Tom Robbins, "Skinny Legs and All"
I really need to thank Cindy Tanner for introducing me to Tom Robbins. A long time ago I saw the movie version of �Even Cowgirls Get the Blues� and didn�t care for it at all (actually, I didn�t really like the book either). But Tanner told me about �Jitterbug Perfume,� her self-professed favorite book, and you could tell from how she talked about it that she truly loved it, unlike some people who will comment on somebody like Kafka to sound arty and morose without having any real insight.
Out of respect of her reverence and opinion, I decided to pick it up. Reading other people�s favorites can be dangerous, as I soon found out when I read my last long-term girlfriend�s favorite book (�Geek Love,� by Katherine Dunn) and said it seemed like a standard supernatural mystery tale, but with circus freaks playing the main characters. It didn�t happen here. I thought "Jitterbug" was fantastic, and went out to buy every thing he ever wrote. (Well, that�s not entirely true. I still don�t have �Another Roadside Attraction,� but I will.)
Robbins is one of the few authors who actually seems to have fun with writing � you can practically picture him giggling as he types, as I�ve been known to do from time to time. (Of course, I�m usually full of liquid inspiration, so I�m prone to giggling at a lot of things.) I mean, hell, some of the characters in this book are a painted stick, a can o� beans, a dirty sock, a conch shell, and a silver spoon, all of whom set out on a �Watership Down�-esque adventure. How cool is that?
Answer: Fucking cool indeed.
So again: Thanks, Tanner. Sorry you�re off living with the hippies.
