Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice [Hardcover]

Scott Adams (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 18, 2007

Everyone knows Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, as the king of workplace humor. His insights into the crazy world of business have long been on display in his hugely popular comic strip and bestselling books like The Dilbert Principle. But there?s much more to life than work, and it turns out that the man behind Dogbert and the Pointy-Haired Boss has an equally outrageous take on life outside the cubicle.

Adams ventures into uncharted territory in this collection of more than 150 short pieces?on everything from lunar real estate to serial killers, not to mention politics, religion, dating, underwear, alien life, and the menace of car singing. He isn?t afraid to confront the most pressing questions of our day, such as the pros and cons of toothpaste smuggling, why kangaroos don?t drive cars, and whether Jesus would approve of your second iPod.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Adams builds his latest book (after 2004's The Religion War) out of entries from his blog, which results in a lot of short chapters and abrupt changes in topic. Still, some ongoing themes do emerge, as the bestselling cartoonist discusses his wedding plans—including his fear that he'll dance like a drunken monkey at the reception—and his struggle with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition which took away his voice during intimate conversations even though he could still give speeches to large audiences. He even tosses in a few Dilbert strips, with several examples of gags that were suppressed by his syndicate (he couldn't show a police officer firing a gun, for example, but a doughnut that shoots bullets met with approval). Readers who only know Adams through the comics page will discover a saltier tone to his cynicism. If you have the choice of working as the guy who craps on the carpet, or the guy who has to clean it up, runs one bit of advice, only one of those jobs lets you read a magazine at the same time. The randomness of this collection may not attract many new fans, but it's likely to keep his already sizable audience amused. (Oct. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Adams, creator of the wildly popular Dilbert comic strip and 23 books, including the best-selling Dilbert Principle (1997) and Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook (1997), ventures out to write his first non-Dilbert book, ostensibly against the best advice of his fans. Taken from Adam's Dilbert blog, he offers more than 150 short pieces covering every slice of life beyond the workplace, such as tips on how not to dance like a dork, comic relief on the fears of terrorism, the not-so-subtle differences between men and women, embarrassing public-bathroom moments, appropriate uses for your own clone, and so on. One can't help comparing this random collection of quips to similar observations by Dave Barry (who gets a mention), and the results are just as witty. You will constantly find yourself thinking "I wish I had said that," while you admit to sharing all of his politically incorrect thoughts that we don't dare speak of. Seemingly without consciously doing it, Adams reveals much about his personality, fears, and inner thought process. Keep this handy for your next flight. Siegfried, David

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover; First Edition edition (October 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591841852
• ISBN-13: 978-1591841852
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

What started as a doodle has turned Scott Adams into a superstar of the cartoon world. Dilbert debuted on the comics page in 1989 while Adams was in the tech department at Pacific Bell. Adams continued to work at Pacific Bell until he was voluntarily downsized in 1995. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay area since 1979.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You gotta love duhDilbert's creator! October 23, 2007

By R Schmidt VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I don't know whether you have to appreciate Scott Adam's "dark side" to enjoy this book, but it helps. His dark side? His non-cartoon creations, whether business-related or not. Of these, they range from The Dilbert Principle to God's Debris. The TEXT drives the deeper meanings, and not the drawings.

In Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!, Adams steals from his blog and looks at the world through his Dilbert-framed sunglasses. You immediately are transported to Adams' world:

"Thanks to hurricane Wilma, nothing has crapped on our Eyewitness News van for hours. Back to you, Bob."

"If I'm dumb enough to buy water, I'm certainly dumb enough to pay too much for it."

"And the one thing worse than a moron with an opinion is lots of them."

"Rule 472: Before you touch a monkey god's tail to cure your leprosy, make sure the tail doesn't have a little hole in the end."

This book is organized (?) as a series of short chapters, reading as a blog in that you can "feel" his timeline as Adams vacations in Maui, plans his wedding, and so on. Don't miss Hi Jean (p. 19), Try this at home (p. 36), Adopting (p. 55), and German cannibal (p. 120). You will learn about the Scott Adams Diet (p. 101) and the Albra Cadaver (p. 107).

The book includes Dilbert strips that didn't make it past the editors, and a surprising amount of political-social-ethical insights. For example, should inDUHviduals respect the beliefs of others? Adams gets serious...

"Many of our biggest world problems are caused by different religious views. But its not socially acceptable to even discuss whether those views originate from the almighty or a drunken guy whizzing on a tree stump. At a bare minimum, just to pick one example, either Christianity or Islam is completely and utterly wrong. The beliefs are mutually exclusive. Muslims believe all Christians will burn in Hell. Christians believe that the Koran is fiction. They both can't be right. (They could obviously both be wrong if the Heaven's Gate guys turn out to have it right.)" (p. 116).

Witty, humorous, caustic, satirical, sobering, scathing, insightful... expect everything from this book, because it IS another thought experiment.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars can't argue with the title January 5, 2008

By JGM

Format:Hardcover

I love Dilbert, but after reading this book, I find I don't much like Scott Adams. By his own admission, many of these recycled blog posts were written in stream-of-conciousness fashion, often on a blackberry while waiting in airports and the like. That's fine for a blog, I guess, but no way to write a book.

The two stars I am awarding come mostly from the sections that are, ironically given the title, actually about drawing comics. When Adams actually discusses his work and the foibles of the syndicate, newspaper editors, and disgruntled readers, it's funny and fascinating. Unfortunately this stuff comprises only a handful of the dozens of short chapters. Elsewhere, when Adams shares his not particularly insightful observations about religion, marriage, politics, and psychology, he comes across as self-impressed, shallow, and sometimes willfully ignorant.

If you like Dilbert, borrow this at the library and skim for the comics sections. Otherwise, don't bother.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Mind Expanding October 21, 2007

By Laugh Lover

Format:Hardcover

Scott's blog is an uncensored hysterically funny look at everything.
This book is based on the blog and it's seriously funny while also taking my mind places it never would have gone on its own. You're gonna laugh till it hurts.