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My drug of choice is writing––writing, art, reading, inspiration, books, creativity, process, craft, blogging, grammar, linguistics, and did I mention writing?

Monday, November 5, 2012

Giving a Big Hand for Adam Licsko's Latest Project


You’ve got to hand it to the guy.  When Adam Licsko isn’t painting amazing landscapes or socially poignant subject matter he doesn’t let his hands get idle.  Sometimes he writes hilarious and witty coffee books about masturbation like Kama Sutra For One: A Handy Self Help Guide.  He's also been keeping his hands full with his new blog of the same name.

Oh dear!  Have I shocked, perhaps even offended you with my brazen open discussion of the M word?  Then Adam’s “extensive (extensive) first hand knowledge” is exactly what you need.  I know the uncensored subject matter and illustrations (non-explicit; just hilarious) of Sticksy the stick figure can make the more priggish want to wash their hands of the whole affair, but rest assured that illustrations of Sticksy demonstrating “The Muse” or “The Violinist” are definitely good for a chortle or three. I promise that if you give this book a shot, you will be in very good hands.

If you really wanted to, you could work to extract the deep social meaning in KSFO.  You could talk about art and the artist’s role in examining and questioning the social conventions of our culture.  You could ponder the tendency of art to confront the socially taboo, and how KFSO does this with a pink elephant...holding a battering ram....tied to a wrecking ball.  You could consider how the most effective form of social commentary is, and has always been, couched in comedy, and how we are far more receptive to question our own presumptions when we are laughing.   You could talk about how a sex-positive book about self-love might break the ice on a touchy subject more comfortably than that regular old Kama Sutra book with its depraved pictures of coupling that aren't stick figures...or funny.

On the other hand, it might seem a little heavy handed to try and analyze KSFO as major social commentary of our day.  You may just appreciate having a damned funny book about wanking off with techniques like “Secret Service” or “Pleasure Cubed.” However, what I can say is that it is, hands down, one of the most hilarious books I’ve read in my life, and if somewhere along the line, a reader questions our culture’s particular Victorian-throwback prudishness about pleasure and self gratification, that’s okay too. It’s always nice to learn not to bite the hand that feels you.

KSFO is available on Kindle via Amazon.



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