OUTRAGEOUS A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars

Cultural historian Kliph Nesteroff narrates his affected and opinionated treatise on the evolution of American cultural trends, especially how immediately succeeding generations find newer forms of entertainment to be outrageously without merit. It all adds up to a dry narrative. While maintaining an appropriate pace, Nesteroff's delivery is breathy and includes mispronunciations that should have been corrected. His timbre is nasal, and the supercilious voices he uses for cultural critics sound over the top. Listeners are likely to be brought to the point of distraction as nearly every paragraph contains several "quote/unquote" mentions. Perhaps choosing a more experienced narrator would have improved this journey from minstrel shows and white performers in blackface to radio shock jocks, rap artists, and more. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2024]