Iron Joe Bob

From The Critics

BookList An all-but-formless collection of vignettes and one-liners by a newspaper guy, author of "The Cosmic Wisdom of Joe Bob Briggs". Briggs is not a satirist so much as a slapstick artist. Here, he broadly parodies Robert Bly's "Iron John"--an easy target, perhaps, but one Briggs pretty much misses, except to lampoon "any" sort of spiritual search in favor of beer drinking and sex. There's a competent send-up of all that business about spears and getting in touch with the wild man within you through immersion in Indian cultures. But just when Briggs might make a real point, he sputters off into a ranking of party schools and topless bars. There's a history of men through the ages and a list of the questions most frequently asked before embarking upon a (mock) men's retreat. Sometimes this stuff works, as in the list of sick behaviors most likely to make you famous, and sometimes it doesn't seem to be about anything except setting up punchlines. Briggs' jokes about addiction and 12-step programs are, on the other hand, wonderful. So, too, those about professional wrestling ("rassling"). In short, Briggs is by turns hilarious, obnoxious, and stale, but--unless you are sensitive indeed--he never offends. He may not be worth the trees, but there will still be a lot of people who think he's a funny man.