Publisher Description

"Inspired by the author's wildly popular, long-running McSweeney's column, Pop Culture Correspondences is a hilarious deconstruction of the most iconic pop culture moments of our lifetimes.""Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is proof that a funny book on pop culture doesn't have to be snide and nasty. I loved everything about it." -Jim GaffiganWe all know how Darth Vader shared his big secret with Luke Skywalker, but what if he had delivered the news in a handwritten note instead? And what if someone found that letter, as well as all of the drafts that landed in the Dark Lord's trash can? In the riotously funny collection Dear Luke, We Need to Talk. Darth, John Moe finally reveals these lost notes alongside all the imagined letters, e-mails, text messages, and other correspondences your favorite pop culture icons never meant for you to see.From The Walking Dead to The Wizard of Oz, from Billy Joel to Breaking Bad, no reference escapes Moe's imaginative wit and keen sense of nostalgia. Read Captain James T. Kirk's lost log entries and Yelp reviews of The Bates Motel and Cheers. Peruse top secret British intelligence files revealing the fates of Agents 001-006, or Don Draper's cocktail recipe cards. Learn all of Jay-Z's 99 problems, as well as the complete rules of Fight Club, and then discover an all-points bulletin concerning Bon Jovi, wanted dead or alive-and much more.Like a like a bonus track to a favorite CD or a deleted scene from a cult movie, Dear Luke, We Need to Talk Darth offer a fresh twist on the pop culture classics we thought we knew by heart. You already know part of their story. Now find out the rest.

Notes

A hilarious deconstruction of the most iconic pop culture moments of our lifetimes.

Author Biography

JOHN MOE is the host of American Public Media's nationally syndicated public radio show "Wits." He is also the author of "Pop Song Correspondences," a column on McSweeneys.net. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Review

"Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is proof that a funny book on pop culture doesn't have to be snide and nasty. I loved everything about it." —Jim Gaffigan
 
"John Moe has been making me laugh for 1,249 years (we are both immortal), and Dear Luke is, not surprisingly, EXTREMELY FUNNY. I expect him to entertain us all for another 1,249, unless I am able to hunt him down and cut off his head before then, because there can be only one."  —John Hodgman
 
 "Dear Luke, We Need to Talk. Darth ranks among the finest collections of nonsense ever assembled. For those seeking hilarity in short bursts of pop culture inanity, this book is for you." —Michael Ian Black
 
This book of brilliant parodies, riffs and flights of pop culture fantasy shows why John Moe has so quickly risen to become the second funniest man in public radio.—Peter Sagal, host, NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me

 "This book made me laugh while learning, which is the best kind of funny. Knowledge that comes from a laugh is so much better than coughing that comes from a laugh."
—Margaret Cho

Promotional

Inspired by the author's wildly popular, long-running McSweeney's column, Pop Culture Correspondences is a hilarious deconstruction of the most iconic pop culture moments of our lifetimes.

Review Quote

" Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is proof that a funny book on pop culture doesn't have to be snide and nasty. I loved everything about it." --Jim Gaffigan

Promotional "Headline"

" Inspired by the author's wildly popular, long-running McSweeney's column, Pop Culture Correspondences is a hilarious deconstruction of the most iconic pop culture moments of our lifetimes. "

Excerpt from Book

Attention, all law enforcement in the region: I realize many of you have become cynical about the all-points bulletins issued for dangerous criminals. I''m sure you think they''re essentially all the same and that only the names have changed. But I urge you to pay close attention in your pursuit of Mr. Jon Bon Jovi. He''s wanted. Wanted dead or alive. Who is Bon Jovi? Well, to begin with, he''s a cowboy. Granted, it''s fairly routine for cowboys to run afoul of the law, especially in the winter, when the work and money dry up and they''ve got time on their hands. Plenty of petty theft, public intoxication, and lewd-behavior calls. But that''s not what we''re up against. Bon Jovi is no regular cowboy. He rides a horse made of steel. A steel horse. I am not shitting you. And don''t think this is some sort of comical clunky robot horse with whimsical hydraulic sound effects and extraneous flashing lights. This thing is exactly like a thoroughbred, only much larger and made from an incredibly resilient alloy. Bullets can''t even penetrate this horse, much less stop it. Bon Jovi is also armed with a loaded six-string that he carries on his back. Reports differ on whether he uses it as a sort of crossbow or whether it''s actually a guitar that he plays with such shocking mastery as to render victims helpless. Regardless, take heed. There is other information I need to share with you about Bon Jovi. And no matter how callous you think you are to the attributes of criminals, you may want to brace yourself. Bon Jovi has almost superhuman abilities. Sure, sometimes he sleeps, but sometimes he can go for days without doing so. Days! To compensate for this interruption in his circadian rhythms, Bon Jovi has evidently crafted some sort of alcohol-based calendar, where he can actually tell the day by the bottle that he drinks. So why are we looking for Bon Jovi? Why is he wanted, wanted dead or alive? A spree of face rocking. Estimates vary as to how many faces have been targeted--some say 800,000, some say 1.2 million--but it is accepted as a fact that he has rocked every single face he has seen. Every one of them. We''re not even clear on a motive for this mass face rocking, although there are reports of Bon Jovi complaining of faces that "are so cold." Will he stop at a million faces? How many will be enough? We can''t afford to find out. Now all this being said, if you should come in contact with Bon Jovi, do not look into his face. He will only rock it. And call for backup immediately. Good luck to you all. At this point, I have to be honest. We''re living on a prayer. Sincerely, Sgt. H. Locklear Bruce: A Shark''s Journal April 7 So this is the journal that I''m supposed to be writing in, as prescribed by my latest therapist. I hope it helps but I have to be honest, I doubt it will. I WANT TO STOP EATING EVERYONE! That''s it! That''s all I want! I''ve been through--what--five therapists now trying to fix this problem I have? And I''ve eaten three of those therapists. I can''t form any meaningful relationships with anyone because sooner or later, CHOMP. It''s got to stop. I want to do things. I want to get married. I want to swim up to a female and impregnate her. But for any of that to work, the killing simply has got to stop. And I''m nervous because summer is coming up. Maybe this summer will be different. May 2 This summer WILL be different. THIS SUMMER MUST BE DIFFERENT! May 12 How could the summer be different?! I''m a SHARK. A GREAT WHITE SHARK. A nonstop killing machine! NO! No. I am in control here. Biology is not destiny. I have to think positive. I can be any kind of nonstop machine I want to be. A nonstop caring ma- chine. A nonstop listening machine. A nonstop nurturing machine. May 31 Tourists are showing up. I ate kelp and seaweed today. I''ve read, like, three books this week just to keep my mind off things. Jacqueline Susann. Better than I expected. June 14 Okay. Deep breath. I''m ashamed to even be writing this. But I fell off the wagon BIG TIME. It was night and I was swimming around (I don''t sleep), and I thought everything would be fine because what human would be out in the ocean at night? Then this lady shows up swimming around. Naked! Now, I''m not into human chicks in a sexual way--I''m not a perv or anything--but I see that and I''m thinking, "no nylon swimsuits, no goggles to deal with, just dinner." I''m not blaming the victim here--I''M NOT--she has/had the right to swim wherever, whenever, wearing whatever she wanted. But I could not resist. And thus, chomp. I was so disgusted with myself that I couldn''t even eat all of her. I dumped her mangled remains on the beach, kind of as a way of saying sorry to the humans. I hope they were able to pick up on how contrite I was when they saw her carcass. June 23 Guilt does funny things to a shark. When I feel guilty about something (like, oh, EATING A WOMAN), I start to hate myself. When I start to hate myself, I engage in self-destructive behavior. If I were a human (like the one I ATE), that might mean eat- ing a bunch of ice cream or getting drunk. But I''m a shark and I dragged a boy from shore and ate him up. He was smaller than my previous meal, but, I don''t know, it still doesn''t feel like progress to me. It''s like the only way I can feel good is to do bad? June 26 There''s no doubt about it: I''m spiraling. Sank a boat today. Ate the captain. Most of him anyway. Started innocently enough. I saw the boat out there on the water, and I remembered what I read in a self-help book: "use your tongue instead of your teeth." I figured I could swim up and talk to the guy about my issues. Maybe he could provide some help from a human perspective. Then before I know it he''s whapping me on the nose, which is NOT COOL, and one thing led to another. Suddenly I was on the attack. I need to remember that it''s not enough to want to reach people. I have to understand how I''m coming across to them as well. But why do all my conflicts end with eating people? Why is that always my end- game? Maybe because I''m a Great White Shark but I don''t ACCEPT that destiny as an ABSOLUTE. July 5 Ate another dude. Maybe I was still mad at the boat captain. Or mad at my mother who birthed me and then just swam away. Or mad at myself. I also know that the people are on to me. They''re upset. And they''re coming for me and it''s not to talk things over. You see what I''ve done here: I''VE TAUGHT THEM TO KILL. It''s a cycle. Like, who''s the real monster here? Is it me, the shark, or is it those people who want to kill me? Realistically, I know it''s me. I wish it weren''t. July 7 Yeah, they''re coming for me. I should just head out to the greater ocean and put Long Island behind me. Somehow I can''t. I think I need closure. Whether that will come from eating every person who comes near the water or being harpooned I can''t say. But I see their boat. Looks like there''s an old sea captain, a sort of wild-eyed young researcher, and Roy Scheider on it. I''m going to them. One way or another, we''re going to end this thing. (journal ends) Jay Z''s 99 Problems 1. Someone might figure out the Z stands for Zippy. 2. Missing Golden Girls DVD box set. 3. People pronouncing my name "Jaze." 4. Don''t really enjoy rap music. 5. Rap patrol on gat patrol. 6. A bitch. Ha! Gotcha. No, just kidding. It''s mosquitos. 7. Overall concern over the direction of the Dr. Who franchise. 8. Where to dump Hal Linden''s body. 9. Ficus plant seems droopy. 10. Do I have enough sunglasses? 11. Is it possible to EVER have enough sunglasses? 12. If not, have I set myself up for a life without satisfaction where a thousand sunglasses will never be as good as two thousand sunglasses? 13. How can I go about buying all the sunglasses? 14. How do I persuade everyone else in the world to destroy or give me their sunglasses so no one else can ever have sunglasses? 15. These grapes taste weird. 16. Inconvenient money allergy. 17. Ventriloquism classes not going well. Can''t nail the B sound. 18. Rap critics that say I''m money, cash, hoes. 19. The U.S. can''t seriously compete in Olympic table tennis. 20. Hoses on the soda fountain that dispense champagne are getting all gummed up. 21. Are my shiny things as shiny as they could be? 22. How do I go about firing my shiny thing shiner? 23. Do I have a human resources person I need to talk to first? 24. How do I advertise for a new shiny things shiner? Craigslist? Seems wrong. 25. What kind of questions do you ask someone like that in an interview? 26. Pet tiger seems bored. 27. Other pet tiger una

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