Bob Edwards, the Great White North's equivalent to H. L. Mencken, remains a singular figure in Canadian journalism. His newspapers, published in Wetaskiwin, Leduc, High River, Strathcona, Winnipeg, Port Arthur, and most famously Calgary, skewered politics, society, and business leaders with a fearlessness and outrageousness rarely seen then, now, or in between.
As editor James Martin points out in his illuminating introduction, Bob Edwards seems more modern the farther back in history he recedes; he was the granddaddy of Gonzo Journalism à la Hunter S. Thompson, a freewheeling cultural critic in the spirit of Lester Bangs, a pioneer of satirical reform as evidenced in Frank magazine, and a spoofer of the po-faced reporting of his day in precisely the same way that The Onion is now.
Irresponsible Freaks, Highball Guzzlers and Unabashed Grafters features mountains of Edwards's superb aphorisms, a generous helping of his longer and lesser-known works, and some choice items which have never before seen print, as well as miraculous archival discoveries and many cartoons from Edwards's celebrated Eye Opener. It is a welcome addition to the Bob Edwards canon for those who thought they knew everything about him, and an eye-opening introduction to the uninitiated: "He was writing this stuff a hundred years ago!"
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- C818/.5209
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9781459330610 9780973248159
- LCCN
- PR9299.E26
- LCCN Item number
- I55 2004eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xi, 260 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00215145 (OCoLC)605711267 (CaOOCEL)420095
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Contents 8
- Preface 10
- Introduction 14
- Foreword 22
- Chapter One: Aeolian Harps Struck by Lightning In which the reluctant politico Slings a nasty pen before succumbing to the hustings 24
- Chapter Two: The Outcasts Prayer In which your esteemed editor & bottle-washer questions holy authority, parses scripture, & forgets his flask in the pews 56
- Chapter Three: Jopplebunky, Frukkledumky, Chucklesnorter, Jinks In which your crackerjack reporter provides all the local news that's fit to fabricate 74
- Chapter Four: Rushing The Growler In which your in-house boozological artist implores, "Don't do as I do. Do as I tell you." 101
- Chapter Five: Nemeses In which the editor of the great Christian organ throws mud, holds a grudge, has a change of heart — & defends himself against charges of being a libeller, a character thief, a coward, a liar, a drunkard, a dope-fiend & a degenerate 133
- Chapter Six: A Lovely Little Tablet of Corrosive Sublimate In which the editor of the E.O. himself (applause) furthers the legend of... the editor of the E.O. himself (wild applause) 163
- Chapter Seven: Gloating Over Pictures of the Hootchee-Kootchee In which your uncle rails against sexual predators, police brutality, land-sharks, movie-house chatterboxes, & other big issues of the day 182
- Chapter Eight: The Builder of Bum Jokes In which the village weekly editor gives away dogs, cooks cats, & likens the Kaiser to a skunk 195
- Chapter Nine: Letters from a Badly Made Son Being the collected correspondence of Albert "Bertie" Buzzard-Cholomondeley, remittance man & gopher rancher 216
- Chapter Ten: The Most Unfortunate of Men In which your uncle regales the masses with the picaresque exploits of Peter J. McGonigle, hard-luck editor of the Midnapore Gazette 234
- Hindword 264
- Dramatis Personae 265
- A Bob Edwards Chronology 267
- Endnotes 269
- List of Illustrations 271
- About the Editor 273
