[Colonel Flagg]

Sometimes Max's writing is heartfelt and serious, sometimes it is bitingly sarcastic and occasionally he writes as would an emu on acid. So perhaps in in the first case the reason people aren't laughing is because they're not really supposed to laugh, but rather think. In the second case, his humor is somewhat of an acquired taste (a certain open letter comes to mind, which not everyone realized was written with tongue planted firmly in cheek) where in the last case, if you try to understand the humor, they might chuck you into a loony bin, so the best recourse is simply to go with the flow and laugh.

Part of what I like about Max's writing is that I never know what kind of piece he'll present, and that fills me with a great sense of anticipation.