Go Retire Psychiatrist

This is not going to be a review of Dave Barry’s 2025 book “Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass,” which I finished a couple days ago. I’m basically saying it’s funny as hell and you should run out and buy it right now.

I do have some remarks, none of which will be spoilers on my blog (the same policy I have for my fake reviews of the Svengoolie TV show horror/sci-fi movies).

I’m going to whine a little about not ever having been aware that Dave gave a speech at The University of Iowa in 1991. He mentions this in his book. I should say he’s been my favorite humorist starting in the 1980s when I began working at a hospital laboratory in Des Moines after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Distributed Studies, Medical Technology (zoology, microbiology, chemistry) from Iowa State University in 1985. Every day I read his syndicated humor column when I was on break. Co-workers would stare at me with disapproving looks while I laughed myself silly.

Over the years I bought almost every non-fiction book he published. I donated most of them to Goodwill over the years and now I’m left with two, his “Class Clown” memoirs and “Best State Ever: A Florida Man Defends his Homeland” (2016).

Where was I? Oh, Dave Barry’s speech at University of Iowa in 1991 and why I missed it. He mentions it in his book and that’s the first time I knew about it. I was in my 4^th year of medical school and I was looking forward to residency in psychiatry. I had to look it up on the internet and sure enough, The Daily Iowan had a story about it, “Comic Barry brings tales, laughs to UI.” He gave the speech in the Iowa Memorial Union on April 25, 1991. He revealed that the reason he writes for a living is because he can do it in his underwear—anybody’s underwear. He also announced he was running for president. He’s done that a few times.

The main reason I missed it was because, like all medical students in their senior year, I was way too busy to take time out to attend anything but lectures, clinical rotations, and meetings.

But I’m really happy with his new book. I’m going to drop a hint: the appendix (that’s right, I said appendix and not the organ) had me laughing so hard I cried. I could barely get through it. It’s about suggested names for rock bands. I’m only going to reveal one because it’s National Dairy Month: The Moos of Derision.