Movie/TV
critic and
author. Joe Queenan is a
merciless,
razor-sharp writer who lets rip on all the crap most reviewers seem to think is
glorious. He has written for many publications, ranging from
Rolling Stone to
TV Guide. Joe's style is quite
Gonzo-like, and is almost as
angry as the
Duke himself.
Check out his minimalist webpage, in which he apologises to any people he feels he has insulted unfairly, at www.geocities.com/joemexcuse. Random Joe quote: "One guy goes up to the top of the Empire State building and kills seven people, another guy goes up and plays Billy Joel songs. Who’s the bigger monster?"
Joe has several books to his name:
If You're Talking to Me, Your Career Must Be in Trouble: Movies, Mayhem and Malice
A collection of essays and interviews, that includes: the line about Melanie Griffith having "the most inexplicable career in the history of motion pictures"; an inspired, surreal piece called "Mickey Rourke For a Day", in which Joe attempts to be exactly that, and calls up a female friend to see if she'll let him abuse her; and the most scathing attack on Barbra Streisand you'll ever read.
Red Lobster, White Trash, and the Blue Lagoon : Joe Queenan's America
Joe subjects himself to a year of the trashiest shit the world has to offer, to try to find out why people such as Celine Dion, Michael Bolton and Barry Manilow are so popular, and to find an answer to the question "How bad could it be?" Joe examines Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, John Tesh concerts, and Adam Sandler movies, and just about makes it through alive. Choice quote: "If it's a crime to deface the Statue of Liberty or to spraypaint swastikas on Mount Rushmore or to burn the American flag, why isn't it a crime for Michael Bolton to butcher Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas'?"
And the rest:
Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler : Celluloid Tirades and Escapades
My Goodness : A Cynic's Shortlived Search for Sainthood
The Unkindest Cut : How a Hatchet-Man Critic Made His Own $7,000 Movie and Put It All on His Credit Card
Imperial Caddy : The Rise of Dan Quayle in America and the Decline and Fall of Practically Everything Else