A Book for the Tasteless

Not all of us here at Phillyist.com are fans of Valentine's Day, which is why we were delighted to come across Karl Shaw's 5 People Who Died During Sex, which is being published on February 13. It's not a book with just one list; instead, Shaw gives us "100 other terribly tasteless lists," such as "Cures No Longer Recommended by the Medical Profession," "Creative Drunks," and "Causes of the Black Death According to the Church."

In the spirit of Shaw's book, we asked him five questions, though whether or not they're tasteless -- we'll leave that for you to decide.

1. Why top five instead of top ten?
I only know of five very famous people who died during sex: believe me, I searched. OK there are a couple more who could have made the list but Seven Famous People Who Died During Sex Including A Couple You Might Struggle With didn't quite work. If anyone knows of five more I would love to hear from them. It could be the start of something beautiful.

2. What's your favorite list in the book?
It's very subjective, but my two favourites at the moment are Last Curtain Calls: '10 Showbiz Exits' (the entertainer Ramon Barrero, player of "the world’s smallest harmonica," inhaled mid-performance and accidentally choked to death on his mouth organ) and '10 Bad Hair Days' (the composer Rossini suffered from alopecia which made him completely bald, and he took to wearing a wig. In exceptionally cold weather however he wore two or three wigs simultaneously)

3. What's the grossest thing you learned in researching this book?
That would be giving too much away. One that quite moved me, however, was the discovery that the Emperor Shih Hu of China (AD 334-349) frequently used to select a lady from his harem and serve her cooked torso to his visitors at banquets Keen to impress. Shih Hu also insisted upon passing the uncooked head around his guests on a platter for inspection so he could prove that he hadn’t sacrificed his ugliest mistress.

4. Why do you think bad taste is a wonderful thing?
Where would good taste be without it?

5. Do you think my grandmother would like this book for her birthday?
Only if you don't expect to inherit.

Image via BN.com