The blurb at Digg said this video was about how Jean Shepherd gave birth to "a salacious historical novel that was completely make up..." Of course, my first thought was, aren't all novels made up? But I soon learned that he didn't write I, Libertine, he just made up the fact that it existed at all. And people fell for it! In the process, Shepherd made a point about pretentiousness and cultivating one's image through pure lies.
Jean Shepherd was a radio star and humorist with plenty of stories to tell. Decades after the I, Libertine saga, he used some stories from his own childhood to write and narrate the film A Christmas Story.
By the way, the book is out of print, but you can still find a few vintage copies of I, Libertine for sale. -via Digg