P.J. O'Rourke's Finest Moment:

November 25, 2001 3:54 PM

P.J. O'Rourke's Finest Moment: National Lampoon.com has just re-released his classic 1979 article, "How to Drive Fast On Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink". This was long before he became the sedate, Republican C.E.O. of the Sofa he is today. Is it still funny today? Or only to us nostalgic boomers who remember the spirit of 79?
posted by MiguelCardoso (9 comments total)

Funny you should post this, Miguel. I was just looking around at the NatLampCo site yesterday and read this...among a few of the other things there. Quite frankly, I think that the only reason that I ever thought this article was funny was because back in 1979, I too was driving fast on drugs while getting my wing-wang squeezed and trying not to spill my drink. Now that I'm all sobered up, married, and raising kids, that sedate, Republican-sofa humor suits me just fine.
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:03 PM on November 25, 2001

I smell something fishy.
posted by holloway at 5:25 PM on November 25, 2001

That article has been available in his book Republican Party Reptile, which came out over ten years ago. Still, at the time I thought it was hysterical, as are all of the other articles in that book, whether I agree with his politics or not.
posted by adampsyche at 5:27 PM on November 25, 2001

You make me sad, MrBaliHai.
posted by rushmc at 6:21 PM on November 25, 2001

Oh, man, does that take me back. But even better: they've reprinted O.C. and Stiggs, one of the few things I remember from high school and the basis for way too much of my present 36-year-old sense of humor.
posted by nicwolff at 6:37 PM on November 25, 2001

You make me sad, MrBaliHai.

That's too bad, but I'm living my life pretty much exactly the way I want these days, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:24 PM on November 25, 2001

P.J. once referred to ecstasy as "St. Joseph's Baby Acid." I will never forget that.
posted by KLAX at 9:20 PM on November 25, 2001

It's terrible writing. I couldn't trudge any further than the third paragraph. It was painful, and unfunny.

I don't see what the big deal is here. Most middle-aged conservatives of today were once young, hip liberals back in the day. They're richer, wiser, and they're walking hypocrites. And they don't care. They sold out on their lofty youthful ideals so they could afford that second BMW, manage the mortgage, marry someone with fake boobs, and put their kids through an Ivy league college.

Isn't PJ just living The American Way? Did I miss a memo?
posted by ZachsMind at 2:56 AM on November 26, 2001

P.J. O'Rourke made me want to explore drugs in high school. Thank you, P.J., thank you.
posted by Ty Webb at 7:21 PM on November 26, 2001