Kim Jong Il Unmasked: Michael Malice's Unauthorized Autobiography of North Korea's Supreme Leader
An event at NYC's Museum of Sex
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Kim Jong Il, who was the supreme leader of North Korea until his death in 2011, was a leading authority on gymnastics, cinema, literature, war, cooking, and the arts. He wrote 1,400 works when he was in college, including a senior thesis that was an achievement comparable to Columbus' discovery of America. He revolutionized the opera, personally discovered that Paleolithic man originated on the Korean Peninsula, and came up with a theory of art that was as impactful on modern culture as the Copernican Revolution. Why did the supreme leader always wear sunglasses? That's because his eyes were constantly bloodshot from staying up all night figuring out ways to help his country.
These are details from celebrity ghostwriter (and former editor of Overheard in New York) Michael Malice's new book Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il, a strange, tragic, and humorous first-person account of the supreme leader's life. On March 18, 2014, at an event held at New York City's Museum of Sex and sponsored by the Reason Foundation, The New York Times columnist John Tierney sat down with Malice to discuss the book.
Highlights from the event included a
discussion of how Malice came to write Dear Reader (1:28);
why Kim Jong Il is despised by North Koreans (7:00); how North
Koreans are forced to engage in regular self-criticism sessions in
which they're denounced by their peers (9:00); why it was a
surprise that Kim Jong Il succeeded his father, Kim Il-sung
(12:00); why there's no hope that political change will come to
North Korea anytime soon (20:20); Ayn Rand's influence on Malice
(23:20); why Kim Jong Il hated the Mona Lisa (27:15); an
example of a North Korean joke (29:15); why Malice thinks the
media's coverage of Dennis Rodman's relationship with Kim Jong Un
is deplorable (31:35); the story behind the 1987 bombing of Flight
858 by North Korean agents (33:20); the originis of the Korean
famine (41:00); Kim Jong Il's "spot on critiques of U.S. foreign
policy" (42:00); why North Korea allows its citizens to reunite
with family members from South Korea (43:30); the
relationship between China and North Korea (50:00); and North
Korea's nuclear capabilities (51:15).
For more on Malice's time in North Korea researching the book, read his account from the August/September 2013 issue of Reason.
About 54:30.
Shot and edited by Jim Epstein.
Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.
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He developed an antidote for Gangnam Style on his death bed, a full year before it would be needed.
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I think a swift pistol whip is all that is needed.
When my wife and I got married, this was one of about three songs that we banned the D.J. from playing.
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When we were interviewing DJs, one suggested we play "beautiful day" by U2 after we were pronounced. We waited for him to leave the room before we started laughing.
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Seriously? Wow, what an idiot. Bono has to be one of the the most pompous assholes in the world. And his music sucks.
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He was the most interesting man in the world.
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I'm suspicious of his golf scores.
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The sex life of Dear Leader is possibly interesting. Asian emperors would make Mick Jagger blush.
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Why does Reason have all these events at the Museum of Sex that have nothing to do with sex?
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There is only sex. Everything is sex. Do you understand that what I'm telling you is a universal truth?
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They do have events there related to sex. They just don't tell us about them.
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Now that Lou Reed is dead, I suppose a visit to a museum is the closest you'll get to having sex in New York.
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Andy Warhol was a virgin, BTW. He was his own piece of art.
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@14:30 needs to be shouted from the hills.
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Damn. I was expecting applause after that.
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I picture the hacks at NY Times and WaPo busily whipping up similar hagiographies (only they are serious) for our own Dear Leader.
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Everyone in the Soviet Union knew that the news was bullshit. Here, I know and you know this, but I'm not so sure about you.
If I were paranoid...
