Why people recommend it
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley is a satirical novel following the life of Nick Naylor, a smooth-talking chief lobbyist for big tobacco who defends the indefensible with sharp wit and media savvy. On The Jordan Harbinger Show, the host and guest discussed public relations manipulation, with the host noting that corresponding with Christopher Buckley during a book project was a major life thrill and drawing direct comparisons between the guest's storytelling style and Buckley's novel. Jordan Harbinger also brought up the book to explore fictional public relations work for the tobacco industry. Robert Evans analyzed the title on Behind the Bastards while discussing early investments and ideological influences behind a film adaptation funded by tech figures, highlighting the book's sharp libertarian themes. Jason Calacanis and David Sacks referenced the cinematic adaptation on All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg, with Sacks utilizing the story as an analogy for the uniquely American phenomenon of defending individual choices that are manifestly harmful. Elon Musk also mentioned helping produce the movie version on the Lex Fridman Podcast, pointing out how it illustrates the severe dangers of regulatory capture when powerful corporate entities fight aggressively against government oversight and public health regulations over long periods of time.
Who recommended it
- Robert Evans Discussed
- Jordan Harbinger Discussed
- Elon Musk Discussed
Robert Evans — 2 mentions
“it's based off a book by William F Buckley's son which is rhia lover William F Buckley um but it's a good book”
“Around 2007, he and Elon Musk, along with David Sachs, funded a movie called 'Thank You for Smoking,' which I just watched the day Biden dropped out of the election, and it still holds up. It's a good movie with the actor who played Two-Face in Christopher Nolan's Batman films; he did a fantastic job. It's based on a book”
Jordan Harbinger — 1 mention
“have you ever seen thank you for smoking of course i read the book i love the movie”
Elon Musk — 1 mention
“or look at the back tobacco industry and how long they fought any thing about smoking That's part of why I helped make that movie thank you for smoking You can sort of see just how pernicious it can be when you have these companies that effectively achieve regulatory capture of government”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 4
“Actually, one of the great thrills of my life was corresponding with Christopher Buckley during writing this book; he wrote 'Thank You for Smoking,' which this book definitely reminds me of.”
“That's right, the way you spun this Iraq War documentary, that's what reminded me of 'Thank You for Smoking.'”
“They're taking screenplay writing software, Sac, so you’ll appreciate this, having produced two amazing movies, thank you for smoking and the Dolly film, called Dollyland.”
“You know, it's like smoking in a way, where when I made the movie thing for smoking, Christopher Buckley told me, you know, he's the author of the book and he said, 'Look, there's something uniquely American about defending people's right to do something that's manifestly harmful.' The main character in Thank You for Smoking is a spokesman for big”