Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father

by Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott

Sm Quarto, PP.142, B & W Photo Plates, A Son’s Shocking Account Of LIfe With A Famous Father

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Comedy, Biography

142 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

There is more than one author with this name. This profile is for the American actor, comedian and writer.

Reviews

[Zoe Zugovitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, my dad recommended this book to me. I read Daddy’s Boy: A Son’s Shocking Account Of Life With A Famous Father by Chris Elliott with rebuttals by Bob Elliott. The book is about how Chris Elliott wanted to live his life, not about it, how he wanted to live it. Then the rebuttals were sometimes about what actually happened, then other times they were about the most random things.

The book, once again, was about how Chris Elliott wanted to live his life, not how it actually happened. His father would come in the next chapter with a rebuttal either talking about what actually happened, or what ever he wanted to talk about. For example in one chapter Chris would be talking about a trip to Andrea Doria (which is a sunken ship), then in the rebuttal Bob just started talking about a license plate game.

The ending of this book was different than any other book I have ever read. The ending is Chris and Bob sending letters back and forth between each other. I found it funny. Chris was telling his dad about what he has done while writing his book. Then Bob’s was asking Chris if he was going to come home.

I, personally, really liked this book. I liked it because it is different than any other book than I have ever read before. I mean how many books have you read about someone writing an autobiography about how they wanted to live their life? I’m guessing none. You should read this book if you like Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, if you liked Late Night with David Letterman or if you have a sense of humor.

[Jason Yarborough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book at The Dollar Tree. It's an utterly ridiculus waste of time for most people to read. I loved it and wish I still owned it. Gold toe socks!

[William Clemens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been holding on to this book for like two years waiting to read it, building up the excitment, and then, hmm..that was okay.

The book consists of chapters by Chris Elliott which are generally grand tales of the luxury and extravagance of growing up in the Metropolitan Museum (then the home of the Great Bob Elliott) followed by chapters by Bob Elliot about his daily life in New England and his thoughts about starting a fish festival.

The book is definitely in the voice of Chris Elliott, and the best parts are where you can hear his voice in your heading reading the book. There is a fair amount of stuff too inexplicable to follow which made even the short page count seem a bit long.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't recommend unless you are a diehard Elliott fan.

[Bill C · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I told a friend, this is a literary equivalent of Elliot's movie CABIN BOY. It is just idiotic. But I can't suppress a grin as I think about. Check your sophistication at the book jacket and enjoy.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chris Elliot's silly book about him and his famous father, written before he changed his name to Rolled-In Shit, is not exactly filled with funniness, but has moments.

Here is the funniest line "Darryl is always like that, assuming an adversarial position against the system. He'll often void where prohibited".

You're welcome.

The only other reason you may want to read the book is to find out what is the only word in the English language that has 3 dotted letters in a row. I am not going to tell you, because that is all I got out of this book.

[Wampus Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird parody of the celebrity child tell-all memoir that has both Chris Elliott's character of a mock-serious vapid celebrity who thinks he's smarter than he is and then his real father playing the aloof and cold but endearing father to him. Nothing flows or dovetails to make a nifty whole of a book but I did laugh several times at the ludicrous scenarios created by Chris.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A son's shocking account!

[Dorks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and worth a read for Chris Elliot fans but definitely a little one note. My biggest laughs came from Bob’s rebuttals that became less and less interesting with even attempting to engage with the story being told, instead listing useless facts and concepts that are completely jibberish. The photo pages are the cherry on top!

[Matt Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I'm a huge Bob and Ray fan, I bought this one back in the day. Prompted in part by Bob Elliott's recent death, I read it again for the first time in many years. While it's not wildly hilarious, it's funny enough, as a parody of the Mommy Dearest kind of tell-all memoir by children of famous parents. One of the conceits is that Bob Elliott is a bigger-than-Sinatra entertainment superstar rather than the mildly successful comedian with a cult following that he was. Another is that Chris Elliott's lawyers have advised him that he has to let his father write a rebuttal to each chapter, in order to avoid legal action down the road. As the book progresses, Bob shows less and less interest in Chris's chapters, and eventually stops reading them altogether, using his "rebuttals" to ramble on about whatever he wishes.

Again, not a comic masterpiece, but probably essential for Bob and Ray (or Chris Elliott) fans.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard such great things about this book that I think part of my score is due to inflated expectations. While both Chris and Bob Elliott are on my list of funny people, the book doesn't entirely work. Bob's parts are very funny, and how quickly they begin to ignore the scandalous nonsense that Chris comes up with is very amusing (I especially enjoyed his license plate game). But overall, the book is full of jokes that would probably have worked on television, but just don't come across the same way on paper. Still, it's funny, and though I probably don't get all of the pop-culture references from 25 years ago, I still found plenty of it amusing. Plus, it's barely 150 pages long, so it doesn't take long to finish.

[Jennifer]

This book was so funny - Chris Elliott pretends his low key comedian father was...oh forget it. Chris Elliott pretends. that should be enough. once I had sex with a guy who lived in a halfway house in New Jersey, I went to the half way house. I thought it was just a normal SRO till I found out he had to go in and get his shots once a week from the guy in Lost in Agression who worked at the hospital. I went home with the guy because he reminded me of Chris Elliott, who at the time I only knew from being the guy under the stairs on the David Letterman Show.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the mind that brought you "Get A Life" and "Cabin Boy" comes more of the same. If you don't like this book, you probably spend a lot of time poring over fabric swatches and drinking "Smooth Move" tea.

[Colin Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book in the bargain bin years ago. Let me say it was worth at least the $5 I paid for it. If you're a fan of the old Letterman show (we're talking the one on NBC), you should check this out.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book blew hard. There is no doubt that Elliot is a funny guy...on TV.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Elliott's funny parody of "Mommy Dearest"-type mentally abused child-star memoirs. A lot of jokes involving gold-toed socks.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out with a few good laughs and solid potential but gradually unraveled. By the end this book had sunk faster than the Andrea Doria.

[Anon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Heart-rending story of a tortured soul...No, actually, it is pretty inane and ridiculous, but very fun.

[Amar Pai · Rating 2 out of 5]

More conceptually funny than actually funny

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking funny! But I say this as a Chris Elliot fan. Those who aren't fans probably won't enjoy the book ~ it's filled with his usual nonsense :)

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously, impossibly hilarious.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most ridiculous things I ever read in my life.

[Justin]

The finest work in the history of American letters?

[Nathan Mahlberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

HILARIOUS.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the greatest tell-all ever written.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got some strange looks as I read this on the train, but it was worth it for bone-dry prose such as "Over the years I've developed the habit of associating happenings with dates I want to remember."

[Michael Lisk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny stuff.

[Alec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highest possible recommendation...funny as funny can get.