The Sound of Laughter - Peter Kay

Advantages: Explains the background to some of his characters
Disadvantages: Ponderous, poorly written, rushed, too expensive

...up Peter Kay DVDs over the last few years, and being stuck for an idea what my sister could have got me for my Christmas present, I went on to Amazon to see what was recommended and Peter Kay's autobiography "The Sound of Laughter" popped up. Given its "Sound of Music" styled cover, I was drawn to it, even though I am usually not a fan of autobiographies when they are written when the subject is someone who has had a relatively short period of time ...
...- there is none of the "50 years in show business" style of autobiographies - look at Messrs. Cole, Beckham and Rooney as examples - possibly that is why Perry Groves' autobiography sold better than theirs... Peter Kay has jumped on this bandwagon, just prior to Christmas 2006, and given his stage performances, I thought I would have a good enjoyable read. I don't wish to sound condescending but a lot of the life he talks about is deadly dull and ... Read review

Advantages: amusing
Disadvantages: too early for an autobiography

...since first watching ‘live at the top of the tower’ I could never get enough of his stand up. Being a fan of autobiographies in general I was interested when I heard Peter Kay was writing one and after a few subtle hints was able to open this book on Christmas day. --Peter’s Life-- If you were to say Peter Kay has had a few part time jobs in his time you would definitely be an understatement. The jobs he describes include but aren’t limited to ...
...caller and cinema usher. The book focuses a lot on his times working at these places. This is because these are what have made Peter Kay the person he is, any fan of his know they have certainly affected both his stand up material and TV characters he has written. Other areas of the book focus on Peter’s school days. Peter went to a catholic school where he was taught by nuns; this was a fairly different experience than an average school and has ... Read review

Advantages: He writes like he talks.
Disadvantages: None

At the end of last year, whilst looking for Christmas presents for my horde of family, I kept noticing the Peter Kay autobiography. It was a massive £18.99, so I put it on my own Christmas List, but to honest, didn’t expect to get it in my stocking. On Christmas Day, I wasn’t disappointed, as I didn’t get it. I bought mine in a supermarket at half price in March, and I felt it was a real bargain for a hard back book with such good quality pages. ...
...or loathe. I am the former, and watching his live shows, has me crying with laughter, even when I have seen it before, and know what is coming. I also like Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, although I really can’t get into Phoenix Nights. I have a fairly female family, and most are obsessed with The Sound of Music, so the cover of the book made me smile with a picture taken from the scene The Hills Are Alive, but with Peter’s head stuck on in the ... Read review

Advantages: Amusing, gives you a deeper understanding of him
Disadvantages: Might not have enough of his 'famous' life in for some people's liking

I can’t profess to be the biggest Peter Kay fan. In fact, I’m not even close: I don’t own any of his DVDs, I didn’t enjoy Phoenix Nights at all and when I heard he was bringing out an authobiography I didn’t once consider buying it. However, I have laughed myself silly whilst watching friends’ DVDs of his stand ups, so when my boyfriend borrowed his friend’s copy of the book and had it lying around the house for a month having not got round to reading ...
...it first (can you sense the enthusiasm?) I can honestly say that I didn’t actually think much about what I was expecting from the book, so maybe that is partly why I was surprised by the outcome. For those of you who don’t know him (where have you been?!) Peter Kay is a famous comedian who is best known for his observational humour about everyday life, but more specifically to being just your average lad from a bog standard close knit working class ... Read review

Advantages: Good Book
Disadvantages: Prone to mistakes

Peter Kay - The Sound Of Laughter I'll start by saying what a huge disappointment. I expected so much more from a comedian like this, He's so funny and cracked jokes that have me in hysterics 9 times out of 10. The book is Peter Kay's autobiography called "the sound of laughter". The cover shows right blue and yellow proving it to be very eye-catching. I purchased this book from WHSmiths a few weeks ago and got really excited thinking how much I ...
...to be good value. The book is split into 16 chapters which are: 1. Oscars Lipstick 2. Trevor McDonalds Nose 3. The Moon Landings of '84 4. A Highland Toffee and a Packet of Three 5. Catholic Intercourse 6. The Holy White Triangle 7. Music Was My First Love . . 8. The Vinyl Countdown 9. We Be Jammin' 10. 4pm till Raid 11. Dettol and Marijuana 12. Let's Tickle Those Balls 13. With Bert By Torchlight 14. The Magic Thumb Trick 15. Nobody ... Read review

Advantages: Honest, compelling and vibrant
Disadvantages: Occasional jarring grammatical slips

..., amongst other things, scattered throughout its pages, which helps put faces to names and in many cases brings a poignant reminder that these hellish experiences were very real. All in all, I was surprised by this book, even as a Brand fan. Having eagerly read Peter Kay's 'The Sound of Laughter' a while back and been disappointed by how his comedic style translated so badly onto the page, I was delighted to find that 'My Booky Wook' is readable, compelling and has Russell Brand written all over it in a way that adds to its appeal rather than detracting from it. It is vibrant, honest, sexy, moving and despairing in turn, with an ultimate message of hope and redemption which left a smile on my face. I just hope it will open some people's eyes to the man behind the persona, the man inside it, the man entwined with it, who shimmers through... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful