Books

[mugz]

Read Eddie Izzard and Amy Poehler's autobiographies over the past few weeks. Neither fantastic. Nor that funny either, Izzard's book not at all.

Just about to finish Ronan Farrow's "Catch & Kill" - excellent , it reads like a thriller. Great writing and reporting.

I've had "Berlin" and "Stalingrad" on my to-read shelf for while now. Might chance one of those next.

when you're young a lot of comedians seem pretty interesting and witty and edgy, and you get older and it's just shocking you were ever into them. I had this with Izzard about 10 years ago, Bill Bailey 5 years ago, Bill Hicks, Billy Connolly, Stewart Lee.

also related- comedians themselves as people are often not funny at all, whereas non comedians often write incredibly funny books, just something I've noticed over the years.

Oh hell yes.

Bill Bailey's the big one for me. His stand up has aged horrendously, but when I was an 18 year old stoner I thought him doing the BBC News theme on the synth was the pinnacle of comedy. Hicks and Connolly I still love, but more because I just enjoy listening to them. I don't laugh out loud at Hick's stuff at all, really. Stewart Lee's more interesting when he's writing about other things. His Guardian, thinking man's comedy shtick is fucking awful. "Russell Brand. Bit shite, in't he?"

Bill Burr and Doug Stanhope are the two guys who still genuinely make me laugh out loud.

And aye, Scáthach, I'd move on to Dead Men's Trousers if you like being in the company of those characters. Maybe the weakest of the books, but an entertaining read you'd manage in a sitting or two. I quite liked T2, actually. Thought it was brilliant how they used the fact that it was playing on nostalgia and would never be as good as the original as a sort of overriding plot device.

the older I get the more I realise there's a curse in being moderately but not exceptionally bright. Liking stuff that turns out to be poor is a symptom, feeling that the joke's on you, feeling terrified of death all the time every day, being unable to find any cultural things that feel like 'home' anymore...

you may be exceptionally bright by the way, not trying to drag you down to my level 

[Don Gately]

Why we sleep - Matthew Walker

[Pedrito]

Read Eddie Izzard and Amy Poehler's autobiographies over the past few weeks. Neither fantastic. Nor that funny either, Izzard's book not at all.

Just about to finish Ronan Farrow's "Catch & Kill" - excellent , it reads like a thriller. Great writing and reporting.

I've had "Berlin" and "Stalingrad" on my to-read shelf for while now. Might chance one of those next.

when you're young a lot of comedians seem pretty interesting and witty and edgy, and you get older and it's just shocking you were ever into them. I had this with Izzard about 10 years ago, Bill Bailey 5 years ago, Bill Hicks, Billy Connolly, Stewart Lee.

also related- comedians themselves as people are often not funny at all, whereas non comedians often write incredibly funny books, just something I've noticed over the years.

Oh hell yes.

Bill Bailey's the big one for me. His stand up has aged horrendously, but when I was an 18 year old stoner I thought him doing the BBC News theme on the synth was the pinnacle of comedy. Hicks and Connolly I still love, but more because I just enjoy listening to them. I don't laugh out loud at Hick's stuff at all, really. Stewart Lee's more interesting when he's writing about other things. His Guardian, thinking man's comedy shtick is fucking awful. "Russell Brand. Bit shite, in't he?"

Bill Burr and Doug Stanhope are the two guys who still genuinely make me laugh out loud.

And aye, Scáthach, I'd move on to Dead Men's Trousers if you like being in the company of those characters. Maybe the weakest of the books, but an entertaining read you'd manage in a sitting or two. I quite liked T2, actually. Thought it was brilliant how they used the fact that it was playing on nostalgia and would never be as good as the original as a sort of overriding plot device.

the older I get the more I realise there's a curse in being moderately but not exceptionally bright. Liking stuff that turns out to be poor is a symptom, feeling that the joke's on you, feeling terrified of death all the time every day, being unable to find any cultural things that feel like 'home' anymore...

you may be exceptionally bright by the way, not trying to drag you down to my level 

Book thread lads

[Eoin McLove]

The Blade Artist was enjoyable in its own right,  I thought,  but not a patch on the earlier stuff.  I read Dead Man's Trousers but cent remember anything about it off the top of my head.  I think I liked it,  though... Have you read Maribou Stork Nightmares? Thoroughly fucking twisted stuff. 

[Scáthach]

I think I read Maribou Stork Nightmares years ago but can't quite remember it. I'm really enjoying Filth at the moment. D. S. Bruce Robertson is a whole other level of bastard. Like if Sick Boy was a copper, a proper piece of shit.
As mentioned T2 movie was enjoyable, though reading Porno it's blatantly obvious that they couldn't have done a scene for scene adaptation and still give it a general release. 

I'll definitely give Dead Men's Trousers a go soon too. Especially after the somewhat cliffhanger ending of The Blade Artist.

[Eoin McLove]

I watched Filth but haven't read it.  I'll get on that.

[Don Gately]

Bunty turn off me gas!

By the way Ulysses is now out on RTE podcast. 18 parts. Listened to part 1 today. Excellent. Radio was fantastic in the 80s anyone remember Harbour Hotel?

[Carnage]

I do, vaguely. And Auntie Poppy's Storytime for the kids.

[mugz]

Bunty turn off me gas!

By the way Ulysses is now out on RTE podcast. 18 parts. Listened to part 1 today. Excellent. Radio was fantastic in the 80s anyone remember Harbour Hotel?

80s and first half of 90s radio was still an important medium. Really enjoyed it in the backgound of daily life in those days

[StoutAndAle]

when you're young a lot of comedians seem pretty interesting and witty and edgy, and you get older and it's just shocking you were ever into them. I had this with Izzard about 10 years ago, Bill Bailey 5 years ago, Bill Hicks, Billy Connolly, Stewart Lee.

also related- comedians themselves as people are often not funny at all, whereas non comedians often write incredibly funny books, just something I've noticed over the years.

I'd have to agree on the Bill Bailey thing. 25 years ago, I thought he was brilliant. The stuff hasn't aged well.

Hicks is an odd one. I thought his stuff was hilarious when I was in my early 20s - edgy, profane, the modern day Lenny Bruce and all that. But, much like Bruce, Bill Hicks without socio-political context isn't that funny. The conscience and ideology behind his material is admirable but not funny.

I still think that Stewart Lee is one of the greatest comedians around.

On topic - I definitely agree that non-comedians can write funnier autobiographies - Clive James and David Niven come to mind. I've just always been interested in the mechanics of comedy. Some stand-ups have written brilliant memoirs - David Cross, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, James Acaster, Steve Martin, Doug Stanhope - Stanhope's two books are incredible.

[Carnage]

I'd submit Peter Ustinov's first autobiography (Dear Me) in the humourous category. Brilliant stuff.

[astfgyl]

I watched Filth but haven't read it.  I'll get on that.

It's probably to be expected, but the film doesn't even slightly get across the fucking sickness in the book.

[mugz]

I'd submit Peter Ustinov's first autobiography (Dear Me) in the humourous category. Brilliant stuff.

I'd be curious for a quick rundown if you're arsed

[Carnage]

Eh, it's a standard autobio but very well written, witty and shows what an interesting life he had, even at an early age. His father was a diplomat, and he had high ranking German politicos to his house pre-WW2, in an effort to broker some kind of peace before it all kicked off, for instance.

It's presented as a back and forth between himself and... himself (I forget the details of the gimmick, I read it years ago) - hence the title - and is all the more interesting for it, as he deconstructs the major and minor events of his life from an objective viewpoint.

I'm sure a fine pinch of salt would go well with it but it's one of the most enjoyable biographies I've read over the years, I intend to read it again soon.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

He was always a laugh in interviews. Although not comedians per se, all the examples given - Clive James, David Niven, Peter Ustinov - had an explicitly comic twist to their work.