Not Wet Yet
by Ian Shoales
2.13.61
The jury is still out on whether Shoales is a very bitter, bitter, bitter and funny man, or a funny, funny, funny bitter man. Not Wet Yet recompiles Shoales’ cultural sniping from the last fifteen years, and presents them in handy, alphabetized Devil’s Dictionary form. Shoales wields sarcasm like a fine rifle, and his aim is always true. He can discredit cultural movements with a single aside, as in his entry for “Hologram” – “Boring scientific breakthrough, used mainly to make three-dimensional images of scorpions and unicorns.”
Perhaps the greatest point about this book is its self-referential irony. While Shoales dryly disassembles the haphazard facade of culture we enjoy today, it’s hard to deny that this book functions well in the bathroom, as its wisdom is presented in intestinal dosages, and laughter often serves to speed things along. If you’re disillusioned by the repetitive and absurd circus of life in the Twentieth Century, Ian Shoales is your ringmaster, diverting your attention from one side of the main ring to the other. 2.13.61 Publications, P.O. Box 1910, Los Angeles, CA 90078; http://www.two1361.com
