Note: Richard Melo will be presenting his book at Powell's City of Books on Tuesday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. Her name was "Waterloo Sunset," and she...
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Emma Burke, June 20, 2011 (view all comments by Emma Burke)
Patton Oswalt does seamlessly what I think makes the best comedians as funny as they are-he manages to make you laugh and shortly after want to burst into tears at what made you giggle moments ago. His story of how he came to be on the comedy scene is touching and genuine, while also one of the funniest memoirs I've read. Without coming off as pretentious or unnecessarily bitter (all the bitterness is validated) he explains what it's like to live in the seedy underbelly of performing that is standup comedy. Even if you aren't interested in what it is to be a comic, his recollections of growing up and his short stories will make you reminisce on your own experiences and understand how those moments will resurface in the future.
zohio321, January 5, 2011 (view all comments by zohio321)
any fan of patton oswalt's stand-up will be a fan of this book. it's yet another piece to add to the oswalt tome of great works. his passionate creativity and fervor for funny seem to know no bounds. i just love his way with words; his descriptions produce the most wondrous images in my head. get this book for yourself and friends!
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Product details
208 pages
Scribner Book Company -
English9781439149089
Reviews:
"Review"
by Entertainment Weekly,
"It's not exactly a memoir, but somehow the individual shards form a believable portrait of a witty, vulnerable funnyman....Yes, the collection is slight, coming in at under 200 pages, but in that, it's like a great stand-up routine: Recount a few stories, riff on some topics, use only your best material, and then get off the stage. (Grade: B+)"
"Review"
by Booklist,
"To delve into the book is to take a tour of Oswalt's delightfully offbeat mind....Oswalt is a wonderfully descriptive writer, vividly evoking his zombielike coworker at the theater, a grim Canadian comedy club, and the wanderings of his teen imagination with sharp, sardonic prose."
"Review"
by Library Journal,
"Readers will find Oswalt's narrative innovative and humorous, one laced with clever comments on life."
"Review"
by Conan O'Brien,
"Patton Oswalt is a brilliant rarity; a relentlessly creative and original comic who is also a superb writer. If you don't buy this book you are a fool and I will, I swear, fight you."
"Review"
by Joss Whedon,
"Funny, thoughtful stuff. Patton alternates the spit-take hilarity of a great stand-up with the quiet, mordant insight that clearly helped make him one. Which is amazing, 'cause he's an idiot."
"Review"
by Dave Eggers,
"Fans of Patton Oswalt's standup comedy have always known he was a born writer at heart, and now here's the proof. This is a surprisingly affecting, sincere and daresay vulnerable collection of essays, all keenly observed, always very funny."
"Review"
by Sarah Vowell,
"I don't know what's sharper, Oswalt's brains or Oswalt's tongue."
"Review"
by John Hodgman,
"Patton Oswalt is among the funniest on-stage talking humans I am aware of, so it annoys me deeply that he is also an incredibly talented writer. It annoys me, but it does not surprise me. Every sentence in this book is funny (except for the sad ones), but it also brims with Oswalt-ian smarts and surprising poignancy."
"Review"
by Sarah Silverman,
"Perfect — I can describe Patton's book the same way I describe his stand up — brilliant and prolific. I am slackjawed, amazed, and left feeling both inspired and fraudulent."
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
Prepare yourself for a journey through the world of Patton Oswalt, one of the most creative, insightful, and hysterical voices on the entertainment scene today. Widely known for his roles in the films Big Fan and Ratatouille, as well as the television hit The King of Queens, Patton Oswalt—a staple of Comedy Central—has been amusing audiences for decades. Now, with Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, he offers a fascinating look into his most unusual, and lovable, mindscape.
Oswalt combines memoir with uproarious humor, from snow forts to Dungeons & Dragons to gifts from Grandma that had to be explained. He remembers his teen summers spent working in a movie Cineplex and his early years doing stand-up. Readers are also treated to several graphic elements, including a vampire tale for the rest of us and some greeting cards with a special touch. Then there’s the book’s centerpiece, which posits that before all young creative minds have anything to write about, they will home in on one of three story lines: zombies, spaceships, or wastelands.
Oswalt chose wastelands, and ever since he has been mining our society’s wasteland for perversion and excess, pop culture and fatty foods, indie rock and single-malt scotch. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is an inventive account of the evolution of Patton Oswalt’s wildly insightful worldview, sure to indulge his legion of fans and lure many new admirers to his very entertaining “wasteland.”
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