Time didn't expect David Cross's answer

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on August 31st, 2009

David Cross has a book out. It’s published by Grand Central (a “small” publishing house with $500,000,000 in annual revenue and a staff of 400) and they (or Cross’s management) managed to wangle an interview with the prickly comedian in Time (a “large” magazine that is owned by a company with $43 billion in annual revenue… and a payroll that dwarfs the gross national product of some small nations). We love the opening quote:

TIME: Why did you decide to write this book?

Cross: It was simply picking up the phone and saying yes to whoever’s idea it was. Somebody from the publishing company called my literary agent, which I didn’t know existed at the time. Still haven’t met him. Although he’s welcome to 15% of whatever I earn.

There’s a bad review making the rounds, by a guy named Nigel Duara. Since AP has picked it up, it’s coursing throughout the WWW and the MSM. But, since it’s AP, it’s like a virus.

The problem with pulling a comedy act off the stage and onto the page is simple: Context gets lost. This is a problem for David Cross, whose ranting, angry invective is so successful in his standup act. His first book, “I Drink for a Reason,” doesn’t hold up nearly as well.

Well, duh! He’s a standup comic, not a writer. It doesn’t mean it might not be an enjoyable read, but it’s a book that will probably be read in the “E-Colibrary™” not in lit classes.

It’s really pretty silly that a staffer for the Des Moines register can write a review of a book and then have that review become the sole review of the book for the entire MSM (in the U.S. and Canada and God knows where else!).

It’s a sad commentary on things in media. Apparently, none of the entities that subscribe to AP have anybody on hand to write a review of a book. Otherwise, there’d be more than one review out there!

And, let’s face it, it’s not a very good review. Seriously, anyone who regards a book by a standup comic as anything other than a quick and dirty response to management capitalizing on yet another revenue stream has got to have his head examined. (Has anyone read “Side Effects” or “Without Feathers” lately? They’re mildly amusing. We didn’t buy them to– borrow them?– gain any insight into life or the author or the human condition.)

Cross’s book is most likely no different. It will be bought by rabid fans, by relatives of rabid fans, by folks who were fans of “Arrested Development.” None will set aside a weekend to dive into the insights afforded by “I Drink For A Reason.” It’s a souvenir, a fetish. The review should start with that premise.

And Time is sadly mired in the old images. (Do we expect anything better?)

Your first stand-up tour in five years kicks off next month. What should audiences expect?

I’m trying to tweak the show so that it’s not simply an hour of stand-up. And I’m trying to add some more elements to it, which I’m working on now — doing something to justify a $30-ticket price. I trust I’ll be able to rise to the occasion and put on a good show so people hopefully feel like, “Well, that was fun. I’m glad I drove out here.”

Instead of throwing rotten vegetables at you.

Well, hopefully not rotten. I mean, I will eat anything. And the rest I’ll collect and send to the food bank, so that’s fine.

The ol’ rotten vegetable toss! (Was it an ironic reference? Who know. Who cares, really.)

Time and the AP subscribers shrink in their influence and their relevance while Amazon.com Customer Reviews swamp them. Read the reviews– they’re more insightful and informative than the Duara review. And they’ll be far more influential when it comes to selling books… and they’re written by amateurs! (Nothing is perfect– might one or two may have been planted by the publisher? No matter… it’s just a new form of publicity/promotion.)

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