Product Description

In his bestselling Wacky Chicks, irreverent social commentator and humor writer Simon Doonan introduces readers to a bracing cross section of exuberantly unconventional women: comedienne Amy Sedaris; fashion designer turned park ranger Spider Fawke; Warhol muse Brigid Berlin; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who showed Madonna how to vogue; and many more. Distinguished primarily by their wild originality and rule-breaking chutzpah, these women defy rules, shape the cultural landscape, and enrich the world. They are about as diverse a flock as you can imagine, but all of them are Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious (B.R.U.N.C.H. for short). In a word, they are Wacky, and they are ready to enlighten you. A book that pays tribute to the wild and unstoppable female in each of us, Wacky Chicks is the ultimate guide to embracing your inner rebel.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71482 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Doonan, New York Observer columnist and author of Confessions of a Window Dresser, loves wacky women, and if he ever opted for a sex change, "you bet your sweet bippy" he'd be one himself. A wacky chick (w.c.) is B.R.U.N.C.H.: "belligerent, resilient, uninhibited, naughty, creative and hilarious." She's got attitude and shows it, whether that means filling her apartment with exotic reptiles, setting up her own slashed latex garment business, collecting Chihuahua skeletons or dressing up as Satan in horns at anti-abortion rallies. True, w.c.'s have a hard time keeping jobs (which is why many turn their eccentricities into self-employment) and some "transition from wacky to wack-job" and start shooting, but there's no denying the tremendous life force these gals have. To Doonan, they epitomize feminism: "If the goal of women's liberation was to create a world where the sisters could do whatever the hell they wanted, then the wacky chick must surely be the screeching apotheosis of feminist achievement." Doonan has a gay time neologizing (e.g., "obnoxiosities," "chickorators," "fashiphanous fromage" ) his way through the life stories of some 16 wacky women in this silly but fun self-help book. His point? Support your local w.c. all you can: take her to lunch, treat her like a queen and "validate" her wackiness. "Becoming a wacky-chick hag" may even speed up "your own transformation from Nora Normal to B.R.U.N.C.H.
y broad."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Just in time for warm-weather reading comes Doonan's breezy, in-your-face book, in which the uppercase letters spill over from the title to be liberally sprinkled throughout, along with a splatter of exclamation marks every paragraph or so. Thus Doonan's breathless style (complete, somehow, with long, elliptical, though germane, sentences) becomes a character to equal any of the wacky chicks he has interviewed. Assembled from his weekly New York Observer column, his fashion-and-style-focused romp through Wacky Chick-dom (look out, Magic Kingdom!) will vastly entertain readers open to the wacky wisdom of a flea market fashion maven; a kick-ass, lemon-haired gossip columnist; a lizard enthusiast who hand-feeds a monster over five feet long; and a bride who emerges from an egg--and to Doonan's demonstration that these women are B.R.U.N.C.H--that is, Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"My favorite fresh new writer of the year award goes to Simon Doonan...the most brash and brilliant thing in type."

-- Liz Smith

"[Doonan is] a postfeminist writer cloaked in the drag of a sly fashion insider."

-- The New York Times

"Simon Doonan is not just a brilliant artist, he is also a keen observer of the most wacky, insane pockets of our society. As a woman I applaud him, as a reader I laugh with him, and as a book buyer I can tell you Wacky Chicks is worth paying retail for."

-- Joan Rivers

"A rollicking ride through the loud, controversial, dramatic, and utterly engrossing lives of our society's most noteworthy Auntie Mames."

-- Gotham

Customer Reviews

The High Price of an Original Instead of the Knock-off
This author's verbal audacity is a thrill to read for those of us who love words and great writing. He can turn the simplest descriptive sentence into a "bon mot" one could "dine out" on for a week. The characters described in this book are charming, deadly, and adorable when young, but get stuck in their unique personas as they age and eventually become a cartoon of themselves. Kinda like the young girl with the black, smokey eyes is dynamite at 23 but when she keeps that same look, at 53, now the black eye make up sinks into the wrinkles around her eyes and she looks sad and foolish. Many of these women paid heavy prices for their "wackiness' and I wonder if they could have changed--who knows?? maybe with psychiatric drugs??--their personalities if they would have changed into an everyday life instead?

Too Much Simon
This book would have been great, but the author injects his own self-congratulatory narrative through the whole thing. Instead of biographical pieces of the women and their own thoughts, this is a collection of SIMON'S thoughts about the women, and his voice overshadows everything else. A little of the author's analysis would have been great, but he won't let this women be the stars of the show, it's Simon, Simon, Simon all over every page.

Fun, Flaky, Celebrates the Funk in Us all...
I love, love, love, love this book.





It is a rally cry for women who have never quite been the norm.





From the woman who wears high heels with her capris and little aprons...to celebrating Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind...(her potato collection - which only I though I noticed...)





I have been a wacky chick my entire life. I've come to accept that I may not be normal, I may just be a little off-kilter. But I am fine with that.





It is great to read a boook that does not focus on women as sexual objects, mate-seeking missles, or dizzy idiots. These are interesting, successful women who live life THEIR WAY!








I have several Wacky Chick friends who will be recieving this book for special days. I cannot wait to enjoy their connection with this fun, fabulous book.





It is all about the Wacky Chick...and her gay best-friend!





The best part of this book is the logic behind each Wacky Chick's style (i.e. wearing an apron keeps your hands free...) I LOVE that...





Thanks for celebrating women!