If you're going to read about the VPs, there are a few books that are necessary to finding out the most absurd and interesting VP stories. In the top two, at least for me, is Steve Tally's "Bland Ambition." The book was so inspirational, and Tally's voice so biting and funny, that he ended up being our first interview for the film, clips of which you'll find in our trailer and teaser.The book is a great follow-up to earlier books, the first to really hammer home just how silly the office and the Veeps themselves have been. Though Matt and I have gone out of our way to go in our own direction with the subject matter (even the humor), we owe a considerable debt to Steve Tally for helping us realize we were on the right track.
Since Tally, no one has come close to creating another comprehensive book on the Vice Presidency (without quoting and citing Tally heavily, or quoting Wikipedia), and that's our aim. We've just decided to take our biggest pot-shots at historians (not Tally, or most VP historians for that matter, mind you) and let the Veeps lives, stories and quotes dig their own holes. Or, in some cases, not.
"Bland Ambition" is a witty primer, and, if you're interested in the Veeps, it belongs on your bookshelf.
And, until Vice-Precedence lands on your bookshelf, don't forget to become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
- Jason C. Klamm
I could not agree more! I've never loved American History so much as I did when reading BLAND AMBITION! Between Steve Tally and Sarah Vowell, I've learned more American History than I ever did in grade school, high school, and college put together. See my book list & commentary on Tally:
ReplyDeletehttp://kittislist.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-favorite-american-historians.html