Customer Reviews

Generation Ecch!: The Backlash Starts Here

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4 star:		(1)
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I just had to respond to the main review of this book, which implied that this book was depressing, like talking to some hipster after an all night rave (is there any other kind?). Dude, it's our culture that's depressing, this book has the guts to look at the hideous reality of Gen Ecch and laugh in its face. It takes on TV (Melrose and 90210, in particular), literature (you'll never think seriously about Douglas Coupland again) and "alternative" music with a razor sharp wit and enough condescension to make anyone feel a little more smug about themselves.

And this book still delivers...at least to anyone with any kind of sentimental hold or vague idea of what the mid 90's held. Razor sharp wit, hilarious takes on genre movies, balls kickings for all things pop, and excellent comics by the great Evan Dorkin.

I've gone through two copies of this book since the original purchase in '95 (I think..) and still pick it up at least once a year to give it a read.

This book is 4 years old, yet it still hits home with smart bomb accuracy.

Perfect for anyone who is fed up with film snobs, pop culture 'experts' and people who express their individuality by dressing, acting, and thinking like....everyone else expressing their individuality.

I was readingSex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and i was struck how it really feels like an updated or at least more recent version of this book, sans the brilliant illustrations by Evan Dorkin and biting commentary.

I went through my gloriously awkward teenage years during the 90's and as such I think i fell or could relate to most of the sociological pratfalls and trends described in this book.

This book is a great time capsule of its time period and should be read by anyone who ever thought brett easton ellis was a genius, wore a flannel, or went to a rave.

These guys are brilliant. I have never lent a book to so many people, people pick this up and then ask to borrow it.
The book is really sharp about a lot of Generation X stuff - I have to admit to having read most of Couplands dubious prose, and this is chopped up beautifully.
The book is getting a little dated - It would be interesting to see if 16 year olds got all the references now. It's about time they wrote a new book along similar lines. The internet should provide them with heaps of new subject matter !

Jason Cohen & Michael Krugman are two very jaded people. That's why I loved this book. I'm amazed how a book released in the mid 90's can nail the entire decade so perfectly. Both authors should never write a book again. They will never top Generation Ecch!