Customer Reviews

I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World

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This isn't a memoir; it's a crime scene! The author's raunchy and ridiculous romp through the underbelly of the New York publishing scene is not to be missed. The writing is sharp and powerful, like a burlesque rim shot, and the stories unfold effortlessly through fast-paced action and drug-induced narrative. This author writes as if Toby Young downed a bunch of uppers and got smacked in the face by a flying bar stool. With this raving party of a book, Mike Edison may prove a worthy heir to the pill-poppin', line-snorting, gun-toting and anti-establishment legacy of the good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. It's that good.

I am a sucker for an entertaining autobiography, so I picked this little gem up at Watermark Books this past summer on the promise of the dustjacket alone, which features caricatures of Joey Ramone, Andy Warhol, Little Richard, Jerry Garcia, Ronald Reagan, Hulk Hogan, Larry Flynt and many other larger than life characters, like Mr. Edison himself. What really sold me about the dustjacket was the books' subtitle, which reads: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World. For some reason, I hadn't decided to give it a go until just recently, while being bored to tears and giving up on Annie Dillard's latest novella, The Maytrees, which might have been more appealing were I not suffering a recent spell of ADD, an affliction which I seem to share with the author.

Mike Edison aka Lord Zeppelin (one of his anonymous pen names) took me on a wild ride going from punk band drummer to solo blues slide guitarist, smut mag to stoner mag, European tour to Asian wedding adventure, all without any apparent purpose other than to find some interesting things to write about in his autobiography one day, and that he did. There is no shortage of hilarious and interesting material here, and while I have to question his journalistic integrity from time to time, he is usually the first one to confess his own shortcomings in his relationships and in the workplace, so his tall tales carry much more credibility than that of say, I don't know, James Frey (A Million Little Pieces).

Make no mistake about it; Edison has no plans to sober up. This is not a coming-of-age tale, nor a rock-bottom to riches account. The amount of drugs he unabashedly consumes throughout the memoir is mind boggling, not due to the fact that he made it out alive, but because he was able to meet as many deadlines and complete as many writing and publishing assignments as he did. The type of magazines he worked for are not necessarily world class publications, but the author brought a level of professionalism to the offices of such noteworthy publications as "Screw", "Soft Drinks & Beer" and "High Times" that does not jibe with his otherwise anarchistic music career. His work ethic was inspired by the idea of "bringing something better to the bottle every day."

The most dramatic portion of the book recounts his stint at "High Times", commonly referred to as "that dope rag", in which Edison attempts to transform the office from a lazy stoner hangout into a high-octane, high circulation publishing empire. The staffers are heavily resistant to his mandate to cease smoking in the office during business hours, and he goes from being Editor and Publisher in Chief to "Head Fascist" in less than a year. Eventually, he is credited as being a producer for the High Times Potluck movie, featuring Jay of Jay and Silent Bob, which apparently went straight to DVD and is currently nowhere to be found for sale on the Net. You can however, purchase his most recent musical project, Edison Rocket Train Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!, however, I would highly recommend staying away from this noise and instead picking up a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion disc. Oh yeah, if you happen to love the Beatles, you might also want to stay away from this book, as he spends a fair amount of time rationalizing his distaste for the Sgt. Pepper album and Beatle-mania in general.

In the end, the pure entertainment value of this book and Edison's stories of a low brow lifestyle are through the roof, and his literary style and voice are much more advanced and coherent than I would have expected, but if you are looking for a story with any kind of redeeming social value, you will not find it here. Mike Edison has cemented his place in the literary canon as the hardest working screw up in show business.

Kristian Strom (Find More Book and Music Reviews at Kristian Strom Dot Com)

The book feels like it was written for me. The author describes his life through the worlds of wrestling, porn, and punk rock. A gripping account of man who's jobs take him to almost unbelievable situations. I wanted to ignore the outside world and keep reading taken in by such fun, mischievous, and spellbinding times.

I am jealous of his life and want to read more and more about his crazy exploits. If this is the only book Mike Edison writes then the world will be a far worse place.

Buy it, read it, love it, you're life will be better for it.

Starts with a brilliant quote from Little Richard.
It ain't what you eat. It's the way you chew it.
Little Richard

This author Mike Edison tells of his adventures writing and the publishing industry of the most infamous of all the smut of the counterculture. I suppose he has contributed to the Degeneracy of western culture. Some of his culture references are very funny for example he and an associate of his compares the publishing industry he is in to out "Post Darwinian Theory of Publishing Evolution Based on Planet of the Apes." The ruling class if the ape publishing world are like Dr Zayes. I think I have often said stuff like that but this guy has said it with great skill and lucidity. All the greatest or most disgusting aspects of our cultural are discussed. It is a very fast read....good with 3 shots of espresso. I give it 4 stars only because this filth has destroyed the western world. In a certain sense the author admits this. The book is a great conversation with the author. The paranoid history of High times and Tom Forcade was perhaps the most fascinating part.

I Have Fun Everywhere I Go is Mike Edison's fast-paced journey along the fringes of journalism and the magazine publishing industry. It's forbidden territory, and so much of his experience deals with: pornography, illegal drug use, professional wrestling, and sleazy rock and roll.

A shameless Ivy League dropout, Edison writes with a sharp and refreshing wit, willing to risk it all by telling it all. He's been a producer for a horrible B movie; a band-aid on tours with the likes of The Ramones and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion; a spy at a religious cult meeting; a smoking buddy of Ozzy's; and, of course, a writer.

This is the perfect book for someone wanting to live on the edge but afraid of doing so. It's a seesaw ride in which one can't decide if she's more jealous of not having lived this life or thankful she hasn't.

--Christine Thelen

See more book reviews at www.shortandsweetnyc.com

Few have approached taboo subjects such as pornography, illegal drug use, professional wrestling and sleazy rock and roll with such unbridled glee and enthusiasm, let alone filed it under nonfiction. Mike Edison is one of the few, the proud, the unabashed. His memoir reads like a rocket to all the places your parents (rightly) warned you against. It'd be foolish to follow Edison's example, but only a fool wouldn't want to tag along for the ride.

I really enjoyed this book. Mike Edison has led a very interesting life, and he tells it with verve and pizzazz. The book is crammed with raunchy humor, punk rock, tales of excess, and unflattering tell-alls about B-grade celebrities. It also has stories of evil bosses and vicious office politics. What could be more interesting than the office politics at magazines like High Times and Screw? Mike Edison delivers all of this and much more, with a "heart punch" style of storytelling that does gonzo journalism proud.

Sure, it's a little over the top. It's also a bit self-indulgent (but what memoir isn't?). So what? It's still a rip-roaring yarn. And it's NEVER boring.

This is the most fun I've had with a memoir in a long time. For sheer reading pleasure, I rank it up there with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Danny Sugarman's Wonderland Avenue, and Miles Davis' autobiography. Good stuff here. So fill your cup and drink deeply. You won't be disappointed.

Mike Edison's I HAVE FUN EVERYWHERE I GO is devilishly witty, down and dirty, and brilliantly written. This book has a rock and roll heart. Highly recommended.