Eating the Dinosaur

By: Chuck Klosterman, Ira Glass, Errol Morris

Narrated by: Chuck Klosterman

After a bestselling and acclaimed diversion into fiction, Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, returns to the form in which he’s been spectacularly successful with a collection of essays about our consumption of pop culture and sports.

Q: What is this book about?

A: Well, that’s difficult to say. I haven’t read it yet—I’ve just picked it up and casually glanced at the back cover. There clearly isn’t a plot. I’ve heard there’s a lot of stuff about time travel in this book, and quite a bit about violence and Garth Brooks and why Germans don’t laugh when they’re inside grocery stores. Ralph Nader and Ralph Sampson play significant roles. I think there are several pages about Rear Window and college football and Mad Men and why Rivers Cuomo prefers having sex with Asian women. Supposedly there’s a chapter outlining all the things the Unabomber was right about, but perhaps I’m misinformed.

Q: Is there a larger theme?

A: Oh, something about reality. “What is reality,” maybe? No, that’s not it. Not exactly. I get the sense that most of the core questions dwell on the way media perception constructs a fake reality that ends up becoming more meaningful than whatever actually happened. Also, Lady Gaga.

Q: Should I read this book?

A: Probably. Do you see a clear relationship between the Branch Davidian disaster and the recording of Nirvana’s In Utero? Does Barack Obama make you want to drink Pepsi? Does ABBA remind you of AC/DC? If so, you probably don’t need to read this book. You probably wrote this book. But I suspect everybody else will totally love it, except for the ones who totally hate it.©2009 Chuck Klosterman; (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Brilliant Way To Spend 6.5 Hours

Any additional comments?

My friends and I listened to this book on the way out to the cabin this year. I can honestly say that Eating The Dinosaur made it the most enjoyable car ride we've ever had.

Klosterman has the gift of being able to put what we are all secretly thinking into words. Usually that talent is reserved for brilliant comedians such as George Carlin or Jerry Seinfeld, but Chuck somehow manages to take it even one step further.

SPEND YOUR CREDIT ON THIS BOOK.

Funny, thought provoking, in the author's voice

Humorous and philosophical essays in Klosterman's own pop-culture-writ-large idiom. Read by the author himself, and in some cases by his interview subjects (Ira Glass, Errol Morris). It's strange and interesting to hear someone reading their own remarks after the fact. Overall enjoyable, and if you've liked Klosterman's previous works you won't be disappointed. Lost 1 star just for being regrettably short, and in need of some kind of cohesive narrative (although this might apply to all his essay collections).

Very Solid

This is some of Klosterman's best work. Like all his good audio books, it is read by the author. Highly recommend.

Probably my favorite audio book so far

What did you love best about Eating the Dinosaur?

I found this book by looking up Ira Glass in the Audible search engine, and I then found out Cuck Kosterman was part of bill simmon's grantland network. As I love both Simmons and This American Life, I figured I'd give this book a try. It turned out to be a great decision--this may be my favorite audio book so far. Klosterman is a strange mix of the two above mentioned fellows with a bit of gladwell. I think Klosterman's insights are more interesting than gladwell's and if you like his works, I'd think you'd like this book. I plan to read his entire canon.

Entertaining

Wasn't familiar with his work, so for a first listen it was good enough to consider another one of his books. While he's not a professional reader, it was his work, so the passion makes up for the polish.