marks@yogi.DEC (11/26/85)
Don't know whether I have a warped mind or what, but no one seems to have mentioned that Lake Wobegon Days (the book by GK) is hysterically funny. Only GK could describe a poor teenage kid on a mercy mission in a blizzard who is confronted by a bear, gets so scared he messes his pants on the spot, goes into a virtual state of shock until finally rescued by his friends, so that tears are rolling down your face by the time you have finished reading the vignette. Truly, the book can be tedious; this is the style GK is famous for. The book rambles, its descriptions are endless (the writing fits the style -- he writes the way he talks) -- but it is very, very funny. It is presented in a totally deadpan, serio-tragic way. On one level, I guess it is depressing, and that's what many people have picked up on. But warped or not, and although the book is slow reading, I think it's one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I wonder if anyone else felt this way. R.M.
tuba@ur-tut.UUCP (Jon Krueger) (11/28/85)
GK appeared on David Letterman last night. I didn't catch it. If anyone did, what happened? What happens when GK's midwestern folk wisdom (now in love yet) meets up with DL's cynicism?
kevin@ewj01.UUCP (Kevin O'Brien) (12/01/85)
> > GK appeared on David Letterman last night. I didn't catch it. If > anyone did, what happened? What happens when GK's midwestern folk > wisdom (now in love yet) meets up with DL's cynicism? GK with light (khaki?) suit, running shoes (natch) and cagey. DL armed with best-sellers list (GK now second to J. Michener's *Texas* on same) draws talk into rips from GK on Michener and book biz. Too little time for GK to really get going but (*flame*) GK would surely have prevailed - early sparring with Letterman indicated wit of Midwest TKO's Nuyork cynicism in third round. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
wombat@ccvaxa.UUCP (12/02/85)
The show was apparently taped (in October?) before news of the engagement had spread. They mostly talked about the book and about writing in general, and GK's mention of Lake Wobegon as "his home town" was never questioned. Wombat ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!wombat
purtell@reed.UUCP (Lady Godiva) (12/03/85)
In article <260@ur-tut.UUCP> tuba@ur-tut.UUCP (Jon Krueger) writes: > >GK appeared on David Letterman last night. I didn't catch it. If >anyone did, what happened? What happens when GK's midwestern folk >wisdom (now in love yet) meets up with DL's cynicism? I saw it. It was basically pretty low-key. Not hilarious, but pleasant. Short and sweet, one might say. David wasn't really sarcastic at all (surprisingly). When I heard he was going to be on the show I was surprised, because although I like both David and Garrison very much, their senses of humour are very different. But they both seemed to tone their humour down for the other person, making not quite so funny as it possibly could have been. cheers - elizabeth g. purtell (Lady Godiva)
mdf@osu-eddie.UUCP (Mark D. Freeman) (12/05/85)
In article <260@ur-tut.UUCP> tuba@ur-tut.UUCP (Jon Krueger) writes: > >GK appeared on David Letterman last night. I didn't catch it. If >anyone did, what happened? What happens when GK's midwestern folk >wisdom (now in love yet) meets up with DL's cynicism? GK didn't get much airtime. He mentioned that his midwestern values were quite uncomfortable with the book being so high on the charts -- he would prefer to be down around #5 or #6. Other than that, I was disappointed that the commercials seemed far longer than GK's alloted airtime.
tra4@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Jonathan Henry Traum) (12/06/85)
>early sparring with Letterman indicated wit of Midwest TKO's Nuyork cynicism >in third round. Actually, Letterman is from Indiana (does he SOUND like a New Yorker?) so that makes Dave a midwesterner also. "Life? Don't talk to me about life."