The Book of SPAM News

Meat knowledge: the gift that keeps on giving!

2008-12-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

As one of our most difficult holiday seasons in recent memory, make sure to give the gift that will be incredibly useful after everything collapses. Think about how well-liked you'll be in the future when you save your family from starvation and post-apocalyptic boredom by giving them The Book of SPAM now.

Filled with fun facts and priceless meat knowledge, The Book of SPAM is THE reference of choice for all those preparing for a protein-packed endtime where might will be the only right.

Or in a much less dismal and severe tone, The Book of SPAM makes a great holiday gift for the people you love. People of all ages. People who can read or not -can-read. There's plenty of pictures. Kids will blush. Americans will be proud. And humanity will be uplifted. Don't ruin Christmas again, do it right this time. Buy The Book of SPAM.

Happy Holidays,
Dan & Dustin, your favorite authors.

Mayor demands SPAM for all, gets free book.

2008-12-17T09:38:00.001-08:00

Chris Beutler, mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, has come up with a delicious plan: he'll match anyone who donates 200 cans of SPAM to area foodshelves. That's a whole lot of tasty goodness. Read more about it here.

In honor of his SPAManthropic efforts, the mayor was presented a copy of The Book of SPAM by our very own Linda Black (Dustin's mother). We're hard at work developing an edible version for hungry minds all over the world.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Mrs. Black, for helping SPAM to do such wonderful things.

Big SPAM article in TIME magazine.

2008-12-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

YES. It is TRUE. The two ALL CAPS entities finally join forces. ALL CAPS is not about shouting, it's just important stuff that you should notice. Anyhoos, Joel Stein wrote an article for TIME Magazine. He starts all trouncey but comes around when he finds out that big-time, nationally-renowned chefs not only cook with SPAM, they really like it. Had he only consulted The Book of SPAM, he would have learned so much more.

Here's the article:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1865947,00.html

Find big-name chef SPAM recipes here. Or type in www.time.com/spam

Good times, bad times, always tasty!

2008-12-04T08:46:00.001-08:00

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/blog/feeling-lean-more-spam-please/

Here's another quick story about how SPAM is beloved in good times or bad.

Kisses!

Some new press.

2008-12-03T16:11:00.001-08:00

We were recently interviewed for the Baltimore Sun, here's the link to the article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-al.cowherd30nov30,0,3065470.column

And we got a small mention in the Minneapolis City Pages. Not really sure if they've read or even seen the book, since we don't talk about wine & beer pairings for SPAM anywhere that I can recall (other than the previous blog post). But thanks anyways! Keep up the great work.

Economy Schmonomy!

2008-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Now that America is supposedly going to collapse at any second, SPAM sales are through the roof. Of course, we here at the Book of SPAM firmly believe that it has nothing to do with the economy. It has everything to do with America, after reading our magnificent 208-page, full-color, magnum opus of canned meat, finally growing up and becoming individuals who think for themselves. That's what the founding fathers intended. Don't run around yelling "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" Eat a SPAM sandwich and go spend some money. (If you're not sure where to spend your money, look here.) That's what will fix this. We all have to do our part.

BTW- If SPAM is the "emergency" food these journalists claim it is, why is this guy pairing it with red wine? Shouldn't he be out in the woods making moonshine? Hoot!

Here's links to a couple of SPAM stories in the news:

NY Times
CNN

The Book is on the can!

2008-08-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

The eagle has landed. The chair is on the wall. Circle takes the square. Starting in mid-June, the good folks at Hormel saw fit to put together a promotion for The Book of SPAM! How nice of them! Now you can see the book on the front and back of every SPAM can! It might take a while for them to get on the shelf at your local market, so here's all the info on how you can get your own special copy of The Book of SPAM:

"Just mail in 3 UPC codes from any 12 oz. SPAM® product and a check or money order for $8.95 made payable to: "The Book of SPAM" Offer, P.O. Box 10, Austin MN, 55912"

Now go on and get it! You probably have 10-12 empty SPAM cans laying around in the backyard right now! How easy is that?

SPAM sales are way up!

2008-08-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, many articles were published talking about how SPAM sales have climbed despite declines in the economy. They listed off all kinds of high-falutin techno-babble about the hows and whys this could be happening. But one element was never taken into consideration. Yes, we're talking about The Book of SPAM. It has inspired a whole new level of appreciation for canned pork. We've converted vegetarians, children, the elderly, the normal-aged, and all kinds of snooty-snootertons who would have otherwise never ever tried SPAM.

It's time the media gave credit where credit is due. Every time The Book of SPAM is opened, an angel gets a sandwich. You do the math.

And we're back!

2008-08-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Whew! So much has happened since the last post. Dustin got married! Dan had a baby boy! We whole-heartedly congratulate ourselves, but we welcome you to do the same. Anyhoo, we're back to keep you up-to-date on what's going on with The Book of SPAM. By the way, have you read it lately? C'mon! Buy it already!

Toastvertising.com

2007-12-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

We've been busy slaving away over a hot toaster, turning 220 slices of bread into something magical and tasty. Please check out toastvertising.com
And don't forget to send it to all your friends!

Dustin and I hope everybody has a great holiday and we hope you bought a copy for everyone on your gift list. It would only make sense. The Book of SPAM is the best gift in the world, yo.

-Dan

On the air in Toronto and Montreal

2007-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here's our interview on Canadian radio with Peter Anthony Holder. Peter is another radio host who holds SPAM near and dear in his heart. Like us, he is a SPAM crusader. This interview was also late-night. I was sleepy. But I still felt pretty. Which is important. Canada is like a totally different country that is also quite similar to our own country. I hope our words of SPAM knowledge were understood. Probably not by those Frenchies up there, though. Whatevs.

Grab the 20MB mp3 file of the interview here.

The Book of SPAM

Listen to our long and majestic interview on WGN Chicago.

2007-11-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

In case you don't live in Chicago, or if you do and you don't usually listen to talk radio in the middle of the night, we've posted our interview on WGN Chicago News/Talk 720. The gracious Nick Digilio was our host. Careful. It's a long one, folks. We take calls and everything. We were both surprisingly sober for a Friday night at midnight. Such is the high price of fame.

Grab the 20mb MP3 here.

The Book of SPAM has spoken.

Our vids now on National Lampoon's TOGATV.com!

2007-11-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

National Lampoon, a revered source of culture and sophomoric humor, has deemed the videos we made to promote The Book of SPAM worthy of placement on their new website. It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized by National Lampoon. We cried a tear of joy each. Log on to TogaTV.com and watch all four again and again! Did I mention we'll be making more of these soon? Oh yeah. I did.

More radio interviews!

2007-11-02T21:59:00.001-07:00

Dustin and I were on WGN radio in Chicago last night at the smack of midnight. Nick DiGilio was our gracious host. He's a man's man who stays up late to spread the good word of SPAM and Schlitz beer, among countless other things. We'll post that one soon for your listening pleasure.

For those near Asheville, North Carolina, we'll be on 96.5 WOXL Tuesday morning at 9am EST. Mornings with Ken & Tammy. But maybe this one isn't live. Oh boy. Life is hard. I'll keep you posted. Have a sandwich! You'll feel better.

-Dan
The Book of SPAM

Ad Age coverage

2007-10-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

For those folks in the dirty business of advertising, check out this week's AdAge. The last page (or first bizarro page) features The Book of SPAM. If you're not in advertising, you can still see it. But your haircut probably won't be as fussy. This may affect your enjoyment of this piece.

Or just grab it here and don't worry about your hair anymore.

We are now international

2007-10-22T07:55:00.001-07:00

Howdy folks. The Book of SPAM has great news! A couple weeks ago, The Book of SPAM was released internationally. Now all God-fearing, English-speaking peoples worldwide can enjoy the tasty morsels of knowledge that lead to SPAM enlightenment. Non-English speaking people in Germany and France and parts of Asia can at least enjoy the funny pictures.

Also - check us out on neatorama! It's a popular blog about neat stuff.

We're working on new videos for your enjoyment. We're getting more and more press. Just Google "The Book of SPAM" in quotes. And then make yourself a nice cup of chamomile tea and dip your tootsies in a soothing salt bath.

Did you eat your SPAM today?

Kisses!

For your listening pleasure

2007-09-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the mp3s of our radio interviews on WCCO. One with Charlie Boone, and one with MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

We've got more stuff coming up, but for now I'm heading to Germany for a week to enjoy Rocktoberfest. I'll be trying to fill their minds with meat, but the language barrier may prove difficult. "SPAM ist Schweine! Das ist alles! Schweinefleisch und Schinken! Ja wohl!" Yes, you have to shout everything.

Keep it meaty!

-Dan

On the radio with the Governor!

2007-09-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

It is our proud civic duty to speak with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty tomorrow morning at 9:45 on WCCO radio. So turn off your gangsta rap for 10 minutes and listen us on AM 830. I know it's not stereo, but you'll be just fine.

BTW- Gov. Pawlenty is the one in the red shirt.

And click here to see our TV interview with Tim McNiff yesterday at the crack of dawn on KARE-11.

We like to talk with our hands

2007-09-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

I think our interviews are filled with meat, don't get me wrong. But do you guys think we're a little too handsy? Let us know. Please enjoy these awkward frames from our appearance on Showcase Minnesota, a TV show that showcases Minnesota!

Another TV interview

2007-09-11T08:35:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis folks, tune in bright and early tomorrow morning to see us on the KARE-11 Morning show. Who ever thought we'd bust into the book business and never get to sleep again? Can you add SPAM to coffee? Mmmmm. What a meaty morning it will be.

Check it out Weds Sept 12, 6am on KARE-11.

More press and TV appearance

2007-09-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

Whew. We've been pretty busy lately. We don't even have time to tell you about everything going on, but there's some exciting stuff happening. Here's two things for now.

First off, for all the Twin Cities peeps, we're going to be on Kare11 sometime between 10 and 11 am tomorrow (Friday, Sept 7th). Set your Tivos or VCRs. We're getting a whole 5 minute segment. So pull yourself away from Dr. Phil for a day.

Secondly, we got a big write-up in Creativity. It's a big deal for us folks in advertising. We're pleased as punch. Check it out here.

More soon. Whooooo!

Sadness! 30 days of SPAM is over.

2007-08-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have been following Mr. Riewer's hilarious journey. He is superultra famous now. Look at him doing one of many interviews. Very professional! Hopefully he'll keep updating us on his 30 Days of SPAM Withdrawal.

Pics from the release party.

2007-08-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Book pimpin' ain't easy. We'll have lots more pics up soon. If you're in Minneapolis, don't forget to wake up tomorrow and listen to us talk on morning radio at 107.1 FM.

Tune in tomorrow morning.

2007-08-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

We'll be on the Twin Cities own FM 107.1 at around 8am. We'll be on the phone for this one, so my wardrobe will be scanty and revealing. See how that knowledge goes with your coffee tomorrow morning. Mmmmm. Radio. Theater of the mind.

Humanity enjoys The Book of SPAM

2007-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

This shot was sent in by a fan. Look at how this young man reacts to the wonderful and astounding information in The Book of SPAM!

Where is it?

2007-08-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

It seems that some bookstores are confused about where The Book of SPAM should go. We think it should have its own section, of course. But as we were scouting around local bookstores and squealing like a little girl when we saw it on the shelf, we discovered that some bookstores properly consider it humor. While others consider it cooking. Maybe others will consider it world history, or even religious literature.

On my quest, I walked up to the information desk to ask where I could find my own damn book that I wroted myself. When I told the girl the name of the book, she looks at me and says "You mean the Scientifically Produced Artificial Meat kind of SPAM?" She's lucky I am such a gentleman.

Today is the day

2007-08-21T10:04:00.001-07:00

The Book of SPAM is officially out! Why are you at work today? Why aren't you running to a bookstore near you and buying the hell out of this book? You are going to love it. Do you know why? Because we made it for you. That's why. Now go! Go into the world and get everyone you know a copy of The Book of SPAM!

It all happened too fast

2007-08-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Our release party last night was such a blast. Turnout was fantastic. The SPAMmobile was rockin'. Everything was perfect. Thanks to everyone who came out. My only complaint would be that it all went by so quickly. But I'm not sure who to complain to about that.

We owe so much to Monica Hazelwood. The party simply would not have happened without her. Monica, you are a SPAM angel. I'd also like to thank my brother Bill for his help on the presentation.

One horrible mistake and omission we made in the presentation was not thanking Scott Aakre. Scott, you are a beautiful human being and I want to be best friends and go on picnics in the park with you. I apologize for not having your name up on the screen. I don't know how that happened.

We'll have pictures up soon, maybe even a video.

Next up is 7pm Tuesday night at the Borders Books in Rosedale.

Interviews Schminterviews

2007-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Everybody in Minneapolis check out this week's Onion. We're in there. Mugshot and all. We'll get a scan up ASAP. Then on Saturday morning we'll be on WCCO radio with Charlie Boone telling our magical story at 6:30 am. I hope we don't oversleep! Set your Tivos if you have ones that can record radio. Mom, I know you'll be listening.

-Dan

We got books!

2007-08-16T12:29:00.001-07:00

They're finally here. We held them like little babies. We wept with joy. Then we signed them and sent them off into the world.

Release party posters are up!

2007-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

They're ready to go. The tension is building. I was sweaty with anticipation.

Thanks to Mary, Monica, Anna, and Jaynee for their help today.

-dan

Website work continues

2007-08-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

If you thought TheBookofSPAM.com was complete, think again! Well, it's mostly complete. There's some finishing touches being added very soon. You will like them. Yes, I command you to like them.

This is Cory. He's making the website. He's blurry because I had too many beers while he was making the website. This is how I saw him.

-dan

Cocktail attire controversy

2007-08-14T15:33:00.002-07:00

The Book of SPAM is causing controversy already! And it's not even out yet. For those attending the release party, it was suggested that "cocktail attire" be worn. This has resulted in confusion and many interpretations. For our purposes, "cocktail attire" is what you'd wear out to drink martinis. Not what you wear in the garage swilling warm Schlitz. Like a nice shirt and nice jeans. Or something fancy-dancy for the ladies. It doesn't mean a suit and tie. If you want to wear that, we won't stop you. More power to ya. And if you female people want to bust out any dusty bridesmaid dresses, that's ok too. But you don't have to. Just don't show up in a wife beater and dirty zubas. This is for your own good. When did I suddenly become a fashion nazi? Good lord.

If you have any questions, or if you haven't RSVPed yet, or if you really want to come and we somehow forgot to invite you, email us at:
info@thebookofspam.com

-dan

The first review is in!

2007-08-13T21:42:00.001-07:00

This review is pert-near spot-on, methinks. We're busy getting ready for our release party. The tension is thick enough to put in a can. Only 8 more days until the book hits shelves, folks. Can you feel the magic?

View review here.

-dan

The theme song has landed.

2007-08-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

What book has its own theme song? The Book of SPAM does! Listen to it until your ears bleed with SPAM love. Created with the help of Alex Berglund (violins and mixing, courtesy of Echo Boys Music), Joanna Jahn (the beautiful multi-tracked voices of the choir - check out her site here), and many others, this song captures the emotional fury and intense desire that is The Book of SPAM. Who's that super wicked awesome lead singer? Yours truly. Oh yeah. Feel it.

Download it and put it in your iPod already!

-dan

30 Days of SPAM starts tomorrow!

2007-07-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Big news, folks. One Nebraskan is committed enough to his love of SPAM to show the whole world what it means to be a SPAM Fan. He's going to eat SPAM for every meal, every day, for thirty whole days. He claims that eating a month's worth of SPAM and then reading The Book of SPAM will finally help him transcend the human race and become something even greater. We just hope he can make it to our Minneapolis release party.
Follow his progress at www.30daysofSPAM.com

Feel free to join him in his culinary quest deep into the SPAM future. Then he can change it to 30 Days of SPAM Across America. Electrifying!

Step aside, Harry Potter, now there's something meatier!

2007-07-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well, things are starting to roll. We've got interviews coming up (more on that soon), and we've confirmed our first book signing event. It will be at Border's Books in Roseville, MN on August 21st at 7pm. The SPAMmobile will also be there, like a comforting and supportive friend made of hardened steel and plush steering wheel covers.

So please join us on this most auspicious occasion! You only have to wait three measly weeks. You can do it!

2007-07-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

Less than a month and a half! Get your money ready!

It's almost here!

2007-07-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

With a national release date of August 21st, 2007, a zen-like calm comes over the world before the storm that is canned meat knowledge changes history yet again. Come August 22nd, you may not recognize the world any longer. Or maybe you will. Just a thought.

Also, we’re planning our pre-release party in Minneapolis on Friday, August 17th. The SPAMmobile is scheduled to be there, along with SPAM appetizers, SPAM music, and SPAM this and that.

Pre-order your copy today on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, Walmart.com, or damn near any other dotcom imaginable. I guess you could walk down to a store or use the phone to pre-order one, too. But what, are you Amish or something?

Watch for www.TheBookofSPAM.com - coming soon.

Watch for www.30daysofSPAM.com - starting July 30th.

Can you taste the excitement? Fill your mind with meat! -dan