CK: Sarcastic Enjoyment

I am halfway through my third Chuck Klosterman book. You might have never heard of Chuck; although, you have probably read something he wrote. He writes for everyone and I can almost guarantee you have stumbled upon some of his stuff. He writes (or has written for) ESPN, Esquire, GQ, Spin, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, and many, many others. I have read most of his books: Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas and I am devouring Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. Next I will read his first book (I've kind of gone in a reversed chronological order) Killing Yourself To Live.

This man is a genius. He has this laid-back, sarcastic but lovable way of writing. He can be so prude and forthright, but still make you crack a smile. His description of things are so good and mostly biased. But he is openly biased and doesn't try to make an argument over his opinion. He likes to tell you how he sees it and how he thinks it should be, and then says, "Take it or leave it. I could be wrong; I'm probably right. Whatev." That mentality reminds me a lot of my friend Jacob. Maybe that's why he is gorging on IV after his CK discovery.

I'll be Frank (but I'm really Josh), CK likes some pretty dang horrible music. Glam rock? Really? But I have to respect his tenacity when it comes to his ear candy. He portrays KISS and Motley Crue and all those other ridiculously flagrant bands in a way that makes me not hate them. In fact, I have given some of them a chance and, I'll be honest, I still didn't really like them. But the point is, CK gave me a perspective I had never thought of before. He showed me a part of humanity and pop culture that I would never had experienced had I not been forced to read Fargo Rock City, then cautiously read IV and then hurriedly been read Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs.

CK is an interesting person; there's no denying that. And whether his ideas or theories are agreeable to you or not, you have to admit his perspective helps you understand whatever ya'll are talking about. Almost everything I've learned from CK, I have not regret learning.

Chuck Klosterman