Book Review:
Words: Aubrey Bramble

Skinema
Author: Chris Nieratko
Publisher: Vice Books

Chris Nieratko really wants you to know what a badass he is. He challenged Johnny Knoxville to a fight for no reason the first night they met. He's also an asshole. He was the guy way back during the Jackass heyday who drank an absurd amount of eggnog and then puked all over this fat guy dressed like Santa Claus. Oh, yeah, did I mention he's a badass? So, he's a badass and an asshole, got it? And he's got not one, but two introductions and his own foreword to prove it.

Sound unnecessary? It is. So is most of this "novel." Unnecessary and re-readably hilarious.

Skinema is advertised as a volume of porn reviews. In reality, it is a disjointed pastiche of a memoir; the colorful (and many times unbelievable) porn titles appear simply as chapter headings, accompanied by a miniature thumbnail image of the video packaging. So, if you pick this book up expecting to read an intellectual cross-section of "A Cum Sucking Whore Named Kimberly" and other porn mainstays like "Surprise! I Have A Dick!" and "Art School Sluts," you will be about as disappointed as a seven year old girl on her birthday when she realizes she is not getting that pony she's been asking (and pleading and begging) for.

On the other hand, if you can give up your need for control and let Nieratko take the wheel, then his wild tales and outrageous life experiences will leave you feeling amply rewarded.