Notes of a Nervous Man

by James Lileks

A satirist uses dry humor to comment on topics from the sacred to the profane, ranging from the economy to buying bras, and from taxes to the backroads of Zen.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Essays

228 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Jordan West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to 9/11 and his subsequent transformation into a neocon cheerleader, Lileks was an intensely entertaining humorist, possessing a wry, self-deprecating and anxiety-tinged voice not unlike that of a midwestern Woody Allen that I, as a precocious young neurotic, found hilarious. I must have read this at least a dozen times in high school, and even wrote an e-mail of appreciation to him back 'round 2000. Damn shame about the subsequent career.

[Printable Tire]

I forgot exactly how I stumbled upon it, but I was introduced to Lileks through an extremely cozy radio show I enjoy falling asleep to that he hosted in the 90's that roleplays a mobile diner. His website is amazing as well, offering literally hours of archived entertainment. I had a newspaper column in college and have thought about doing it again so I was curious about his own column. I guess I consider him a lowstakes role model.

He's sort of a thinking man's Dave Barry: not nearly as laugh-out-loud funny as Barry, but more witty, sophisticated, and I dare say more perceptive. Sometimes he shoots at obvious broad targets like Barry, but I like him the best when he's doing his own thing and tiptoeing up to schmaltz. And he knows the power of the hook!

One of my favorite columns by him, "Backroads Zen," he begins with the provocative line: "Driving through the midwest by freeway is like listening to a dial tone for eight hours."

(Shit, I don't have my library copy any more, but he has another great column, "Autumn," that begins with a line like "Autumn is a book you never get to finish."

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, Dave Barry-esque kinda ruminating on every day things.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

some funny, some amusing, some neither.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

All a writer has to do to get five stars out of me is make me laugh out loud, and this book did that. Whatever you think about him, James Lileks can deliver the laughs.

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed out loud several times reading this. I'm sure people on the elliptical machine next to me wondered what was so funny.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks is probably the funniest book I have ever read (I briefly reviewed it here.) Like, gasping for air, can't-believe-someone-came-up-with-this kind of funny. I also enjoy Lileks as a podcast guest/host. This book of columns from the late 80s, though, meh. For one thing, there are no original publication dates listed. Why would you not include this information in a book of (by definition, ephemeral and/or time-sensitive) newspaper columns? It helps to moor the reader in time and space and to adjust one's cultural references accordingly. While he has a way with words and a unique approach to the world (he is particularly adept at conveying wistful nostalgia), collections of columns can get a little tedious and these aren't terribly interesting, 35 (!) years later. (This isn't really his fault, of course.) Skip this one and go straight for the regrettable food.

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous essays.