Why the F-word Works - Roy Blount, Jr.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/11/10/Roy_Blount_Jr_The_Sounds_Roots_and_History_of_Words

Humorist author Roy Blount, Jr. examines the visceral power of the "F-word" by contrasting it with other, less effective verbal interjections.

-----

Roy Blount, Jr. talks about Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips.

After 40 years of making a living using words in every medium, print or electronic, NPR panelist Blount still can't get over his ABCs. In this work he celebrates the sonic and kinetic energies of letters and their combinations - Book Passage

Roy Blount's writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, Playboy, Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone, and National Geographic. His work has also been anthologized in such collections as The Best of Modern Humor, The Elvis Reader, The Ultimate Baseball Book, and The Sophisticated Cat.

He is the author of seventeen books, including Crackers (1982), About Three Bricks Shy of a Load (1986), Soupsongs & Webster's Ark (1988), Camels Are Easy, Comedy's Hard (1991), First Hubby (1991), Roy Blount's Book of Southern Humor (1994), which contains overs 150 short stories, sketches, essays, poems, memoirs, and lyrics, Be Sweet: A Memoir (1998), Robert E. Lee (2003), and several books cowritten with Valerie Shaff. Blount currently lives in western Massachusetts and New York City. For a more comprehensive biography see Blount's official Web site.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• profanity
• obscenity
• cursing
• curse
• profane
• obscene
• words
• supreme
• court
• free
• freedom
• speech
• english
• language
• definition
• meaning
• meanings
• sounds
• history
• fuck
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
• tv

[armyveteran101st]

The F word is invaluable and an indispensable part of my daily vocabulary, and I wouldn't trade it for any other. Its versatility and convenience cannot be understated or overlooked, and it's sense of urgency and action motivate even the laziest, most apathetic individuals. We're blessed for having such a lovely, meaningful, useful word in our arsenal of linguistic tools for everyday life. Now I'm getting the f&#k out of here...Cheers!

[jefferyklassen]

not really answer or explaining anything.

[knowthetruth1492]

Fuck Justice Scalia.

[lamarr912]

Fuck that.

[sterndoug]

Interesting subject, handled weakly. Maybe caught Mr. Blount on an off-night. He's a terrific writer.

[deadlydudley42]

it's funny how natty professors & bohemian divorcees can use the f word @ peotry readings--in fact it's almost expected & a proper right of passage of an expressive writer, & thugs & gangstas & their trashy hos can use it for every part of speech, & then you have this vast in between territory where it's just lame. Hey get creative & use a better word! (except when you are having sex, of course)

[BARBARO154]

caharmin and apt as well

[BayAreaBiker2001]

Most of our swearwords are Saxon in origin. Before the mid 19th century, such words were perfectly OK. The more "polite" words for sexual and excretory functions are either the Norman French or Latin favored by the upper classes. The lower classes spoke Anglo-Saxon, thus initially considered rough, later downright obscene.

[nmeman]

And my generation, I would think.

[rei8yo3J]

Shocking, but just not to you?

[fridaynightovernight]

is was smart. i was hoping he would use the f word.