Review: A Diet of Pure Riot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 31, 2012
When I was a kid, I used to watch "Sesame Street" every day (or as often as I could). This was back in the day B. E. (Before Elmo), and the various sketches lasted longer than the ones that presently seem to cater to today's ADHD-affected kids who lack the ability to sit still for even a minute.Characters such as Sam the Robot, Millie the mail lady, Herbert Birdsfoot, Poco Loco, Forgetful Jones, Lefty, Sherlock Hemlock, the Amazing Mumford...these were creations that lasted for several seasons and then were retired for various reasons. All of them remain vivid in my memory and I can immediately recall certain sketches that featured each of them demonstrating sounds, letters, numbers, and basic words.But the best character of all, in the opinion of yours truly, was Harvey Kneeslapper.Harvey Kneeslapper was a muppet with blond, bushy hair and a matching moustache. He wore an oversized blue sweater, sported googly eyes a la Cookie Monster, and had a constant case of the giggles. His shtick never varied---as his name implied, he was a purveyor of practical jokes and other assorted pranks that were, um, knee-slappers.I just liked how the name sounded to my six-year-old ears.Invariably, ol' Harvey had some extravagant gag set up to draw in the first victim, upon which he engaged the poor bastard in some inane conversation that gradually led to the joke being performed---whereupon H.K. would scream with uncontrollable laughter and the quarry would either be silently fuming or would immediately start chasing after Harvey in a rage.There were a couple of times when I thought that Harvey crossed the line, and I would actually find myself getting mad at him for acting like a complete tool. (Which he really was, most of the time.)In any case, Harvey's salad days spanned most of the 1970s. At one point he seemed to be in a sketch at least once a day. There were even a couple of instances when his jokes backfired---which secretly made me laugh, as if feeling glad that Harvey got a taste of his own over-the-top medicine. In one instance, a bucket of confetti rained down upon his head and all of a sudden he wasn't insanely cackling any more. In fact, he was downright angry.Poor guy.Then one day he wasn't there.No reason was given. No explanation was provided.The sheer idiotic pleasure of watching Mr. Kneeslapper was no longer to be.Years later, excutive producers and writers of "Sesame Street" explained that Harvey Kneeslapper's premise had worn thin according to Arbitron ratings and random tests given to children across the country. Most kids thought that Harvey's jokes bordered on being downright cruel and that, more often than not, he would be the only one laughing.As much as I liked Harvey, I realized that I wasn't a big fan of his practical jokes. (His puns, however, were quite funny.)Almost four decades later, practical jokes and other assorted pranks are here to stay. In many cases they are performed and enjoyed by people of all ages and socio-economic brackets. More often than not the results are not long-lasting, nor are they purposely malicious. Pranks are performed in sport clubhouses and fraternities in order to foster bonding and camaraderie; they are enjoyed precisely because of these aforementioned reasons.Stephen Williams's book "Adult Pranks: Little Naughty Moves to Turn Her On" caters to carefree, playful attitudes and strives for breaking down standoffish ways and stereotypes. Williams aims his practical jokes at those of us who are able to laugh at themaselves. People who are able to do so stand a greater chance of being accepted by the group. Individuals bearing the brunt of said pranks who have a hard time digesting the humor will soon discover that they will fall by the wayside socially, and may even gain a reputation as a humorless twit."Pranks" focuses upon the myriad ways of seducing the woman in your life. He provides plenty of scenarios that stress double entendres and allow for "mistakes" and "accidents" to occur so that the man is able to take advantage of his partner.If any drawback can be observed, it might be that when such pranks are arranged, there is always a remote possibility that the woman will become highly offended by such actions. In this particular case, it is advantageous for the man to be able to gauge his partner accurately in order to ensure that such a misunderstanding doesn't happen."Pranks" is an interesting, quick read that provides numerous ideas and examples for guys to consider when thinking up adventureous practical jokes to play upon their significant other.