Distraction Pieces

by Scroobius Pip

Join Scroobius Pip as he gets to the bottom of what matters most in whether getting Russell Brand to expound on capitalism, Jon Ronson on the perils of social media, Simon Pegg on the power of satire, Killer Mike on race relations in the United States or Howard Marks on drugs and cancer, Pip elicits thought-provoking material by rummaging through the minds of some of the most interesting creatives of our time.

Distraction Pieces features both curated highlights from the iTunes-chart-topping podcast - from Akala to Howard Marks via the likes of Adam Buxton, Romesh Ranganathan and Amanda Palmer - and exclusive new content, with chapters on politics, social media, music, comedy and more. Featuring illustrations by tattoo artist mr heggie, this is a must-have for fans of the Distraction Pieces podcast, and a must-read for anyone interested in the creative mind.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically a companion piece to Scroobius Pip’s successful podcast, and it basically reproduces a bunch of the conversations that he had with his various guests like a sort of highlight reel. It’s loosely themed along different subject matters, but there’s by no means a natural narrative.

And so because of that, it’s a little bit disjointed and maybe not quite as approachable as I was hoping it would be. It’s interesting, and there are plenty of people in there that I recognised, but there wasn’t enough to stop it from making me think of it as just a bunch of transcripts. I deal with stuff like this all of the time in my work as a freelance writer, and so I can recognise an unedited transcript when I see one.

That’s not to say that there was nothing here worth reading, I just think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been edited a little more and if Pip himself had provided more than just a short introduction to each section.

Overall then, it was okay, but I think you’d get more out of just listening to a couple of episodes of the podcast. It was also nowhere near as good as his other book.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great companion to Pip’s podcast of the same name, else as a standalone read that. I got this when it was released, and have only just read it! I’m glad I waited, to be honest, as I’ve been an avid listener of his podcast for many years now. His interviews and introductions through the various categories within the book are all easy reading, informative, and enjoyable. Equally, I love the ‘Contributors’ and Index sections at the end - so handy if you want to go back and find something

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a great peek into the insights of the podcast -- the variety of opinions and insights, challenges and triumphs. The guests (and host Pip) don't hold back in sharing their personal encounters with the challenges and nuance of modern life and politics, and it helps bolster my own inspiration and confidence.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of excerpts of podcasts that I now want to go and listen to in full. Some guests I recognized and others are totally new to me. I like the perspectives and topics-though it did just make me want to listen to the whole conversations rather than just snippets. It was enough to pique my interest, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this podcast and this book is an interesting selection of the some of the episodes. Definitely recommended.

[Henry Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many nuggets of great life advice! ❤️

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole book in one night as it was so easy to read. Haven't listened to the podcast at all yet but now want to, to hear more of these stories

[Piers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy the Distraction Pieces podcast, but I feel that in some ways the fact that similar subjects tend to crop up again and again is both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand it means there are detailed discussions of subjects that often have taboos attached to them, particularly death and mental health. However, it's often very similar viewpoints being expressed. Now I'm not suggesting that Pip should be deliberately seeking out contrary points of view to argue with (I can imagine how dreadfully depressing that would be for him personally in the pursuit of only a mild improvement to the podcast), but it does get a bit same-y after a while. There's the slight whiff of echo chamber about it. As a result I tend to just dip in and out of the podcast now, and gave this a read mainly because it was one of the Kindle book of the month offers and it's relatively short. If anything, I'd probably recommend it more to people who don't listen to the podcast, as I feel then it would deliver the impact it probably deserves.

[Derek Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beginnings of An Open Mind

(Forgive the pretentious heading!)
I am a recent convert to Mr Pip's work, and was recommended his podcast after a debate with a friend about him.
Scroobius Pip is a fan of saying things like this isn't for everyone when describing his work, or things he finds interesting in general. Ignore this piece of advice, for this and his podcast. This is his hand-picked gems from his series of interviews, and it have me much food for thought.
Read it, and if you find it is for you, find his podcast, Distraction Pieces. If it isn't for you, look for it anyway - he and his guests are engaging, thoughtful, thought provoking and sometimes funny, but always leave me energized and wanting more.
I cannot recommend this enough, as a gateway to the above podcast, and his gorgeous mind.

[Alex Summerbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually hate these sort of boom.

I usually hate podcast or audio transcriptions because it feels like a bit of a piss take asking for money for a free podcast. But pip has added a couple of good intros and the conversations are great and translate well.

[Rob Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great companion to the Distraction Pieces podcast. It deals with topics such as racism, music, poverty, class etc. Really good read.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to dip in and out..

Just read the book. This inspired me to discuss the contained matters at length. Talking is good. We need to talk more.