E-Mail From Nigeria

By Todd Allen

"E-Mail From Nigeria" is the new humor anthology from Todd Allen, author of the "Todd's Oddities" column in "New York Resident." Sociological observations run amok. Tales of relationships gone horribly wrong. The foibles of business and politics. Strange things defying categorization. It is Todd's lot in life to document such things, or at least make them up. This volume features several columns never before seen in a print format. "No one can take the ludicrous and mundane and turn it into a funny dissertation on society like Todd Allen can. E-Mail from Nigeria is filled with enough hysterical twists and turns to empower a small African nation." -- Mark Rifkin, Editor in Chief, New York Resident News Magazine "Todd Allen is a pop-culture chameleon, like Madonna without the accent and twice the sex drive. The man is a zeitgeist maestro, such a hipster that's he's an anti-hipster." -- Marty Beckerman, Author, Generation S.L.U.T., Death To All Cheerleaders

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974959804
• ISBN13: 9780974959801
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Indignant Media
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Comedian as a Social Observor

Observational humor on stage peaked in the 80s with the rise of Jerry Seinfeld, before he switched to television. It was, as its root, humor as a form of commentary. Seinfeld, who popularized the form, took a more "isn't that strange" approach to observation. Here, Allen spins a different flavor of observation, not so much "isn't that strange" as a variation on Harlan Ellison's notion of "not suffering fools gladly." Inconsistencies and foolish behavior are frequent targets and form a sort of left-handed social commentary drawn from observing popular cultures less glowing moments. The social critique that sneaks in is largely a by-product of Allen's sensibilities as a satirist, but it adds an unusual texture.

Old Fashioned Storytelling

The vast majority of so-called "funny" books trumpeted by the best-seller lists are really political tomes with either Republicans or Democrats decrying the other party. That's more sad than it is funny. "E-Mail from Nigeria" is a departure in the current climate, as it is a collection of cynical anecdotes, such as might be told over a drink. The storytelling approach seems to be out of vogue in the mass market, but unlike the deluge of political agendas passing themselves off as comedy, I was able to wear a smile, or perhaps an evil grin, while reading this book.

Wry and Dry

A diverse set of humor pieces, a little wider than you might expect from the title. There is a title piece and the book opens with a techie/biz bent, but it expands into other topics, including a section on bar and hospitality industry tales, which is an underserved topic. The style mixes between first and third person and the humor is often narrative accounts of incidents. Somewhat observational, but often the punchline is implied, rather than explicit, with the occassional venture into over-the-top parody.

Mr. Sarcasm

The funny cover got my attention, but this subversive collection of shorts kept it. Some of it has a veneer of silliness as a pretext, but there's an underlying thread of social commentary if you read between lines.I was particularly taken by "The Adventure of the Middle-Aged Make-Out Table," one of the chapters towards the middle of the book.

More Bitter Little Pills

I liked Allen's first book and was delighted to see the second come out. The main difference between the two being the transition from the setting of many of the darkly humorous vignettes transitioning from Chicago to New York. It seems a smooth transition, since you can't tell where half the material is set and the tone hasn't changed, but the author's sensibilities may have already been too jaded for Manhattan to adversely effect him. More knowing smiles for people who've survived the urban jungle.