FMS-Blog : The Wildly Whimsical, Mostly Musical WebLog
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Everything IS shit!
Last year my friend, Ed, bought me the funniest book I have ever read: Is it just Me or is Everything Shit?, by Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur. The day he gave me the book we were taking a train to see another mutual friend over in Scarborough and I spent the entire journey from Leeds giggling my way through it, prompting Ed to complain how I was being unsociable. Well, if he will buy me such great presents!
This year for my 30th birthday, I'm pleased to say, Ed has bought me the second volume of Is it just Me or is Everything Shit? - another book crammed with the most witty remarks on modern day British life. Both books are organised in an A to Z encyclopaedia-type format, this most recent edition commenting on subjects from abstinence programmes, through Cornish Nationalism and Piers Morgan, up to and including Z-list celebrities saving the planet. It is quite simply a pure gem; a pleasure to read that leaves me thinking "Is it just me or can Lowe and McArthur read my mind??" I've only got through the first bit of this second volume so far and have already come across some wonderful stuff. Take this, for example, from the section griping on about how crappy are Ads for Credit Cards:
"With the UK public clearly in the middle of a cash crisis, still the adverts offering more credit come thicker and faster. Anyone would think the only way our economy is remaining afloat is by getting everyone to borrow squillions to buy tat, and driving up house prices and rents with mortgage-mad buy-to-let mania (Britons owe over a trillion in mortgage debts alone). Britain is booming! Don't let your fear of bailiffs spoil it."
A seriously funny bit of social commentary. Well done again Lowe and McArthur - you've managed to shine a flashlight at some of the most depressing aspects of modern day life and make it hilarious to read. Wonderful stuff!
This year for my 30th birthday, I'm pleased to say, Ed has bought me the second volume of Is it just Me or is Everything Shit? - another book crammed with the most witty remarks on modern day British life. Both books are organised in an A to Z encyclopaedia-type format, this most recent edition commenting on subjects from abstinence programmes, through Cornish Nationalism and Piers Morgan, up to and including Z-list celebrities saving the planet. It is quite simply a pure gem; a pleasure to read that leaves me thinking "Is it just me or can Lowe and McArthur read my mind??" I've only got through the first bit of this second volume so far and have already come across some wonderful stuff. Take this, for example, from the section griping on about how crappy are Ads for Credit Cards:
"With the UK public clearly in the middle of a cash crisis, still the adverts offering more credit come thicker and faster. Anyone would think the only way our economy is remaining afloat is by getting everyone to borrow squillions to buy tat, and driving up house prices and rents with mortgage-mad buy-to-let mania (Britons owe over a trillion in mortgage debts alone). Britain is booming! Don't let your fear of bailiffs spoil it."
A seriously funny bit of social commentary. Well done again Lowe and McArthur - you've managed to shine a flashlight at some of the most depressing aspects of modern day life and make it hilarious to read. Wonderful stuff!
