Joel Dovev on the decorating horrors of Mom and Dad
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For those who grew up in the pre-HGTV era, comedian Joel Dovev’s “Crap at My Parents’ House” might trigger a familiar cringe. The book (Abrams Image: $14.95) is filled with 190 photos drawn from Dovev’s blog of the same name, where similarly affected children from around the world contributed snapshots of unusual, inappropriate and just plain weird knickknacks masquerading as decoration in their parents’ homes.
Creepy dolls, nightmare-inducing clown figurines and religious icons deployed in a non-spiritual context (think Jesus-playing-soccer statue) are all represented here, along with those improbable yet hard-to-resist contraptions such as the radio toilet paper holder (with crossword puzzles imprinted on the paper).
Dovev, a stand-up comedian from Brooklyn, came up with the idea after contemplating his mother’s mantel, adorned with a menorah, a dreidel and a shofar displayed next to a replica pirate ship.
“My theory is,’ Dovev said, ‘if you keep it, then it has a purpose.”
Examples from Dovev’s book, with commentary from the author:
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-- Liesl Bradner