Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not sure if he's a genius, but boy is he funny!, 7 Dec 2007
There are some comedians who are just not funny off stage. They hate people spotting them when out and about because they know they'll never live up to expectations. They can 'do' funny but they AREN'T funny - not in real life. Then there are those who can make anything funny, even the lamest joke - Tommy Cooper was one of the best examples. Karl Pilkington is another: he simply IS funny...and he's not even a comedian.
Ricky Gervais, a very shrewd man, spotted this from the off. He's probably even a little envious: while Ricky meticulously plans every aspect of his comedy, Karl just opens his mouth and funny things come out!
No, this book isn't 'well-written' - the grammar is all over the place and it's full of throwaway slang...but that's not a criticism, it's a strength! Ghost-writers of footballers' autobiographies spend ages deciding how much to change the ramblings that have come from the mouths of their often less-than-articulate subjects. The trick is to make it seem authentic yet understandable. However this evolved from Karl's brain to his mouth to the page has been just right: as several of the other reviewers point out, it feels just like he's talking.
So it's 'what I did on my holidays' by a rather odd, yet very likeable and very funny man - and, you have to acknowledge, pretty gifted illustrator. It'll have you in stitches.
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32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
He's a genius, but doesn't know it, 11 Oct 2007
Karl Pilkington shot to fame as the producer behind The Ricky Gervais radio show on XFM back in 2000/2001. The show featured the pre-Office team of Gervais and Stephen Merchant playing music and talking drivel, so it was the ideal platform for Karl to get involved with.
Gervais soon realised that Karl's occasional involvement with the show was the funniest parts, and soon the show became a regular 3-man show. The XFM show ran for hundreds of shows, and evolved into a show just to hear Karl's fascinating opinions on things. This XFM show was the catalyst behind The Ricky Gervais Podcast series on first The Guardian Unlimited's website, and then through the Audible website.
This book is the second from Karl Pilkington, and has a few similarities with the first. It contains many stories and anecdotes from the XFM shows/Podcasts, but it also contains a lot of unheard material and many original hand-drawn pictures from Karl.
Personally, Karl is a genius. His views on things are child-like, single-minded, but hilarious. His ponderings range from "my eyes get heavy when I'm tired, so can blind people stay awake longer?" to "I hate jellyfish - I hear they're 98% water - why can't we just give them another 2% and have done with them?".
It's genius questions, that you can't really answer. You'd expect a child to ask them, but Karl has a endearing quality because he sounds simple, and doesn't really quite get things. He's happy in his own little world.
To get the full effect from this book, you will have to believe that Karl is speaking from the heart. He's not pretending - he's not saying things for comic effect. It's just his truthful, instant opinions on things, and that makes it funnier.
It would also help if you'd heard Karl before, either on XFM or on the podcasts, as it really does add another dimension if you can hear Karl's whiny Manchester accent in your head while you're reading his words. Without this, the book could seem poorly written.
In summary, if you're familiar with Karl, it's a funny, enjoyable read that's a perfect accompanyment to his podcast material. If you're not familiar with Karl, don't start with this. Download some of the spoken word material, and then buy this book once you've got more of his back-story. You'll get a lot more from it, and find it 100% funnier!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pilkie for President in '08! , 7 April 2008
America needs Karl now more than ever. In this upcoming election, we need someone who can tackle the REAL issues that keep Americans up at night. We are not concerned with our floundering economy, the "war" on terror or how we are now less popular globally than Alton Towers. We ARE worried about:
- Curfews for gays (The Killing of Georgie law)
- Snails eating our postage stamps
- Shadows that push people off of bikes
- Octopi in jam jars
- Big heads and webbed hands
- Split tennis balls
- Organized fun
- Little Turkish fellas that eyeball your girlfriends
All of these things have been ignored by our current administration. I am spearheading the "Do We Need Him?" campaign for Karl to run for the American Presidency. "Do We Need Him?" - you bet your jaffa cakes we do! Lest anyone think we can't get Karl into office, please look at who we have now. Over 50 million people voted George Dubya into office - twice! Americans obviously love and relate to the genius of being stupid. G. Dubs has got nothin' on Lil' Karly Pilkoids! Can you imagine, in a hundred years from now, Karl's little face on a ten dollar bill? Or better yet, the roundest penny ever created!
A plea to Ricky - please bring Karl to America with you this summer. We need him now more than ever before. Don't let Manchester, Kent and London (where he lives) have all the fun and that. Bring the World's Roundest Head to the Big Apple! Alright? Alright.
OOOHH!!! CHIMPANZEE THAT!!! Pilkington for PRESIDENT!!! Yer ffff...
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