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The Naked Man Festival: And Other Excuses to Fly Around the World

The Naked Man Festival: And Other Excuses to Fly Around the World
By Brian Thacker

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Product Description

Kooky festivals of all shapes and sizes exist around the world, as illustrated by this humorous travelogue that recounts the dozen most outrageous celebrations the author discovered on his six-month, six-country adventure. In search of the most unusual and wildest festivities, the author was pelted with beans, amazed by giant snow cows, stampeded in a temple full of men wearing nothing but "nappies," befriended by alien abductees, and much more while attending a Hogmanay in Scotland, a Tomato Festival in Ripley, Tennesee, a Bean Throwing Festival in Tokyo, and a Vodou Festival in Haiti. The side-splitting stories will inspire readers to attend—or create—peculiar festivals of their own, and on a more serious note, explore and appreciate other cultures.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1532647 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-10-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 276 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Thacker is the author of Planes, Trains, and Elephants and Rule No. 5: No Sex on the Bus.

Customer Reviews

An Interesting Insight into Festivals and Probably Cultures That Most People Have Never Visited3
This is the third Brian Thacker book I have read, it's not quite in the league of Sleeping Around - A Couch Surfing Tour of the Globe or Rule No.5 No Sex on the Bus. This book is also one of his first books (published 2004) which although he knows how to tell a tale, obviously he has become better at it as he has written more books.

The Naked Man Festival is basically Brian (who is a middle aged guy from Melbourne) travelling to a number of festivals which are embraced by their local communities and very important culturally to either the entire country, the town or a section of the community.

Along the way he comments on the good and bad aspects of the local's behaviour, the cities he drives through to get to as well as visits, the history of and the festivals themselves. He's not a comedian so although it certainly has funny situations, it's not in the comedy league of say a Dave Gorman or Danny Wallace travel tale. What makes Brian's books work is that he's not afraid to make fun of himself or reveal embarrassing situations such as urinating in his nappy while trapped in the fight at the Naked Man Festival (which is like Stephen King's Running Man mixed with World Wrestling) or crapping himself in another guest's Japanese pod bed capsule while stealing his mattress.

The festivals he visits are -
Country Music Festival in Tamworth, Australia
Tet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Bean Throwing Festival in Tokyo, Japan
Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan
Naked Man Festival in Okayama, Japan
Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia
Independence Day in Captain, USA
UFO Festival in Roswell, USA
Tomato Festival in Ripley, USA
Vodou Festival in Saut D'Eau, Haiti
Hemingway Festival in Key West, Florida
Hogmanay in Moffat Scotland

If you liked his other books definitely check this out but if you haven't read any I'd try his latest Sleeping Around - A Couch Surfing Tour first.