Customer Reviews

Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Mountain Man Dance Moves" is the single volume of all my volumes that I refer to most frequently for lists of unicorn data. From the editors at McSweeney's this book of lists is supremely useful in daily life, and it should be part of every family's emergency survival kit.

The lists cover a variety of topics, and contain some surprising information. For your book evaluation convenience I have listed some of the most useful data below.

In the list "Actual English Names Chosen by our Korean ESL Students in Suzhou, China," the names chosen included Napoleon, Whiskey, Virus, and Bob Shop.

The literate list of "Least Onomatopoetic Verbs" includes Profiteer, Cavort, Hyperextend, Expectorate, and Calcify.

People concerned with personal image may find the list "Errors in Communication Between My Hairdresser and Me in the Form of What I Said and What He Heard" useful. Heed these valuable examples: "Said: Just a little off the length, and a little thinned out? Heard: Could you make me look like a clown's apprentice?"; "Said: A little shorter, thanks. Heard: I want the style that would emerge if you combined all three of Charlie's Angels."

For the music fan, the list "Comments Overheard at a Brainstorming Meeting Between Ted Nugent and the Editors of 'Gourmet' Magazine Where They Were Discussing The Upcoming Book 'Gourmet Magazine's Vegan Cooking With Ted Nugent'" will prove enlightening. One overheard comment was "That's where you're wrong, chief. Plenty of people eat badger." Insightful.

Expectant parents should especially note "Things You Don't Expect to See on a Baby Shower Announcement," to wit: Clothing optional, Baby Wendy Carlyle 19 inches, 84 pounds, Don't forget your towel, The more sausage the better, Seahawks game to follow, or Theme: Dirt Bikes.

For the unemployed philosophy majors, the most useful list is doubtlessly "Few People Know That Martin Heidegger Who Created a Philosophy From Man's Terrifying Inability to Comprehend the Essence of His Own Being, Also Produced These Loving Works in Decoupage." Some of the works of artistic genius listed include: "Small kitten entangled in, and perplexed by, unspooled ball of yarn," and, of course, "Hausfrau triumphantly whisking fresh-baked muffins from glowing oven (beaming son in background)."

For the avant garde musicologist, the list "Professional Wrestler? Or Song By Captain Beefheart?" is a difficult quiz. (I knew the answers without the list, of course, but include it here as an example of the enlightenment this book can produce.) 25th Century Quaker, Abba Zabba, Amish Roadkill, Big Eyed Beans, and Dirty Blue Gene. This exposes the one factual error I noticed in the book, and at the risk of giving away one of the answers, the actual name of the song is "Big Eyed Beans From Venus." It pays to be exact about such things.

Finally on page 215 the book provides the most useful of all the lists, "Methods Other Than Song By Which One Can Be Killed Softly." Some of the eye opening entries are Chinchilla attack, Asphyxiation by pound cake, Egyptian tomb booby-trapped with goose down, Poison meringue, Allergic reaction to cashmere, and Stuffed-animal avalanche. Remember, forewarned is forearmed, and with this list and others like it, you too can survive to live another day!

The lists in Mountain Man Dance Moves are like a joke that's gone off on a weird tangent and you and everyone else are dying laughing but no one can begin to explain why when a confused newcomer saunters up and asks, "What's so funny?" This is absurd, hilarious, random, inane, stealthily intelligent and often brilliant comedy writing. I'm buying a stack of these to give to friends for their birthdays.

This book had me laughing so hard I actually peed a little. Snot also came out of my nose.

Fantastically dry humor rife with bitter, sarcastic social commentary.

PEOPLE WHO WILL BE DISAPPOINTED WITH "MOUNTAIN MAN DANCE MOVES:"
1. The blind
2. Anyone who possess a phobia of unicorns
3. Anyone looking for a quality work of fiction about a break-dancing mountain man super-hero and his magical sidekick unicorn
4. Communists

Its difficult to explain this humor, but the book is very funny. I have given several as gifts, and I notice when I lend several books to friends, this among them, it is the one book they actually read. Highly recommended, each list is like an in-joke shared with the author.

Tiny, bite-sized japes that satisfy in small portions, these wry little lists amuse best in three-minute servings.

Call this a bathroom book for non-constipated English majors.

THINGS BETTER THAN MOUNTAIN MAN DANCE MOVES: THE McSWEENEY'S BOOK OF LISTS

Nothing
Nil
Zero
Zilch
Reading it while snuggled up against your favorite unicorn


~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

I was forbidden to read this before bed because when I first attempted to do so, I woke my husband repeatedly with my guffawing. I am not kidding. From there on we took to reading it out loud to each other and laughing together. Remember when David Letterman was hilarious? Sometimes now John Stewart and Steven Colbert get the tone right and hit the same note. This book is preposterous and wonderful.

I want to (sincerely) thank the woman who gave this book two stars. While stating it was not for her, she advertised that "Very off-centered, quirky sorts of people will love this book." This is as admirable as someone saying, "I found 'The Dark Crystal,' 'Labyrinth,' and 'The Neverending Story' too frightening, but if you liked them, then 'Coraline' is for you." In that vein, if you find "The Onion" offensive, don't read this book.

1. "Mountain Man Dance Moves" is a book of lists compiled by the Editors of McSweeney's.

2. Many of the lists are very, very funny in a strange sort of way, like "Eight Reasons Why a Tyrannosaur Caught in a Tornado is a Funny Thing to Think About" (No. 1: "The tiny, flailing arms.")

3. Some of the lists are quirky and almost zen-like, such as "Clocks Ranked According to the Ease with Which One Can Tell Time From Them (Easiest to Hardest): "1. Digital; 2. Not Digital."

4. Many of the lists are about unicorns, some of which are funny, like "Signs Your Unicorn is Cheating on You."

5. Some of the unicorn lists are kind of strange. But in a good way.

6. If you think "Monty Python" is the apotheosis of modern humor, you will probably like this book.

7. If you think "Mayberry RFD" is the apotheosis of modern humor, you will not like this book.

8. You will probably like "Mountain Man Dance Moves" if you find the following lightbulb joke inexplicably amusing: "Q: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: To get to the other side." (Bonus points if you also like the alternate answer: "Two. One to hold the giraffe and the other to put the clocks in the bathtub.")

9. If you have ever laughed uncontrollably at a Henny Youngman joke, this may not be the book for you.

10. I liked this book a lot, but then I have a kind of strange sense of humor.