I Haven't Understood Anything Since 1962 and Other Nekkid Truths

In his 16 previous books (You Can't Put No Boogie- Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll, etc.), Grizzard depicted himself as an unreconstructed rebel and unregenerate good ol' Georgia boy with a winning Well, that's the way I am attitude. No longer. He has been worked over by the liberal media, he believes, citing chapter and verse from the New York Times and the Washington Post to prove it. As a result, he is now a Pat Buchanan-style conservative, and his defense of his beloved Dixie has taken on a hard edge, featuring a particular dislike of New York City. This book is essentially a defense of the world he was raised in and of ideas that evidently have not changed since he reached age 16 in 1962. Some of these notions, such as that hard work is to be valued, form part of the warp and woof of America and will find a warm reception. Others will not: denying that he is a sexist because he kept none of his three wives barefoot and pregnant, he also says he doesn't want to meet any girls who know that Montpelier is the capital of Vermont; denying he is homophobic, he allows that he finds gays disruptive and devious, listing almost a full page of abusive names to substitute for gay. Cloaked as an attack on political correctness, this hymn to yesteryear is sad rather than funny. (Nov.)