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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Don't know that it's my favorite of Chuck's but certainly a good read, as per usual.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Author uses n-word while discussing NWA; some casual ableism
At this point in time, anyone who’s read anything else by Chuck Klosterman can pretty much guess that they’re going to get: an interesting, nuanced discussion about esoteric topics loosely related to pop culture. There are no surprises here, but Klosterman is an interesting enough writer that I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I picked this book up on a whim in an airport; it’s been nearly 4 years since I went through a Chuck Klosterman phase, and I haven’t followed what he’s done lately, but I saw it on the new releases shelf and figured, why not? Like most of Klosterman's work, I Wear the Black Hat is a pretty quick read, partly because it’s short, but mostly because it’s interesting and Klosterman has a damn fine style for this sort of writing. I found it equally as engrossing but not quite as insightful as my favorite Klosterman piece, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, but it’s still worth reading, and the last chapter—particularly, the final paragraph—really hit home for me. If you’ve liked Klosterman’s other works, you’ll like I Wear the Black Hat.
I'm a big Chuck Klosterman fan, from SPIN to many of his books on pop culture. He's started writing novels to (in my opinion) mixed success ... so I was glad when I saw that he's releasing a new book of essays. It comes out in July but I was able to get a galley copy, which I eagerly gobbled up over the Memorial Day weekend.
I Wear the Black Hat is an analysis of villains - real and imagined. From Darth Vader to N.W.A. to, of course, Adolf Hitler (his essay is mostly about how he HAS to write about Hitler and knows he can't do it without it becoming a disaster, which is the only part he gets wrong), Klosterman shows us why we as a culture have grown to LOVE the villain, instead of root against him. I wasn't completely convinced - and then, I thought about the recent blog post I had about my favorite shows of all time - and at least half of them feature a main character (or characters) who were seriously flawed, downright evil or just objectively, not good guys. We are fascinated by falls from grace, we root for Tony Soprano, Omar Kelly and Walter White as much as or MORE than we ever rooted for typical protagonists. The "anti-hero" is perhaps the most common role in most movies, TV shows and art these days.
Klosterman also has a not particularly unique insight into the role that good looks play in our culture (after describing his own looks as "weird"), something that is no doubt true and though it is somewhat well-trodden ground, he does add his usual spin on things. I particularly liked his essay about Bill Clinton*, in which he outlines all the players in the Lewinsky scandal and notes that after all of this, Bill Clinton (who, objectively, did some really villainous things) came out not particularly damaged. In fact, his popularity among women is about 66%. (*Figuring out Chuck Klosterman's politics has long been very tough - he's clearly NOT a partisan hack, and leans both ways on certain issues. In todays world, that's worth noting whenever politics get involved.)
I Wear the Black Hat is a return to form for Klosterman, and will be enjoyable for any fan of his, or even a casual fan interested in the subject matter. As Klosterman says, that's pretty much all of us.
I Wear the Black Hat is an analysis of villains - real and imagined. From Darth Vader to N.W.A. to, of course, Adolf Hitler (his essay is mostly about how he HAS to write about Hitler and knows he can't do it without it becoming a disaster, which is the only part he gets wrong), Klosterman shows us why we as a culture have grown to LOVE the villain, instead of root against him. I wasn't completely convinced - and then, I thought about the recent blog post I had about my favorite shows of all time - and at least half of them feature a main character (or characters) who were seriously flawed, downright evil or just objectively, not good guys. We are fascinated by falls from grace, we root for Tony Soprano, Omar Kelly and Walter White as much as or MORE than we ever rooted for typical protagonists. The "anti-hero" is perhaps the most common role in most movies, TV shows and art these days.
Klosterman also has a not particularly unique insight into the role that good looks play in our culture (after describing his own looks as "weird"), something that is no doubt true and though it is somewhat well-trodden ground, he does add his usual spin on things. I particularly liked his essay about Bill Clinton*, in which he outlines all the players in the Lewinsky scandal and notes that after all of this, Bill Clinton (who, objectively, did some really villainous things) came out not particularly damaged. In fact, his popularity among women is about 66%. (*Figuring out Chuck Klosterman's politics has long been very tough - he's clearly NOT a partisan hack, and leans both ways on certain issues. In todays world, that's worth noting whenever politics get involved.)
I Wear the Black Hat is a return to form for Klosterman, and will be enjoyable for any fan of his, or even a casual fan interested in the subject matter. As Klosterman says, that's pretty much all of us.
Chuck Klosterman nails it with this essay collection. He analyzes villains and evil in a new and fresh way. Fascinating!
An interesting read, and more than a little convoluted: I am honestly not sure what to make of the book as a whole, other than that it gave me a lot to think about.
Classic Klosterman. Filled with humor and insightful thoughts into subjects you never imagined could be thought deeply about. As easy a read as any of his other great works.
I Wear the Black Hat is an analysis on how our society views villany and the concept of "Goodness." Klosterman insight on the subject is amusing, yet insightful. He also added popculture references to support his claim while effortlesly putting together a book that will make you laugh and scream in frustration.
Liked this a lot better than the last Klosterman I remember reading, Eating The Dinosaur. Very interesting and not at all how I thought it would be. I love his nonfiction, but I'm really looking forward to hopefully seeing more fiction from him in the future.