British comedy wank
Bit old, but still quite amusing.

A few weeks ago, Rik Mayall had his autobiography published.

Opinions vary.

Since IMDB.com demands you log in to read the posts, here's some highlights.

MrTrees starts off with a quick review:
"I just forced myself to read the entire book and I can say that it's one of the worst works of literature I've ever read in my entire life. And that includes the awful books I was forced to read at school."

Particlebreeze gives an explanation:
"did you expect it to be a real autobiography? I mean, I think it's obvious that it's not to be taken seriously from the title alone. The book seems to be more like a biography of the image that he often tries to present - and portrays in a lot of his characters. Stupid, superficial, arrogant, self-obsessed and all that."

MrTrees and ParticleBreeze then argue the finer points of doing a mock-autobiography well, and Paul Merton gets dragged into the conversation.

Johngeemartin2003 offers the cliché badfic author excuse that it's Rik's 'style'
"This is his style..He is completely off the wall. If you don't get the joke i feel sorry for you. These are the random ramblings of a complete nut-case and it is brilliant I was in tears laughing."

MrTrees continues his analysis of the work:
"Cliched character. Overused. That joke was funny the first time (it was one of the few times I did laugh) but not strong enough to be the running joke that Rik Mayall was obviously desperately trying (and failing) to turn it into."

MrTrees asks a question I've been asking myself.
"What I don't understand is how a genuinely funny person like Rik Mayall could have produced such a desperately awful book." He makes some 'flattering' comparisons too: " Reading it is like being told you have terminal cancer - it's awful, it's depressing and no matter how hard you try to laugh, it won't just happen."

Leave Bruce out of it!
"And I've read ALL the best autobiographies! Well... Bruce Campbell's."

Is this breaking Godwin's Law or not?
"I've read quite a few autobiographies myself and I have to say that even Commandant of Auschwitz - a tale involving genocide and obtained under (some say) excruciating torture - is a comedy masterpiece compared to Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ."

Hannibalmcnee diosagrees. Vehemently.

"You are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! "

Did everybody get that? Good.

Dude, we don't NEED censorship on the internet!
"It's about Rik and it's by Rik, it's *beep* hilarious! Iv'e been having a *beep* time recently."

MrTrees decides to call everybody stupid.
"I see my opinion now earns me puerile, childish attempts at character assassination. No wonder you appreciate the book, given how you appear to exhibit low IQs."

There's some more whinging, but the above is basically it.

(Post a new comment)

	oneiropolos 2005-10-10 06:15 pm UTC (link)
	Wankers mentioning Bruce Campbell just makes me sad. They should not be allowed to type his name. -_- (Reply to this)

	kadath 2005-10-10 06:18 pm UTC (link)
	I see my opinion now earns me puerile, childish attempts at character assassination. No wonder you appreciate the book, given how you appear to exhibit low IQs. Aww, he's trying so hard. pats on head (Reply to this)

	singe 2005-10-10 06:40 pm UTC (link)
	Prick. (Tee hee!) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	gaminette 2005-10-10 07:27 pm UTC (link)
	yes - the "p" is silent. ^_~ (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	singe 2005-10-10 09:48 pm UTC (link)
	Now I'm having Lord Flash flashbacks. WOOF! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	tao_tao 2005-10-10 07:10 pm UTC (link)
	" Reading it is like being told you have terminal cancer - it's awful, it's depressing and no matter how hard you try to laugh, it won't just happen." Heh. This is probably an old joke, but it is really good. (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2005-10-10 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	aww, I love Rik Mayall. Well, I love Drop Dead Fred, anyway. You got married...you mean you've been doing it, like the pigeons?! (Reply to this)

	tourette 2005-10-10 10:49 pm UTC (link)
	I'm trying to remember what books I did at school now. I can't help imagining that maybe MrTrees doesn't like books all that much :( I could have made a better post than this, but my icon will never be so appropriate again! (Reply to this)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2005-10-11 12:12 am UTC (link)
	So much icon love! -lorazia@lj (Reply to this)(Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2005-10-10 11:20 pm UTC (link)
	What's better is the fans who whined because it wasn't a proper autobiography and bemoaned the lack of deeply secretive information about his love life and children... (Reply to this)(Thread)

	tangentialone 2005-10-11 03:22 am UTC (link)
	But they're entitled to it just by virtue of being fans! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	phosfate 2005-10-11 03:34 pm UTC (link)
	I just hope it was better than Adrian Edmondson's novel. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	llama_treats 2005-10-11 03:41 pm UTC (link)
	But...but..."The Gobbler" was a work of art! tries to keep straight face fails miserably BWAHAHAHAHA! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	phosfate 2005-10-11 03:44 pm UTC (link)
	God, that blew. Stinky. Chunks. On ice. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	llama_treats 2005-10-11 03:48 pm UTC (link)
	When "Filthy, Rich & Catflap" seems like a philosophical treatise in comparison, it's time to put away the word processor. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	grand_sealink 2005-10-11 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	I'm probably missing something here, but what is the origin of the word/phrase "catflap"? is culturally inept (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	llama_treats 2005-10-11 04:31 pm UTC (link)
	Usually, it refers to a little opening that your cat can use to get in and out of the house. I doubt that helps at all. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	dracothelizard 2005-10-12 12:48 am UTC (link)
	I didn't half mind that book. ducks rotting eggs and tomatoes (Reply to this)(Parent)

	phosfate 2005-10-11 03:47 pm UTC (link)
	"And that includes the awful books I was forced to read at school." Yeah! Melville, Bradbury, Twain, and the Berensteins. Fuckin' hacks. (Reply to this)

mysticated_wine
2005-10-12 12:15 am UTC (link)

"I compared some of the messages on here to the dribblings of the mentally retarded, but that wasn't me trying to be insulting. I've worked with people who have varying levels of mental retardation (that's the sort of thing you're trusted to do when you have an education) and the responses I got showed they were produced by people of similar special needs."

*sigh* Look, buddy, just because someone OMG DISAGREES!!!111!1 with you does not mean that they are mentally retarded, ok? I realize this is a tough concept to grasp, but most people have managed to get it by the time they reach adulthood. The fact that you claim to have been a fan of Rik's for 20 years really doesn't speak too highly in your favour right now, because it means that you're old enough to know better.

~~Although I can't deny that most of the posters on the IMDb have the mental capacity of a bag of sand and the typing skills of a crack addicted spider monkey.~~

(Reply to this)