Craig Ferguson

A collection of random thoughts and memories sprinkled with the author's signature humor. A mixed bag with no clear direction, so I'd say it's only for fans.

While "American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot" felt like a victory lap on "making it" in the USA with a clear arc and themes, this one has no single focus and it's hard to summarize it. I'd say it presents what comes after you sign off from the showbiz race and discover other purposes in life. There are themes of facing one's own fears, dealing with death, building a family, thinking about one's legacy... but there is also a 3 page long description of Japanese toilets and few more pages about the author's tattoos. Every meaningful insight is undercut with some silliness that I couldn't care less about, so it was a bumpy ride and the elephant stumbled a bit.

If you are a Craig's fan, go for the audiobook (maybe it's worth an extra star?). If you are not, skip this one - I think it doesn't give enough context to stand on its own feet, so remove one star from my rating.… (mehr)

Road trip audiobook!

I was flailing about for a book to listen to on a car trip and picked this one based on the fact that I liked Craig Ferguson's performance as Owl in the 2011 Winnie the Pooh movie singing about the Backson, his supporting role on Drew Carey's old sitcom, and a funny stand-up routine about Sean Connery I once randomly downloaded to iTunes from a free Amazon comedy sampler. I've never seen more than snippets of his talk show.

This isn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be as Ferguson reflects on his family history and alcoholism and makes a few stabs at some literary passages, but I was entertained overall for the length of my drive and will probably seek out his earlier autobiography at some point.

For the sensitive: Ferguson can be a jackass as he pushes back against political correctness with his paranoid take on the MeToo movement and some other unnecessary and unwelcome opinions. Proceed with caution.… (mehr)

This is a literary slideshow through the author's life. It shows some nice photos and some nasty ones, all of them commented with witty and self-deprecating humor. I wish we could stop and go deeper with a few ones, but the author allows just a glance and pushes forward...

I have serious doubts if this book was written for readers, it feels like it was written more for the author. It gives him a chance to appreciate everyone who supported, inspired, or influenced him. I mean EVERYONE, even nameless drunkards that happened to be in a right place and time. There are numerous short episodes in this book that could've been cut out as they are not really interesting or meaningful for the whole arc... but I believe there were kept to not miss any character that shaped Craig into a person who he is now.

If you've ever watched the Late Late Show, you'll get exactly the kind of humor you'd expect. It's light, funny, and can unexpectedly turn very dark and serious... for a moment. It helps to go softly through the trauma of poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction, personal and professional failures, keeping them all at a distance for most of the time. I liked the short serious bits that felt more sincere and I wish they were longer.

Overall, it's a good book. There are some laughing-out-loud funny moments and some painful ones as well. I recommend the audiobook read by the author for an extra dose of Scottish accent and authenticity.… (mehr)