had passed away years earlier, Harter spoke with many key figures, such as Franciscus' widow, production personnel like director Richard Donner (who contributes an introduction) and guest stars like Martin Landau and Walter Koenig (who write the foreword and afterword, respectively--Landau died not long after his contribution). He makes excellent use of earlier interviews publications such as The  TV Collector conducted with the likes of Franciscus and Neuman.



Alexander Scourby and Sherry Jackson in one standout episode

In addition to those valuable first-person accounts, Mr. Novak: An Acclaimed Television Series benefits from the vast array of contemporary articles and reviews Harter has gathered. Newspapers, teen magazines, and other sources give valuable context and a sense of time and place for a series that aired over 50 years ago.

However, the book isn't just a triumph of research; Harter's writing is crisp and effective, and he makes the saga of the short-lived series a compelling one. There is an air of regret throughout the book, though, as many of Novak's staff, fans, and the author himself lament what feels like a missed opportunity. The show "should have" lasted longer. Neuman turned his attention away to other projects in season two, and more of a "suit" type came in to oversee production. Leonard Freeman was more concerned with budget issues and other matters compared to the intense attention to verisimilitude preached by Neuman. Jagger, suffering from health issues, left the series, and replacement Burgess Meredith didn't get enough time to fully click.

Harter traces all these developments and interjects some opinions where appropriate, and he offers letter grades and capsule reviews for each installment in the episode guide after the main text. Yet he keeps the focus on the series itself along with its principles, offering insight in a balanced manner.

Novak won a Peabody award and was critically respected, but it was also beloved by its loyal audience, and I think it's important to note that it is a fun show to watch. It has a sense of humor even as it discusses serious topics like alcoholism, the death of a teacher on school grounds, and even less melodramatic issues like the difficulty students can have in choosing a vocation. Similarly, Harter gives you all the facts and then some, but his chronological telling of the series' tale is easy to follow and a pleasurable read.

Robert Culp is excellent in an episode that also features Harry Townes, Tony Dow, and Johnny Crawford

The book is loaded with vintage photographs, advertisements, and production ephemera. An essay from Neuman to potential writers, something like what would be called a "series bible" today, is fascinating. My favorite of the extra material is the rules and description of the 1963 Mr. Novak board game!

Mr. Novak: An Acclaimed Television Series is a triumph that does justice to its excellent subject. I think the only negative I can give is that I am now frustrated I am unable to see all of Mr. Novak. Here's hoping Warner Archive does indeed release the show soon. In the meantime, classic TV lovers can tide themselves over with Chuck Harter's excellent comprehensive guide to the show.

(Come back tomorrow for an email interview  I conducted with the author, who was kind enough to answer some of my questions on his passion for the series, why it only lasted two seasons, the fake "feud" between the two stars, and more!)

Brooks on Books: Film and TV Locations: A Spotter's Guide by Lonely Planet

This is a slim little softcover of a book, but the photography is beautiful, and I think it makes a nice gift or read for movie lovers who dream of visiting some of the famous locales they have seen all screen. I'm not sure how  useful it is, or if these Lonely Planet "Spotter's Guides" are even supposed to be more than just pretty to look at and enjoy, but, yeah, this is pretty much just pretty to look at and enjoy.

The 128-page volume contains shots of real-life settings of notable films (some TV series, but the vast majority are from the cinema). Each one is accompanied by the longitude and latitude, which I guess gives a veneer of something or other, and also some often-irreverent brief text descriptions by Laurence Phelan. Each entry also has a little illustration placing the locale on a portion of a global map.

Even if you linger on the photos, it won't take much more than a half-hour to go through the book, but it does look nice. There is a good variety of places, too--both in terms of diverse geography and in terms of the types of movies selected. The guide takes you from The Man with the Golden Gun (Thailand) to Moonrise Kingdom (Rhode Island) to When Harry Met Sally (Katz's deli in NYC). TV shows like Seinfeld, Game of Thrones, and even long-running Australian soap Neighbours (the company still has a big office there, after all) have entries.

There are mostly picturesque scenes here, but the occasional urban landscape adds some variety to the gorgeous array of lighthouses, beaches, and mountains. It's not a weighty book, but it sure is purdy.

Brooks on Books: In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett

I remember The Carol Burnett Show as a fixture in syndication...for a few years. Then, when I got older, the show disappeared from my area. I was never a big fan, and I think my dislike of the Mama character and the subsequent Mama's Family spinoff soured me on the whole program.

It's still difficult to see the program in its original form; the syndication package trimmed the hourlong program to a half-hour, deleting most of the musical segments and focusing on the sketches. Time Life helped initiate a mini-revival of the series in recent years by issuing some DVD releases. Unfortunately, it created dozens of different packages, making collecting the show on disc a confusing task and maybe making a  lot of people just throw their hands up and forget about it. You can still see the show on Me-TV, though, and many, many sketches are available online. Maybe that's the best way to enjoy it, cherry-picking individual segments, but it's a shame the original version is mostly gone.

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Fun, and Mayhem in the Sandbox, a warm and enjoyable account of the show's production, rekindled my interest in the long-running classic and inspired me to seek out some of its memorable moments. The book is a must for folks who do love and remember the show. You may know a lot of the stories behind its creation, but Burnett adds a lot of details, and her love of the experience and affection for her coworkers--not just the cast, but everyone involved--is palpable. It began almost as an afterthought as her contract required CBS to give her a series if she requested it, but it lasted 11 seasons and is the obvious centerpiece of the legendary comedienne's legacy.

After a brief look at her early days in showbiz, Burnett takes us through the origins of her show and then discusses individual co-stars, guests, and specific segments. We get a strong sense of what it was actually like to put the variety show together, with rundowns of the rehearsal and shooting schedule and glimpses into facets such as costuming (Bob Mackie plays a big role in the book, just as he did in creating famous outfits like the curtain rod ensemble in "Went with the Wind"). Burnett takes us inside her head as she and her team developed segments like the audience Q&As. Along the way, there are many humorous anecdotes and quality insights about the routine of working in television.

A nice touch is the appendix listing show and guest details. In fact, I am impressed by the work Burnett put into this. She went back and watched the episodes, which means she provides many details (maybe too many for some) in recounting some of the sketches. The entire book sounds like her. It's very conversational and anecdotal, but it feels genuine. If Carol Burnett didn't actually do the writing, someone did a heck of a job talking with her and shaping this book.

In Such Good Company is a fun read and very, very positive. Don't expect dirt, as Burnett takes the high road, and besides, she doesn't seem to have too many negative memories, anyway. It's disappointing but understandable that she relates one involving a guest as a "blind item." She talks about an issue with Harvey Korman, but the way she sets it up and explains it makes clear she is taking pains not to denigrate him in any way. In short, the book may leave hardcore fans hoping for a third-party effort with a more critical view, but what Burnett herself has written is as classy as we presume she is.

Brooks on Books: Comic Book Fever by George Khoury

Is it hyperbole to claim this is the greatest book ever published?

Perhaps it is overpraise, but this is a fun, fun book. It's another knockout package from the fine folks at TwoMorrows Publishing, a company dedicated to making  periodicals and books about pop culture, with an emphasis on comic books. In Comic Book Fever, George Khoury examines an era right in my wheelhouse. The subtitle is: "A Celebration of Comics 1976 to 1986."

This 239-page softcover celebration consists of  scores of short, punchy chapters focusing on different topics or individuals. A section might look at a specific comic title like Marvel Team-Up, an iconic creator like Neal Adams, or a memorable part of culture like the ubiquitous Hostess Fruit Pie ads. Khoury conducts interviews with connected individuals and tells the stories of all of these cool things that people like me loved so much growing up.

The writing is compelling if a bit breathless at times. Khoury comes at this with pure nostalgic love for just about everything in here, and he ends many chapters with declarations of how much better our lives were due to the presence of, say, DC's Dollar Comics line. You know what, though? He's not wrong.

It's all supplemented with typical eye-catching TwoMorrows design. Vintage comic pages, ads, original art, and photographs fill Comic Book Fever. The pages pop with color, and frequent sidebars flesh out the chapters and give the sense that the whole thing is packed and a good value.

I admit I questioned some of the space allocations. For example. Love and Rockets and Elfquest get a lot more pages than many of the one- and two-pagers that interested me more. However, Khoury has a great eye for interesting facets of comic culture. I loved reading about the origins of the Marvel series about the Human Fly or the Spalding ads. It's great to learn about Dynamite magazine, ICEE superhero cups, and so much more.

Ever wonder what the deal was with those ads for the original Heroes World stores with all that sweet merchandise? Or the "Sell GRIT" ads? I did, and Comic Book Fever explains all.

There is also some hardcore comic book history here, like the beginnings of The New Teen Titans, Neal Adams' efforts for creator rights, and even indies like Nexus. The variety of material covered is impressive. For example, you read about famous icons like Alan Moore and John Byrne (conspicuous by his absence since so many other living "Icons" apparently spoke with Khoury) but also important but less famous figures like Jose Garcia-Lopez.

In short, Comic Book Fever does justice to the awesome era it explores, and if you grew up loving any of this stuff, you will love this book. I give it my strongest recommendation.

(NOTE: This post was edited slightly after the comment below by the author, who graciously noted that Alan Moore did indeed participate in an interview for the book)

'Mooners Monday #24: Celebrity Testimonials

I just finished critic David Bianculli's enjoyable The Platinum Age of Television, and many of the TV creators and performers interviewed for the book demonstrate their good taste by praising The Honeymooners. For example, David Simon proves his bona fides as not just a grade-A rabble rouser, but a judge of quality reruns:

I fell in love with The Honeymooners and stayed in love with The Honeymooners. To this day, I can't walk out on a Honeymooners episode.If I walk through the room, and I'm going somewhere and The Honeymooners is on,  I've got to sit down.

Other people who cite the show: James L. Brooks, Vince Gilligan, David Milch, Louis C.K., and David Chase.

We don't need big-shot showrunners to tell us The Honeymooners is great. It's nice to read it, though!

Bianculli doesn't give the series its own little subheading as he does so many other programs he highlights as key points in the evolution of good TV, but he writes about it at the beginning of his "Family Sitcoms" chapter, and his appreciation is clear:

...the development of The Honeymooners, from brief sketch to season-long domestic sitcom, is a perfect illustration of the evolution of quality TV at its best.

He goes on to talk about its expansion from recurring sketch to dedicated half-hour program. However, he then turns to praising I Love Lucy, which has its adherents but is no Honeymooners. And this is not I Love Luc-day, so that's all I got for this week.

Brooks on Books: Golden Girls Forever

(Note: this post originally appeared yesterday on Battle of the Network Shows, where you can hear our podcast episode covering The Golden Girls)

Every TV show that runs, oh, more than 5 seasons and 125 episodes or so ought to have its own definitive book, but not many are that lucky. Despite its continued success in reruns and its appeal to multiple demographic groups, I was surprised to see a thick, fancy-looking hardback book devoted to the long-running NBC hit The Golden Girls. Jim Colucci has created what is surely the most comprehensive print collection of  information on the show. It's a slam dunk for anyone who loves the series, but even casual fans will find a lot of interest in here.

The first thing that stands out content-wise about the volume is the access Colucci has gained. Despite its release coming after the death of several key figures, the text makes frequent use of interviews with everyone. He personally interviews bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan and uses archival material for some thoughts of Estelle Getty. He also talks to the producers, writers, and many of the more notable guest stars and supporting players involved with  the show during its 8 seasons.

It starts off with a general history of the show and continues with a selective episode guide. It's surprising that such a hefty book does not include a comprehensive episode guide, but Colucci is not just listing the plots. Rather, he uses the episode chapters to work in other details about the series, how it was made, and the many guests who appeared. If you have a favorite episode, chances are it's included in this section.

Several things stand out from reading this book: 1) Everyone working on The Golden Girls took pride in it and felt they did good work. 2) Bea Arthur could be really prickly as a collaborator. Many stories in here begin with someone talking about how she was cold or distant to them, though they often take pains to say she was a real pro. 3) Estelle Getty's memory issues plagued her from the beginning. Several anecdotes center around her inability to remember lines, an unfortunate circumstance which often annoyed others on the set (including, yes, Arthur).

And I'm not saying this because the author happens to be gay (he mentions this), but there is a significant amount of coverage of the show's appeal in "the gay community," and there is extensive coverage of the fate of Coco, the live-in housekeeper who was axed after the pilot. There are a few appendices asking "Which Golden Girl Are You?" or questions like that, with the respondents being gay showbiz figures. It's no secret that the show has a following in that sector, and I am not complaining, but I will say that while any fan will love this book, gay fans will really  love it.

It's an outstanding piece of work by Colucci and a valuable source of info about a beloved sitcom. The commentary from the cast and creative team is useful, of course, but this book goes the extra mile by getting info from the likes of guest stars (Debbie Reynolds) and even bit players like Quentin Tarantino. I'd be a happy man if every show we covered on the podcast inspired this kind of book--well written, detailed, and offering attractive design and fine production values.

Brooks on Books: Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown

I am no "video game guy," but I have loved playing Tetris for years. I had no idea reading about it would be so much fun or that the addictive puzzle game had such a fascinating backstory. Box Brown, who earlier produced an outstanding biography of Andre the Giant, delivers another fantastic graphic novel with this enthralling story of the game.

Brown starts with a brief illustrated history of games in general--how they started, why they appeal to people, and so forth. It's a fine beginning that provides context and sets the stage for the tangled account of Tetris itself.

The deceptively simple-looking game of the falling puzzle pieces was created by Soviet software developers. How it made its way to the USA and around the world is an incredible story you have to read to believe. It involves bureaucracy, geopolitics, foreign intrigue, corporate chicanery, and so much more.

I really don't want to give anything away, but just know that Brown's skillful rendering of the story draws you right in and doesn't let go. He manages to make the human "characters" stand out, and the real-life twists and turns of this saga have a big impact due to the quality of the storytelling.

I figured that reading this would make me want to go play some more Tetris again. What I didn't know was just how much I would love this book. I highly recommend Brown's brilliant adaptation of a surprisingly complex real-life story of business, one told against a backdrop of the timeless appeal of playing games.

Brooks on Books: Hark, a Vagrant by Kate Beaton

This book is awesome, Kate Beaton is awesome, and I only wish there were more collections from her available. I see she has done a children's book and is working on a graphic novel, and I'm sure they are/will be great, but I would love to see more of this stuff.

Hark consists of an assortments of original cartoons Beaton has done, many with a historical/literary bent. I have to say that just the fact that there are comics like this is enough to amuse me, but Beaton's askew sensibility makes the source material even funnier. Also, it's great that she pulls so many random references out of her hat. Well, I say random, but she is not just leafing through books and pointing her fingers at names. She has a history degree, worked in a museum, and is an unabashed lover of what she is covering.

Also, Beaton is Canadian, so prepare yourself for some obscure Canadian references. It's a nice touch that the strips are annotated. Many feature "artist commentary" notes explaining her thinking, what strikes her as interesting about the topic, or sometimes just who the subjects are.

Here's another nice touch: There is an index! It's just a cool little bonus for a work that blends fiction and nonfiction.

A lot of the humor centers on putting modern attitudes in older situations, but it never gets old in this book. She includes a couple of Hamlet-themed comics late in the collection, and "the ghost" arrives and tells his son, "Obviously I died of poison." A shocked Hamlet says he didn't know, so the king says, "Was there no autopsy? What did everyone think I died of?" Hamlet: "Uh, this is still the middle ages or something. They just thought you died from being alive."

I am totally not doing it justice. Something about Beaton's style, the look of the drawings, and the overall attitude makes all of this hilarious, and it gets better if you just throw yourself into it. I could write out more of the strips, but just go to her site and see some samples. I see she has a similar collection, and I need to get my hands on that one because Hark is 166 pages of fun, off-kilter send-ups of  mostly "scholarly" topics.

Brooks on Books: The Who: The Story of the Band That Defined A Generation

When I saw this sharp-looking hardcover on the New Releases shelf at my local liberry, I was a bit confused. Something seemed off. It didn't look like something I expected to see there, but it sort of looked familiar. I grabbed it and took it home. Well, I checked it out with my card first, of course. I could have been more "rock and roll" and stole it or smashed it on the ground, but I went the conventional route.

Turns out this is a repackaging of the Treasures of the Who collection that combined a book with all kinds of goofy crap--reproductions of handbills, photos, and stuff like that. This is just the book--no crap. I remember seeing the Treasures and thinking it was pretty cool but not wanting to pay for it. I'm sure it ended up in the "bargain bin" at Barnes and Noble like all those books do, and it was probably worth it at that point.

Chris Welch's text in this "unofficial and unauthorized" volume is lively and surprisingly critical of the music. It doesn't delve much into the personal lives of the band members, but there isn't a lot of space for that.  The emphasis is on the band as a band, and each album gets a brief section with commentary on the album as a whole and the individual tracks.

Along the way, Welch tells the basic story of the band's origins and its high and low points, with several "chapters" (each chapter in this book is a few pages) devoted to biographical sketches of the individual members. It's an entertaining and brisk overview of The Who for non-experts.

Arguably the main attraction for aficionados of The Who, if they aren't disappointed at the exclusion of the goofy crap, is the wealth of photos of ephemera like letters to fans, original concert tickets, and the like. There are outstanding action shots and publicity pics as well, and it's all vivid and eye-pleasing in the smartly designed book.

Brooks on Books: Fast Food Maniac by Jon Heim

Some books are meant to be fun, and I don't mean that as a negative. Jon Hein's Fast Food Maniac is a fast read, filled with bite-size chapters loaded with tidbits and trivia. It's not a scholarly nor a comprehensive look at our country's fast food restaurants, but it satisfies. It's entertaining and packed with interesting information, and if you enjoy fast food--or you just do but pretend not to, like so many--this is a great read.

Hein lists a large number of national fast food chains, plus some regional favorites, and offers their origins, their secret menu items and specialties, and ranks them in a variety of categories. Along the way he shares his own takes on each one, often peppered with anecdotes from years of unhealthy eating.

(Seriously, I wondered how Hein wasn't 500 pounds after I read this, and then I found out that he's diabetic, which makes it even more interesting)

There's a nice assortment of pictures, many showing logos and storefronts, some showing Heim and his family members indulging at various locales. Hein doesn't claim to be all-inclusive in his look at fast food joints, but given the criteria he uses, I can't think of any obvious exclusions.

I never caught Hein's show Fast Food Mania, which was on Destination America (Ah, I think I just realized why I never caught it), but I'll bet it was an entertaining watch. This book might raise some eyebrows with its rankings and with the author's guide to how to order at fast food places, which seems full of self-contradiction, but even though the whole thing is fairly weightless (unlike the subject matter), I enjoyed it.