Look at ME, Look at ME! by Dom Joly (3-Oct-2005) Paperback

by Dom Joly

For the first time, Dom Joly reveals how he murdered his Armenian nanny before his second birthday, how as a student he inadvertently gave Kurt Cobain the inspiration for "Smells like Teen Spirit," how as a producer for ITN he mistook John Major for a large lizard, and how after being raped by a TV weathergirl the scandal was hushed up and Trigger Happy TV was born. Dom Joly promises many other sensational revelations involving fellow celebrities including Vanessa Feltz, Peter Mandelson, Uday Hussein, and many others yet to be identified.

Genres: Humor, British Literature, Comedy

Paperback

First published October 18, 2004

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Dom Jolly, he makes me laugh. I bought this book on the back of an excerpt in a newspaper, which also made me laugh. When I read the book, that bit made me laugh again, but it was the only bit that did. The rest was torture. I only finished it out of bloody-mindedness. Stick to telly, Dom.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spoof biography, it is difficult to know what is real and what is fake, but it doesn’t really matter as it is a funny and entertaining read.

Dom Joly was born in war torn Beirut and spent his childhood collecting shrapnel as a hobby. He claims as Little Dom to have killed his Armenian nanny in a freak accident, on entering the bathroom, where she was taking a bath , the door knocked over an electric lamp splashing into her bath with a fizz and a bang, electrocuting the poor nanny. The gravity of the situation was explained to Dom by the pet dog and confidante, Arthur, a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

As the situation in Lebanon worsens Dom Joly is shipped off to a public school in England, where he concluded “Life was shit. What I never understood was that we were constantly being told that we were the lucky ones, the future establishment...”

After he finished school he bought an inter rail ticket and headed for Morocco, where he was jailed for drug smuggling, having been duped into taking some drums to England, a scenario similar to Bridget Jones’s misfortunes in Thailand, but there was no Mark Darcy to help him out. He got two years in Tangier Central Prison known locally as “the devil’s arsehole“.

There follows Joly’s time at Chalk Farm Polytechnic, being recruited by the Home Office for a secret role, sojourns in Paris and Czech Republic and dalliances with New Labour where he becomes chummy with Peter Mandelson and assaults John Major while under the influence of absinthe.

Then there is the launch of Trigger Happy TV the hidden camera series, which propelled Joly to fame, as the rude man with the giant phone.

How much is true and how much is fabrication is anyone’s guess, but it is an entertaining read and probably more truthful than a Jeffrey Archer autobiography.

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think Dom Joly and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to written humor. I find him very funny on TV and YouTube, but somehow a lot of the crazy embellishments in this story ended up seeming rather depressing to me instead of hilarious. It works better in audiovisual format. I should mention nevertheless that it takes a TON of creativity to write a book like this! Kudos for that!

[Steve Flig · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Dom Jolly, he makes me laugh. I bought this book on the back of an excerpt in a newspaper, which also made me laugh. When I read the book, that bit made me laugh again, but it was the only bit that did. The rest was torture. I only finished it out of bloody-mindedness. Stick to telly, Dom.

** I wrote this review on 24 March 2010 and am copying it here because GR won't give me access to my original account **

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good friend gave me this very entertaining book, which is supposedly an autobiography of the life of British TV personality Dom Joly. I use the word "supposedly" because it's almost impossible to know what's real and what's being made up. It's wild and surreal and hilarious.

[minnajee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kuunneltu äänikirjana Domin itsensä lukemana, mikä erityisesti osissa kohdista toi selkeän lisäarvon. Arvosanan antaminen on vähän vaikeeta, koska tää kirja on sekä onnistunut että epäonnistunut. Alussa vaikutti niin sietämättömältä, et epäilin saanko edes kuunneltua. Kyseessä on siis humoristisesti kerrottu käytännössä fiktiivinen omaelämäkerta. Jolyn kaikki non-fiction-kirjat oon lukenut ja niistä pitänyt, joten ehdin jo pettyä, että fiktiota heppu ei selkeesti osaa kirjottaa. Pakotettuani itseni kuuntelemaan kuitenkin, helpotuin, koska tarina alkoi kuin alkoikin edetä ja hymykin pääsi nousemaan huulille. Melko pimeää huumoriahan tämä(kin) edustaa eikä missään nimessä oo kokonaan "hyvä" tekele, mutta olisihan se kyllä voinut olla huonompikin. Huonoimmillaan tylsä ja epäkiinnostava, parhaimmillaan taas hyvinkin hupaisa ja vetävä. Totuuttaa tässä "elämäkerrassa" kuitenkaan ei uskoakseni ole kuin perusfaktojen verran.

[Alex Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different from Dom's other books. This is a semi-fictional autobiography with a talking dog. Amusing and enjoyable, I had a few chuckles listening to the book going back and forward to work.

[Anne Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. Some real laugh out loud moments!