Madmen: Inside the Weirdest Campaign Ever

by Steve Braunias

People from all walks of life have constantly come up to me on the street these past few weeks and said, "My goodness, I really enjoyed the campaign diary you wrote online for Metro magazine during the election. How I miss it! But if you wrote a new prologue and epilogue, and reshaped the text as a sort of non-fiction novel, and it was published as a book in time for Christmas, then life would once again have meaning."

I couldn't just sit by and thus Madmen: Inside the weirdest election campaign ever is in the shops from mid-November.

Luncheon Sausage Books, a new and pungent name in New Zealand publishing, was formed especially to bring the book to life.

Katrina Duncan from Auckland University Press masterminded the book's production, and Jenny Nicholls from North & South magazine designed the front and back cover. The cover image was painted by subversive Hamilton man Joshua Drummond and depicts the Prime Minister in a state of bliss.

The book was typeset, designed, illustrated, and proofed in three weeks.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Journalism

117 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2014

About the author

Steven Carl Braunias (born in New Zealand, to an Austrian immigrant father and a New Zealand-born mother) is a New Zealand author, columnist, journalist and editor.

extract from Wikipedia bio

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars!

"The polls got it wrong. The left got it horribly wrong."

Now how many times about how many elections in how many countries could you say that. In the end over 1 million New Zealanders went out of their way to eat up Key's bland brand of right wing mediocrity. I remember the 2014 election, and as excited as Braunias seems to get about it, I don't think it was particularly dramatic or exciting, but then I am not a Kiwi, and I'm used to er different elections.

I would still rate Braunias as one of the best NZ born journalists out there, who has done some great work, but this was definitely below par for him, and although there were some laugh aloud moments, there was quite a lot dullness in the mix too. A decent read, but not up to his usual high standard.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I'd forgotten how weird this election was! Thanks for the memories, Steve, and the LOLs.

[Charles]

A searing indictment of Steve Braunias' grip on reality

[Rob Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical journey through the final days of the 2014 election. A short read but a good one.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasonably weird but very entertaining. Would recommend

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slim volume of intensely-packed observations satirically-made by Braunias as he attended press conferences, party rallies and hustings on the run up to New Zealand's General Election 2014. He pulls no punches and no particpants are spared a skewering and / or a roasting.

The events are real, the language near-the-knuckle; here Braunias doesn't have to and doesn't mind his Ps and Qs. The absurdities are rife and plentiful for a nothing-to-lose writer, now superbly confident in his understanding of his country's inner turmoils and its fawning international relationships to record; the Internet Party, the Hagar book "Dirty Politics", it's all there.

I laughed and laughed and thanked god for freedom of speech and someone who would say it.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, sharp, a bit bonkers - often perfect. And then of course Braunias' satire often passes for the best analysis anyway (on top of being hugely entertaining and just the right slice of mad).

[Garth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arguably New Zealand's craziest election to date gets put under the kaleidoscope.

[Klaas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny quick read about the very weird 2014 election.

[Joshua Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book, made even better by the cover illustration.