Customer Reviews

Rants

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This collection of rants from Dennis Miller is generally excellent and topical social commentary. Written long before 9/11 and his coming of age as a more conservative voice, this is a fairly libertarian, rational, and practical look at life in the United States. There are a few areas that I disagree with him on, but I am not recommending that anyone think a certain way, just that people hear different concepts with an open mind and make their own decisions. In this book you can see the seeds of Miller's conservatism, although it is clear that he has been awakened and revitalized by the events of 9/11 and is thus more conservative now than when this book was written.

Overall, this is a neat summary of Miller's world view as it existed in 1996. His gift of satire is preeminent in the world today, and while probably everyone will find something in this book to provoke or annoy them, at least it insists on the reader thinking for themselves. I would have given this book five stars except for the fairly frequent profanity. I know this is adapted from some of his HBO material, but the book could be used for a much younger audience to excellent effect if not for the language. Excellent job overall: highly recommended for people of any political leaning.

Dennis Miller will always remain one of the five funniest comedians in my books. Along with Denis Leary, Robin Williams, George Carlin, and Eddie Murphy, have made living in the last 20 years of the 20th century almost tolerable. Almost. I don't want to get off an on rant here, but have you seen the state of the modern comedy these days? An associate of mine admitted that he frankly enjoys the banal, mindless gags that pass for humor in an Adam Sandler flick! Jim Carey hasn't been funny since `In Living Color' and Matt Stone and Trey Parker since `Cannibal: The Musical'.

Dennis Miller makes me laugh, his rants are among some of the most original stuff to come around in a long time. Like Carlin, he peppers his staccato-like speeches with witty and often contemporary jibes at the system, but where Carlin tends to be more general, Miller names names. Miller preaches moderation, common sense, compassion, but also wants you to use that two-stroke weed whacker engine you call a brain for more than just watching `Who Wants to be a Millionaire' or trying to assemble the tiger puzzle found inside a box of Frosted Flakes. Dennis Miller: The Rants is a good way do just that.

Miller attacks the O.J. trial for what it was, goes hunting Republicans, the legal system, the religious right and drags them out into the harsh unfeeling glare of public sentiment and holds them up for to examine and laugh at. I think Miller speaks from the heart and he really does feel this way about a lot of things he rants on. Admittedly the audio tapes of the rants are better than book, hearing him say them is obviously better than just reading them, but the book allows easier reference for quotes so you can make pithy comments in your e-mails. You can also catch Miller's rants on his hit TV show `Dennis Miller Live'. Have fun with it, that's what it's there for.

This book was very hilarious, filled to the brim with some of Dennis' best rants from his acclaimed HBO show Dennis Miller Live, leaving you nostalgic for those wild and crazy 1990s. If you remember and miss Dennis from his times as the news anchor on SNL or from his hit HBO show Dennis Miller Live and want to relive some of his witty remarks and prodigious monologues, I highly recommend you purchase this book.

I laughed. I laughed so hard, I cried. I cried because I couldn't believe I was actually laughing at some of Miller's material! Be prepared to feel shocked at the humor Miller presents, often at the expense of other people's dignity. Beyond the laughs, however, lurks Miller's consciousness. He asks questions, probes belief systems, and attempts to get to the bottom of things. Don't make the mistake of dismissing Miller as a comedian; he is more than that. In 'The Rants', Miller proves that he is a master of critical analysis with a well-developed sense of humor.

Miller accomplished a somewhat difficult feat in writing this book; the successful combination of rational, logical arguments and the presentation of them in a humorous, scathingly witty prose. One might argue that it's been done many times before by other authors in the political humor genre; I would agree, but not on this level. Miller's literary and comic blend is so succinct in this book that, in my opinion, he joins the upper echelon of satirists like Al Franken, Michael Moore, and P.J. O'Rourke. It is definitely the balance of "The Rants" that makes it so enticing and enjoyable; the intelligent, convincing arguments coupled with his amusing, blatantly cynical approach to the issues give you the impression of an unrecognized, bitter genius. Dennis Miller decries the abomination that is narcotic prohibition through the chapter on drugs ("If the government took away all the drugs in the world, people would spin around in circles on their front lawns until they fell down and saw God"), the alarming, newfound scarcity of the liberal, and the illogic of anti-abortion laws. Remaining liberals, read this book to laugh at, agree with, and have your notions confirmed; conservatives, read it for the challenges it presents to your views. Miller has established himself as a bold new presence in the vocation of putting politics to paper.

Dennis Miller is one of the best in the business of cutting humor today.I don't know if he writes all his own material;but I am inclined to think he does.He claims to be neither a Democrat nor a Republican and it really doesn't matter.I think he has decided the whole bunch of them are fair game.He comes up with one great line after another and he has an ability to put his thoughts forward that take you by surprise and leave you gasping for air from laughing.Youl'll say to yourself;Yeah,he's hit the nail right on the head,but I never thought of it that way.
On Liberals..."They are running around like an organically fed,free-range chicken with its head cut off.No wonder they fight so hard for the spotted owl- they're right behind them on the endangered species list."
Recently, Miller has been showing up on FOX with Hannity and Colmes and he had the pair of them doubled up with laughter .
This book was first published in 1996.Miller's rants in this book are already 10 years old.However;the more things change,the more they stay the same.

"Now I don't want to get off on a rant here,but"..

I wish that he would put a lid on his use of the F-word. It's not that this is too harsh for my sensitivities, having spent my teen years in the local Pool Rooms,and later 5 years in college with engineers and 7 years in the Army. So,with all that,vulgarity is'nt anything new to me.However; when you are a good humorist with good material and timing,you don't need vulgarity to get attention.In fact,I think it detracts from his talent. It may be alright for a Drill Instructor, but the great humorists like Mark Twain,Myron Cohen,Red Buttons,Red Skelton,Bill Cosby and such,did not lower themselves to its use.I particularly feel this way with female performers. What I'm really trying to say is that it detracts rather than enhanches the persona of a good entertainer. Miller is too good to have to resort to foul language and his humor would be better off without it.I feel the same about George Carlin.

"Of course,that's just my opinion.I could be wrong."

This CD is a collection of early rants from Dennis Miller's TV show. This is a great CD, but being his first, I think Miller still hasn't come into a good flow yet. I recommend his later CD's which are far better.

Also, the cheesy production value really takes from the CD. There is really bad synth music between each track, and I wish they had taken the rant straight from the show. I miss the audience laughter (or lack of laughter) that Dennis plays off of.

If you're a Dennis Miller fan, it's still a good purchase, but not the best.

Dennis Miller is one of the only celebrities I respect today, because he is actually an intelligent person, and definately one of the wittiest people I know of. His rants on modern day American life are cutting and brutally honest, and never fail to make me laugh about how stupid some things in the world are, and how much sense he actually makes. Miller is a comedic genius. If you want an entertaining read that will make you laugh and make you think, get this book. Anyone who says it isn't funny is either offended by Dennis' honesty, or is just too stupid to get the jokes. Terrific book.

he has a few clever observations which were overshadowed by his lack of creativity in his choice of obscenities.

Many people complain that Dennis Miller's jokes go over most people's heads. Well, for those of us who can pick up on his often obscure references, this book is a treat.

In today's comedy environment, where scatalogical humor and inane observational humor is the norm, Miller is a beacon of light in a fog of mediocrity. He knows just when to drop one of those patented analogies he is so well known. Of course, the analogies would be irrelevant if the monologues themselves weren't sharp and satiric looks at society today.

So, I say go read this book. It's funnier than watching a Himalayan mountain guide getting gored by a yak.