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The Dead Guy Interviews: Conversations with 45 of the Most Accomplished, Notorious, and Deceased Personalities in History
The interviewees in this irreverent book may not have a pulse, but, boy, can they talk!Ever wanted to ask Nostradamus for the winning lotto numbers or van Gogh about the whole ear episode? How about Napoleon about his complex, or if Frida might consider a brow wax? In "The Dead Guy Interviews," journalist Michael Stusser has created forty- five interviews with some of the most famous personalities of all time, asking them probing questions about their lives, accomplishments, and what's on their iPods. Based on his column in the acclaimed magazine "mental_floss," this collection of conversations is incredibly funny, but each interview is also based on serious research, so in addition to laughing, readers actually learn real history."The Dead Guy Interviews" includes discussionsAlexander the GreatBeethovenNapol?on BonaparteBuddhaJulius CaesarCaligulaGeorge WashingtonCarverCatherine the GreatWinston ChurchillCleopatraConfuciusCrazy HorseSalvador Dal?Charles DarwinEmily DickinsonAlbert EinsteinBenjamin FranklinSigmund FreudGenghis KhanVincent van GoghHenry VIIIJ. Edgar HooverHarry HoudiniThomas JeffersonJoan of ArcRobert JohnsonFrida KahloLeonardo da VinciAbraham LincolnMao Tse-tungKarl MarxMichelangeloMontezumaMozartNostradamusEdgar Allan PoeWilliam ShakespeareSun TzuMae WestOscar Wilde
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Stusser
1 book5 followersMichael A. Stusser is a Seattle-based free-lance writer and game inventor. His “Accidental Parent” column (ParentMap magazine) recently won the prestigious Gold Award at the Parents Publication Awards, and his “Dead Guy Interviews” (Mental Floss magazine) will be released by Penguin Publishing in 2007. Stusser is a contributing writer for Seattle Magazine and his work is frequently published by Law & Politics, Yoga International, Travel Magazine and the New York Times Syndicate.
Stusser is also the co-author of The Doonesbury Game with Garry Trudeau ("Best Party Game of the Year" by GAMES Magazine), and EARTHALERT, The Active Environmental Game (Parent’s Choice award-winner). His most recent board game, Hear Me Out, was launched at Starbucks in 2004 and is available at toy stores worldwide.
Along with playwright Michael Neff, Stusser is the author of the screenplays for “Tabloid News” and “Freak Show.” His educational television series, “Twisted Scholar,” has been optioned by Nickelodeon.
Stusser has been a featured playwright in 14/48 (The World’s Shortest Theatre Festival). His most recent play, Call Waiting, was produced at The Seattle Fringe Festival, and featured in American Theatre magazine. Other plays include The Real World, nominated as "Best of the Fest" at The New City's Playwrights Festival (1994), and Check Out (2002), and Houses in the Fields (2007).
Stusser brings an out-of-the-box approach to communications, activism and message, and his ideas promote collaboration, world vision, and achievement. Beginning in the environmental movement at the University of California at Berkeley (BA 1986), Stusser has worked as a political organizer and lobbyist for the Public Interest Research Groups (CalPIRG, MASSPIRG and USPIRG), Greenpeace and Rock & the Environment. He was a CORO Fellow graduate in Los Angeles in 1989.
The through line in Stusser's work is a desire to find new ways to increase dialogue about the critical issues of our times, empower individuals to make change, and, ultimately, take back the democratic process. And if they crack up along the way, even better…
Stusser is also the co-author of The Doonesbury Game with Garry Trudeau ("Best Party Game of the Year" by GAMES Magazine), and EARTHALERT, The Active Environmental Game (Parent’s Choice award-winner). His most recent board game, Hear Me Out, was launched at Starbucks in 2004 and is available at toy stores worldwide.
Along with playwright Michael Neff, Stusser is the author of the screenplays for “Tabloid News” and “Freak Show.” His educational television series, “Twisted Scholar,” has been optioned by Nickelodeon.
Stusser has been a featured playwright in 14/48 (The World’s Shortest Theatre Festival). His most recent play, Call Waiting, was produced at The Seattle Fringe Festival, and featured in American Theatre magazine. Other plays include The Real World, nominated as "Best of the Fest" at The New City's Playwrights Festival (1994), and Check Out (2002), and Houses in the Fields (2007).
Stusser brings an out-of-the-box approach to communications, activism and message, and his ideas promote collaboration, world vision, and achievement. Beginning in the environmental movement at the University of California at Berkeley (BA 1986), Stusser has worked as a political organizer and lobbyist for the Public Interest Research Groups (CalPIRG, MASSPIRG and USPIRG), Greenpeace and Rock & the Environment. He was a CORO Fellow graduate in Los Angeles in 1989.
The through line in Stusser's work is a desire to find new ways to increase dialogue about the critical issues of our times, empower individuals to make change, and, ultimately, take back the democratic process. And if they crack up along the way, even better…
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 30, 2009
I found this book thanks to an ad in Mental Floss magazine, and I thought the concept was really interesting. Since reading this, I've seen similar books devoted to the idea that the author sits down and interviews a famous person from history.
This one was an easy read in the sense that it's another collection of vignettes that can be read one at a time, and you don't have to worry about how they all mesh together. Some of the historical personalities I didn't care for, and others had phonetic spellings to represent the person's accent (which I found annoying, and some times hard to read), but overall I thought it was really clever.
This one was an easy read in the sense that it's another collection of vignettes that can be read one at a time, and you don't have to worry about how they all mesh together. Some of the historical personalities I didn't care for, and others had phonetic spellings to represent the person's accent (which I found annoying, and some times hard to read), but overall I thought it was really clever.
March 9, 2015
I thought it was a good idea poorly executed. (Sorry.)
April 4, 2018
Ok, so I was tempted when I read the title of this book, because I was in the mood to read a lot of biographies (why not start with this?)... so I purchased it. The concept itself was pretty interesting but I didn't like the way it was done. There were just too many aspects that bothered me. First of all I bought this to learn more about certain historical figures, but the interviews oftentimes ask questions about things I haven't heard of before - it would have been nice, if some of the key questions would have been introduced beforehand... some names etc. I just couldn't follow the discussion anymore.
What also bothered me was the inconsistency. Some characters knew nothing about modern culture while others like Michelangelo knew about things (like cappuccino) which haven't existed in their times. I also didn't appreciate that they sometimes seemed out of character like e.g. Buddha who threatened to end the interview. I'm not quite sure, why some of the characters were chosen... but that's the author's decision and I'm not gonna criticize it, if I don't know the criteria he used to choose his subjects.
Anyway... what I actually did like were the little fun facts, which were mentioned throughout the interviews, and the illustrations, which were appealing.
What also bothered me was the inconsistency. Some characters knew nothing about modern culture while others like Michelangelo knew about things (like cappuccino) which haven't existed in their times. I also didn't appreciate that they sometimes seemed out of character like e.g. Buddha who threatened to end the interview. I'm not quite sure, why some of the characters were chosen... but that's the author's decision and I'm not gonna criticize it, if I don't know the criteria he used to choose his subjects.
Anyway... what I actually did like were the little fun facts, which were mentioned throughout the interviews, and the illustrations, which were appealing.
March 27, 2018
Totally loved it! Many different famous and well-known people, "interviewed" one by one. Must have been difficult to wonder how these people would have responded; very good idea.
I didn't want to peek at who was next, pleasant surprise every couple of pages . . . like a present on Christmas morning.
I didn't want to peek at who was next, pleasant surprise every couple of pages . . . like a present on Christmas morning.
April 12, 2018
This was a most pleasant surprise! It was educational and entertaining. I do suggest spending the time it takes to enjoy this book!
September 8, 2019
A fun, fairly quick read with a unique presentation of history that's refreshing for someone that's read alot of storylines.
April 6, 2020
Ten years later and I still give this book three stars. It is an enjoyable read. It's quirky and light-hearted. It follows the author "interviewing" 45 different historical figures, such as Winston Churchill, Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, and others.
December 21, 2007
The premise of this book is that the author "interviews" a number of famous people, now dead, about their lives as a pretext for summing up what made these people so famous, giving them a chance to clear up a few misconceptions in the process. Each interview is about 2-3 pages, and the subjects range from all walks of life, from ancient history (Ghengis Kahn, Alexander the Great) to science (George Washington Carver, Albert Einstein) to literature (Emily Dickenson, Shakespeare) to politics (Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln), and even fashion (Coco Chanel). While the humor is bit silly at times, it makes a neat series of brief history lessons and would be great for teachers who want to give their students an entertaining introduction to these influential people as a jumping off point for further research. There are so many interviews in here that any reader is bound to find someone they may not have known much about. True devotees will no doubt find these character sketches too simplistic, but it's still a pretty fun read.
April 27, 2012
A quick, light read by mentalfloss.com author Michael Stusser. The conceit is that Stusser is 'interviewing' historical figures, all of whom speak in an odd, self-aware modern American patter with occasional fake accents. The 'interviews' allow Stusser to give a quick verbal sketch of each character's life, plus lots of jokes.
The book is a weirdly heroic attempt to package up some history with humor, but it didn't quite work for me. As history, it barely scratches the surface. The jokes are fun but not laugh-out-loud material. The author had a chance to capture something of the character of each historical figure in their dialogue, but the arch, modern-ironic tone and Borscht Belt 'accents' made all the historical figures sound the same after awhile.
All that makes the book sound like a bad read, but it also takes the book way too seriously. This is a quick airplane flight or restroom break book, and on that level, it works just fine.
The book is a weirdly heroic attempt to package up some history with humor, but it didn't quite work for me. As history, it barely scratches the surface. The jokes are fun but not laugh-out-loud material. The author had a chance to capture something of the character of each historical figure in their dialogue, but the arch, modern-ironic tone and Borscht Belt 'accents' made all the historical figures sound the same after awhile.
All that makes the book sound like a bad read, but it also takes the book way too seriously. This is a quick airplane flight or restroom break book, and on that level, it works just fine.
January 5, 2013
In theory, I would have loved this book.
However, it was terrible. Not even worth reading through to the end. Stusser pretty much lost all my respect when, in the Beethoven chapter, he wrote "It is said that Beethoven was the transitional figure between the classical and romantic eras of musical history - whatever the hell that mean." Really?! This is supposed to be an educational and informative book, and instead of, you know, trying to educate, the best you can do is put "whatever the hell that means?!" Ugh. Not worth reading any further.
However, it was terrible. Not even worth reading through to the end. Stusser pretty much lost all my respect when, in the Beethoven chapter, he wrote "It is said that Beethoven was the transitional figure between the classical and romantic eras of musical history - whatever the hell that mean." Really?! This is supposed to be an educational and informative book, and instead of, you know, trying to educate, the best you can do is put "whatever the hell that means?!" Ugh. Not worth reading any further.
March 18, 2011
The Dead Guy Interviews: Conversations with 45 of the Most Accomplished, Notorious, and Deceased Personalities in History is an interesting look at some of history's famous people. A bit boring and silly at times, and as other reviewers said the writing to reflect accents etc. got annoying. But if you are bored and one some small interesting tid-bits of history go for it.
July 19, 2009
An interesting concept interviews with famous dead people. As interesting as the concept is it's difficult to read straight through. I suggest having The Dead Guy Interviews on your night stand and reading random interviews when the fancy strikes. I would be interested to know how historically accurate the information is as I could see using bits and pieces to introduce different units or as part of instruction.
August 31, 2012
It was a humorous way to discuss some of the important historical figures. It is written for a young adult audience, but I stilll learned from it. I have always had trouble remembering people and dates in history and the way the information was presented assisted me in being able to retain the information.
April 22, 2008
Full of facts, highly irreverent, and thoroughly entertaining...a great book to keep on hand for those times when you want to read, but don't have a large amount of time to do so...the interviews can be read separately in just a few minutes apiece.
March 1, 2009
The author should have "interviewed" half the subjects in more depth. After the first five, this was very predictable and repetitive. This is possibly a good vehicle for teaching history to a twelve-year-old, but didn't do much for me.
June 15, 2009
On the one hand, this is both funny and surprisingly instructive. On the other hand, I disliked how the interview subjects from foreign countries said "zem" and "ziss", and how Crazy Horse didn't use pronouns or articles. A few of these at a time go a long way.
June 12, 2010
Interesting premise. Guy magically interviews dead people. Somehow they all know English and sometimes, sometimes not know about current events. Not really sure some of them spoke perfect English and others came back talking in an accent.
May 29, 2012
It was OK, but I gave up partway through. Clever idea, just not interesting enough to keep my attention very long. I'd say it might be good for teen readers, but there's some mildly racy content (not obscene or anything, just talk of historical figures' sexual escapades in a funny/euphemistic way).
November 2, 2012
There were times when it was amusing, and there were times that I felt like I'm just reading a series of biographies off the net. Though it was nice "meeting" some historical figures I'm not acquainted with, and knowing America's Founding Founders and why they were so great.
February 6, 2008
It was a boring book. I thought is was going to be much funnier(it was in the comedy section) but it was just the same stuff over and over again.
October 30, 2008
I got a quick history lesson and learned some things I ignored in school! Really! This is a fun and educational book :-)
November 16, 2008
pretty cute, easy read.
April 23, 2009
Interesting people Stusser decided to interview. The read got tedious,,,he tried for too much humor, which I didn't think was funny.
June 29, 2009
My gut tells me that the scholarship derives from the Encyclopedia Britanica, but as far as a quick read to take on an airplane or more morning bus commute, it did its job.
December 23, 2010
Really funny and informative too. Loved it.
February 14, 2011
Not everyone in our book club enjoyed this book - but I really like it! A fun twist on what some of these interesting historical figures may have really been thinking! A fun read!
September 12, 2011
This is HILARIOUS,HISTORICAL & a book you will want to share with other's!
February 2, 2012
I really enjoyed this mix of history and humor and I also learned some things.
May 2, 2013
Funny, insightful, and down to earth fictional interviews with the most famous people in human history!
February 19, 2016
not the best book in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews