Plainclothes Naked

I've been randomly picking books lately that I hear are being turned into movies. I have to agree that this book could jump right on to the big screen. You can easily picture every detailed moment. This book didn't let me down in the end. I was actually upset to finish it, which NEVER happens to me. If you like anything by Chuck Palahniuk you'll be happy with this book.

Plainclothes Naked brings to life fictional characters who in many aspects resemble real-life characters from Permanent Midnight. Tina seems to be a fictional manifestation of Kitty; Mayor Marge loosely resembles Sandra, and Tony Zank seems to be at least loosely based on Big G. Manny comes across as the autobiographical voice of Stahl, though heavily immersed in fiction. While I don't think this worked well in Perv, these similarities make Plainclothes Naked an especially familiar and enjoyable read for fans of Permanent Midnight. Aside from character similarities, small details throughout the book add to this familiar effect. One example that comes to mind is when, in Permanent Midnight, Stahl writes that the pieces of crack Dita held in her hand resemble chunks of bone left over from a cremation. This insight appears as part of the plot of Plainclothes Naked. Not a crucial part of the story, just an interesting touch.

Jerry Stahl has written a hilarious, brilliant, dark and twisted modern-day parody of the Parsifal legend, where the quest for the Holy Grail is played out among characters whose very normalcy is defined by psychopathic behavior. In Plainclothes Naked, the grail, or the philosopher's stone, exists in the form of a photo of a smiley face tattooed on George W. Bush's privates. Needless to say, attainment is not easily had, and so the fun begins, for it is in the search itself that redemption becomes even remotely possible for this hapless crew. Beware: After having read this book, what had once constituted "normalcy" for the reader will appear freakish, and vice-versa. In other words, prepare to be "Stahled" by the master of the glass bead game himself.

Totally gross, whacked-out, really well written, suspenseful, with an unexpected romantic twist. I laughed out loud a few times reading this insane stuff. The perfect antidote to an overdose of George W. Peace.

Stahl's latest is already an underground cult classic ; highly recommended. (no pun intended)!