Reviewed by Antonella Townsend
I laughed, I cried laughing … I cried!
I could leave it there, but for the sake of this not being the shortest review in the history of reviews, I will give a brief explanation.
I laughed to the point of tears because Michael McIntyre is clearly one of the funniest comedians on this planet, and has managed to capture some of his performance in this autobiography. Of course, Michael has sold out huge entertainment venues in Britain, such as the O2, (the old Millennium Dome, now repurposed as an entertainment centre). But readers who have read his first autobiography (Life and Laughing) will realize that it took him many years to be an ‘over-night success’. And I would say, during those many years, Michael displayed a courage and tenacity necessary for attending a brutal boarding school. For those not in the McIntyre loop, Michael catches readers up briefly in the Prologue, (or is it a Preface, or Foreword, he isn’t at all sure). As his first autobiography ends, he has just played The Royal Variety Performance, and so became an over-night success. He is on his way! Or is he? He is still living in a series of rabbit hole flats in North London, suffering dingbat neighbours, becoming a first-time parent, has a trouser-less encounter with three policemen, and then the not so funny. There are many bumps in the Michael McIntyre Road Show.
Michael reveals his insecurities and, whereas hilarity pours out from most pages, amongst the fame and fortune there have been some spectacular flops and agonizing embarrassments. But only when he strayed from stand-up comedy to hosting chat shows. And there was that particularly gut-wrenching award night. Never mind, onward and upward and back on the road show. Addison, his manager and agent, was always there to pick him up and pump him full of confidence and fix the unfixable. Until he wasn’t. Michael, always honest, writes his life as he felt it at the time. It is a funny yet touching read.
Michael really is the Komediekonge!
By Michael McIntyre
(2021)
Pan Macmillan Australia
Hardback: ISBN: 9781529063653
$44.99; 320pp
Paperback: ISBN: 9781529063660
$34.99; 320pp
EBook $16.99