Chris-In-The-Morning: Love, Life, and the Whole Karmic Enchilada [Paperback]

Louis Chunovic (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993

A 'Northern Exposure' tie-in giving a philosophical collection of observations from the drama's resident disc jockey, Chris Stevens.

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Contemporary Books (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809237628
• ISBN-13: 978-0809237623
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The peculiar and personal weltanschauung of Chris Stevens, May 2, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chris-In-The-Morning: Love, Life, and the Whole Karmic Enchilada (Paperback)

"Chris-in-the Morning: Love, Life, and the Whole Karmic Enchilada" is one of those books I would have loved to have put together. Louis Chunovic is not the "writer" of this "Northern Exposure" book, but rather has "Compiled and Edited" the proceedings, which are, of course, based on the television series created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey. The idea was to take pretty much everything said by the character of Chris Stevens (played by John Corbett), the voice and soul of the borough of Arrowhead County for everyone who loyally listens to K-BEAR's "Chris-in-the-Morning" radio show. I am not sure if every quote was actually uttered over the air, or simply in the radio station, and not on the streets of Cicely, but you get the idea. The result is that from the literal call of the wild to the complex vagaries of love to the fine art of curing a hangover, this book provides (in its own words) "a veritable aurora borealis of Chris's own recollection, speculations, dreams, and philosophies."

After an introduction that recalls how reading Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" changes his life from a budding hooligan of fifteen into an artist, this book is divided into two sections. Part I consists of Raps, Rants, and Wrenching Times. We are treated to The Chris Stevens Story, culled from his walks down memory lane, and then Chunovic tries to get thematic, with mixed results. Remember, for the most part these observations are divorced from the original context of their respective episodes. Part II is a catch-all section that offers Opinions and Observations, A-Z, which would be from Aging ("People impose all these chronological imperatives on themselves") to Zen ("See Carpentry; Mathematics; Plumbing; Technology") for those keeping track. As I said, I appreciate the attempt to present this collection of observations made by Chris Stevens as an articulated philosophical position, but this is more of a cultured and idiosyncratic weltanschauung. The key thing is that Chunovic is not trying to create consistent ontological, epistemological, or axiological positions. These are just scattered seeds of wisdom, embedded in Chris's recollections, speculations, dreams, and philosophies. Besides, the pleasure here is just getting a chance to re-read those big long speeches Chris used to unload on "Northern Exposure." The meaning, dear reader, lies not in Chris's words but in ourselves. Pick and choose as you desire.

My one minor complaint would be that the writers who came up with these great speeches and choice epithets are not credited. Allow me to rectify that with a list of all the writers who wrote on "Northern Exposure": Sybil Adelman, David Assael, Kate Boutilier, Joshua Brand, Henry Bromell, Jordan Budde, Mitchell Burgess, David Chase, Sean Clark, Denise Dobbs, Sam Egan, John Falsey, Diane Frolov, Robin Green, Barbara Hall, Karen Hall, Ellen Herman, Jessica Klein, Dennis Koenig, Jeff Melvoin, Geoffrey Neigher, Mark B. Perry, Robert Rabinowitz, Sy Rosen, Charles Rosin, Martin Sage, Andrew Schneider, Jed Seidel, Jerry Stahl, Meredith Stehm, Rogers Turrentine, Jeff Vlaming, Craig Volk, Steve Wasserman and Christian Williams. Thanks you very much, worthy scribes.

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every NX fan should have this book!!, July 21, 1998

By 

Louise M. Harlow "Lopsysworld of books" (Russell, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chris-In-The-Morning: Love, Life, and the Whole Karmic Enchilada (Paperback)

Chris in the Morning is a wonderful collection of the Chris Stevens we all have come to love. I have all the episodes on tape, and granted, I could watch them all and listen to him execute his lines with eloquence, but , hey, sometimes it's just great to sit down and hear his voice in your head while reading this terrific book. I like to just open and and recollect a favorite episode, (but then again we love them all!) It's fun, it's Chris. Buy it.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, a must-have for NX fans, June 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Chris-In-The-Morning: Love, Life, and the Whole Karmic Enchilada (Paperback)

This book is a collection of quotes from our favorite DJ from Cicely, Alaska: Chris Stevens. This book is divided into categories and chapters, so it's easy to find something about a particular topic or occasion. Some of the quotes are short one-liners, and others are long passages that delve deep into the meaning of life. Either way, they're all gems, and it brings back memories of all those great episodes, and the faraway town of Cicely, Alaska. Pull out this book when you need to relax, or when you just want to hear what Chris has to say about the things in our everyday lives.