"This book is so wild, so mind-blowing, so much fun to read, that I almost forgot it was fiction! (It is fiction, right? Mega-giant tech companies aren't really in cahoots with the government, right? Flying alien creatures aren't really mistaken for lawnmowers . . . right? Please, tell me this is fiction!) Fast-paced, brilliantly funny, irreverent, clever . . . AND it's illustrated? Me and Mr. Cigar is the quintessential teen read, and ipso facto a must-read for adults, too!"
- Garth Stein, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
Elevator Pitch: Gibby Haynes, the front man of the legendary and genre-defying psychedelic rock band, the Butthole Surfers, has written a YA novel about a boy and his dog. Wait . . . what?
Long Play Version: Me and Mr. Cigar (Soho Teen | January 14th, 2020) is the wonderfully weird debut YA from psychedelic rock legend Gibby Haynes. It is as strange as you might imagine, more surreal than you would expect, and will move you in ways you could never anticipate. Part road trip, part coming-of-age, and part redemption, Me and Mr. Cigar takes Oscar Lester and his best friend/enforcer/magical pet dog, Mr. Cigar on a journey to save Oscar's sister, Rachel, who has been abducted by a sinister cabal for reasons unknown. Along the way, Oscar encounters ultra-secret technology, agents of the US government, super-wealthy corporate interests, and nefarious art dealers. But his motive to save Rachel always comes back to his dog. Five years earlier, Mr. Cigar bit off Rachel's hand, and she's been estranged from them ever since. In other words, this is YA the Gibby Haynes way.
It might seem strange that Haynes, once known as "The Weirdest Man in Showbusiness" for his lurid lyrics and intense stage presence, would set out to write a book for kids. But take a closer look at the surreal and often darkly comedic lyrics of the Butthole Surfers, and you'll see it all makes perfect sense. Haynes is a natural storyteller. He is a Texan, after all.
Haynes is also a visual artist, a music teacher, and the father of a young son. Butthole Surfers fans will find plenty of Haynes's specific brand of weird to rejoice over in Me and Mr. Cigar, but readers will also find the heart and earnestness of a devoted father and mentor. And his (?) dog-loving bonafides are evident on nearly every page. What's to lose? Take the trip.
Listen to Zach Galifianakis reading an early version of Me and Mr. Cigar
"It takes a book as hilarious, bizarre, profane, and heartfelt as Me & Mr. Cigar to truly convey the surreality of coming of age as a teenage boy. This book hit this former teenage boy and new dog owner right in the heart, by way of the gut."
- Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of
The Serpent King and Goodbye Days
"In the book world we call it 'magical realism.' In the music world they call it 'psychedelic rock.' Gibby Haynes is very good at both, which he proves with his brilliant first novel Me and Mr. Cigar. This novel has it all: glimpses into Haynes's Texas childhood and teen years, a touch of his distinctive surrealism, and a heartfelt story which makes it a very good read."
- Blake Nelson, author of Girl and Recovery Road
"I felt like I was diving into a YA written by Thomas Pynchon. It was a dang blast!"
- Geoff Herbach, bestselling author of Stupid Fast
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