September 2, 2002
Listeners probably have a good idea going in whether or not they will like this recording. Fans of Franken's nasal voice, astringent wit and unapologetically liberal politics will delight in his irreverent send-up of self-help books and trite commencement speeches. As with humorist David Sedaris, listening to Franken (Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot; Why Not Me?) simply puts a funnier twist on his work. And the production's lone sound effect—using auditorium acoustics as Franken presents two examples of bad graduation speeches he has given—is perfectly employed and makes for material as funny as any of Franken's Saturday Night Live
skits. Franken has phenomenal comic timing, which he displays on such useful chapters as "Oh, the Weight You Will Gain!" and "Oh, the Mistakes You Will Keep Repeating!" While his voice might wear on some people, many others will be gasping with laughter. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 29).
March 15, 2002
With a nod to Dr. Seuss and his popular tome for graduates of all ages, Franken offers his own advice guide, which covers pretty much anything anyone wants to understand about life. The aptly named chapters include "Oh, the Mistakes You'll Keep Repeating," "Oh, the Weight You Will Gain," and "Oh, the Orgasms You'll Fake (For the Ladies)." Franken tries to be nurturing, yet he can't avoid being blunt: "Someone once said it is just as easy to fall in love with a rich person as with a poor one. Actually that's not true. It's " easier "to fall in love with a rich person. But to get them to love you back, " that's" harder." And when remarking on Babe Paley's comment, "You can't be too thin or too rich," Franken adds, "Nobody loves a fat, poor person." Nor does he shy away from debunking myths. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger? Franken had a friend who went in for back surgery, which made him stronger for a while, until the blood clot that formed in his leg during surgery collapsed his lung, making him weaker. This laugh-aloud take on advice books--it is dedicated simply "For Oprah"--is Stuart Smiley with an edge. Reviewer's advice: don't read it while sitting alone on a bus.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)
April 29, 2002
Writing with the self-satirizing smirk that became his specialty on Saturday Night Live, Franken now takes on the advice-book genre. Written as a series of self-aggrandizing bromides, his book—with its title's nod to Dr. Seuss's perennial bestseller—hopscotches from one barely considered subject to another, dispensing hilariously useless advice on things like personal health, real estate and passively aggressively insulting your spouse by letting your appearance go to seed. Recent high school—and maybe even some college—graduates (his target audience) will alternately laugh and roll their eyes at comments like "You're never too old to learn. Unless you have Alzheimer's, in which case you're never too old to unlearn" and "Religion is like a fire extinguisher. You never know when you're going to need it. So it's best to have one handy." There's little here that qualifies as great comedy—the chuckles it provokes will probably be forgotten in an hour or so, which, incidentally, is about how long it takes to read the book—but it's refreshing to see Franken turning his sights to something besides the too-obvious political satire he's been promoting of late. (May)Forecast:Franken's book doesn't have the pomp and circumstance of Thomas's (see review, p. 52), but it should still be popular. The cover illustration—of Franken dressed in a cap and gown holding four diplomas—will surely spur sales come graduation time.