Nailing It: Tales from the Comedy Frontier

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The account of the Frenchman is telling: Rich is as funny and honest about country music as about anything else, but the message is the same- ‘A valuable culture and tradition has been sold out by others.’ I loved this book. Absolutely adored it. I devoured it and savoured every word. A wild and wonderful love letter to comedy’– ADAM HILLS I loved this book. Absolutely adored it. I devoured it and savoured every word. A wild and wonderful love letter to comedy * Adam Hills * Nailing It is a collection of true stories from both Hall's professional and personal life where he really had to nail it. They're not about glitz, or fame, or how he met his seventh wife at the rehab clinic and found spiritual direction. None of that happened to him. It’s rare for comedians to be as funny on paper as they are on stage, but Rich Hall nails it ‘– CARL HIAASEN

The first half is grampa throwing slippers at the TV. Angry American-British-centric rants. It’s an attempt to explain to Brits that they don’t really have any problems compared with what’s going on in America. This is pantomime. America is on the edge of the apocalypse. Britain is this ongoing shuffling of weird ghoulish political figures who are around for a while and then … next! They move on and somebody else comes out on stage. The second half of the show is very improvisational and very musical. It’s my favourite part and it’s way more interactive with the audience. All-in-all, I enjoyed this collection of anecdotes from the perspective of a somewhat more working-man celebrity... And not just because: Yes! There is a chapter featuring Otis Lee Crenshaw (a surreal moment of real life/performance art colliding at a funeral service in Scotland). It's more witty fun than roll on the floor hilarious but I found NAILING IT! by Rich Hall to be an entertaining read. His honesty makes me think Diogenes the original Cynic must have been like this, or an Old Testament prophet: they were probably performers too. The format works if the people in the show are willing to put in the work. I’m not sure they understand how long the work week is for SNL, and how much money is involved. I can’t see anyone forking out the kind of budget that they have in America. If you’re not willing to go in there 12 hours a day, six days a week – that includes the writing crew, the cast, everyone – then no it’s not going to work. Because even after all that, most of the stuff on SNL doesn’t work anyway. People remember all the great sketches, and those get tons of re-exposure on YouTube, but there is a lot of forgettable stuff, and it took a week to do that. I don’t think it’s the British television mindset to produce something like that. I don’t think they’re willing to put that much manpower, studio space, production value and effort into it.Through a series of anecdotes and episodes from his life, Rich Hall builds a vivid picture of his life and career. We find out how he met his wife, Karen, how he first got into comedy, the girl who got away, and meeting the man who replaced him. Last year there were rumours of a UK version of Saturday Night Live in the works. You were an SNL cast member for the 1984-85 season. Do you think the format would work with a British audience?

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Book Group for an advanced copy of this memoir and recollections of a life spent being funny. In addition, he has appeared on BBC One’s QI, Live at the Apollo and Have I Got News for You, he wrote and starred in his own reoccurring BBC Radio 4 show Rich Hall’s (US Election) Breakdown and has penned articles for The Guardian and The Sunday Times. There is the account of his time in Las Vegas, insulting RV drivers, until he has the chance to try one for himself. We see how important integrity is to Hall, but how the attractions of a large vehicle can sometimes lead to a compromise. Nailing It is described ‘a collection of funny and often absurd epiphanies... hilariously self-deprecating, deliciously acerbic and often utterly surreal’.Hall's genius, on the spot lyrical rhyming is raucously entertaining and very clever' (Spears magazine)

Why do so many comedians want to be honoured as musicians? There is only a handful of entertainers who have ever been seen to combine and deploy both talents successfully: Les Dennis, victor Borge, Tom Lehrer … Hall doesn't always come out of them all covered in glory - far from it - but if someone propped him up at the end of the comedy bar and put a 50p coin in him, these are the tunes he would spin. And you'd be laughing all night. Nailing It is a collection of true stories from both Hall’s professional and personal life where he really had to nail it. They’re not about glitz, or fame, or how he met his seventh wife at the rehab clinic and found spiritual direction. None of that happened to him. It's rare for comedians to be as funny on paper as they are on stage, but Rich Hall nails it ' - CARL HIAASENThis isn't really a traditional memoir, it's more a collection of anecdotal essays ostensibly concerning the hit-and-miss nature of life lessons. Because Mr. Hall is a long established comedian, who apparently has developed a large following in the UK, there is more substance (not to mention cultural variety) to the stories shared here than your average celebrity of the moment tell-all. It's basically the tale of someone who found what he loves to do and somehow stumbled into a career doing it. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us