What do you think?
Rate this book
I Had the Right to Remain Silent...But I Didn't Have the Ability by Ron White
Following Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour to the page, Ron White (affectionately known as “Tater Salad”) delivers the laughs in his distinctive and beloved down-home style. Fans of Ron White's “perfectly-phrased everyman gripes and raunchy, grinning asides*” will find much to appreciate here. He riffs on everything from obnoxious designer sunglass salesmen to his wife's wealthy but stingy family, and he revisits some of his most famous characters, such as his troublesome dog Sluggo (“He ran away all day. He was gone for ten hours. So, to punish him, when he came home I took him for a walk.”). Best of all, White's hilarious material is accompanied here by clever artistic interpretations, courtesy of illustrator Matthew Schulz. “Ron White's comedy is about as understated as a chainsaw, and twice as sharp.” —STAR TRIBUNE (MINNEAPOLIS) “White's inspired comic mind finds a dozen sources of humor where the average comic would find only one or two, while making a fine art of the deadpan style.” —DAILY VARIETY
Hardcover
First published June 6, 2006
23 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
December 28, 2016
If you're familiar with Ron "Tater Salad" White, you know what to expect from parts of this book. If you're not, I really do recommend his stand up. Ron is a very entertaining performer, probably best known as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Jeff Foxworthy (who he credits with making his career and being a great friend), Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy.
The book is a mixture of a few different elements. There are bits from his stand up routines, which fans will recognize. Many of these bits are illustrated by vaguely Simpsons-looking pictures. In between these comedic turns are slices of Ron's life story. These are very open and honest. Ron has his flaws, and he doesn't gloss over them. He's no Boy Scout, and he's made a mess of his life at times. He's also very honest in his opinions of other people. Some of them come off really well, like Foxworthy and Engvall, and his current driver. Some don't, like some of his ex-wives and some people he's done business with in the past, like various tv production companies and networks. He's also very honest about himself. He drinks too much, at least in the past has done drugs, and wasn't the most faithful of husbands.
Overall, to me at least, he comes across as a likeable man who has made a lot of mistakes and isn't trying to hide them. I'd like to hang out with him... although maybe not at my place. There are some good laughs in here, and I learned a lot about a performer I've enjoyed for years.
Recommended to fans of Ron White, anyone who likes comedy, and anyone who wants a look at show business from the inside. Warning, this is NOT a kids' book.
The book is a mixture of a few different elements. There are bits from his stand up routines, which fans will recognize. Many of these bits are illustrated by vaguely Simpsons-looking pictures. In between these comedic turns are slices of Ron's life story. These are very open and honest. Ron has his flaws, and he doesn't gloss over them. He's no Boy Scout, and he's made a mess of his life at times. He's also very honest in his opinions of other people. Some of them come off really well, like Foxworthy and Engvall, and his current driver. Some don't, like some of his ex-wives and some people he's done business with in the past, like various tv production companies and networks. He's also very honest about himself. He drinks too much, at least in the past has done drugs, and wasn't the most faithful of husbands.
Overall, to me at least, he comes across as a likeable man who has made a lot of mistakes and isn't trying to hide them. I'd like to hang out with him... although maybe not at my place. There are some good laughs in here, and I learned a lot about a performer I've enjoyed for years.
Recommended to fans of Ron White, anyone who likes comedy, and anyone who wants a look at show business from the inside. Warning, this is NOT a kids' book.
March 29, 2011
This book made me laugh. I had already heard most of the comedic bits- which helped put the book completely in his tone of voice- but the background stories were really interesting. I knew that he had a dependence on Scotch, but I didn't know how much it hindered his career. Great book- I like him more now than before I read it, and I guess that that is all you can ask of a book about someone's life.
December 19, 2012
Not a classic or literary gold by any means, if You've seen the comedy hours you've already heard over half the material in here. This is still a likeable, honest autobiography. If you like the man read the book.
May 2, 2008
is there anyway to make more distinctions with the rating system...i am new to this game. for instance, when i'm sitting on the john and reading this...it's definitely a six. when i'm just sitting in my round black sort of basket reading chair, it's more like a 5 and a half. it's somewhat hard to explain.
June 6, 2021
Yes, I know...one of his favorite words is the F word but I can’t help it, I think he’s funny! This book was basically his stand up routine with some life experiences thrown in. It was good, not great. Parts of it were really funny parts were just a little informative. If you are a big fan, you have probably already read the book but as a person who just thinks he’s funny but hasn’t heard much from him late
January 6, 2013
72% of this book was his stand up routine. Yes, I actually counted the pages. Out of that 72%, half of it was cartoon illustrations of the stories that did not add anything to the book. The book would be shorter by almost half without the pictures. The stand up portion of the book will fall flat if you have never watched his stand up routine live, but on the other hand if you have seen him perform it then you have already heard it all anyway. There were maybe 4 pages of material that I don't remember hearing from him already. That doesn't mean it wasn't on his stand up DVDs, I just don't remember it.
The autobiography portion of this book was interesting. He portrays himself as quite an asshole onstage - definitely a funny asshole - but an asshole nonetheless. I was curious to see what type of stories he would tell without the onstage exaggeration that comics use to make their stories more outrageous and funny. Sometimes he actually seems like an okay guy, and other times he sounds like an outright dick. He apparently was a drug counselor before becoming a stand up comic, but really there is nothing admirable about that because later on in the book he describes how bad off on drugs he is after he became a comedian, including one night he took acid in between shows and got all fucked up on stage and got banned from those clubs. Plus, he is clearly an alcoholic, every time you see him he has alcohol in his hand. He cheats on all of his wives with the excuse that they weren't taking good enough care of him. He does, however, seem like he at least somewhat cares about his wife at the time of writing the book, and he dedicates the book to her and his son (I don't know if they are still married). He also reveals how he really got the nickname Tater Salad. I think I enjoyed the first and the last "backstage" chapters the most. He seems the least offensive in these chapters, other than referring to a mentally handicapped woman who was an employee at a hotel as "kind of retarded" and again as just "retarded". He wasn't making fun of her at all, the story was actually a story about how kind Jeff Foxworthy was when he took 15 minutes to patiently talk to the woman and sign autographs for her when he was already running late to catch a flight back home to his family. In my opinion, in any kind of comedy, the word "retarded" should be used very carefully, if at all.
Honestly, I enjoyed the book, I really thought it was funny, I even read through all the stand up material so that I didn't miss anything that might be new. I would be interested in reading a more in depth autobiography about his life without all the stand up and cartoon pictures, rather than a few stories thrown in between his routine. As long as you don't expect too much out of the book and it has been a while since you have seen him perform, it's an okay book. I didn't really start to realize how awful of a person he could be sometimes until I started to remember some of the things for this review. Take it with a grain of salt and don't read too much into it and you will probably enjoy it.
The autobiography portion of this book was interesting. He portrays himself as quite an asshole onstage - definitely a funny asshole - but an asshole nonetheless. I was curious to see what type of stories he would tell without the onstage exaggeration that comics use to make their stories more outrageous and funny. Sometimes he actually seems like an okay guy, and other times he sounds like an outright dick. He apparently was a drug counselor before becoming a stand up comic, but really there is nothing admirable about that because later on in the book he describes how bad off on drugs he is after he became a comedian, including one night he took acid in between shows and got all fucked up on stage and got banned from those clubs. Plus, he is clearly an alcoholic, every time you see him he has alcohol in his hand. He cheats on all of his wives with the excuse that they weren't taking good enough care of him. He does, however, seem like he at least somewhat cares about his wife at the time of writing the book, and he dedicates the book to her and his son (I don't know if they are still married). He also reveals how he really got the nickname Tater Salad. I think I enjoyed the first and the last "backstage" chapters the most. He seems the least offensive in these chapters, other than referring to a mentally handicapped woman who was an employee at a hotel as "kind of retarded" and again as just "retarded". He wasn't making fun of her at all, the story was actually a story about how kind Jeff Foxworthy was when he took 15 minutes to patiently talk to the woman and sign autographs for her when he was already running late to catch a flight back home to his family. In my opinion, in any kind of comedy, the word "retarded" should be used very carefully, if at all.
Honestly, I enjoyed the book, I really thought it was funny, I even read through all the stand up material so that I didn't miss anything that might be new. I would be interested in reading a more in depth autobiography about his life without all the stand up and cartoon pictures, rather than a few stories thrown in between his routine. As long as you don't expect too much out of the book and it has been a while since you have seen him perform, it's an okay book. I didn't really start to realize how awful of a person he could be sometimes until I started to remember some of the things for this review. Take it with a grain of salt and don't read too much into it and you will probably enjoy it.
April 2, 2012
This book is four of Ron White's stage acts put down on paper, with a couple of background chapters on his real life.
The stage act material goes to prove the old saying about comedy "It's not what you say, but how you say it." When Ron does these on stage they are very funny, even if you have heard them before. On paper they just don't work.
The real life chapters were interesting but point towards the idea that Ron is mostly a big jackass off stage. From what is written in this book he is probably not the sort of guy that I would like to hang out in a bar with.
The stage act material goes to prove the old saying about comedy "It's not what you say, but how you say it." When Ron does these on stage they are very funny, even if you have heard them before. On paper they just don't work.
The real life chapters were interesting but point towards the idea that Ron is mostly a big jackass off stage. From what is written in this book he is probably not the sort of guy that I would like to hang out in a bar with.
November 8, 2014
Do you like Ron White? Have you watched Blue Collar Comedy Tour or one of his other comedy specials on HBO? If so, there's not much point in reading this. This is mostly his stand-up acts interspersed with some biographical material. The stand-up is lifted almost verbatim. Like those movie tie-in books that are just the script in novel form. It was not bad - I like Ron White - but I guess I was expecting more.
December 15, 2014
I watched some Comedy central blue collar thing (the DVD?) and Ron White was my favorite among them, with his debaucher attitude. Years later, I've also heard his recent WTF interview. I wasn't sure about the "putting his act on writing" part of the book, but I saw it's alternated with some biographic chapters, and those convinced me to read the book. Liked it. The life events he (maybe) skimmed through on that podcast were dwelt deeper in the short bio part.
March 29, 2010
Some of this is word for word from his standup act...and I can hear his voice in my head, so it worked well (I'm not sure how it would come across to someone unfamiliar with his act--probably reads a lot angrier than it's delivered). I enjoyed the biographical info, which was new to me.
Have to say, I don't much care for the illustrations.
Have to say, I don't much care for the illustrations.
May 15, 2010
I read this book on my dad's recommendation. I like Ron White, and have seen him on tv often. His book is taken straight from his stand up act. The act is much better. The words are flat and almost stupid at times, the act is hilarious all the way through. I probably won't read anymore books by him.
July 26, 2012
This was a funny book to read while sitting on the beach. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. I did feel like much of it was straight from the standup shows I'd seen and I found I enjoyed the behind the scenes stories and wished for a bit more of that. By the end of the book it was a stretch for information.
January 7, 2013
It was a quick read, nothing deep here folks. This is the type of book I woul dhave loved in school when you are forced to read. Big margins and every over page is an ink drawing illustration. I really like his standup so I enjoyed the book. He talks very highly of Jeff Foxworthy who comes across as a great friend and mentor.
May 5, 2008
I am a huge fan of Ron White so I knew 90% of the book already. It was interesting learning a little about his personal stuff. I would recommend it if you haven't heard his act but you are a fan of the blue collar comedy stuff.
April 29, 2008
in find ron white to be really funny. dan read this today...yup....all in a day...and so i'm now reading it. there's lots of pictures.
this was a pretty funny book. if you like ron white, you'd probably like this book, even though it does just rehash a lot of his stand-up material.
this was a pretty funny book. if you like ron white, you'd probably like this book, even though it does just rehash a lot of his stand-up material.
August 11, 2009
I adore Ron White. I figured this would be a good book to have in our library. It's a mix of both his stand-up routines and newer material [well, new to me:].
It's a perfect "bathroom" book: The sections are relatively short, perfect for use in the bathroom.
It's a perfect "bathroom" book: The sections are relatively short, perfect for use in the bathroom.
August 14, 2010
If you are a fan of Ron then you will like this book. It includes many of his familuar skits, but the best part is the behind the scenes insight into how he became a comedian and the exploits along the way. It is an easy read that is worthwhile, if nothing else during bathroom time
March 6, 2012
It is an entertaining book. Drunken stories with bad ending are humorous. Others people misfortune makes me laugh, like when someone trips. If you have ever laughed when someone tripped, you will like this book.
June 25, 2013
A lot of this book made me laugh. But a lot of it is transcripts of routines that are even funnier on video. If I could do it over, I'd invest in the video and live without the relatively little new material that fills in between the routines.
July 28, 2013
Complete waste of part of an afternoon. Surprise! It reads like a crasser version of the anecdotes that follow articles in Reader's Digest. I'm actually kind of embarrassed to put it on my list. It was that bad.
December 22, 2013
Hilarious!!! LOL funny. Yes, Ron does talk about how he became a comedian but he told it in Ron White fashion so you will find yourself laughing but then he goes into some of his comedy...well, if you have a weak bladder you might want to put on a Depends before reading. Just sayin....
May 17, 2016
About half of the book is taken right out of his standup routines, so that takes some points off.
the other half are some stories about how he got started in standup and his life, interesting stuff.
there is no real comedy "craft" discussion on this book.
the other half are some stories about how he got started in standup and his life, interesting stuff.
there is no real comedy "craft" discussion on this book.
May 29, 2016
Strictly for fans. Consists mostly of print versions of White's standup routines. The remainder is backstory about his life which apparently has been a tough one although his problems are mostly self made.
July 31, 2007
If you love laughing at Ron's stand-up(as I do), this is a collection of his jokes, some old and some new, I believe. I love having it around to give me a laugh and it is a very quick read.
December 10, 2007
Half the book is jokes from his act. The other half is crazy stories of drunkenness. I like his act, but the book could have been better.
Read
February 25, 2008currently reading , but funny. Mostly material I have heard from his show, but learning some new things about him personally.
April 14, 2008
Ok, this one is crass and vulgar humor. Sometimes you just need to have a good laugh. It was on the $5 table at B&N so I couldn't resist.
September 2, 2008
Another funny book. I didn't rate it as high as Larry the Cable Guy, but it was a good read.
November 17, 2008
If you love Ron White and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour then you'll love this book! It takes Ron's usual act and splices it in with a bit of biography.
November 6, 2010
Good mix of comedy and biography.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews