Books and Recordings

Books and music are sources of inspiration, education, entertainment, and relaxation. Here are some books and recordings that each fall short of these goals, in some way or another.

Crap Souvenirs - This book, compiled by Doug Lansky was crowd-sourced by people who are apparently world travelers. I think every continent is represented except Antarctica. >> more

Fart Happens: A Selected Review of the Literature of Farting - Fart happens. For the average human being, it happens about a dozen times a day. Anyone who tells you that they don’t fart is either a liar or is on an extremely strict diet of non-gas producing foods. >> more

Stuntology - You don't have to be bored when the power is out, the cable is disconnected, or the wireless goes down. All you need is the book, The Best of Stuntology, by Sam Bartlett. >> more

Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage - When the dating gets tough, the tough go to the book store and buy an advice manual. >> more

Philip Garner's Better Living Catalog - Some may follow Martha Stewart, but when it comes to better living, nothing has changed my life like Philip Garner's Better Living Catalog. >> more

Utopia...or Bust! - In Utopia...or Bust!, Garner becomes a bit more theoretical in his approach (or more surreal, depending on your point of view). >> more

The Doc Stock Banjo Method in Ten Easy Lessons - The Doc Stock Banjo Method was a handmade booklet that Jim Rosenstock gave to me when I told him I wanted to learn to play the banjo. The advice contained in this booklet has influenced my banjo playing. >> more

Songs in the Key of Z - While researching the music of The Shaggs, I came across a book called Songs in the Key of Z. Its author, Irwin Chusid, has totally nailed the concept of a tacky treasure when applied to music. >> more

The Secret Museum of Mankind - What a strange and mysterious book. It’s full of grainy black and white photographs, depicting indigenous people from all over the world. >> more

Philosophy of the World - Imagine an album of songs with badly written lyrics, sung by a nearly monotone singer, and accompanied by people who can't even tune their instruments. >> more

Dear Dead Days - This book was an early inspiration to my tacky work: It contains a few of Addams' hilariously macabre cartoons, but most of the book is a collection of photographs, etchings, advertisements of forgotten products, and accounts of disasters and freaks. >> more

Crappy to Happy - The only really tacky thing about this book is the cover and its title. Other than that, it's a sweet little book of soothing wisdom. >> more

101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions - This is a book of Chindogu, which are inventions that appear initially to answer a human need, but almost immediately fail, sometimes comically. >> more

How to Shoot for Glamour - Nothing has ever demonstrated the concept of "you've come a long way, baby" for me more than this tome on "glamour" photography that was published in the exact month and year of my birth. >> more

All My Life for Sale - This is the art project through which I acquired my Jesus Night Light . It may first appear to be performance art (a.k.a. art by wiseasses), but I found it an interesting form of memoir created by the mosaic of the mundane things a person owns. >> more

Journal of Irreproducible Results - The Journal of Irreproducible Results was founded in 1955, and continues to publish scientific humor disguised as hopeless journal articles. >> more

The Goldwaters - This album is so amazingly bad, it's an automatic tacky treasure. How bad is it? The entire album contains hastily written parodies of old folk songs containing pro-Goldwater and anti-Kennedy sentiments. >> more

Why Not Eat Insects? - Why not, indeed. If you were to read Mr. Holt's excellent treatise, with its mellifluous Victorian prose, you would be convinced, too. >> more

Temple City Kazoo Orchestra - Released in 1978, this recording of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, juxtaposed with Led Zepellin's "Whole Lotta Love" and two disco numbers (all performed on kazoos) speaks of genius bordering on insanity. >> more