If They Can't Take A Joke: Confrontational Humor For The Casual Bibliophile

by Tom Waters

Critically lauded Buffalo humor writer Tom Waters sharpens his craft with essays to razor precision in his fourth published collection of wickedly subversive and laugh out loud rants, essays, and celebrity interviews. The author reloads his calculated wit on topics like babies, pornography, restaurants, relationships, driving, wrestling, coffee addiction, weight gain, psychotherapy, writers portrayed in film, the eroding laziness of our culture, drive-thrus, cooking, republicans, and the agony of shopping for clothes with women. The collection also reprints some of Tom's most popular celebrity interviews with author Bret Easton Ellis, comic legends Mike Carey and Brian Azzarello and cult film director Lloyd Kaufman. Waters has enjoyed a rabid cult following among his fans and continues to shock, amuse, and offend with his no-nonsense brand of confrontational rants. Compared as a cross between Andy Rooney, Dennis Miller and Denis Leary, his angst-fueled nonfiction endures as a legacy to the Y generation, an amusing threat to baby boomers, and an inspiration to angry young men the world over. His books and articles have appeared in over four countries and have thus far sold thousands of copies. He's performed his work on the radio, on stage, and in print for almost twenty years, garnering an award for humor from Columbia University and finding publication in The Buffalo News, ArtVoice, Night Life Magazine, Acid Logic, Film Fax, Too Much Coffee Man Magazine, and The Circle, among others. His last collection, First Person, Last Straw, was described as 'a jolting read' (Anthony Violanti, Buffalo News) and 'a book that gives as much as it takes from you' (Brian Bogucki, ArtVoice).

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2007

About the author

Author and essayist Tom Waters has been writing since the age of 13 when an English teacher encouraged him to continue journal entries and poems. After editing and contributing to his high school paper, Waters went on to write for The Buffalo State Record. After leaving college, he freelanced for The Buffalo News, ArtVoice, Night Life Magazine, Acid Logic, Film Fax, Alt, Buffalo Beat, Boy's Night Out, World Wide Freelancer, The Circle and Dream Forge. From 2000-2010 he wrote eleven books and co-edited a non-profit anthology (Voices From The Herd: An Anthology For Buffalo, NY) with authors Alycia Ripley and Cindy Mantai. To date, he has published eight books ranging from humorous rants and essays (Born Pissed, Zany Hijinx, First Person Last Straw, If They Can't Take A Joke, Slapstick & Superego and Mockery), conventional and modern poetry (Breathing Room Volume I: Free Verse, Breathing Room Volume II: Rhymes & Relics and Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick), Hunter S. Thompson-esque bar reviews (Clean Up After Me, I'm Irish: A Cheap Degenerate's Guide To Buffalo Bars) and autobiography (the limited edition volume Icarus On The Mend: Memoirs Of A Manic Depressive). From 2002-2005, Waters was a frequent celebrity interviewer for ArtVoice, conducting and transcribing over three dozen interviews with Bret Easton Ellis, Carrie Spadter, Diane Meholick and many others). From 2000-2010, Waters wrote exotic club reviews, bar reviews, interviews and a weekly column (Big Words I Know By Heart) for Night Life Magazine. Since 2007, he's been a frequent bar reviewer for The Buffalo News' 'Club Watch' section, favoring corner taverns, pubs and bars over flashy downtown 'it' spots. From 2008-2012, he agreed to host a one hour comedy show ('The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour'), which rapidly gained a cult fan base on iTunes as well as the web. In 2014, Waters launched a YouTube comedy show, 'Big Words I Know By Heart' along with 'Big Words Video Bonus' episodes. The author lives in the town of Clarence (a suburb outside of Buffalo), New York with his son Benjamin.