28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
eclectic, interesting mix, December 17, 1999
This review is from: Shiny Adidas Tracksuits and the Death of Camp and Other Essays from Might Magazine (Paperback)
I originally bought this book through Amazon.com because I first learned about it as having an article written by Mark Dougherty, the vocalist for a music group called Soul Coughing. I was intrigued because, in addition to being briliant, wacky musicians, the lyrics to much of their work are some of the funniest, catchiest, nonsensical clips of genius that I have ever heard.
Naturally, I had to read-on.
What I found was something that I didn't even know existed: a semi-underground, irreverent and now extinct publication called 'Might Magazine'. Although I was never exposed to it firsthand, I can see how many might have considered this publication to have a lot of potential, if uneven and frustrating at times.
There is such a thing as too much tongue-in-cheek, and the collective smirk on the faces of all the contributors included in this book could create enough energy to power the sun for a year. This wouldn't be so bad if, after reading all that, one weren't left with the feeling that half these guys are making the smug and annoying assumption that they are smarter than you.
Still, this collection has a lot of things going for it, including some truly quirky and original humor. Three of my favorites are: 'Are Black People Really Cooler Than White People?', the story on Adam Rich's death, and the essay attacking outdoor extreme sports as a trendy fetish. Many others, like the essay on the ubiquity of the American caesar salad, seem truly trivial in a weak attempt at quirky, camp humor. In fact, many of these essays make you wonder, 'Why would anyone ever want to write on this subject?', and on more than one occasion, I sometimes wished that they would stop.
Despite this, the celebration of camp culture is a topic that is very worthy of publication. This book comes as a recommendation largely for that reason alone.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Two Words: Adam Rich, December 16, 1999
This review is from: Shiny Adidas Tracksuits and the Death of Camp and Other Essays from Might Magazine (Paperback)
I purchased this book for one reason and one reason only... Might's post-mortem tribute to "Eight is Enough" star, Adam Rich. Of course, it was just a parody of such tributes and Adam was in on it, but it started one of the better celebrity death rumors to run rampant on the internet.
The other articles range from bitingly funny, to mildly amusing, to the kind of pseudo-intellectual stuff written by people who *think* they're a lot more intelligent than everyone around them. It's an interesting mix.
Overall... I kept it as a bathroom book. Worth the lettuce if you like eclectic reading and have a decent education. But if you listen to Top 40 radio and love shows like "Boy Meets World," it's probably going to be too weird for you.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be the first one of your friends to buy it!, July 26, 1999
This review is from: Shiny Adidas Tracksuits and the Death of Camp and Other Essays from Might Magazine (Paperback)
There are two types of people: those who have never heard of Might magazine, and those who think it was the most original and brilliant part of 90's media. Both types will find the essays in Shiny Adidas track suits to be brave, fresh, and most importantly, very funny.
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