You can get this book for less than $20, if you live in the U.S. So what are you waiting for? I don't give out five-star evaluations without due consiYou can get this book for less than $20, if you live in the U.S. So what are you waiting for? I don't give out five-star evaluations without due consideration.
I will have more to say about the genius of "Molesworth" in due course. ...more
I wish I could remember the exact search parameters that led me to discover this gem, but no matter. The important thing is that I did find it. It's dI wish I could remember the exact search parameters that led me to discover this gem, but no matter. The important thing is that I did find it. It's discoveries like this that make the wholesale scanning of old books into that insatiable e-library in the clouds a worthwhile exercise.
A note of clarification. According to the goodreads rating definitions, 5 stars mean that a book was "amazing". Not necessarily brilliant, or even good. Just amazing. There are books that amaze us by their badness. For instance, any collection of the poetry of the unforgettable William McGonagall. Or the infinitely hilarious English as She Is Spoke: Being a Comprehensive Phrasebook of the English Language, Written by Men to Whom English Was Entirely Unknown. This book more than earns its place in the pantheon of truly bad books. The question is, does it manage to be so appallingly dreadful that it achieves its own kind of greatness?
I believe that it does. Though it falls short of threatening McGonagall's tenacious hold on the crown of the world's worst writer, there are passages that are simply breathtaking in their badness. I will limit myself to quoting just three in this review, but I sincerely hope that these will convince you to seek out the entire online text (a skimpy 50 pages that house a stunning gallery of crimes against the language). Should you do so, please don't try to read more than a few pages in one session. Such a high concentration of linguistic mayhem could be enough to unhinge the mind.
A little background for what follows. Angus McDiarmid is a hunting guide who works on the estate of the Earl of Breadalbane. A visiting Gentleman is so taken with Angus's unique descriptions of his surroundings that he arranges to have them published, in their original form, with no editorial interference.
Here follows the evidence that I believe qualifies this slim volume for inclusion in the Pantheon of Shame:
Exhibit A - (taken from the dedication)
To the right honourable Earl of Breadalbane. May it please your Lordship, With overpowering sentiments of the most profound humility, I prostrate myself at your noble feet.... With tumid emotions of heart-distending pride, and with fervescent feelings of gratitude, I beg leave to acknowledge the honor I have to serve so noble a master... That your Lordship may long shine with refulgent brilliancy in the exalted station to which Providence has raised you, and that your noble family, like a bright constellation, may diffuse a splendour (sic) glory through the high sphere of their attraction...
That's some pretty inspired grovelling right there, if you ask me.
Exhibit B - from the introduction by the Gentleman instrumental in the book's publication
With a due tenderness for the Author's reputation, not a word nor a letter has been altered from his manuscripts; .... His speech, bold, rugged, and abrupt, as the rocks which defy all access but to the wing of the eagle and the vulture, bids equal defiance to those who would scan his meaning by the regular steps of criticism. Like the torrent shooting impetuously from crag to crag, his sentences, instead of flowing in a smooth and equal tenor, overleap with noble freedom the mounds and impediments of grammar, verbs, conjunctions, and adverbs, which give tameness and regularity to ordinary compositions.
Exhibit C - the first paragraph of Angus's striking and picturesque delineations
Of the different remarkable curiosity flowing from the excellencies of the cataract at Edinample, which partly perspicuously to the view of the beholders; its finitude confined between high wild rocks of asperity aspect, similar to a tract of solitude or savageness; its force emphatically overflowing three divisions; but, in the season of the water dropping from the clouds, its force increases so potently, that these divisions, almost undiscoverd, at which its incremental exorbitance transcended various objects of inquisitiveness, peradventure in manuscript, in such eminently measure, that its homogeneously could not be recognish at the interim, except existing in emblem to the waves of the ocean in tempestuous season.
"in the season of the water dropping from the clouds" is truly inspired badness. I rest my case....more
Like, omigod dudes and dudettes!!! This book is pants-crappingly awesome*.
Over the past few days the smart folks on GR have been engaged in an onLike, omigod dudes and dudettes!!! This book is pants-crappingly awesome*.
Over the past few days the smart folks on GR have been engaged in an ongoing discussion of Richard Powers, in particular the reputed-to-be-remarkable Galatea 2.2. "Ah", I think to myself, "I missed the whole Bolano bandwagon, but here's a chance to make up some ground - I'll order Galatea 2.2 and then I can maybe slip a few pseudo-profundities into the discussion so I can appear smart by association". (This being goodreads, contributing to the discussion when you haven't read the book is a very risky strategy - these are the smart kids after all). So I log in to Amazon, submit my order, and through the miracle of FedEx, my very own copy of Galatea 2.2 is right there, just waiting for me to crack it open.
It was a good plan, and would have worked just fine, had I not included "Everything Explained Through Flowcharts" on the same order. It was a bit like unpacking the new Soloflex machine you'd ordered, only to find that someone had thoughtfully included a crack pipe with a week's supply in the package. What's it going to be? Edifying Galatea 2.2 or a hit of delicious literary crack?
I'm ashamed to confess, that was eight hours ago. There has been ample opportunity to set the crack pipe** aside in the interim. But why would you? Because, I mean, it makes no sense to read the Powers book until I've absorbed all of the wisdom that Doogie Horner has packed into this work. A work of sheer fucking genius, I might add.
Ultimately, my contribution to the ongoing Galatea 2.2 discussion can only be more insightful, more incisive, once I've fully absorbed the insanely comprehensive taxonomy of heavy metal band names, the stunningly complete exegesis of movie heroes and villains, doomsday scenarios, superpowers, designer paint names, casual and fast-food dining. How did I manage to survive this long without having access to the "equivalent health effects of deadly fast food" chart (sample entries: Carl's Jr. Double Six-Dollar Burger = nail hammered into your pancreas; Bloomin' Onion = bullet)?
If you need further convincing, you can find a sample from the book at this link .
Or you could just take my word for it. THIS BOOK IS SHEER GENIUS FROM START TO FINISH.
*: I realize that this particular phrase has been trademarked by a certain GR reviewer in Indiana, and possibly by Spike TV, but it's really the only possible descriptor here. **: For younger readers, or those unskilled in discerning sarcasm - please note that "crack" is being used as a metaphor throughout this review. There is no actual crack pipe - i have never smoked crack, and neither should you. In the immortal words of Whitney, 'crack is wack'....more
I just came across this online (it's downloadable at googlebooks). D. Streamer was a pseudonym for Harry Graham, who originated the form of the "LittlI just came across this online (it's downloadable at googlebooks). D. Streamer was a pseudonym for Harry Graham, who originated the form of the "Little Willie" poem. (Apparently there was a craze for these poems in the early part of the 20th century - newspapers would run contests and get thousands of entries).
What is a "Little Willie" poem? Usually 4 lines, AABB rhyme, but the key aspect is the macabre. Here are a few of the best-known:
Little Willie, mean as hell Drowned his sister in the well. Mother said, while drawing water, "Gee, it's hard to raise a daughter."
Little Willie found a mirror, Went and sucked the mercury off, Thinking in his childish error, It would cure his whooping cough. At the funeral, Willie's mother Sadly said to Mrs. Brown, "'Twas a chilly day for Willie When the mercury went down."
RR for HH has a couple of Little Willies, but plenty of other macabre offerings as well. How much you like it can probably be gauged by your reaction to this (fairly typical) verse:
"Misfortunes Never Come Singly"
Making toast at the fireside Nurse fell in the grate and died And, what makes it ten times worse All the toast was burned with nurse.
Sick bastard that I am, I have to admit to finding it pretty funny.
"Limits of Language" arrived today from Amazon. I've never smoked crack, but reading this book approximates what I imagine it would feel like -- an in"Limits of Language" arrived today from Amazon. I've never smoked crack, but reading this book approximates what I imagine it would feel like -- an initial rush of pure pleasure, followed by the irresistible craving for just one more bump, yielding to that craving over and over until - six hours later - you find yourself surrounded by cats not fed, laundry not done, unwashed dishes, unpaid bills, and yet you still can't stop yourself. You want more. You want it to last forever. Damn you, Mikael Parkvall! How could you write a book that caters so brilliantly to my utter fascination with words and all things language-related? And be so smart and funny too?
I just tore myself away to feed the cats and pass this message along to goodreads members. There are still three shopping weeks until Christmas. Nobody else appears to be listing this book. So - if you know anyone with an interest in words or language - buy them a copy. Their puppy-like gratitude will last all year. Heck, now that it's out in paperback, you can get your own copy for less than twenty bucks.
A pdf preview of the detailed table of contents and the first 19 pages is here:
The table of contents at the link above is very detailed, but fails to capture the author's wit, and the sheer geekish zaniness of some of the topics. Some highlights -
A 30-page "linguist's calendar", marking the anniversary of various linguistic milestones (e.g. 'birth of Kanzi, the most talking ape there is';'the Dalmatian language becomes extinct, when the last surviving speaker accidentally steps on a landmine') giving linguists an excuse to celebrate throughout the year.
Habla Usted Phrase-Bookish? A side-splitting selection of useless phrases culled from phrasebooks around the world. For instance - "At what time were these branches eaten by the rhinoceros?" "I have my own syringe". "The beast had a human body, the feet of a buck, and a horn on its head". "I don't play the violin, but I love cheese".
Untranslatable Words: e.g. the Kuot word aFone "to drink from a bottle in such a fashion that drool trickles from the mouth back into the bottle", the Czech umudrovat se "to philosophize oneself into the madhouse", or the Ciluba word ilunga "a person who is willing to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time".
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to reading about the word's most dadaistic verb morphology*.
I don't play the violin, but I LOVE this book!
* Oh, OK. Here is the paragraph in question:
Linguists are supposed to take languages seriously. We are not supposed to laugh at them. So, apologies to all Kobon speakers out there, but I just can't help it. The prize for the language with the verb morphology most looking like it had been thought up by Tristan Tzara must go to Kobon. If there are any sceptics among the readers, here follows the suffixal paradigm for the counterfactual mood in Kobon: 1sg -- bnep 1du -- blop 1pl -- bnop 2sg -- bnap 2du -- blep 2pl -- bep 3sg -- böp 3du -- blep 3pl -- blap
This book arrived in the same Amazon shipment as "Bertha Venation", a book devoted to funny names of people. While "Bertha Venation" managed to be sinThis book arrived in the same Amazon shipment as "Bertha Venation", a book devoted to funny names of people. While "Bertha Venation" managed to be singularly unfunny, "Bizarre Books" had a pretty high hilarity quotient. Almost every page had at least a couple of titles which made me giggle.
Conveniently grouped into chapters such as Double Entendres, Science & Scientific Theories, health & Medicine, Sex & Marriage, Sport, Leisure, Clothes & Fashion, Food & Drink, The Workplace, Crime & the Law, Religion & Beliefs, and Death , most of the titles included in this book are genuinely funny. For some of the more baffling titles, the authors include a representative short excerpt, a welcome feature.
This book is not for everyone. But if you have a penchant for the offbeat, the quirky, and obscure weirdness, it's good for more than a few belly-laughs.
It would be remiss of me not to include a few of my favorite entries:
How to Draw a Straight Line, by Sir Alfred Bray Kempe 'The Unexplored Fields are still vast.' The Art of Faking Exhibition Poultry (1934), by George Ryley Scott. The author treads an indistinct line between condemning this widespread and despicable practice, and telling the reader exactly how to do it. Correctly English in Hundred Days (Shanghai Correctly English Society, 1934) This book is prepared for the Chinese young man who wishes to served for the foreign firms. It divided nealy hundred and ninety pages. It contains full of ordinary speak and write language..... Drummer Dick's Discharge, by Beatrix M. DeBurgh (1902) Penetrating Wagner's Ring, by John DiGaetani (1978) Handbook for the Limbless Gay Bulgaria ('once noted in a survey as the least borrowed book in British libraries') Was Oderic of Pordenone Ever in Tibet? The Love Sonnets of a Hoodlum, by Wallace Irwin (1901) 'Am I a turnip? On the strict Q.T., When do my Trilbys get so ossified? Why am I minus when it's up to me To brace my Paris pansy for a glide?' Truncheons: Their Romance and Reality, by Erland Fenn Clark (1935) with over 100 plates illustrating more than 500 truncheons.
Admit it, aren't you just a little bit curious to learn more about those 500 truncheons? To know more about the mysterious, mythic Oderic of Pordenone? To sample more of that literary hoodlum's oeuvre?
Perhaps what I enjoy most about this book is the glimpses it provides of the infinite inventiveness, and never-ending quirkiness, of the human mind. ...more
For me, it's a toss-up between two contenders for the title.
Many would give the crown to Scotland's famous "disaster poet", William Topaz McGonagall. For me, it's a toss-up between two contenders for the title.
Many would give the crown to Scotland's famous "disaster poet", William Topaz McGonagall. While he is possibly best known for his chronicling of 'The Tay Bridge Disaster', and other catastrophes, I think that focusing solely on his disaster verse does him an injustice. There are his heartfelt odes to the towns and cities of his native Scotland (every town merits at least one, and trust me, not a statue or landmark goes unmentioned). Here is a fair sample:
"Bonnie Montrose"
Beautiful town of Montrose, I will now commence my lay, And I will write in praise of thee without dismay, And in spite of all your foes, I will venture to call thee Bonnie Montrose.
Your beautiful Chain Bridge is magnificent to be seen, Spanning the river Esk, a beautiful tidal stream, Which abounds with trout and salmon, And can be had for the catching without any gammon.
Then as for the Mid Links, it is most beautiful to be seen, And I'm sure is a very nice bowling green, Where young men can enjoy themselves and inhale the pure air, Emanating from the sea and the beautiful flowers there.
And as for the High Street, it's most beautiful to see, There's no street can surpass it in the town of Dundee, Because it is so long and wide, That the people can pass on either side Without jostling one another Or going to any bother.
Beautiful town of Montrose, near by the seaside, With your fine shops and streets so wide, 'Tis health for the people that in you reside, Because they do inhale the pure fragrant air, Emanating from the sea waves and shrubberies growing there; And the inhabitants of Montrose ought to feel gay, Because you are one of the bonniest towns in Scotland at the present day.
Who could possibly compete with that inspired drivel?
Well, it's a tough challenge, but I think a claim can be made that James McIntyre, Ontario's Chaucer of Cheese, can go eye-to-eye against the great McGonagall and not blink. Sure, he's not as prolific. But he is much, much worse.
Dairy Ode
Our muse it doth refuse to sing Of cheese made early in the spring, When cows give milk from spring fodder You cannot make a good cheddar.
The quality is often vile Of cheese that is made in April, Therefore we think for that reason You should make later in the season.
Cheese making you should delay Until about the first of May. Then cows do feed on grassy field And rich milk they abundant yield.
Ontario cannot compete With the Northwest in raising wheat, For cheaper there they it can grow So price in future may be low.
Though this a hardship it may seem, Rejoice that you have got the cream, In this land of milk and honey, Where dairy farmers do make money.
Utensils must be clean and sweet, So cheese with first class can compete, And daily polish up milk pans, Take pains with vats and with milk cans.
And it is important matter To allow no stagnant water, But water from pure well or stream The cow must drink to give pure cream.
Canadian breeds 'tis best to pair With breeds from the shire of Ayr, They thrive on our Canadian feed And are for milking splendid breed.
Though 'gainst spring cheese some do mutter, Yet spring milk also makes bad butter, Then there doth arise the query How to utilize it in the dairy.
The milk it floats in great spring flood Though it is not so rich and good, Let us be thankful for this stream Of milk and also curds and cream.
All dairymen their highest aims Should be to make the vale of Thames, Where milk doth so abundant flow, Dairyland of Ontario.
But, who knows? Maybe you will come across your own special favorite in this delightful compendium of horrors.
I have a weakness for this kind of stuff. I don't necessarily really believe that an actual student somewhere really wrote that 'Joan of Ark was famouI have a weakness for this kind of stuff. I don't necessarily really believe that an actual student somewhere really wrote that 'Joan of Ark was famous as Noah's wife', but you'll still find me laughing like a drain.
In my defence, someone gave me my copy - I didn't actually, like, pay money for it or anything.
I promise not to send you e-mails with hilarious lists of similar bloopers, honestly. ...more
When I first moved to San Francisco, I worked in an office next door to Steve Peroutka. During his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins, he had done tWhen I first moved to San Francisco, I worked in an office next door to Steve Peroutka. During his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins, he had done the family genetic study which established that the 'photic sneeze reflex' (sneezing in response to bright sunlight) is an autosomal dominant trait.
It pretty much made his day when I told him that I already knew who he was because I had read about him in 'The Straight Dope'. Much more so than if I'd said I read the research paper he had written. He boasted about being in 'The Straight Dope' for months.
What's not to like about this book? Cecil was debunking urban legends with his own inimitable wit long before there was a snopes.com. And even despite the availability of google and sites like snopes.com, I still pull down this book (or its successor) occasionally, if I need to check the plausibility of some weird claim or other.
Recommended for those who are technological 'late adopters' like myself, and who still maintain a lingering preference for books over alternative content delivery formats....more
I came across this book last night, while looking for something else, and ended up re-reading it from cover to cover. It's still hilarious. Funnier thI came across this book last night, while looking for something else, and ended up re-reading it from cover to cover. It's still hilarious. Funnier than the Onion. My original review:
The pieces included in the book are mainly concerned with skewering the dot.com economy and its foibles, so some are a little dated by now.* (The website stopped adding content in 2002, but some of the older pieces are still archived there).
In an effort to bring some order to my unruly "words and language shelf", I attempt here to give a succinct evaluation of the WORDS, WORDS, WORDS!!!
In an effort to bring some order to my unruly "words and language shelf", I attempt here to give a succinct evaluation of the 33 books on it which are essentially devoted to words. Those dealing with usage, etymology, language development, and general linguistic issues will, I hope, be evaluated in future reviews.
As a quick test of whether this review is likely to be of interest to you, consider the following:
The area on your (or any mammal's) back which you cannot reach to scratch is known as the acnestis. Lurgulary is the term used to denote the act of poisoning a water source. The adjective meaning "pertaining to walnuts" is juglandaceous. The verb to maffick means "to engage in wild, boisterous, protracted revelry in the streets", and is a backformation from the city name Mafeking. The association derives from the celebrations that followed the relief of Mafeking on May 17, 1900 after a protracted siege by the Boers; when word of the rescue reached London, "the city erupted in wild celebration which went on for days".
If these words fill you with irresistible glee, despite the very low probability you will ever need to use any of them in casual conversation, then at least some of the books considered in this review are likely to appeal to your latent logolepsy. Read on. If, on the other hand, you react to new, weird, or obsolete words with indifference, you may safely skip the rest of this review.
With 33 books to evaluate, obviously I need some kind of system. So I will evaluate each book on the following 4 criteria: * breadth of coverage -- does it really deliver the goods, that is, deliver a reasonable quota of truly satisfying obscure words? * scholarship -- is it to be trusted? Are there any egregious errors? Is there evidence of adequate background research? Cross-checking with other sources? * usability -- how user friendly is it? Level of cross-referencing appropriate? Adequate examples of word usage? Thematic organization? Helpful citations and indexing? Is the pronunciation key helpful to the casual reader, or does it require mastery of the IPA (international phonetic alphabet). * charm -- an entirely nebulous quality, but probably the most important. Were the authors having fun when they wrote it? And is that sense of fun transmitted to the reader? Because, frankly, there's nothing more lethally boring than a big book full of fancy words assembled by someone who isn't almost orgasmically enthusiastic about sharing those words.
A couple of the books below make ludicrous attempts to engage readers with promises that expanding their vocabulary will lead to improved "success" in life. Such promises are worded in a way that makes it obvious that "success" is being measured in the basest, most soul-destroying, moneygrubbing terms: having just the right two-dollar word at the tip of your reptilian tongue will open all the right doors, affording you countless opportunities to further your spiritual degradation by playing round after round of lickspittle golf with your vile nouveau riche social climbing "boss". This notion is, of course, frankly ridiculous, being based on implicit, and utterly false, premise that mere possession of the dictionary in question will result in the desired augmentation of vocabulary. Well, as Charles Earle Funk might put it, "horsefeathers!" The only way you are going to augment your vocabulary, gentle reader, is by reading, widely, voraciously, and indiscriminately. And if you haven't figured that out by now in life, then none of the books below is gonna help you, sucker!
So, with the understanding that books like these interest us because of their potential to surprise and delight, and not as stepping stones to greater "status" or "wealth" or "success", let's get on with it. I will assign each book a score of 0 to 5 on each of the four dimensions discussed previously. So that a superstar like Mrs Byrne might hope to end up with a total score close to 20; duds may expect to languish in the single digits.
Obviously this is going to take several posts: I will delay the list of books considered until the next post, coming up immediately.
Warning: this might not be everyone's cup of tea. But it's the kind of book I find irresistible.
OK, I can sense your silent entreaties even from hereWarning: this might not be everyone's cup of tea. But it's the kind of book I find irresistible.
OK, I can sense your silent entreaties even from here. You want some examples. Here are some of my favorites:
bescumber (verb): to splatter with feces; to spray with ordure. rudesby (noun): a loud boor; a generally offensive person. scombroid (adj): resembling a mackerel. tittery-whoppet (noun): an archaic euphemism for what is nowadays referred to as the va-jay-jay. feague (verb): to insert an 'energizing suppository' (usually ginger) into the anus of a horse, in order to make it sprightly and to perk up its tail. rhodorhinorangifericide (noun): the act of killing a red-nosed reindeer.
OK, I made that last one up. But it *could* be a word, no? ...more
From the folks who brought you "Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality", more hilarious readings from the Journal of Polymorphous Perversity. BothFrom the folks who brought you "Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality", more hilarious readings from the Journal of Polymorphous Perversity. Both books are pretty damned funny, but this one had a higher 'hit rate', IMO.
The book contains:
Entertaining vignettes from clinical practice: "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Dishwasher"
tips on surviving the academic rat-race: "Understanding Student Evaluations" "Reviewerese" "The Academic Speech : Quick and Easy Guidelines to the Disguise of Ignorance"
reviews of popular psychology books: Loving or leaving, take it or leave it, these books offer profound, salient insights into the leaving and loving of men and women who either can't love, can't leave, or can't be left.
Updates to standard psychological tests:
new items for the Minnesota Multiphasic - answer each item as True of False
I am easily awakened by the firing of cannons. My sex life is satisfactory, except when I am with another person. I try to steal people's thoughts and ideas when they are not looking. I frequently notice I am not trembling. I think I would enjoy the work of a robot.
and - my personal favorite - the Friedberg Clinical Inventory (rate items from 1 - never - to 5 - always)
I play fetch with myself. Diarrhea runs in my family. I feel guilty after eating Jewish food. I wish my portrait were painted on velvet. I am suspicious of the 7 dwarfs' relationship with Snow White. I eat out of a satellite dish. I have the urge to hunt Audubon Society members. I worry that when the Martians invade, there won't be enough parking spaces. Geraldo Rivera searches for me.
Francis Heaney is a comic genius. This slim volume mainly contains poems written according to the conceit: "What if poets wrote poems whose names wereFrancis Heaney is a comic genius. This slim volume mainly contains poems written according to the conceit: "What if poets wrote poems whose names were anagrams of the poet's own name?". Accordingly it contains such gems as "Toilets", by T.S. Eliot, "Skinny Domicile" by Emily Dickinson, "Likable Wilma" by William Blake, and - my personal favorite - "Hen Gonads" by Ogden Nash.
If you don't want to buy the book, pretty much the entire content is also available online, e.g. at
What I learned from this book is that writing a book is a horrendous, but extraordinarily fulfilling, activity, to be undertaken only once in a lifetiWhat I learned from this book is that writing a book is a horrendous, but extraordinarily fulfilling, activity, to be undertaken only once in a lifetime.
And that, ten years after publication, you can still expect to get one or two e-mails a year, from places as far-flung as Uganda and Chile, wondering if maybe there is a typo on page 23. (Answer: yes, there is. Sorry.)
Sadly, during the year that it took to write the book, several friendships died on the vine, due to complete neglect on my part. On the other hand, I've had the experience of having people at professional meetings actually squeal in awe at learning my name and beg me to autograph their copy. And Marie (my co-author) and I remain close friends, a minor miracle. But, despite repeated requests from our publisher, neither of us has the stomach for a second edition....more
I *love* James Lileks. Though I hesitate to say so on a site dedicated to books, his website may be a better way to appreciate his full hilarious awesI *love* James Lileks. Though I hesitate to say so on a site dedicated to books, his website may be a better way to appreciate his full hilarious awesomeness-
Come on, Nazi grandma alone is worth the price of admission. Or the "computers through time" series.
Get in touch with your inner snerk. Support this man! Visit his site. Somewhere in there waiting for you is that bizarre Wisconsin motel. And many other gems. It's a gen-u-wine laff-riot. And I am not one to use that term lightly, nosiree Bob!...more