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Thanks for Nothing
For the first time, comedian Jack Dee reveals the highs and lows of his early life and disastrous day jobs. You don't just wake up jaundiced and bitter; it's taken Jack years of dedication and commitment to brew his unique cocktail of disillusionment and bile. What turned this once optimistic young man into a grumpy middle-aged git? Was it working in an artificial-leg factory? Or delivering incontinence pads for the NHS? Or was it the time when he was shunned by his peers for daring to thrash a one-armed man at tennis?
In this hilariously frank account of his life, Jack finally answers the question, 'So how did you get started in comedy then?' Along the way, he shares his blatantly unreasonable views on everything from personal trainers to boutique hotels, from the overrated moon landing to 'people who hold their cutlery the wrong way'.
Once you've listened to this book, you'll never think of Jack Dee as a smiling, happy-go-lucky, friendly face again.
In this hilariously frank account of his life, Jack finally answers the question, 'So how did you get started in comedy then?' Along the way, he shares his blatantly unreasonable views on everything from personal trainers to boutique hotels, from the overrated moon landing to 'people who hold their cutlery the wrong way'.
Once you've listened to this book, you'll never think of Jack Dee as a smiling, happy-go-lucky, friendly face again.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Jack Dee
54 books8 followersJames Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English standup comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly and deadpan style. Dee was the youngest of three children born to Rosemary A. (née Stamper) and Geoffrey T. Dee, after Joanna Innes Dee & David Simon Innes Dee. Jack Dee was born in Petts Wood, then in Kent, now in Greater London, but his family moved to Winchester when he was young. Dee has four children - Hattie, Phoebe, Miles and Charles.
His first public gig was in 1986. He has since gone on to act in such programmes as Lead Balloon (BBC), appear on various panel shows and to write his autobiography, Thanks for Nothing, which was published in 2008.
His first public gig was in 1986. He has since gone on to act in such programmes as Lead Balloon (BBC), appear on various panel shows and to write his autobiography, Thanks for Nothing, which was published in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 20, 2015
Enjoyed the beginning, the middle lagged, and the last few chapters ended at a satisfying gallop. He isn't as funny an author as he is a comic, but I had quite a few guffaws of laughter in the good bits.
February 26, 2019
A lot to praise about this, especially readable (all 370 pages of enjoyable writing were easily consumed in one day, which must count for something) and gently entertaining as it was. There's a maturity to Dee's writing here - a clever balance between memoir and observational comedy which never veers too far into the realms of name-dropping, trying too hard or carping about the author's gripes. It's a delicate balance between person and character, it's carefully judged here.. and perhaps because of this I felt that it ended up slightly underwhelming. Books like this make claims such as 'hilarious' on the blurb, and they rarely are - this was often witty and smile-inducing but seldom made me laugh out loud. Perhaps this just means I'm as miserable as Jack Dee is known to be.
March 8, 2013
I thought it was appropriate that I read this in the shop where I work-which is a charity shop, so even if I had bought it, he wouldn't have got anything from me.
A very funny read, which told something of his past, and a lot about what annoys him today. Which was pointless in a way, but still funny, though. A lot of random events and jobs, some very surprising; not least the way he finally got into comedy. Some surprisingly emotional pieces in it, too. Definitely worth a read.
A very funny read, which told something of his past, and a lot about what annoys him today. Which was pointless in a way, but still funny, though. A lot of random events and jobs, some very surprising; not least the way he finally got into comedy. Some surprisingly emotional pieces in it, too. Definitely worth a read.
May 11, 2020
Jack Dee writes about his life in 40 anecdotes with his trademark deadpan wit, irony and of course humour. As of all magazines, Heat magazine said of the book "Just as funny and grumpy as the great man himself"! 6 out of 12
January 24, 2011
This is one autobiography that tries to be different, and it succeeds perfectly. Jack has shied away from the usual, "I was born, I went to school, this is what happened to Me." type of life story that so many famous people write and that usually make me lose interest after a couple of dozen pages or so. Sure, he does talk about that, but it is done in a way that makes you want to keep reading. Stories about his past are mixed with anecdotes of the modern day things and people who annoy him the most. There are some great laugh aloud moments and some stories you will want to read out to friends. Also the ending is not rushed and has been left open for an updated version or sequel, which I for one am looking forward to already.
March 28, 2013
This book had me laughing out from the sleeve notes and throughout which made so very enjoyable and quite sad when I finished it. If like me you enjoy Jack Dee's stand up routine and his sitcom series Lead Balloon, you will love this book. It was written in the same style as his routine and reminded me quite often of the Rick Spleen the character he plays in Lead Balloon. It was interesting to read about his life and made a pleasant change to read about someone normal who struggled to find his place in the world, rather than a lot of celebrities who 'fall on their feet' because of the connections they have.
November 25, 2017
If you want continuous belly laughs through out, then watch one of Jacks live shows. This is hardly a comedy narrative, although there were a few laugh out loud moment, just not as many as I perhaps expected. Jack explains an ordinary upbringing with not much in the way of extraordinary happening along the way, except maybe that he once felt the urge to become a priest, but bottled it.
Always good to lean how our famous greats get into the limelight, they need talent obviously, and sheer determination on Jacks part. Thank God that he did persevere because I do find his work a riot, just not this book I'm affraid.
Always good to lean how our famous greats get into the limelight, they need talent obviously, and sheer determination on Jacks part. Thank God that he did persevere because I do find his work a riot, just not this book I'm affraid.
June 2, 2011
This follows Jack Dee's path into comedy. It doesn't follow that much of his comedy work- so maybe there is a volume 2 on the way. Another biography picked up in the Pound shop. I found it quite an interesting read.
October 7, 2010
Chuckleworthy. If you like "Lead Balloon" you'll like this.
April 17, 2013
very funny, as expected, with what seemed like some genuinely honest and revealing stories.
December 10, 2019
This was a reread but it still surprised me as I remembered very little of it. Yet again I have read a comedian's autobiography because for me they seem to have the most interesting mindset when it comes to their careers and their observational skills mean they can make very good points on their own memories and society in general.
Jack Dee is a British comedian who is known for his seemingly miserable, deadpan humour. He has a lot of startlingly hidden depths though as I found out in this book.
Anyone who's ever watched his stand-up can tell you he's an intelligent man but this book was beautifully written. You can tell that Dee considered a career in writing instead of comedy at one point. He uses such stunning similies and metaphors and glides seamlessly from topic to topic, of which there are many, as this is not just a linear collection of anecdotes from childhood to finally breaking through in the comedy scene; it's peppered with tangents of modern day anecdotes, funny, amusing or interesting stories that depict his life now.
Some of his observations are laugh out loud funny as he's had such a rich collection of experiences, various jobs, various cities and various states of mind. As we learn about Dee as a young man we find a complex creature, someone sometimes maniacally driven to a purpose he just wishes he could discover but is forever chasing. I like stories of people who didn't find success until later life as I feel there's more hope for me lol.
He makes himself vulnerable by discussing his alcohol issues and his anguish over spirituality. Two things that surprised me even though I have been following his career for over twenty years. He states at one point that he wished to study theology and philosophy at university and I think he would have done very well as he's not afraid to dig deep into the roots of his past problems. How Alcoholic Anonymous saved him and how he almost lost his mind over his belief that he was being called to serve God. It makes for very interesting reading.
Obviously though the book is not too heavy and most of it is filled with brilliant humour delivered in his deadpan manner, although I feel I have been spoiled for audio books by the likes of Eddie Izzard and Kevin Hart who add their own impromptu material as they narrate their books, as I wish Jack had done the same.
Jack Dee is a British comedian who is known for his seemingly miserable, deadpan humour. He has a lot of startlingly hidden depths though as I found out in this book.
Anyone who's ever watched his stand-up can tell you he's an intelligent man but this book was beautifully written. You can tell that Dee considered a career in writing instead of comedy at one point. He uses such stunning similies and metaphors and glides seamlessly from topic to topic, of which there are many, as this is not just a linear collection of anecdotes from childhood to finally breaking through in the comedy scene; it's peppered with tangents of modern day anecdotes, funny, amusing or interesting stories that depict his life now.
Some of his observations are laugh out loud funny as he's had such a rich collection of experiences, various jobs, various cities and various states of mind. As we learn about Dee as a young man we find a complex creature, someone sometimes maniacally driven to a purpose he just wishes he could discover but is forever chasing. I like stories of people who didn't find success until later life as I feel there's more hope for me lol.
He makes himself vulnerable by discussing his alcohol issues and his anguish over spirituality. Two things that surprised me even though I have been following his career for over twenty years. He states at one point that he wished to study theology and philosophy at university and I think he would have done very well as he's not afraid to dig deep into the roots of his past problems. How Alcoholic Anonymous saved him and how he almost lost his mind over his belief that he was being called to serve God. It makes for very interesting reading.
Obviously though the book is not too heavy and most of it is filled with brilliant humour delivered in his deadpan manner, although I feel I have been spoiled for audio books by the likes of Eddie Izzard and Kevin Hart who add their own impromptu material as they narrate their books, as I wish Jack had done the same.
March 30, 2022
This should have been a third the size and could have been a decent minor memoir. There’s some genuinely affecting stuff on his ancestry when we get to it, and after nearly 200 pages it grows into a wade through growing up and young adulthood’s drinking habits and cookery jaunts. For a bit.
But the start and later is a lot of non-sequential and inconsequential randomised routines that don’t work as well on the page as on the stage, and includes much stereotypical commentary that doesn’t challenge just typifies the rectitude time has on language and tolerance. These then become shoehorned clunkily between life choices and events in contrived and unnecessary fashion to introduce parts of his story, deliberately disgruntled non opinion that have no cause or meaning to the deeper and darker episodes he has undoubtedly had to work through.
But the start and later is a lot of non-sequential and inconsequential randomised routines that don’t work as well on the page as on the stage, and includes much stereotypical commentary that doesn’t challenge just typifies the rectitude time has on language and tolerance. These then become shoehorned clunkily between life choices and events in contrived and unnecessary fashion to introduce parts of his story, deliberately disgruntled non opinion that have no cause or meaning to the deeper and darker episodes he has undoubtedly had to work through.
September 5, 2021
As comedic autobiographies go this one fell pretty flat to me. There's only so many times I can read about how poor a comedian was and how hard their life was before they became famous. There are very few funny bits.
December 19, 2016
The beginning of this book was so bad that I wrote a withering one sentence review after the first few chapters. It went like this:
Random, unconnected rambling observations that anyone could have written, but only a professional comedian could get paid for.
A couple of chapters later I added:
... - except that it becomes autobiographical after a while and there are even a couple of chortles and some of those instances where you can feel yourself almost being vaguely amused for a moment - but the rising mirth abruptly subsides before it has fully formed.
I was still bitter that Dee had been given an advance that was probably at least equal to my salary to write this shit on the strength of his standup reputation, and seemingly while bereft of an actual idea...
But I continued reading and it actually got quite good - ultimately because it found a focus. There were still a good number of unconnected tangents that weren't particularly amusing, but at least it was finally possible to see that yes, this was indeed a memoir of sorts - those first several chapters merely representing an overlong and timid feeling about before Jack thinks he's filled enough space and can get on with things.
At the end he flirts with standup comedy and lets us into his mindset and his methods and not only does the story become interesting, but there's also a palpable tension. Why couldn't it have been like this all along? I don't know, but I ultimately upgraded it from a shitty one star to the gleaming, more-or-less-worth-a-read-if-you-need-to-make-up-the-numbers-in-a-four-for-one-pound-offer-at-your-local-charity-shop like I did [breath], three stars. That's quite an improvement to make in a small smattering of pages. I actually ended the book remembering the days when Jack Dee was the most popular comedian on TV with fondness rather than with the disdain I had felt through most of the first half. You know what? He's probably an alright guy. I don't quite feel like he's earned whatever he was paid for writing this, but... actually I'm just going to leave it there.
Random, unconnected rambling observations that anyone could have written, but only a professional comedian could get paid for.
A couple of chapters later I added:
... - except that it becomes autobiographical after a while and there are even a couple of chortles and some of those instances where you can feel yourself almost being vaguely amused for a moment - but the rising mirth abruptly subsides before it has fully formed.
I was still bitter that Dee had been given an advance that was probably at least equal to my salary to write this shit on the strength of his standup reputation, and seemingly while bereft of an actual idea...
But I continued reading and it actually got quite good - ultimately because it found a focus. There were still a good number of unconnected tangents that weren't particularly amusing, but at least it was finally possible to see that yes, this was indeed a memoir of sorts - those first several chapters merely representing an overlong and timid feeling about before Jack thinks he's filled enough space and can get on with things.
At the end he flirts with standup comedy and lets us into his mindset and his methods and not only does the story become interesting, but there's also a palpable tension. Why couldn't it have been like this all along? I don't know, but I ultimately upgraded it from a shitty one star to the gleaming, more-or-less-worth-a-read-if-you-need-to-make-up-the-numbers-in-a-four-for-one-pound-offer-at-your-local-charity-shop like I did [breath], three stars. That's quite an improvement to make in a small smattering of pages. I actually ended the book remembering the days when Jack Dee was the most popular comedian on TV with fondness rather than with the disdain I had felt through most of the first half. You know what? He's probably an alright guy. I don't quite feel like he's earned whatever he was paid for writing this, but... actually I'm just going to leave it there.
June 21, 2013
I decided to read this book because Jack Dee is a comedian that I have seen live at the comedy festival, and I have also seen him on TV. He is quite funny so I thought that his book would be interesting to read.
This book fits into the ‘autobiography’ category on the wide reading programme. I quite like reading autobiographies. I find it quite interesting to read about other people’s lives and experiences.
A quote that I like from this book is ‘I think it is more a cautiousness that protects me from enthusiasm about things. I tend not to get excited. People perceive it as a scowl, which is fair enough’. I like this quote because his sense of humour is quite dry and he makes a lot of sarcastic comments, and he looks miserable on stage.
But this is all part of his act and I think that this quote shows this.
Something that I learned from this book is that you won’t necessarily know what to do with your life straight away. It might take years for you to find the perfect career that works for you and that you are good at. So sometimes it is a good idea to take a job (or opportunity) that you wouldn’t normally take, because you might really enjoy it and/or be good at it.
I found Jack Dee to be quite interesting. I find him interesting because he did a lot of pointless, random things, but eventually he found what he was good at and he has made a lot of money doing it.
This book fits into the ‘autobiography’ category on the wide reading programme. I quite like reading autobiographies. I find it quite interesting to read about other people’s lives and experiences.
A quote that I like from this book is ‘I think it is more a cautiousness that protects me from enthusiasm about things. I tend not to get excited. People perceive it as a scowl, which is fair enough’. I like this quote because his sense of humour is quite dry and he makes a lot of sarcastic comments, and he looks miserable on stage.
But this is all part of his act and I think that this quote shows this.
Something that I learned from this book is that you won’t necessarily know what to do with your life straight away. It might take years for you to find the perfect career that works for you and that you are good at. So sometimes it is a good idea to take a job (or opportunity) that you wouldn’t normally take, because you might really enjoy it and/or be good at it.
I found Jack Dee to be quite interesting. I find him interesting because he did a lot of pointless, random things, but eventually he found what he was good at and he has made a lot of money doing it.
January 24, 2015
Anyone who has seen Jack Dee on TV, which I venture to suggest is most if us, will know that he's built a career on being a) very funny, and b) very grumpy and world-weary.
But it doesn't take more than a few chapters of the autobiography to realise that, while the former certainly holds true, the latter is more of a persona. He lets himself down from time to time - on the Professional Grump side of things - by coming out with some truly sensitive and moving statements that hint at a softer nature than that which we are used to seeing. I marked a few as I came across them, so I could illustrate my point.
If you're a fan of Jack Dee, you will enjoy this book. I do think you need to be a fan of his comedy style in order to appreciate the tone of his writing.
--If you haven't read the book, and are planning to, you might want to stop reading here.--
- comparing e-readers to Stephen Fry
- "...if you give words the authority to offend you, they always will."
- "...when you have nothing to fall back on, the only way is forwards."
- "I could hear, in her cracked, short answers, the sound of broken love."
- "...I looked at Jane and realised that I loved her in a way that I'd never known before."
But it doesn't take more than a few chapters of the autobiography to realise that, while the former certainly holds true, the latter is more of a persona. He lets himself down from time to time - on the Professional Grump side of things - by coming out with some truly sensitive and moving statements that hint at a softer nature than that which we are used to seeing. I marked a few as I came across them, so I could illustrate my point.
If you're a fan of Jack Dee, you will enjoy this book. I do think you need to be a fan of his comedy style in order to appreciate the tone of his writing.
--If you haven't read the book, and are planning to, you might want to stop reading here.--
- comparing e-readers to Stephen Fry
- "...if you give words the authority to offend you, they always will."
- "...when you have nothing to fall back on, the only way is forwards."
- "I could hear, in her cracked, short answers, the sound of broken love."
- "...I looked at Jane and realised that I loved her in a way that I'd never known before."
May 6, 2016
Jack Dee is a keen observer of people. His comedy is largely observational told in his characteristic deadpan manner. He didn’t fit in at school, but he was modestly interested in drama and Shakespeare. After school he worked hard for little reward in a number of catering establishments including the Ritz, waiting and kitchen work. He also took some drama lessons to relieve the tedium. His nervous début came at the Comedy Store:Finally, the appalling moment arrived when Mullarkey came to the end of his link, looked at a note in his hand to remind himself of my name and said, “Please welcome Jack Dee.”
April 8, 2018
This is an entertaining read with a few laugh out loud moments. I'm not sure I'd agree with the comment on the front from Paul O'Grady "Brilliant. It's so funny" but maybe Paul O'Grady is one of the author's mates. It's not so much a coherent history as a stream of consciousness on all subjects - I particularly enjoyed the episode on market research. I also particularly liked the way that when I bought this from Amazon (for a bargain 99p, so can't complain) I then received an email from them titled "Thanks for nothing". On the whole, this is a fairly entertaining read and for 99p, definitely worth it.
June 3, 2013
i picked it up because i wanted to get out of my usual taste and explore some new genres- comedy, for example. expecting it to be funny, i took it home with me when i got to know of a comedian Jack Dee. i watched his shows (sucked. okay, average, but old) and read his biography alongside. lots of short jokes, anecdotes and comments on various things we see daily but never notice. but, i was merely smiling than laughing. all in all, a quick read, valuable lessons, picking up on people and things he hates but at times i felt like,"oh god ! when will it finish?"
September 10, 2013
One of those comic memoirs that every single stand up has been given since the success of Peter Kay that don't really measure up as well. Kinda like all of those A&R men that went to Seattle after grunge broke and signed anything in plaid t-shirts. Is it an auto? No. Is it a memoir? Not really. Is it a rather tiresome hot-potch of stories clubbed together and added to from his stand up routine? More likely. It's not bad but slightly wearisome towards the end. Funny though. Definitely one for his fans with some interesting insight.
May 4, 2014
We’ve all done crap jobs, but we can’t all write about them amusingly. Jack Dee can. He gives us the glib, sneery TV persona we’re all used to, but we also get an honest depth of feeling juxtaposed with this. He tells us the funny versions of how he feels or behaved and then he tells the actual versions which are sometimes surprising. You want him to succeed at comedy and he does so it’s a feel good book in a sense. There are also some first class grizzles and gripes, as you would expect. However, this isn’t the grumpiest autobiography I’ve read, that would be Morrissey’s.
May 29, 2017
This is more about his life before becoming a famous comedian than anything from when he became successful, presumably saving the gossip for the sequel, but this is a wryly intimate account of the struggles Jack Dee had deciding what to do whilst surviving in many menial jobs and trying basically everything before hitting on his career. Then it ends. Read it in one afternoon, several laugh out loud lines and interesting - liked what he had to say, interesting as well to see threads of Lead Balloon in several anecdotes, particularly his loathing of sports fanatics!
August 15, 2018
Thanks for nothing and thats basically what you get. His whole story could have been written in about 4 chapters the rest is blah blah blah padding. You really don't get to learn much about the man apart from he was a waster at school and a job hopper in adult life. You only get to learn about his comic career in the last chapter or so. I ended up skimming through most of the filler. And although I like his comedy nothing in this book made me laugh.
This book was a disappointment and if I was meaner I'd want my money back.
Thanks for nothing Jack
This book was a disappointment and if I was meaner I'd want my money back.
Thanks for nothing Jack
July 29, 2011
This is an odd but enjoyable mix. It's a mix of autobiography and grumpy old man rants. The latter, though, is funny in parts but at tomes smacks of trying too hard to be humorous.
When Jack really delves into his past, his writing really comes alive and is a joy to read. If only more of the book was like this.
When Jack really delves into his past, his writing really comes alive and is a joy to read. If only more of the book was like this.
November 26, 2012
A very amusing look into the life of Jack Dee. His hilarious sense of humour and outlook on life (beware men who use hairspray) made me actually laugh out loud at times :) He's had a number of various, interesting jobs and almost became a priest once! Definitely worth a read if you like his comedy :)
September 28, 2013
This book has a collection of anecdotes from Jack Dee (a UK comedian) and some details of his life.
Not exactly an autobiography, but a very amusing book, which made me laugh out loud in places. The pieces dealing with the comedian’s early life are interesting. I enjoyed the description of his break into show business - in terms of the work required and the need to take chances.
Not exactly an autobiography, but a very amusing book, which made me laugh out loud in places. The pieces dealing with the comedian’s early life are interesting. I enjoyed the description of his break into show business - in terms of the work required and the need to take chances.
January 29, 2016
Jack manages to chronicle his route to life as a comedian without giving away too much personal detail, yet you don't ever feel hard done by. There's plenty of interesting stuff that he doesn't over play so he comes across as being very genuine. While the material is as diverse as his stand-up routines, it is equally well drawn together.
August 17, 2018
Decent
I have fond memories of watching Jack and Lilly Savage and Shawn Hughes etc on a show that played programs throughout the night till early hours fri/sat circa 1993.
I was 13 high on LSD and home for 9.30pm where I would look forward to watching Jack introduce Beavis and Butthead and Fist of Fun.
Great days and great book
I have fond memories of watching Jack and Lilly Savage and Shawn Hughes etc on a show that played programs throughout the night till early hours fri/sat circa 1993.
I was 13 high on LSD and home for 9.30pm where I would look forward to watching Jack introduce Beavis and Butthead and Fist of Fun.
Great days and great book
March 6, 2011
I wasn't impressed with this book, it is really only the last couple of chapters when he starts talking about his stand up career. I was hoping for more about that less about before. Not as funny as I hoped either.
June 25, 2013
Wanted to give it 3 and a half stars but cant.
While I did enjoy the book it wasnt as funny as I expected. I am not sure it knew what sort of book it was.
Was it an autobiography or a humourous look at his early life.
Overall it was worth a read.
While I did enjoy the book it wasnt as funny as I expected. I am not sure it knew what sort of book it was.
Was it an autobiography or a humourous look at his early life.
Overall it was worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews