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A review by emilyinherhead
McSweeney's #72 by James Yeh
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
This issue isn’t as long as it would seem from the page count. It’s broken up into three mini-books: one contains letters and stories like a traditional McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, one has a play called “The Headliners,” and one is Tim Heidecker’s diary “From the Bus” about his summer 2023 The Two Tims tour.
A few of my favorite stories include:
— “Washing Up” by Erin Somers, about a woman who lives in a car wash
— “Time of Useful Consciousness” by Lauren Spohrer, about a fact-checker and also plane crashes?
— “Adjective” by Kristina Ten, about an immigrant woman’s experience at a new job, written in a Mad Libs format
The play, based on two actual vaudeville performers, Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge, is a sad, funny, and thoughtful look at queerness, self-expression, and fame during the early 1900s.
I enjoyed Tim Heidecker’s tour diary more than I expected to, considering that I haven’t seen the show, heard his music, listened to “Office Hours Live,” or watched much Tim & Eric. In my mind he’s the pretentious guy from that one I Think You Should Leave sketch who burns his mouth on gazpacho and asks for a nutcracker. But yes, a fun time to ride along on his bus and be inside his head for a bit.
A few of my favorite stories include:
— “Washing Up” by Erin Somers, about a woman who lives in a car wash
— “Time of Useful Consciousness” by Lauren Spohrer, about a fact-checker and also plane crashes?
— “Adjective” by Kristina Ten, about an immigrant woman’s experience at a new job, written in a Mad Libs format
The play, based on two actual vaudeville performers, Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge, is a sad, funny, and thoughtful look at queerness, self-expression, and fame during the early 1900s.
I enjoyed Tim Heidecker’s tour diary more than I expected to, considering that I haven’t seen the show, heard his music, listened to “Office Hours Live,” or watched much Tim & Eric. In my mind he’s the pretentious guy from that one I Think You Should Leave sketch who burns his mouth on gazpacho and asks for a nutcracker. But yes, a fun time to ride along on his bus and be inside his head for a bit.