Customer Reviews

Loser Goes First: My Thirty-Something Years of Dumb Luck and Minor Humiliation

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There's the McSweeney's writer Dan Kennedy who wrote "Loser Goes First" and there's this "How to Kick Butt at Sales and Make Millions!" Dan Kennedy. Don't get the Kennedy's confused like Amazon does --- I sadly realized this after paying for a book about making millions from selling things to friends and relatives or something. Not that I wouldn't mind making millions or anything, but my friends and relatives aren't going to buy anything from me, TRUST ME. Hey, maybe I should try to sell them this book abotu how to become a millionaire over night! At least I'd get my money back!

Loser Goes First is funny, surprise, surprise. One would imagine it would have to be after reading the author's stuff on McSweeney's every week or two. I was actually hoping the book would talk a little bit more about how his job there came about, but it was hilarious reading about every other less successful, disasterous trial and tribulation that occured before he got there.

Dan Kennedy's memoir-esque look at life is hilarious, if not slightly stolen from the Dave Eggers book of self-analyzation and tone--right down to the customization of page styles (Dan Kennedy's works have repeatedly shown up on McSweeney's, by the way.) But whatever similarities exist, whether you like Dave Eggers or not, should be ignored because this book exists and thrives on its own.

The writing is crisp and clear and laugh-out-loud funny, sitting just up a notch from David Sedaris. Kennedy tells stories of youth with a self-deprecating style that never shifts to the excessive or whiny. The only restriction here is the point of reference to the generation of which Kennedy is a member. Baby-boomers will have a hard time with some of the material, but they shouldn't shy away. The quality of writing is strong enough to entertain-and very much so.

Well worth the purchase price-you'll get at least three reads out of it. I'm keeping on eye on Kennedy for his next project. Let's hope he turns to fiction.

From page one, I was already laughing out loud. This farcical memoir moves fast, incorporating hilariously imagined sequences along with Kennedy's already amusing life. I actually called friends on the phone so that I could recite some of my favorite parts to them. I recommend this to anyone who like humor, books, and or the written word.

I am drunk and not signed in with my own Amazon account, but have a few things to say about this book nonetheless..

1. It's funny. The kind of funny that gnaws at your insides rather than hits your outsides like a really strong left hook at a late-night bar room brawl. This is the kind of funny you tell other people -- funny stories and crazy words. There are a lot of words in this book, which brings me to...

2. There are a lot of words and letters in this book. Some people could have put them together into a myriad of ways, but Dan Kennedy does his best to string them along in a continuous loop of hilarity and originality. Original, mmm, original pizza hut, crust-stuffed with cheese... I like cheese. And speaking of which--

3. Cheese-factor. It's the kind of cheese factor that's been aged over many decades, none of that canned under extreme pressure stuff. This is quality, cracker-worthy, cheese.

4. Buy-factor. Sure, it's a hard cover, but it's worth it. When the hell else do you have the chance to buy something so strong, you can use it to pry open the car door of an freeway accident victim, simply by inserting, opening up to that hilarious chapter, and saving an innocent life. Probably never.

Dan Kennedy's first book, an autobiographical look at life, is a strong comedic effort which results in a light read you don't want to put down for long. He details growing up in Southern California and how various failures and near-successes were just par for the course in ending up in a respectable job and as a productive member of society.

Making mistakes that often remind me of myself and are often side-splitting yet mind boggling. In a way, you may have a hard time believing someone could fall into the same traps time and again, but it happens. At times one is left to wonder if Dan is suffering from some sort of mild mental disease or retardation, but that is just a sure sign his comedy and style of writing are working! Not to spoil it, but rest assured in the end (nearly) everything works out, and our narrator seems to actual stumble into some good fortune here and there. But getting there is one hell of a trip.

I recommend to all looking for a humorous, if not inspirational, look at life. It only makes you wonder what's coming next! I'll be "first" in line to find out.

Five minutes into reading this book, I felt like I was reading my own memoirs, if I had the motivation to do it. The procrastination, the job-hopping, the seemingly "wasted talent" of the author: yes, this could very well be my life story. When Kennedy fails to comprehend why his boss doesn't understand that he only works three days a month (since he makes 500 dollars a day, of course!) I knew exactly what he was talking about. Still, I would have liked to read about how he went from being a slacker with no money and no ambition to being the current DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT AT ATLANTIC RECORDS! That I wouldn't mind falling into. Otherwise, hilarious random coming-of-age story.

Kennedy's book is an incredibly fast and almost always enjoyable look at growing up X. He is so amusing as he relates the tales of his life. He makes a million mistakes, but can manage to laugh. He seems to have turned out ok. Another in a long line of memoirs from Gen X's, this one is almost up there with Paul Feig's and Dan Zevin (the Day I turned Uncool). The stories are light and will make you feel better about yourself, not matter how sad your life seems.

This is the kind of book that you read over and over again everytime you need a laugh. I picked it up when I was having a bad day and it still cracked me up. Dan Kennedy has the gift of being very funny and still being able to make a serious point or transport you into a story that offers wisdom or a life lesson. Something tells me he will be making me laugh for a very long time. If you have ever felt like you are the only one whose life is not going perfectly, or at least the only one who saw the humor in all of it...this is a great book to read. Keep it around as a reminder that life is a lot more fun when we have a sense of humor about it all.

The title of this book would make you believe that Dan Kennedy has spent the better part of his life going first. However, the payoff of this book seems to me that his life was far more remarkable than he'd like the reader to think. After having spent the better part of three decades looking for exactly what it is that he's supposed to be doing, he winds up recalling a life that was full of minor mishaps, many different occupations and a near-miss with virtually every major cultural movement of the last 20 years.

Although, Kennedy's writing lags at times, the stories and events that he narrates are gripping and more than enough to keep the attention of the reader. Kennedy's humor, which I was familiar with from his various McSweeney's engagements, helps move the stories along and I found myself turning the pages just to see exactly what small horror would await him next. In between his adventures, Kennedy provides small revelations about figuring the depreciation of his neighbor's house with a real estate calculator (a Christmas gift), illicit espresso recipes and the quotable bait shack.

A very fun and impressive debut.

Follow the author as he travels through a series of short careers, finding himself in the next before he realizes what he likes about each. Dan Kennedy has a remarkable ability to describe his life's catastrophes without being either too glib or too serious. This allows the reader to relate to his problems, but in an enjoyable way. Following his progression from warehouse employee, to firefighter, to working at an espresso stand, and his reasons for choosing and then abandoning each leads to a truly engrossing story. In particular, the description of his performance at an open-mike night in Texas will blow you away.

Dan Kennedy's writing moves the story along, and the story itself is great, this one is not to be missed.