Editors of The Believer

I thought this one was going to be funny, considering the wealth and breadth of the writers. These fictional Q&A's mostly aren't funny, which is sad. Also, a lot of the answers are written in the same style, which made me feel as though one person was responsible for writing the entire thing.

There were, however, some exceptions.

Samantha Bee

Dear Samantha: I was wondering if you could give me some investment advice. I’m about to retire and I’m a little freaked.
Leah Dawson Sarasota, FL

Dear Leah: I’m freaked for you. I’m so freaked I don’t even have any jokes. I was trying to think of a kind of jokey answer and then I just felt like a horrible person and I deleted it. I am really scared for you. Seriously scared. You are in serious trouble. I hope you’ve been hoarding conflict diamonds and Cipro, because you are about to enter the s-h-i-t, the Heart of Darkness. Take everything you ever thought you knew about investing and do the exact opposite. The currency of the future will be heirloom seeds, so good luck with that one. Panic. Learn how to field dress a wild pig and distill your urine into potable water. Most important, if you take anything away from this response at all, just know that the best thing for you to do is to exercise a lot and stay really sinewy, so that when the cannibals come they will not want to eat you. I should probably also mention that I just finished reading The Road. I don’t know if that makes a difference at all. Samantha

Amy Sedaris

Dear Amy: How should somebody go about bathing themselves? There are people on the street who smell horrible but you know they must shower. Is there some special inside thing we get that they don’t?
Courtney Ivo Chicago, IL

Dear Courtney: Take a visit to your local animal shelter and pick up any random cat. Now take a deep whiff. Pretty sweet, right? It’s called a tongue bath, and it’s not just for felines anymore. In this fast-paced world, you’d be surprised at how many people are taking advantage of this superior and convenient form of bathing. But from the self-righteous tone of your letter, I can only assume that you aren’t one of them. For shame, Courtney. Why are you so afraid of your own tongue? Amy

… (mais)

I don't have much to say about this one; it's a collection of sarcastic/sometimes funny advice from The Believer's "Sedaratives" column. It does exactly what it says on the tin. There are a lot of comedians I like represented here, a bunch of Daily Show correspondents and people like Sarah Vowell, Aziz Ansari, and Amy Sedaris (of course). There were a few people I didn't recognize and a few I don't really like, but not as many as I expected.

The problem I had with You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You is that it was sort of boring, but not enough for me to put it down. Does that make sense? I read it in a couple of days, but about halfway through I realized that it should probably have been read in short bursts because it was too much of the same thing when read for an hour at a time, but I was already halfway through so I just wanted to finish it.

Not the worst "funny" thing I've ever read but I wouldn't classify it as hilarious, maybe amusing in moderation. It probably works better as a monthly feature.


(two-and-a-half stars)… (mais)

A very educational issue for someone who knows very little about art except that "Oh, I like that picture over there!" The article about Frederico Vigil, "The Michelangelo of New Mexico" was absolutely fascinating, as was "The Last Man for the Job," an article about the dying art of the typesetter. As always, the interviews are second to none. I found the interview with Shuvinai Ashoona to be touching and mind-bending, the interview with David Altmejd to be enlightening and entrancing, and the conversation with James Franco and Carter to be a fun and bizarre trip down the rabbit hole. The section in the middle of the magazine on paper airplanes was unique for sure, but I hope the editors will forgive me if I don't actually put my hands on this hands-on exercise.… (mais)