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Better Together
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The "streamline baby" in Tom Wolfe's 1965 debut book is a hot rod, but the car's candy colors and wild lines can't match the prose style Wolfe devised to describe them. The title essay--Wolfe's first magazine article--launched the New Journalism, partly because its original title was "There Goes (Varoom! Varoom!) That Kandy-Kolored (Thphhhhhh!) Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby (Rahghhh!) Around the Bend (Brummmmmmmmmmmmmmm)..." His voice was more shocking than any subculture he uncovered. Until Wolfe (Ph.D., Yale), nobody struck gold by applying Ph.D.-speak to lowbrow subjects. Kurt Vonnegut famously called this an "excellent book by a genius who will do anything to get attention."
Now that everybody does what Wolfe did, his early essays smack less of genius. But attention must be paid to this pioneering peek into King Pop's tomb. The most startling thing is how soberly sensible most of the prose now appears, except for the title of the first essay, "Las Vegas (What?) Las Vegas (Can't Hear You! Too Noisy) Las Vegas!!!" which anticipates the far superior Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Mostly, these articles seem like straightforward introductions to some of the signal figures of the early '60s: hot-rod designer Big Daddy Roth, surf guitarist Dick Dale, teen recording tycoon Phil Spector, Andy Warhol debutante Baby Jane Holzer, the Cassius Clay-era Muhammad Ali. We even glimpse the Beatles in a profile of the yappy DJ Murray the K in "The Fifth Beatle."
The last half of the book focuses more on New York and its denizens' endless combat for social status. The last piece, "The Big League Complex," is like a 1964 warm-up exercise for The Bonfire of the Vanities. --Tim Appelo
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
In this book, his first, Tom Wolfe took a fresh look at the American scene of the early 1960s and zeroed in on the more exotic forms of status-seeking then in vogue from New York to Los Angeles.
In the Twist, bouffant hairdos, stock-car racing and rock concerts Wolfe found a unique American energy. In the title piece he eulogizes the flamboyant kustomized kars California teens constructed with artistic dedication.
"New forces excited the old guard, and Wolfe takes special pleasure in stories of these encounters. Whether in fashion, nightlife, child rearing or art worship, the old guard fought to preserve its status." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
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