Marciniak (PhD, early modern intellectual history, U. of Missouri) examines humor works by Ken Nordine, the "word jazz" artist who first came to prominence in the late 1950s; Lenny Bruce, the
late stand-up comedian and social critic; and the Firesign Theatre, the satirical comedy troupe who began as live radio performers in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, as examples of how the
counterculture reacted to Cold War America. In addition to highlighting the poetic aspects of the work of these artists, all of whom adopted stream-of-consciousness styles in their work, he
also addresses how the artists used humor to address social and political issues of addiction, conformity, consumerism and marketing, and religion. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland,
OR (booknews.com)
