allan weisbecker is an author with a tremendous talent for spinning elaborate and hilarious tales while maintaining a completely matter-of-fact writing style. his sharp wit sneaks up on you, masked by a conversational flow that is utterly subtle in its poignancy.
his two books In Search of Captain Zero and Cosmic Banditos are both outstanding reads. In fact, Cosmic Banditos comes with an eleven-star (out of five) Bojon approval rating.
these days, agent weisbecker has set up shop in costa rica and sends out a periodic newsletter called the Down South Perspective (you can sign up for this through his website). the newsletter is not about anything in particular; it just provides updates on his activities in costa rica (mostly surfing), his latest writing exploits, and anything else he feels like discussing.
anyway, his latest installment included a passage that just cracked me up and serves as a perfect example of his writing style. He is describing an old buddy from Montauk named Bo Bo who has come down to costa rica for a visit:
Here’s one.
Bo Bo used to travel to Mexico a lot. (Being Bo Bo, he spent some time in jail there.) One time he decided to bring some parrots back to the States. The importation of birds from Mexico to the U.S. is illegal.
This did not bother Bo Bo. It was merely a problem to solve.
Here’s how Bo Bo solved the problem: Bo Bo put six parrots in the hubcaps of his pickup truck and drove back to the U.S. thus.
“Four out of the six made it,” Bo Bo explains. “They were dizzy.”
great stuff!