Any gathering with my crazy, comedic family spurs me into creative thinking mode. Yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast was no exception. Here, courtesy of my Facebook post, is one of the props I loaded into Jack’s pockets:
This Facebook post gives you some idea of my family culture…
My cousin Greg, who blew in from Ohio to join us yesterday, has made Yelp.com reviews his own loving form of literary expression. Within our family circle, his reviews are a constant source of entertainment. Adding to the hilarity, his daughter told me a recent South Park episode was dedicated to Yelp reviews, which means, you know, Yelp reviews are now officially “a thing.” A pop culture snapshot of 2015. And here’s a link to that episode of South Park that you MUST see: http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s19e04-youre-not-yelping
Cartman, the Yelp Reviewer – South Park Episode “You’re Not Yelping”
My favorite South Park scene? This 50-page review by Gerald…for Applebee’s:
Gerald, the genius behind the EPIC Applebee’s review on South Park.
“And yet, there is more…in this crisp time as Autumn begins to fade, the chef brines chicken in habanero and even adds habanero powder to the crust…but the heat is restrained. You experience the fruity, delicious flavor of this without any spicy pain. I don’t need any more pain. Hell, does anyone?”
God, these guys are comedy geniuses. Writing scripts for South Park would be the dream job for me, right up there with writing for Mystery Science Theater 3000 #MST3K or Bob’s Burgers.
So for Christmas this year, I’ll be self-publishing this hardcover parody gift book:
“YELP–An Exploration in Modern American Literary Expression: The Greg McDonald Edition.”
If you are interested in having your very own copy of this exclusive, limited edition, Modern American Literature Masterpiece, just shoot me an email and I’ll add you to the list. I’m guessing it will be around $30 + shipping, given my previous experiences with Blurb.com. For an extra $100, I may even score you a signature and stick figure pencil sketch from the original author…the unintentional literary sensation, Greg McDonald!
You know, I always thought I would be the first in our family to publish a literary masterpiece. Who knew Greg would usurp me?!?
I was hoping for a scathing commentary on the site we all love to hate. Fuel for more fodder: It turns out Yelp’s business model is to approach the various companies with favorable reviews, and asking for money. If you don’t pay, your positive reviews suddenly vanish from the top of the list, never to return….
I know of three businesses in the area this has happened to, and fortunately, they can’t muck with the rating itself, just the review. I don’t see the advantage in this type of marketing plan, but there you go….
I think South Park did a brilliant job of it in satire form! Did you see it? If so, what did you think?
So it’s pseudo-crowdsourcing reviews…interesting.
Can’t wait to get my own copy of the book!