A crazy correspondence

By James Casey
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 13, 1997

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Letters from a Nut , by Ted L. Nancy ($15, Avon Books), is possibly one of the most inventive and downright hilarious books ever published. It is a compendium of truly madcap letters sent to a variety of recipients, including national corporations, politicians, celebrities, hotels and others, with their replies on the next page. What makes this book unique is the way in which the letters, which would presumably be discarded due to their ridiculous content, are actually taken seriously by the companies/individuals who received them and replied to in a very formal and often concerned matter.

This book has gained great popularity since funny-man Jerry Seinfeld publicly endorsed it on the talk show circuit as a most hilarious read. He also provides a lengthy introduction detailing the brilliance and ingenuity of Mr. Ted L. Nancy's efforts. Nancy is the alleged scribe of the letters.

Nancy goes ballistic when he sends off bizarre requests to hotels in Vegas, asking if he could bring his own soda machine because it has the flavors he likes, or when he tells them that he will arrive wearing a large red shrimp costume because it makes him feel lucky.

Ever wondered how to enter or exit a seat in a stadium? Do you walk past other spectators with your rear or your crotch in their face? Nancy wanted to know the answer, so he wrote to the American Seating Company and asked their president if he had the answer. Unfortunately not, but the reply was extremely courteous and said if Nancy should come up with a solution that he should contact him again.

One of the best letters of the bunch is the one in which Nancy asks Aloha Airlines if he could possibly wear his rotting radish costume on the plane, as he won't have enough time to change when he gets off due to the 156 buttons the costume has. Naturally the reply is no, though the total sterness of the straight-faced response makes for the funniest example of the ridiculous being taken seriously.

Ted L. Nancy unleashes a no-holds-barred attack on everyone and often you feel sorry for the extremely gullible and stupid victims of his inquisition. It is, in a way, the more educated version of a prank call, with many a receiver being coaxed into a false sense of honesty. If the Jerky Boys could read and write they'd probably have put something like this out long ago.