Rating: 
Summary: Finally, a Book About Good Taste
Review: What a joy to find that I am not alone in my distaste for Billy Joel's songs and Stephen King's novels. "We Didn't Start the Fire" indeed! The ways Queenan describes his perverse enjoyment of pop trash culture are hilarious. He's right that Joel and other "favorites" are at times like heavyweight boxers past their prime. You know they're probably not going to rise to previous levels of crumminess, but it's admirable to see them keep swinging away at it anyway. At one point Queenan mentions listening to an underrated cello musician's CD. I love the sound of the cello, and I may very likely seek out the CD he mentions, as well as a copy of "Phil Collin's Greatest Hits"!
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious! A Great Read!
Review: This book is great! Joe abuses/makes fun of everybody and everything, but he is right on the money with it all! What a riot! I think it is a wonderful book, although some people may not think so. If you are easily offended, love Mary Higgins Clark and the Broadway play "Cats", then this book is NOT for you! For others who need a good laugh at the end of a long, stressful day, then this book is for you!
Rating:
Summary: Middle America... get over yourself!
Review: Anyone not amused by this wonderful little volume is either moronic or depressingly bourgeois. If agreeing with Mr. Queenan qualifies one as an effete intellectual snob, then I will wear the badge with honor and distinction. Mr. Queenan DOES NOT hate America; he hates our culture of mediocrity. And he hates it with style. People who complain that his assertions are to broad or his opinions uninformed entirely miss the point of this book. We are as ridiculous as we are willing to make ourselves, and he knows it. Let this be a lesson to the defenders of Americana. The elite and aristocratic have a weapon... wit. I personally plan to use this book as a litmus test for future friendships. Anyone who laughs at the addendum to the works of Abelard is surely a friend of mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged, Joe
Review: I wish there was a 1/2 star rating especially for books written by complete fools. Who does Joe Queenen think that he is? His lazy, unoriginal, uninformed "analysis" of popular culture consisted of his cliched, cynical mocking of a lifestyle not his own. In case you forgot, Joe, you write for TV Guide, which is pretty much a handbook to the class of folk that you are so uncunningly ripping on. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely hilarious
Review: Queenan delivers one of the best critiques of American garbage I have ever read. More than once I was reading his book while sipping a drink and I found myself spraying drink all over the room while trying to stifle a laugh. Queenan is one of the absolute funniest writers around, and has a vast knowledge of twaddle. Read it, and laugh, unless you are a complete chucklehead.
Rating:
Summary: This book is delicious and therapeutic, a true value.
Review: A great stylist, Queenan ranks up there with Paul Fussell's BAD, The Dumbing of America and Class. His Red Lobster critique is written with vigor and talent. It's so easy to surrender into malaise as we contemplate the championed vulgarities of our culture, but Queenan effectively and rightfully and humorously denigrates Americans' affection for the crass and the ignorant. A must read for any critical thinker.
Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: I am shcoked to see so many bad reviews
Rating:
Summary: The Hatchet Man Cometh
Review: About two years ago Joe Queenan appeared on the Conan O'Brien show and in a hilarious monologue plugged a forthcoming book about his tour through the worst of popular culture. Unfortunately, this book is a letdown despite a great premise and a few funny moments. Its thinness suggests that Queenan tried to stretch out a magazine article to book-length, quitting once he reached 200 pages. Even at that length there are dumb errors, such as his comment that in "Halloween V" even Jason seems tired of being Jason. The killer of the "Halloween" series is Michael, while Jason is from "Friday the 13th". Sloppy. Queenan's shotgun approach, which explores some subjects in depth but only touches upon others, undermines the book. For example, in the chapter on bad novels, he says that Patricia Cornwell is good for a few "howlers" per book. This implies that he has read at least one Cornwell novel, but does he tell us what these "howlers" are? Does he quote from her books or summarize her plots to prove that she is a bad writer? No, he just moves on to his next victim. If he can do a multi-paragraph dissection of "Flowers in the Attic" (one of the funnier parts of the book), surely he can do better for Cornwell than this hit and run. Other times he is irritatingly vague. He says that bad writers use highbrow quotes as epigraphs to class up their books, and cites Stephen King's use of a Goya quote in "The Shining". But does he consider King a bad writer? We never find out, because Queenan's too busy mocking King's blurb production to bother with the man's novels. (Incidentally, the cover of Queenan's book has blurbs from respected humorists. Is he the only blurb-worthy writer in the universe?) When it comes to horror fiction, it's unclear if Queenan read any further than the cover blurbs. He groups the plots of the entire genre into broad categories that don't resemble anything currently available in the field. Like all genre fiction, horror attracts its share of hacks, but it isn't all just "creepy monsters in the basement" either. In using such an absurdly broad brush, Queenan tries to be ironic but merely sounds uninformed. For much of the book, Queenan plays it safe, as when he attacks John Tesh, "Cats", and Kenny G. Even after admitting that everyone in the know regards Tesh's music as bilge, Queenan brings nothing new to the table. Without spending a dime you can watch Jay Leno trash Tesh and Kenny G, so why pay for more of the same? And why does he exhume the cinematic corpses of "The Breakfast Club" and "St. Elmo's Fire"? Not only are these films yesterday's news, they're last decade's news. His commentary isn't even funny; it feels phoned in. For a truly funny take on 80's and early 90's culture, I recommend "Generation ECCH!" by Jason Cohen and Michael Krugman. It's everything Queenan's book tries to be. The book is at its best when Queenan breaks new ground. Here his narrative becomes more energetic and less perfunctory. His critiques of "Flowers in the Attic", David Cassidy's Vegas show, and Joan Collins' novel are funny and insightful. These segments work because Queenan isn't merely echoing sentiments that you can hear on any late night talk show. He shines a flashlight on areas of culture you might not have seen before. The book could have used more of this. Another flaw is the tone. Queenan tries to be ironic and edgy, but instead sounds snotty and irritable. An example is his comment that James Michener's audience has to move its lips while reading his books. He tries to excuse his attitude by describing himself as an "elitist." But as he repeatedly cites his credentials (he speaks French, he listens to Elvis Costello, he watches Belgian movies), it sounds as if he is protesting too much. He can't seem to reconcile his highbrow tastes with his enjoyment of a Ken Follett novel or a meal at the Sizzler. Instead of enjoying these experiences on their own level, he condescendingly tells us that they weren't as bad as he had expected. Nor can he accept the fact that not everybody shares his tastes; consequently, when he has a bad time at Red Lobster or Atlantic City, he criticizes the consumers of trashy culture rather than the purveyors. The book could have used a little insight as to why people choose low- and middlebrow entertainment. Queenan has the tools to do this -see his reviews for The American Spectator, or his book "If You're Talking to Me, Your Career Must Be in Trouble." But instead he plays it safe - again. Joe Queenan once referred to himself as a "hatchet man" critic. This book would have been much better if he had left his hatchet home and used a scalpel.
Rating:
Summary: Elitist Garbage!
Review: So Joe, you hate America do you? Don't like Red Lobster or Blue Lagoons? Well, I have a book title for you: "Fellini Movies, Croissants, and Snobby Authors." Being a "trendy" guy that you are, certainly you will appreciate the wit in an unhappy counterculturist, who tries to be creative, but somehow just always comes in second. Kind of like your book that I was able to get in hardback for a buck. Keep it up Joe, you're doin a great job..
Rating:
Summary: Witty, Humorous, and thought-provoking.
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who has ever become fed up with American Pop Culture.
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