I now have reason to be leery of future recommendations from NPR's FRESH AIR. I intend to be more vigilant when Terry Gross, the consummate host, isn't there. Samantha Irby spoke with NPR's Tonya Mosley about her new book of essays, "Quietly Hostile" this past May. Mosley mostly fawned over Irby who was disarming and clever. Never again, however, will I be susceptible to buying into a plug surreptitiously under the guise of an interview. At best, it's an opportunity for the listener to ascertain their interest in whether to buy whatever the guest is selling. And lest we forget, the station must acquiesce to their guests so as to maintain a constant flux of celebrities. Irby's comic writing career has mostly been with TV's "Sex and the City" which she referenced often on NPR and in her book. Irby has published several comedic observational essay collections. Her 2013 memoir "Meaty" is being adapted into a series on FX. Irby's self-deprecating banter and sardonic wit pitted against Mosley was chuckle worthy and a glimmer of levity felt imminent in her latest book, "Quietly Hostile." I'm overtly irritated I gravitated to buying this inane collection which was saturated with potty humor and intention of normalizing of bodily functions on TV. "Pooping in other people's bathroom presents such a conundrum. Especially when you have to come out and talk to them as the stench of your waste permeates the air. I don't want to make brunch plans when you just listened to me evacuating my bowels." Irby offered somewhat helpful advice for minor first world problems. For example, "Let's say there are three stalls in the restroom and the third one is occupied. Which should you choose? This is not a real question, unless you are a monster. Come on man, do your number two in number one." The inside scoop writing for "Sex in the City" was literally shitty. As Irby informs us, "My singular agenda, and yes, I absolutely will! Not! Rest! Until we normalize beautiful people shitting on TV, so of course I would go back and put poop in this {Sex and the City} show." Perhaps Mosley wisely kept the lid down on toilet topics. If this last anecdote I'm going to share from "Quietly Hostile" doesn't deter you from reading this putrid piece of writing, then dive right in as you've been forewarned. "Have you ever had to reach into the toilet to break up a turd? It's a horrifying feeling. What about fishing around in murky piss-water to loosen a wad of toilet paper you mistakenly thought would swoosh right through to wherever poop goes?" It seems Tonya took a gross one for the home-team and left Terry to interview more elevated guests.
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