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Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

by Chuck Klosterman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4,981882,188 (3.68)59
Over half a million copies sold! From the author of the highly acclaimed heavy metal memoir, Fargo Rock City, comes another hilarious and discerning take on massively popular culture--set in Chuck Klosterman's den and your own--covering everything from the effect of John Cusack flicks to the crucial role of breakfast cereal to the awesome power of the Dixie Chicks. Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to spin brilliant prose out of unlikely subject matter, Klosterman attacks the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, Pamela Anderson, literary Jesus freaks, and the real difference between apples and oranges (of which there is none). And don't even get him started on his love life and the whole Harry-Met-Sally situation. Whether deconstructing Saved by the Bell episodes or the artistic legacy of Billy Joel, the symbolic importance of The Empire Strikes Back or the Celtics/Lakers rivalry, Chuck will make you think, he'll make you laugh, and he'll drive you insane--usually all at once. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is ostensibly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but--really--it's about us. All of us. As Klosterman realizes late at night, in the moment before he falls asleep, "In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" Read to believe.… (more)
  1. 10
    Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt (ann.elizabeth)
  2. 10
    Pulphead: Essays by John Jeremiah Sullivan (MShock)
    MShock: Recommended for any Klosterman fan. I would describe Sullivan's writing as more literary and less humorous than Klosterman's, though just as insightful and entertaining. Like Klosterman, his essays run the gamut of popular culture: from Axl Rose to Hurrcane Katrina, to One Tree Hill.… (more)
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» See also 59 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 87 (next | show all)
I enjoyed The Nineties by this author, so thought I'd pick up some of his blacklist. Skip this one. It's twenty years old and shows its age terribly. Full of misogyny and half-baked thoughts paraded around like his greatest takes. I would not like to be stuck in a conversation with this man. *Shudders*. I'm glad to see he's improved since then at least. ( )
  KallieGrace | Feb 27, 2024 |
This is an odd little book. I would say it's one of those that make you wonder what the author was smoking, but he says several times that he was smoking pot. That explains a lot. It was funny in places, but I haven't really watched TV since 2000, and I didn't watch much for about 3 years before that, so even as a Gen-X'er, I couldn't relate to much of what he wrote about. I listen to several genres of music, but I'm not heavily into any (though I know several people who would absolutely love the chapters in which he dissected old rock albums) and I didn't recognize several of the bands he mentioned and very few of the albums.
The one thing he wrote with which I can completely relate is something I've wondered about myself. To paraphrase: We shouldn't pick up hitchhikers because all hitchhikers are serial killers and/or rapists. But you shouldn't hitchhike because anyone who would pick up a hitchhiker is a serial killer and/or rapist. So basically, everyone on the highway is a potential serial killer and/or rapist? ( )
  amandabeaty | Jan 4, 2024 |
I picked this up just to read the essay in which he compares Reality Bites to The Empire Strikes Back ("Sulking with Lisa Loeb on the the Ice Planet Hoth") but ended up reading enough of it to review it.

Here is my review: I would've liked it more if I'd read it five years ago when it came out. The 2008 me isn't very amused or interested in Chuck Klosterman's idiosyncratic meandering arguments about the Real World and Saved by the Bell. Yawn. It did make me laugh out loud once or twice, though, so it wasn't a total loss. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Overall, a good read. I'm not sure I comprehend his point re: Saved By The Bell, largely because I missed this 'phenomenon' somehow. Other essays I just kinda feel 'meh' about. But there are a few gems, e.g. "All I Know is What I Read in the Papers."

Clearly, from some reviews here, some people really did not like this book. Fair enough; this is a bit of pop culture, aspiring to be (and I think somewhat successful at being) a bit more, but still basically passing commentary on the here and now. Or, what was here and now 5 to 10 years ago, at the time of my reading.

What I don't get is the tone of some of the comments; apparently some folks came looking for Hume or Kant or Jesus and left pretty disappointed and/or pissed off that they found some random, snarky, Midwesterner instead. ( )
  dcunning11235 | Aug 12, 2023 |
An interesting compilation of short stories (articles?) that could be thought provoking, funny or just kind of strange. A lot of the references were dated, I’m sure it was much more relevant when it came out in the early 2000s, but most of it still rings true if you get the reference. I’d probably check out his other stuff if I get a chance. ( )
  MrMet | Apr 28, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 87 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Chuck Klostermanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Plouhinec, Valérie LeTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Sol-ip-sism (sol' ip size' em), n. Philos. The theory that only the self exists or can be proved to exist.

-- The Random House College Dictionary,

Revised Edition
"I remember saying things, but I have no idea what was said. It was generally a friendly conversation.

-- Associated Press Reporter Jack Sullivan,

attempting to recount 3 A.M. exchange

we had at a dinner party and inadvertently

describing the past ten years of my life.
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There are two ways to look at life. (Introduction)
No woman will ever satisfy me.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Over half a million copies sold! From the author of the highly acclaimed heavy metal memoir, Fargo Rock City, comes another hilarious and discerning take on massively popular culture--set in Chuck Klosterman's den and your own--covering everything from the effect of John Cusack flicks to the crucial role of breakfast cereal to the awesome power of the Dixie Chicks. Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to spin brilliant prose out of unlikely subject matter, Klosterman attacks the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, Pamela Anderson, literary Jesus freaks, and the real difference between apples and oranges (of which there is none). And don't even get him started on his love life and the whole Harry-Met-Sally situation. Whether deconstructing Saved by the Bell episodes or the artistic legacy of Billy Joel, the symbolic importance of The Empire Strikes Back or the Celtics/Lakers rivalry, Chuck will make you think, he'll make you laugh, and he'll drive you insane--usually all at once. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is ostensibly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but--really--it's about us. All of us. As Klosterman realizes late at night, in the moment before he falls asleep, "In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" Read to believe.

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