Customer Reviews

Exploded

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

 

 

The exploded portion of the story is fascinating. Some of the reviews did not grasp the physical aspect of the telling of the story. You have to picture Tom in front of a live audience with twelve note cards in his hands. On each card is a portion of his
story. He then throws the note cards up in the air to simulate an explosion. Then tells the story in random bits and pieces as he picks up the cards. The joy of this is you as the listener have to assemble the story in the proper order in your mind. You need to pay close attention and you find yourself becoming more involved in the story than any tape I have ever listen to. I think this is a masterful bit of storytelling and a brilliant way to express a tale. As Tom reminds us, we do not remember a story from start to finish but in bits and pieces. So he tells the tale of being exploded in random parts. The listener is responsible to assemble the puzzel. Every friend or family member that has heard it thinks it's great and has purchased their own copy. I have many tapes but this is by far my favorite.

In many ways the simple things define our lives, how well we live them and how we view our role in the world. In this tape, Bodett uses his very special brand of gentle humor to discuss "events" in his life. He talks about the air conditioner in his apartment that is right over the door and drips on the landlady, and how the glass falls out of a window and nearly hits her. Another story concerns an old chair that he has redone and has grown attached to. Not that it is all that comfortable, just that he likes it and refuses to part with it. When he moves, the homeowner says "it was here when you moved in so it will stay here when you move out." His reaction is to steal the chair.
In a story that will make sense to nearly every man, he talks about his infatuation with a girl who won't make time for him. In order to at least see her on a regular basis, he rents an apartment near where she works so he can watch her walking to and from her job. Naturally, she goes off to school and he doesn't see her at all.
There is a never a time when Bodett is flat out hysterical and rarely does he stimulate your funny bone to laugh out loud. However, he is someone who can keep your sense of humor at a continuous low level of stimulation, which was true for me every minute of the tape. He reminds me of Will Rodgers, he manages to pack a great deal of wisdom about life and how difficult it can be into a story that often doesn't seem to have a great deal of meaning.

Tom Bodett tells the (ostensibly) true story of
how he faced life and death, and made what
must have been the most difficult decision of his
young life, detailing his days as a "mountain man"
in the mid-70's.

Tom is an old, good friend. It's difficult to think of him in any other way after hearing this monologue. He tells an intimately personal story in a very warm, open, hugely funny manner. But he tells it with a purpose higher than entertainment, although it is entirely entertaining, he tells it to impart wisdom born of painful experience. He talks about being exploded and how he put himself back together. Buy it!! Pass it on

Tom Bodett is a great storyteller - maybe the best. Exploded is his best work. This live performance highlights his versatility, his dry sense of humor, and his understanding of the human condition. I find his use of vignettes and his skill at pulling the story together at the end to be just amazing. I would recommend this highly. This is my favorite audio tape to listen to - nothing else comes close!

This tape was a definite change from Bodett's wonderful storytelling about the folks at the End of the Road. It is insightful, a bit nostalgic and autobiographical. The entire cassette devoted to the Exploded story is quite deftly presented "live" to an audience who randomly choose which of the twelve or so segments he reads next. Bodett is a master of writing stand-alone stories that fit perfectly into a sequence. I must say that Exploded made me howl and also brought me to tears--I consider this to be a strong endorsement!Tom Bodett has so obviously LIVED his life that it is a real treat when he shares his defining moments,his friends, his heart-felt eperiences with the rest of us. I only regret that there are so many people who would get so much joy from his work but who only know him as "that Motel 6 guy" Believe me he is much, much more!

It was good to hear the piano music of JohnnyB again; it was good (as always) to hear Tom's voice. But...

The story is taken from Tom's life. The particular episode involves climbing a power pole, being electrocuted (surprise!),and almost losing an arm.

The story lacks the tale teller's humor of "The End of the Road" and is a bit self serving at times.

If you are one of those people (like me) that reads EVERYTHING an author has ever done, then this is one for the collection. Otherwise, don't bother.