{"product_id":"organ-grinder-a-classical-education-gone-astray-9780865478343","title":"Organ Grinder: A Classical Education Gone Astray","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne part Plato, one part Aristophanes, two parts \u003ci\u003eEasy Rider\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOrgan Grinder\u003c\/i\u003e is a cocktail of lewd wisdom gathered equally from the poetry of antiquity and from near-death experiences on the open road. In a series of short works inspired by Horatian satire, Alan Fishbone bounces from gonzo fever-dream to philosophical treatise, investigating the conflicts between idealism and cynicism, love and sex, body and soul. Here's a taste: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAfter my accident, I thought I was done with motorcycles. Until a few years ago-- I was lying in bed having trouble sleeping when I heard a voice say to me, \"Alan, get a Harley and ride to Death Valley.\" I didn't even like Harleys. And I didn't believe that God had called me and told me to get one. It seemed unlikely that the monotheistic god we're stuck with would endorse a brand of motorcycle. Maybe the pagan gods of antiquity. Zeus might have ridden a Road King, or Apollo a BMW; you can imagine Aphrodite on the back of Ares's Ninja, zooming around the planets with the tip of a golden thong sticking out of her robe. Even that twerp Hermes on a Vespa delivering messages. Those gods liked to drink and screw and run around, like bikers, but not Yahweh or the Lord or Allah--strictly black limousines and security goons for those guys. Thou shalt not ride. Thou shalt not be free. Thou shalt pay off the debt of thy sins. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSo writes Alan Fishbone, our motorcycle riding scholar of ancient Greek and Latin, in one of the salty, sharp-eyed pieces that fill the pages of\u003ci\u003e Organ Grinder\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlan Fishbone \u003c\/b\u003ehas an M.Phil. in Classics from Columbia University. He has worked as a teacher of English and Aikido; as a translator of Latin, ancient Greek, and Spanish; and as a bouncer, a bartender, a construction worker, and a professor of Classics. Most recently he translated the installation ceremony of Pope Francis on live television for ABC News. He lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Fsg Originals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50376863187218,"sku":"9780865478343","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2717e500-c44b-47c8-b9d7-f36ce62e2759.jpg?v=1728609446","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/organ-grinder-a-classical-education-gone-astray-9780865478343","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}