Anyone reading this is probably familiar with 'The Game' as a means of shitting all over someones day (or at least a 20 minute segment of it) just by reintroducing them to an awful memory they'd rather be without. There is another 'The Game' in the shape of a book, in the shape of the shape of this book: 
As you can see it's by a person called Neil Straus and purports to 'penetrate the secret society of pickup artists'. Quite a nice pun there I hadn't noticed before...
From the first paragraph, you're completely aware this is setup unlike an Idiots Guide with instructions or even a jovial mock help book like 'How To Do Sex Properly' (The latter being a book sitting in my parents living room in which all instruction is undertaken by cartoon teddy bears, oh childhood of normality...) This is not to say it doesn't inform. The book, as I've read it so far, dives straight into the rules and lingo all those involved in the game must understand. The main focus for me though (ok, secondary...) has been the real life characters involved in the journey the writer has taken to produce this. Their names read like a cross between super heroes and an 80's rap group (Herbal, Mystery, Papa, Playboy...). I say super heroes possibly from the influence of having read about them. You may think of them as sounding more like the internet pseudonyms they began as. The internet was definitely their beginnings and certainly where our protagonist first interacts with them. That paragraph was a bit meandering. Nevermind, this one's probably going to just continue like it never happened. This is the internet after all.
The story begins at a certain end that is far from the same promising beginnings of his journey into their subteranium but is quite a brutal exaggeration of my worst fears of what such power might over provide. I do fear I shouldn't get into too much details so as to ruin any of the book so I'll quickly summarise. The book is exciting from the start, extremely well-written with an obvious deep understanding and almost inhuman clarity of thought and drive that is visible in some amazing and (shocking if true) real characters. It reminded me instantly of the fun I had reading Derren Brown's Tricks Of The Mind but seems to be a lot darker and harder to read, if only for it's unrelenting truths being another notch above those in Brown's. I'd recommend it to all while at the same time worrying that they will be either offended or mentally over powered in the process. Here's a little something for those of you who love The Daily show and a bit of Poppa Bear vs Jon Stewart. It's allways a joy and a tense few moments to see these guys have a nice verbal duel. I always think Jon seems to be a little too polite but then again it is in comparison to a 'traditionalist' tyrading lummox. Still, Jon wins every time in my opinion. Ahem: (All Comedy Central Videos are Copyright © 1995-2008 Comedy Partners. All rights Reserved) Part One: And Two: It seems I managed to pull a blog out of my rectum with no preperation, as it should be no doubt. I'll be back with some more as soon as possible and I'm hoping to get some new songs I've written in audio/video format up on this beatch. Have yourself some fun you perfumed owl flusterer, - Dan | 
