The Winner of the Slow Bicycle Race: The Satirical Writings of Paul Krassner

Stretching back to 1958 in reverse chronological order, this book selects Krassner's satire from the Realist (which he founded in 1958 and resumed in 1985 after an 11-year hiatus) and other publications. However, unlike his well-tuned memoir, Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut, satire ages, making for an uneven collection. What was outrageously insightful in 1967-Krassner's acceleration of LBJ's boorishness into a necrophilia scene with LBJ crouching and panting over JFK's corpse-is less funny now. On the other hand, Krassner's equally infamous 1988 piece on snorting cocaine with the Pope, ""Always let the Pope snort first,"" remains hilarious. Among the hits are a faux interview with Nancy Reagan and a parody of Nixon's memoirs, as well as turn-of-the-'60s bits on race and contraception. Sometimes Krassner is less funny than biting, as in his putative exchange between Spike Lee and Tom Wolfe, who attacks the filmmaker's Nike commercials with ""Just do the right sneaker."" Though Krassner's style lacks the arch elegance of the best prose parodists, his ongoing career as a stand-up satirist suggests that his words, when given voice, still hit home. Author tour. (June)