Tag: Dale Sherman

My Favorite Non-Fiction Books of 2023

Favorite Non-Fiction 2022
My 2023 Wrap up continues and now we’re on to the Non-Fiction list. While I liked a number of works that didn’t make this list, I felt strange calling them a “favorite.” So, we have 7 instead of the nigh-obligatory 10. These are the ones that stuck with me through the year; the ones I cited in conversation; that I thought about when reading something else or watching something on TV. Yeah, there’s some overlap between this list and the audiobook list from yesterday—lately, most Non-Fiction books I work through are in audiobook format. So it makes sense, even if it makes this post seem like an echo.

As always, I only put books that I’ve read for the first time on this list. I don’t typically return to NF books (outside of looking up things for one or three points), but occasionally I do—for example, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs would get a permanent spot on this list, were it not for this rule.

(in alphabetical order by author)

Cunk on EverythingCunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena

by Philomena Cunk

My original post
If you’ve ever watched a video clip or a full episode of Philomna Cunk’s various shows/specials, you know just what you’re going to get in this Encyclopedia. If you don’t, finish reading this post and then go find some. Probably pound-for-pound the funniest thing I read this year. Utterly useless outside of that—in case that wasn’t clear. Whether you go from cover to cover, or dip into it here and there (probably for longer than you intend to)—these brief entries are almost certainly going to be a burst of entertainment for you. Not all of them are going to work for every reader—but never fear, just turn the page and you’re probably going to come across one that will.

4 Stars

Like, Literally, DudeLike, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English

by Valerie Fridland, Narrated by Valerie Fridland, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Keylor Leigh, Andrew Eiden, Christopher Ryan Grant, Ellen Archer, Eileen Stevens and Nicky Endres

I’m a sucker for entertaining books about language, grammar, etc. Fridland’s apologetic for “Bad” English drives my inner prescriptivist, up the wall—but she joins the growing number of writers who are sealing up that prescriptivit’s coffin. How good is this book? Her chapter (or maybe it was a section of a chapter) on “Um” and “Uh” was fascinating. If she can pull that rabbit out of a hat, imagine how good she can be when she talks about the use/overuse of “like,” the history of “Dude,” or the figurative use of “literally”—and so much more. I spent most of the time listening to this book just geeking out in a way that made me regret not becoming a sociolinguist myself.

4 Stars

Kneading JournalismKneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news

by Tony Ganzer

My original post
There’s just so much to commend about this book that this little paragraph isn’t going to come close to hitting it all. Partial memoir, small bread-recipe book, and some great insights into the state of journalism and what it means for our society. This is a great read—challenging, but in a friendly, welcoming way. Thoughtful and thought-provoking without being combative or overly critical. Ganzer has a point of view—and makes no claim about lack of bias here—but isn’t pushing a partisan outlook, just a pro-responsible press outlook. Brief, but not insubstantial.

4 Stars

Nasty, Brutish, and ShortNasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids

by Scott Hershovitz

My original post
This was a great listen—Hershovitz is the kind of lecturer you want to pay attention to (or so imagine based on this). This book succeeded on multiple fronts: it was frequently amusing, if not downright funny; it was educational; it was insightful (even when I disagreed with what he did with the insights); it was thoughtful; it offered (largely by example, not being didactic) good parental advice; and kept this particular listener fully engaged throughout. Just what you want from an audiobook.

3.5 Stars

100 Places to See After You Die100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife

by Ken Jennings

My original post
A fun and informative traveler’s guide through afterlives depicted in Mythology, Religion, Books, Movies, Music and Theater, and from a few other sources. Jennings brushes against irreverancy, but (I think, I’m open to correction) stays on the respectful side. I absolutely had a blast with this—and learned quite a bit, too. It’s one that I’ll return to primarily as a reference, but I will appreciate the perspective and humor as I check my facts. The only problem I have with it is the lack of footnotes/endnotes—I want some source material!

4 1/2 Stars

Sundry Notes of MusicSundry Notes of Music: an Almost Memoir

by Ian Shane

My original post
Given how much I like Shane’s novels, it’s probably to be expected that I enjoyed getting some insight into the novelist. And as most of his novels are centered around music/people obsessed with music, it’s fitting that this memoir focuses on songs. There are parts of this book that are very funny—some bittersweet, some tragic, some simply thoughtful. Multiple essays will hit all of those points and more. They’re all engaging in various ways. Not one track on this playlist is going to leave you looking for the skip button.

4 Stars

The Worst We Can FindThe Worst We Can Find: MST3K, RiffTrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies

by Dale Sherman

My original post
Sherman is a man who knows about riffing on movies and helps the readers get a better knowledge of it, too. Yes, the focus is on Mystery Science Theater 3000‘s original run (runs?), but he talks about the show’s predecessors and the various projects that have sprung from it, too. Even if you know a lot about the show, its performers, etc., you’re probably going to learn something. And if you don’t? You’re going to enjoy the dashes of perspective that Sherman gives about movies in general and MST3K specifically. Everyone who did what they could to keep circulating the tapes in the 90s is going to eat this book up. Fans of more recent vintage likely will, too.

4 Stars

The Worst We Can Find by Dale Sherman: MST3K: The Satellite of Love, The Bots, The Mads, The Movies and Everything Else

The Worst We Can FindThe Worst We Can Find:
MST3K, RiffTrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies

by Dale Sherman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Applause Books
Publication Date: June 15, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 246 pg.
Read Date: June 27-29, 2023
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s The Worst We Can Find About?

This is one of those books where the sub-title tells you everything you need to know: “MST3K, RiffTrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies.” The back of the book does give a fuller explanation:

Had you tuned in to the small television station KTMA on Thanksgiving Day, 1988, you would have been one of the few witnesses to pop culture history being made. On that day, viewers in and around St. Paul, Minnesota, were treated to a genuine oddity, in which a man and his robots, trapped within a defiantly DIY sci-fi set, cracked jokes while watching the terrible 1981 movie Invaders from the Deep. Although its origins may have been inauspicious, Mystery Science Theater 3000 captured the spirit of what had been a beloved pastime for generations of wags, wiseacres, and smart alecks, and would soon go on to inspire countless more.

The Worst We Can Find is a comprehensive history of and guide to MST3K and its various offshoots—including Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, and The Mads Are Back—whose lean crew of writers, performers, and puppeteers have now been making fun of movies for over thirty years. It investigates how “riffing” of films evolved, recounts the history of these programs, and considers how a practice guaranteed to annoy real-life fellow moviegoers grew into such a beloved, long-lasting franchise. As author Dale Sherman explains, creative heckling has been around forever—but MST3K and its progeny managed to redirect that art into a style that was both affectionate and cutting, winning the devotion of countless fans and aspiring riffers.

Sherman starts with some commentary on the history of what we now call “meta” and riffing in general—going back to Greek choruses. He then shows how movies started riffing/commenting on themselves (and each other).

He then focuses on MST3K itself—talking about Joel Hodgson’s background and the creation of the show. We actually get some good background on all the major players from the early years. He then describes the transitions in staff/cast as it moves from KTMA to Comedy Central to the movie (and, wow, what an effort to get that made) to SciFi and so on.

We then get a look at what the post-MST3K careers of the central figures look like and how riffing on movies has kept popping up in their lives (largely because people won’t let them stop) and how the show has come back from its ending a time or two.

My Sole Criticism

Sherman only cites previously available material—yes, he dug up a lot of things that many/most fans would never see, never think of looking for. But he doesn’t interview anyone himself, or provide anything outside a couple of personal memories that an industrious fan couldn’t have found on their own.

I don’t want to criticize what he did—it is no small feat to do what he did. And I’m so glad he did it—but the lack of original material keeps me from absolutely raving about this book.

So, what did I think about The Worst We Can Find?

Back when I talked about Scott Ryan’s Moonlighting: An Oral History, I’d said:

When I read a book about a television show, I want a few things—I want something to

    • make me want to rewatch the show
    • make me not really need to, because the book has helped me remember it in such a way that it’s not that necessary
    • give me a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the show
    • help me understand it better (not just information, but reflections on it—its legacy, cultural context, impact on television, et.)
    • Ideally, teach me something about the art and/or business of television (preferably both)
    • and if it can be fun (TV should be entertaining), that’s all the better.

Yeah, that seems like a lot to ask for from a book, but if I’m going to take the time to read a book instead of watching a behind-the-scenes show or listening to a panel discussion, I want bang for my buck—I don’t always get it (and know that going in), but I want it.

The Worst We Can Find delivered on all but the “make me not really need to” because there’s no way that someone could do that in a book form. I have watched some MST3K since then (more than I usually do because I’ve been inspired)—and some Rifftrax, too.

I don’t want ponderous, I don’t want slow. I don’t mind a lot of detail (in fact, I relish it), I don’t mind thoughtful (that’s why I read the book), but I want to be entertained. And Sherman delivered there. His chapter introductions were golden—worth at least half of the purchase price alone. I started to give a couple of examples, but why ruin it for you? So, I’ll be vague. I laughed aloud at Chapter 4’s introduction. Maybe all of them, but Chapter 4 was the point I stopped to make note of it.

I really appreciated the way Sherman pivoted in the last chapter to speak of “we” in reference to fans of the show, it’s clear throughout that he was one of us (there’s no way you do this work without that—or a bigger paycheck than he likely got for this book), but I appreciated the way he did it there.

The last paragraph was perfect, incidentally.

This was a great read, I learned a lot, I chuckled frequently, and I had a great time reminiscing about a favorite show. I think you will, too. I’d say is a must for MSTies. As I said, I can’t rave about it—but I can strongly encourage you to check it out. And keep circulating the tapes.


4 Stars

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