Pure Innocent Fun

Essays

By: Ira Madison III

Narrated by: Ira Madison III

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this nostalgic and raucous collection of sixteen original essays, Ira Madison III—critic, television writer, and host of the beloved Keep It podcast—combines memoir and criticism to offer a brand-new pop-culture manifesto.

“This is the most fun I’ve had reading all year. Like Chuck Klosterman before him, Ira Madison III takes seriously and analyzes the pop culture detritus that took up hours of our lives.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda

You can recall the first TV show, movie, book, or song that made you feel understood—that shaped how you live, what you love, and whom you would become. It gave you an entire worldview. For Ira Madison, that book was Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, which cemented the idea that pop culture could be a rigorous subject—and that, for better or worse, it shapes all of us.

In Pure Innocent Fun, Madison explores the key cultural moments that inspired his career as a critic and guided his coming of age as a Black gay man in Milwaukee. In this hilarious, full-throttle trip through the ’90s and 2000s, he recounts learning about sex from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; facing the most heartbreaking election of his youth (not George W. Bush’s win, but Jennifer Hudson losing American Idol); and how never getting his driver’s license in high school made him just like Cher Horowitz in Clueless: “a virgin who can’t drive.”

Brimming with a profound love for a bygone culture and alternating between irreverence and heartfelt insight, Pure Innocent Fun, like all the best products of pop culture, will leave you entertained and surprisingly enlightened.

Critic reviews

“This is the most fun I’ve had reading all year. Like Chuck Klosterman before him, Ira Madison III takes seriously and analyzes the pop culture detritus that took up hours of our lives as byproducts of the late 1900’s. From Coldplay to Family Matters to Passions and everything in between, It feels like Ira has taken apart every dumb thing I’ve obsessed over and put it back together again—all my ‘roman empires.’ I laughed and cried and felt so, so seen. Buy it and KEEP IT.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award winning creator of Hamilton and NYT bestselling author of G'morning G'night

“True to the book’s title, Madison’s humorous and perceptive essays will light a spark of recognition for those who came of age glued to their televisions at the turn of the century.”—The Washington Post, “10 Noteworthy Books for February”

“Ira’s wit, intelligence, and reverence for pop culture is on full display in this fantastic essay collection. What a pleasure to read.”—Phoebe Robinson, award winning comedian and NYT bestselling author of You Can’t Touch My Hair

“If you’re old enough to have typed A/S/L in AOL chat rooms this will unlock so many core millennial memories. If you don’t know what that means, this book will help you talk to your boss at work!”—Cody Rigsby, NYT bestselling author of XOXO, Cody

“A brilliant critical voice for millennials, those on the cusp, or anyone who has had their eyes open over the past few decades, Madison proves a worthy successor to his own idol, Chuck Klosterman. An engaging and often hilarious memoir-in-essays from a pop-culture fiend.”—Kirkus Reviews

Too Much Fun

Ira writes a great book and narrates this listen with witty candor. I loved listening to his stories about growing up and the touchstone moments that shaped him into the person he is today.

Shoutout to Ira

Insightful, nostalgic, and enough references to make you wish you had watched more TV in the 90s and 00s. Bravo.

Laugh out loud perspectives on 90s-00s pop culture

Ira's voice and take on the pop culture that has influenced him is both fun and poignant. He seamlessly weaves iconic pieces of culture with vulnerable personal stories. One of my faves!

Loved these essays

So I hardly ever listen to/read non-fiction books, but I was on the lookout for a blackout on my Bookstore Summer Bingo Card, so finding an interesting one was a *must*. And then I remembered, this podcaster that I used to listen to (before audiobooks took over my life) wrote a book! And I already knew I loved his voice and his takes on pop culture, so it was a no-brainer.

Audiobook specifics: I am someone who speeds up my audiobooks…significantly. I will lose focus at slower speeds (just a tip for those out there who may struggle with audio?), but Ira spoke at a speed where my *usual* speed was impossible to understand. 😆 (I mean, I did still speed it up, just not as much as I usually would…😏) Ira has a great voice (even if he doesn’t believe it ❤️), and it was a treat to hear him read his own words.

As for the book itself, it is a series of essays, mostly focused on specific pop culture moments from the 90’s & 00’s and how they related to and/or affected his life growing up as a gay black kid/man in the midwest. Think Buffy, Lil’ Kim, American Idol, Jerry Springer, Oprah, and Steve Urkel. (No joke, he had me tearing up a bit at the end of that Steve Urkel essay! 🥺)

I loved seeing all these familiar moments from my youth from a totally different perspective. Some moments were funny, some were emotional, but throughout every essay, you could feel the impact every moment had on him and his future life and career.

Overall, I had a great time listening to this one, and think others (especially of this generation) might enjoy going back in time and re-witnessing some of these moments from a different set of eyes.

instantly selfishly want more

maybe it's my age, maybe it's the fact you can remember anything from the early 00s, but I want to know about your senior project, your first apartment, your move to New York, and every adventure after! shared two essays the moment I finished them. found myself reading parts aloud to a girlfriend on the tele. I just couldn't get enough. loved it.