Publishers Weekly
For his first book Geist, from MSNBC's Way Too Early and Morning Joe, imagines private conversations, e-mail exchanges, Twitter feeds, speeches, and other scenarios involving top newsmakers from our time. Such luminaries as Hillary Clinton, Kate Gosselin, Tiger Woods, Levi Johnston, and "President" Sarah Palin are subjected to Geist's wooden, repetitive send-ups. As Geist tells it, most everyone--including all 20th century presidents--seem to be identical to each other, right down to their speech patterns: they are arrogant, lack self-awareness, and have a penchant for swearing. While they may, indeed, share certain qualities, individual personalities are lost on Geist. Occasional "true story" vignettes about real-life "freaks" feature much fresher and funnier content; while recounting a news story in which a man was arrested for pleasuring himself with a coin-operated car wash vacuum, Geist muses, "One assumes Whitesnake was playing on the radio." Clearly commentary, rather than storytelling, is Geist's strength, so it's a shame that narratives make up the bulk of this effort. (Oct.)
NBC Nightly News
"I've read laminated airplane safety cards with greater intellectual heft. Turning serious: Willie Geist is the perfect guy to chronicle our decidedly imperfect times."
(Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor)
MAY 2011 - AudioFile
Dual narrators Johnny Heller and Jo Anna Perrin have their moments in this fabricated collection of comedic sketches about some of the most iconic, infamous, and sinister celebrities and politicians in the last 20 years. But while Geist’s comedy might work well in a visual medium, this collection misses its full potential for an aural audience. The production is filled with imaginative sketches, such as Palin’s inaugural address in a sports dome in Florida or Tiger Woods’s first sexual-addiction group meeting, but many fall flat or go on well past their comedic value. Some of the impersonations, such as that of Bill Clinton, work well, but others are lacking. A larger cast most likely would have worked better. L.E. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Chat-show host takes aim at American celebrity culture and modern politics.
MSNBC veteran Geist (Morning Joe) graduated from producing that network'sThe Situation with Tucker Carlsonto writing and eventually co-hosting the popular morning show. While his TV antics (campaigning for McCain-Palin on New York's Upper West Side) might seem iconoclastic on-air, this low-brow, tepid collection of brief satiric essays leaves much to be desired. The book opens with a gig that was tired on SNL a year ago: the inaugural address of President Sarah Palin, delivered during an episode of World Wrestling Entertainment'sMonday Night Raw. "The last time I checked, Ronald Reagan beat the Communists a long time ago. Oh, and get me an egg roll while you're up," and "You abort an unborn child, we abort you," are two of her tasteless, if believable bons mots. But wait, it gets worse. Ever wanted to sit in on Tiger Woods' sex-addiction group-therapy sessions? It's here, complete with Wilt Chamberlain (really?), Charlie Sheen and God's own Ted Haggard. Obama gets a visit from the ghosts of presidents past ("What was I talking about? Oh yeah, I ended the Cold War today. Game over," from the aforementioned Gipper). Other selections include "Hillary's Private Campaign E-mails," between herself and her husband, which are even more tiresome than they sound: "Trying to remind everyone that he's a black guy who loves blow. What else?" Hillary moans near the bitter end. The beatification of Oprah, a roast of Bernie Madoff in Hell and a Parenting magazine interview with Kate Gosselin ensue. A parody of the George Bush presidential library is a particularly easy target. Sprinkled with true stories that feel culled from Darwin Awards rejects, this compilation makes Al Franken's parodies seem almost senatorial.
A mostly bipartisan satire that caters to the lowest common denominator on both sides.
