Customer Reviews

Mr. Irresponsible's Bad Advice: How to Rip the Lid Off Your Id and Live Happily Ever After

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...but this book actually had me laughing out loud. But you don't have to be a misanthrope to love this book. It's cleverly written in a breezy off-the-cuff style that reads as though Mr. Irresponsible was right there giving you his advice. But this is better because I wouldn't actually want to talk to Mr. Irresponsible, but he wouldn't want to talk to me either. It's smart, witty and best of all rude.

Mr. Irresponsible, along with someone named Bill Barol, has put together a guidebook of irresonsible suggestions for getting through life. I was particularly taken with his suggestion that when in doubt, go with the Eddie Haskell approach. Kiss up, and dumb down. I was also impressed by his never worrying that others might catch on when one acts the way Mr.I suggests. They will catch on, but the effect will still overwhelm them. This is a must book for anyone who has been held back by good manners and common sense.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all be as irresponsible as the irrepressible Mr. Irresponsible--and live to tell about it? I don't care how rude this advice is; the book made me laugh hard and it reminded me that we each have an inner Mr. Irresponsible who ought to--just once in a while--be indulged. This is funny, but there's far more to it than that. Get this one!

Really, this some of the worst advice ever inflicted upon a society -- and that's what makes it so hilarious. From how to deal with noisy moviegoers (warning: involves collapsible police batons) to ideas on childrearing that could conceivably lead to a lengthy stint in San Quentin, Mr. Irresponsible has an answer for any question of etiquette you can dream up. Great stuff.

This book should come with a warning label: Unless you really like aspirating your food or think a Diet Coke nasal lavage is "fun and stimulating," don't read "Mr. Irresponsible's Bad Advice" while eating or drinking. I haven't laughed out loud this much since Woody Allen's "Without Feathers." Evil fun for the truly twisted.

From page one I was laughing out loud. The people at the hair salon where I first started reading Mr. Irresponsible sent me looks usually reserved for drunken idiots on the city bus. Once I realized the safest place to read such material was in the privacy of my abode, I did nothing for hours but read and choke from my own laughter. Could someone PLEASE give Mr. Irresponsible his own talk show?

Turning each page was a pleasure, because it meant I was one step closer to putting the book down and never looking at it again.

The author is clearly pleased with himself and his attempt at humor, with an unavoidable sense of smugness coming off each page. Imagine yourself cornered by an uninvited party guest - maybe the acquaintance of a friend who couldn't make it - who tells a thin joke, mistakes your polite and uneasy chuckle for encouragement, and decides to buddy up with you for the rest of the evening. You now have an idea of the book's style. Like the unwanted guest, the author constantly refers back to his one weak joke, making sure you're reminded he's being witty. By the end of the second chapter I found myself wishing he'd stop trying to amuse me and get to the point.

Sadly, the point isn't much of an improvement. Hitting people in a theater and mooching off relatives are not "ripping the lid off your id" - they're just tired, clichéd responses to the phenomenally boring questions that drive the narrative of this book. There is no advice in this book. There is no discussion of happiness. There is no more wisdom than you might expect to find on a discount bumper sticker.

Is it to my shame or a true blessing that I have never heard of Mr. Irresponsible or his advice before being graced with this read? I am sure Mr. Irresponsible would have a few choice words for me, don't you think? In this work we have a man who apparently has been giving advice for a long time although I am sure most would not follow what he gives, at least I hope they won't.They may have thought about it or liked to do it, but never did....thank God!
In this work, Mr. Irresponsible gives advice on how to handle children with bad manners, love, friendship and even some morels of his wisdom to be used during the gathering after a funeral. Of course you would probably have another death if you follow it. Perhaps for some that would be a good thing. Scary thought isn't it?
As I read this work I was trying to figure out if it was a spoof or if Mr. Irresponsible feels he is speaking out what so many would like to do but thank God have the decency not to. I have to admit that the scenarios that he portrayed are certainly those that most of us have or will go through, however since most of us are humans, we would never consider following his advice. Would we? Of course that is why his name is, "Mr. Irresponsible," as that fits his advice to a tee. I will coin a phrase that my father use to tell us when we were bad, "Shame on your face! Shame.!"
And with that I will end my review.
Shirley Johnson