Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto

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 out of unlikely subject matter, Klosterman attacks the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, Pamela Anderson, literary Jesus freaks, and the real difference between apples and oranges (of which there is none). And don't even get him started on his love life and the whole Harry-Met-Sally situation.

Whether deconstructing Saved by the Bell episodes or the artistic legacy of Billy Joel, the symbolic importance of The Empire Strikes Back or the Celtics/Lakers rivalry, Chuck will make you think, he'll make you laugh, and he'll drive you insane -- usually all at once. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is ostensibly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but -- really -- it's about us. All of us. As Klosterman realizes late at night, in the moment before he falls asleep, "In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" Read to believe.

There's quite a bit of intelligent analysis and thought-provoking insight packed into the pages of Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, which is a little surprising considering how darn stupid most of Klosterman's subject matter actually is. Klosterman, one of the few members of the so-called "Generation X" to proudly embrace that label and the stereotypical image of disaffected slackers that often accompanies it, takes the reader on a witty and highly entertaining tour through portions of pop culture not usually subjected to analysis and presents his thoughts on Saved by the Bell, Billy Joel, amateur porn, MTV's The Real World, and much more. It would be easy in dealing with such subject matter to simply pile on some undergraduate level deconstruction, make a few jokes, and have yourself a clever little book. But Klosterman goes deeper than that, often employing his own life spent as a member of the lowbrow target demographic to measure the cultural impact of his subjects. While the book never quite lives up to the use of the word "manifesto" in the title (it's really more of a survey mixed with elements of memoir), there is much here to entertain and illuminate, particularly passages on the psychoses and motivations of breakfast cereal mascots, the difference between Celtic fans and Laker fans, and The Empire Strikes Back. Sections on a Guns n' Roses tribute band, The Sims, and soccer feel more like magazine pieces included to fill space than part of a cohesive whole. But when you're talking about a book based on a section of cultural history so reliant on a lack of attention span, even the incongruities feel somehow appropriate. --John Moe

Reviews

Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-08-15
Summary: "The book is age sensitive"

If you are in your late forties or older you will probably not understand 80% of the references made in the book. It is probably a great book for younger people who understand what the author is referring to. If you didn't watch 'Real World' on HBO or if you don't know who Billy Sim is you probably won't like this book. On the other hand if you are a Generation X person it is probably very funny.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-01
Summary: "Hilarious Gen X take on modern culture"

There are two reasons to read this book and two reasons to not read this book. Firstly, the style of writing. The writing is wonderful. I enjoy the style. You really get the feeling that a highly intelligent Gen X journalist is sitting there in your living room in his jeans ant T-shirt and telling you his observations. If that style drives you crazy (in a bad way), you will know it from the sample and can save your money. If that styles drives you crazy (in a good way), you will know it from the sample and safely give B&N your money. Secondly, the wise observations of our modern world. His observations of the absurdity and ridiculousness of current culture is astute. Yes, he over-analyzes, but he does so in an entertaining way. If you think modern mainstream media and culture is awesome, then avoid this like a zombie plague. If you think modern mainstream media and culture are absurd, then this will be a very entertaining and enlightening read.

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-07-29
Summary: "Boring would be an understatement"

There were only three essays I found interesting in this waste of paper (or e-ink, I should say).
Other than the saved by the bell, marilyn monroe/pam anderson, and cover band essays, I found this book unreadable.
I got so bored reading it I started skipping chapters, hoping to find something that I could stand to read, until I found myself at the end.
How so many people rated this book 4 and 5 stars I'll never understand.
Don't waste your money and time.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-06-02
Summary: "Something that you can relate to"

This was the first Chuck Klosterman book that I have read and i can promise you that it will not be my last, and if you read this also then it will not be your last either. As you read this you discover that Chuck Klosterman has an amazing way of putting things that we would never think of ourselves. From Pamela Anderson to The Sims Chcuk Klosterman talks about it all in this very up-beat and self-fulfilling book. I will not explain much about this one because i do not want to ruin any of it for anyone, and with that being said i do promise you it is an amazing book that you must read. I plan on reading all other books written by Chuck Klosterman and writing (better) reviews about them. Thank you and please read this book, you will not regret it. Also check out his other books.

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-05-10
Summary: "Don't Buy This Book"

Klosterman is constantly making references to conversations he's had at parties, which is appropriate since there seems to be a "Klosterman" at every hipster party I've ever been to... The guy who is funny for the first five minutes you meet him, interesting for the next ten, and then offensively pedantic and self absorbed for the next three hours before you realize you're really either too old or too well adjusted to keep going to these damn hipster parties in the first place.
I only finished this book out of a sense of duty to the 9 dollars and 99 cents I spent to download this adolescent diatribe to my Nook. Klosterman's an intellectual lightweight with a Mohammad Ali sized personality, which is why the ideas in the book are forgettable , but the voice of the author sticks with you like gum on the bottom of your shoe. I felt like I was stuck in a room with Rush Limbaugh, if Rush Limbaugh was a tad funnier and a tad smarter but just as obnoxious, sexist, solipsistic, and frivolous.
Do not buy this book. Go to the book store, skim the essay about The Sims (which, like so many of these essays, already feels dated but, unlike the rest, is actually though-provoking), and move on with your life and your wallet.