Matt Labash covers men on the nation’s fringe like no one else. Pirate Kingfish Gov. Edwin Johnson, The Right Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton, Dirty Trickster Roger Stone, Dick Cheney… These American rouges have all been the subjects of Labash’s feature profiles for The Weekly Standard. Full of wit, insight and a trenchant grasp of the American scoundrel, his masterful collection of essays, FLY FISHING WITH DARTH VADER: And Other Adventures with Evangelical Wrestlers, Political Hitmen, and Jewish Cowboys (Simon & Schuster, 9781439159972) just came out in hardcover and has garnered some high praise.
“…Ever since Professor Gonzo took his own life in 2005 (and to a large extent, post-1970s, when his flame of creativity ceased to burn bright), the world has been devoid of an heir apparent, one able to evoke Thompson’s lively blend of egocentric reporting and cutting political satire. With ‘Fly Fishing With Darth Vader: An Other Adventures With Evangelical Wrestlers, Political Hitmen and Jewish Cowboys,’ Labash makes a worthy case for entry into the canon of gonzo journalism elites.” – Roll Call
Esquire says, “Every now and then, a collection of remarkable stories from a magazine writer has the effect of unleashing a significant new voice on an unsuspecting public. Tom Wolfe’s Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby comes to mind. And so it is with Matt Labash’s wonderful Fly Fishing with Darth Vader.”
Matt Labash chronicles the outsized and outrageous characters who populate America’s murky periphery, shedding light on everything from ruined cities such as New Orleans and Detroit, to such political points of interest as Al Sharpton’s eating habits and Dick Cheney’s favorite fishing hole. Don’t miss it!
