Stepping outside the norm

From the history of ass mooning to literary references about flatulence, Daniel Nester’s How to be Inappropriate is a tantalizing and sidesplitting ode to things we don’t dare talk about in public. The book is partly memoir and partly other genres, written by a quirky teacher that enjoys the presence of impropriety in all aspects of life.

How to be Inappropriate is never boring, but is sometimes outright random and will either leave you laughing or confused. You’ll find fictional writing, an interview with a robot version of Gene Simmons, writing by ESL students writing their own dialogue to Catcher in the Rye, and a nearly six-page list of ways to moon people.

In the book, Nester discusses his brief stint as a rock star in an admittedly “horrible rock band.” The band, suitably named Fear Itself, was lead by a vocalist in his late 50s, who couldn’t ever remember the words to the songs and brought an easel onstage with him.

Nester talked about their gig at a scrabble parlor, in which he encouraged them to sing “Hot Blooded” to really get the audience riled up, and for the women to throw their panties onstage. Needless to say, the vocalist wasn’t fond of the idea.

Readers can enjoy anecdotes like this and many more.

Daily Vanguard: Have you always been fascinated with things deemed inappropriate?
Daniel Nester: I have always been fascinated with how writing about something inappropriate—like farts or partial nudity or over sharing personal details—makes it seem even more inappropriate. Committing something to paper changes it. I’m also a ham.

DV: Did you set out to write a book that was partly a memoir, or did it seem to just happen that way?
DN: It always seemed to be a mix of essays and memoir. I like to write in different forms, like numbered lists and short-shorts. I think at some point I was going to put all the memoir-type pieces together and the not-memoir ones in some other section, but in the end we went with a chronological order, no matter the stripe.

DV: If anything, what part of your book do you think will be the most shocking for readers?
DN: Like Jane’s Addiction songs, nothing’s shocking. I don’t think much in the book will shock people, unless it’s the shock of recognition of something in their own lives. I do think people might be surprised at the parts where I am more serious or confessional in my approach. Like when I talk about leaving New York City, or the odyssey my wife and I went on to conceive our first kid.

DV: Is there one general theme that you hope readers take away after reading your book?
DN: Maybe one thing I’d like people to know after reading it is that there’s nothing wrong with talking about stupid shit. When I was in Catholic school, I really liked going to confession. [I liked] How I could just talk about all the “bad” things I did with this priest and I would walk out of the booth with a clean slate. Now, writing is the priest, and I’m still talking about “bad” things.

Nester will be at Powell’s on Wednesday to grace Portland with his presence for the first time. Unfortunately, Fear Itself will not be performing so keep your panties on, ladies.