Customer Reviews

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You: One Man, Seven Days, Twelve Televisions

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's face it. Most books claiming to comment on the state of television and popular culture are elitist, supercilious diatribes against the medium, a la Newton Minnow. Not so this book, though the author is a self-described "cultural elitist." I did not have the advantage of having read the original 1967 book which inspired this "experiment", but no matter. The book stands up on its own merits.

As the author shows us, television and the world have indeed changed, in ways that are surprising. There's the usual expected condemnation of WWF Wrestling and Jerry Springer, but the most poignant statement the author makes about the changes of the last thirty-odd years is the death of Saturday morning, a smorgasbord of classic cartoons when the author (and this reviewer) were kids. Thanks in large part to overzealous parents' groups and "niche marketing", Saturday morning as late baby boomer/Gen X kids knew it is no more. Why have one day set aside for cartoons, after all, when one channel shows them 24 hours a day?

The very objective of this book, to see how television viewing has changed in our multichannel world, is ultimately what mars it, however. Because there is just so much to watch, it is impossible for the author to devote sufficient time to an analysis of any one program.(Particularly my favorite, Star Trek: Voyager, which he didn't see at all). What we get, therefore, is the literary equivalent of channel surfing. The humor of the book (and the byplay between the author, his wife, and friends) save it from superficiality.

I have the feeling he might have come out with this book a year or so too soon. What might he say about "Survivor" and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Maybe we'll know in another thirty years.

I was glued to the book much more than I ever am to a television show. Mr. Lechner takes a potentially dull subject (endless hours of television) and takes the reader on a journey through modern society. His observations on what he sees during his "experiment" are not only entertaining and funny, but are quite poignant. Mr. Lechner leaves the reader with new feelings about America's favorite passive-pastime in his keen, humorous style which includes many personal insights. Highly recommended!

I can't believe another person thinks the same way about television as I do. I laughed myself silly reading this book, and I hope to read more of Mr. Lechner's work in the future.

And having a pug didn't hurt. ;)

This is a fun book, great train or airplane read however Lechners doesn't have the sharp wit that Charles Sopkin had in a similar book about the same subject but I still enjoyed it.

This book is a riot! Mr. Lechner gives the reader a humorous, insightful look at the true national pasttime. No couch potato when it comes to writing, he delivers real entertainment on every page. I wish he were writing the shows!

This book is like being held hostage while someone else randomly changes channels. Lechner offers no insights to America's obssession with television. Instead, he merely recaps whatever show he happens to be watching. I would sooner flip through old issues of TV Guide than re-read this book.