The memoir popped up under my
Oyster books account recommendations--an online book source that I reference in
my Your Movie Sucks review. I thought it fell
perfectly into the category of
books-I-want-to-read-but-don’t-necessarily-want-to-buy. Honestly, his talent
surprised me. He dabbles in impressive poetry, references philosophers I
personally admire, shares entertaining stories, and knows when to be
retrospectively contemplative about his destructive exploits. Basically, it’s a
tour through the crazy shit he’s done in his life (your classic prostitute,
substance-abuse, self-harming, unemployment cocktail) distilled through a
comedic lens. You learn about his early misogynism—like when he broke up with
one of his infinite number of exes, returned the key to her apartment, and then
used a clandestine copy he had made to go back and steal things when she wasn’t
home (Is This a Cash Card I See Before Me,
section 18). You hear about the concessions he made, the boundaries he crossed,
and the sinking environment he stepped into when his heroin addiction reached
its heights. You discover how he latched on to comedy as a means to weasel out
of depression and keep his head above the murky waters of despair. And all
while maintaining that impeccable mane!
Throughout his book(y wook) is a
thread of introspection as lively as the threads of his bohemian-styled
wardrobe. He acknowledges that he is a grandiose character, admitting that he
treats life as a never ending performance. Brand has never been one to color in
the lines or stick to the script. As a youngster, this took a self-destructive
turn; the search for identity and “absolute self” was precarious because he
constantly adopted different personas that varied depending on his audience at
the time. The memoir has a dark tinge to it that reads breathlessly honest—while
comedy is a valuable distraction from “the tyranny of life’s minutiae”, the
need to resourcefully unwind is very palpable for him (First-Class Twit, section 24). He says, “You might have a glass of
wine, or a joint, or a big delicious blob of heroin to silence your silly
brainbox of its witterings, but there has to be some form of punctuation, or
life just seems utterly relentless” (April
Fool, section 1). Now, purportedly sober for 13 years, he relies on
creative career endeavors rather than a narcotic abyss.
My typical experience with memoirs
is once again confirmed: they’re amusing, light-hearted, and usually contain a
dash of philosophical extrapolation to render the author less vain and the
reading worth your time (see: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Not That Kind of Girl, and Are you There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea for more of my reviews on
memoirs). It’s good, but it’s
not bloody brilliant. He’s a charming, dramatic Englishman who is
self-deprecating but certainly not self-effacing. You’ll likely enjoy it, but
it’s not jaw-dropping spectacular, and its words won’t resonate for days
afterward. Still, truthfully, I like the
guy. He’s human, he’s interesting, and he’s exposed. And not just in the
literal sense, as when he shares this dashing pic with us:
I see him in a different light now and I
respect his intelligence, which I suppose was a motivating factor behind him
writing the book(y wook) in the first place. Balancing his wit and intellectual
aptitude with the drawbacks seemingly inherent in the memoir genre, I give My Booky Wook 3 out of 5 camel humps.
*Brand, Russell. My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and
Stand-Up. New York: It Books, 2010. https://www.oysterbooks.com/
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