Mark Steyn From Head To Toe: An Anatomical Anthology

by Mark Steyn

In this anatomical anthology, Mark Steyn takes a tour round some delightful parts – from the Liberian President’s ears and Frank Sinatra’s voice to Al Gore’s calves and the Duchess of York’s toe. Plus all the naughty bits, including Bill Clinton’s executive branch. Witty, incisive, satirical, Steyn takes on US drinking habits, the Nepalese monarchy, conservative cool, Blair and Saddam, Bush and Kerry, and much more. And don’t miss his great appendix.

346 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Mark Steyn is a Canadian author and cultural commentator. He has written numerous books, including the New York Times bestsellers America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It. Steyn has been published by magazines and newspapers around the world, and is a regular guest host of the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show. He also guest hosts Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, on which he regularly appears as a guest.

Steyn lives and works mainly in Woodsville, New Hampshire. He is married, and has three children.

Reviews

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great advantages of a celebrity culture is the way it siphons off so many of the narcissistic and dysfunctional into areas where they can do the least societal damage.

The titling of the chapters pushes the boundaries of sense; the basic idea is that each essay is paired with a particular body part “from head to toe”. Often the attempt is to pair the part and the essay title in such a way as to form a phrase one way or another, such as “Navel: Gazing” or “Cell: Empty”. Other times the pairing is more topical, such as “Lungs: War (non-smoking section)”.

The humor is often very what we would call British, but which, given that Steyn is from Canada, is probably a more general United Kingdom flavor. There is also a strong tinge of Mike Royko to many of the essays, from their feint of sympathy for a particularly mendacious politician to a surprise jab below the belt in the last sentence.

There is a wide variety of styles here, not surprising since the essays span at least 1989-2003 and the subjects span from pure politics to pop culture to language. The etymology of the word “niggardly” is the controversy Steyn was born for, in “Nervous System: Beyond Words”.

Some of the accounts of politicians are downright quaint nowadays, such as his pre-9/11 account of a Bush/Blair meeting and the toothpaste they shared, “Teeth: Brush off”.

His 1996 review of Michael Kammen’s biography of Gilbert Seldes, “Brows: High, low, no” is already very modern Steyn:

Pop culture exists to delight us, and that’s the only justification it needs. If it fails to delight, no amount of justification or explanation will commend it to us… at the end of the century, the biggest-selling pop records (Whitney Houston’s devotional ballad, “I Will Always Love You”), the best-selling airport novels (The Bridges of Madison County), the highest-grossing motion pictures (Sleepless in Seattle) differs only in the details from their turn-of-the-century predecessors, from “After the Ball” or The Merry Widow or the novels of Gene Stratton-Porter.

Like his obituaries (and there are one or two here), even at his snarkiest he maintains a level of real sympathy toward some of his targets, such as Michael Jackson and his bizarre campaign for a Children’s Bill of Rights. Steyn segues from the lyrics to “Have you seen my childhood?” to:

Michael spent his childhood pretending to be grown-up enough to sing love songs with the Jackson Five. He’s spent his adulthood pretending to be a child.

The snark is deserved, but so, Steyn convinces us, is the sympathy. He manages the same feat in his essay on the 25th anniversary of Elvis’s death.

There are bios, obits, book reviews, and celebrity culture, often mixed together; the sheer expanse of topics means some will be hit or miss, but there should be hits for just about anyone.

While dreary executives fret about not wanting to take their work home with them, the creative soul faces the opposite problem: the eternal temptation to take his home to work.

[Dane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly solid collection here. Mark can really write well. His lambasting of Clinton-era politics is uproarious. But I think Steyn is not-so entertaining on the ostensible "entertainment" issues, perhaps since my proclivities have never trended in that direction.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever and funny writer. Rather dated at this point as political subjects are very time-sensitive.