I Wear the Black Hat

Last updated
I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)
I Wear the Black Hat (Chuck Klosterman book).jpg
The first edition cover
Author Chuck Klosterman
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Pop culture
Publisher Scribner
Publication date
July 9, 2013
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages242
ISBN 978-1-4391-8449-3
OCLC 886390536
LC Class 2013003049
Preceded by The Visible Man (2011) 
Followed byWhat If We're Wrong: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past (2016) [1]  

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) is a book written by Chuck Klosterman, first published by Scribner in 2013. It is a collection of twelve essays examining the nature of villainy through the lens of popular culture, rock music, and sports. [2] It is the eighth book released by Klosterman. The book debuted at number 5 on the New York Times bestseller list. [3]

Contents

Overview

I Wear the Black Hat investigates the thesis: A villain is someone who knows the most but cares the least. [4] The book explores how villains behave and why, and many of the essays surround famous athletes and musicians [5]

Essays

I Wear the Black Hat consists of twelve essays:

Reception

The book received mixed reviews, with The A.V. Club giving it a B−. [6] [7] Writing for the New York Times , James Parker said I Wear the Black Hat is, "...not [Klosterman's] best book, but in considering it we should remember the young person, probably not a reader of The New York Times, to whom its haphazardness, its occasional pointlessness and above all its difficulty keeping a straight face will come as sweet, sweet relief." [8] Publishers Weekly wrote of Klosterman, "His circuitous arguments are occasionally self-indulgent and too reminiscent of David Foster Wallace, but the writing is always intellectually vigorous and entertaining." Michael Robbins said in his review of the book in the Chicago Tribune that, "What's most frustrating about "I Wear the Black Hat" is that I'd love to read a good version of it." [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Lewinsky</span> American activist and writer (born 1973)

Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American activist and writer. A former White House intern, Lewinsky gained international celebrity status in the late 1990s as a result of the public coverage of a political scandal when U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having an affair with her during her days as an intern between 1995 and 1997. The affair, and its repercussions, became known later as the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Norris</span> American martial artist and actor (born 1940)

Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Shortly after, in Hollywood, Norris trained celebrities in martial arts. Norris went on to appear in a minor role in the spy film The Wrecking Crew (1969). Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in The Way of the Dragon (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton–Lewinsky scandal</span> 1998 American political sex scandal

The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal was a sex scandal involving Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Their sexual relationship began in 1995—when Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was 22 years old—and lasted 18 months, ending in 1997. Clinton ended televised remarks on January 26, 1998, with the later infamous statement: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Further investigation led to charges of perjury and to the impeachment of Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a 21-day U.S. Senate trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Dowd</span> American journalist

Maureen Brigid Dowd is an American columnist for The New York Times and an author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snidely Whiplash</span> Character from Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties

Snidely Whiplash is a fictional character who originally appeared as the main antagonist in the Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of the animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. He is the archenemy of Dudley Do-Right. He was listed among the 100 greatest characters in television animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Tripp</span> American civil servant (1949–2020)

Linda Rose Tripp was an American civil servant who played a prominent role in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal of 1998. Tripp's action in illegally and secretly recording Monica Lewinsky's confidential phone calls about her relationship with President Bill Clinton caused a sensation with their links to the earlier Clinton v. Jones lawsuit and with the disclosing of intimate details. Tripp claimed that her motives were purely patriotic, and she avoided a wiretap charge by agreeing to hand over the tapes.

"Vast right-wing conspiracy" is a phrase popularized by a 1995 memo by political opposition researcher Chris Lehane and then referenced in 1998 by the then First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, in defense of her husband, President Bill Clinton, characterizing the continued allegations of scandal against her and her husband, including the Lewinsky scandal, as part of a conspiracy by Clinton's political enemies. The term has been used since, including in a question posed to Bill Clinton in 2009 to describe verbal attacks on Barack Obama during his early presidency. Hillary Clinton mentioned it again during her 2016 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Klosterman</span> American author and columnist

Charles John Klosterman is an American author and essayist whose work focuses on American popular culture. He has been a columnist for Esquire and ESPN.com and wrote "The Ethicist" column for The New York Times Magazine. Klosterman is the author of twelve books, including two novels and the essay collection Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. He was awarded the ASCAP Deems Taylor award for music criticism in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boerum Hill</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York

Boerum Hill is a small neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bounded by Schermerhorn Street to the north and Fourth Avenue to the east. The western border is variously given as either Smith or Court Street, and Warren or Wyckoff Street as the southern edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Blumenthal</span> American political writer

Sidney Stone Blumenthal is an American journalist, political operative, and Lincoln scholar. A former aide to President Bill Clinton, he is a long-time confidant of Hillary Clinton and was formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation. As a journalist, Blumenthal wrote about American politics and foreign policy. He is also the author of a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln. Three books of the planned five-volume series have already been published: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel, and All the Powers of Earth. Subsequent volumes were planned for later.

<i>Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs</i> Book by Chuck Klosterman

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto is a book written by Chuck Klosterman, first published by Scribner in 2003. It is a collection of eighteen comedic essays on popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton Kelly (TV personality)</span> American fashion designer

Clinton Kelly is an American TV personality, author, and lifestyle consultant. He won an Emmy for his role as the moderator on the popular ABC daytime show The Chew. The Chew was nominated for multiple Emmys and ran for seven seasons. He is also known for his role as co-host on the prime time reality show What Not to Wear, TLC's long-running reality program that featured fashion makeovers, for over 10 seasons.

<i>Barney Oldfields Race for a Life</i> 1913 American film

Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life is a 1913 silent comedy short, directed and produced by Mack Sennett. It stars Sennett, Mabel Normand, Ford Sterling, The Keystone Cops and Barney Oldfield as himself, in his film debut. It was distributed by the Keystone Film Company, and released in the United States on June 3, 1913. The film is preserved and was released as part of a DVD box set, titled Slapstick Encyclopedia, and is frequently featured in silent film festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Clinton sexual assault and misconduct allegations</span> Accusations of sexual misconduct against Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States (1993–2001), has been publicly accused of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct by several women: Juanita Broaddrick accused Clinton of raping her in 1978; Leslie Millwee accused Clinton of sexually assaulting her in 1980; Paula Jones accused Clinton of exposing himself to her in 1991 as well as sexually harassing her; and Kathleen Willey accused Clinton of groping her without her consent in 1993. The Jones allegations became public in 1994, during Clinton's first term as president, while Willey's and Broaddrick's accusations became public in 1999, toward the end of Clinton's second term. Millwee made her accusations in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Davis</span> American musician, author, and activist (born 1958)

Daryl Davis is an American R&B and blues musician and activist. His efforts to fight racism by engaging members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) have convinced dozens of Klansmen to leave and denounce the KKK. Known for his energetic style of boogie-woogie piano, Davis has played with such musicians as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, B. B. King, and Bruce Hornsby.

<i>The Visible Man</i> (novel)

The Visible Man: A Novel is a novel written by Chuck Klosterman, first published by Scribner in 2011. It is the seventh book and second novel released by Klosterman. Thematically, The Visible Man touches on the way media transforms reality, the meaning of culture, and the dissonance of self-perception. It became a New York Times bestseller the month of its release.

"Laura" is a song written by Billy Joel that was first released on his 1982 album The Nylon Curtain.

<i>But What If Were Wrong?</i> Book by Chuck Klosterman

But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past is a 2016 non-fiction book by American author and essayist Chuck Klosterman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Benedict</span> American author

Elizabeth Benedict is an American author best known for her fiction, her personal essays, as the editor of three anthologies, and for The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers. Her novels are: Slow Dancing, The Beginner's Book of Dreams, Safe Conduct, Almost, and The Practice of Deceit. Her first memoir, Rewriting Illness: A View of My Own, was published in May 2023. She lives in New York City and works as a college admissions consultant.

<i>The Nineties</i> (book) 2022 book by Chuck Klosterman

The Nineties: A Book is a 2022 book by Chuck Klosterman. It is an analysis of historical trends and pop culture phenomena in the decade of the 1990s. It was released February 8, 2022, by Penguin Books. It debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list on February 27, 2022.

References

  1. Jones, Nate Chuck Klosterman Is Writing a Book About the Possibility of Us Being Wrong About, Well, Everything Vulture. January 19, 2016
  2. Hyman, Dan Chuck Klosterman on His New Book, 'I Wear The Black Hat' Rolling Stone. January 19, 2016
  3. Coulter, Catherine Inside the List January 19, 2016
  4. Reynold, Daniel The Villain Syndrome: Why Movies Need More Hans Gruber SamePageTeam. January 21, 2016
  5. Miller, Laura “I Wear the Black Hat”: Villainy for beginners Salon. January 21, 2016
  6. Rizov, Vadim Chuck Klosterman: I Wear The Black Hat: Grappling With Villains (Real And Imagined) A.V. Club. January 20, 2016
  7. Wheeler, Brad Dissecting Chuck Klosterman and his latest pop-culture offering Globe and Mail. January 20, 2016
  8. Parker, James Badfellas: Chuck Klosterman’s ‘I Wear the Black Hat’ New York Times. January 20, 2016
  9. Robbins, Michael Review: 'I Wear the Black Hat' by Chuck Klosterman Chicago Tribune. January 20, 2016