Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes: Words, Wit, Wisdom, One-Liners and Rants

by Jeremy Hardy

The best of the best from the Comedians' Comedian 2020'If you loved Jeremy Hardy, or if you know anyone who did, this is the most brilliant present because it's got every part of his voice in it' DAWN FRENCH'Well good evening, my name is Jeremy Hardy and I'm a comedian who likes to make wry witty satirical observations about the society we live in -- but I prefer to keep them to myself, thank you very much.'Edited by his wife, Katie Barlow and his long-time producer David Tyler, this comprehensive celebration of Jeremy Hardy's work is introduced by Jack Dee and Mark Steel. Further reflections on Jeremy come from Rory Bremner, Paul Bassett Davies, Jon Naismith, Francesca Martinez, Sandi Toksvig, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Andy Hamilton, Graeme Garden and Hugo Rifkind. Katie Barlow also provides a moving Afterword.Jeremy Hardy, who died in February 2019, was perhaps the most distinctive and brilliant comedian to arise from the 80s Alternative Comedy circuit. He regularly entertained the millions who heard his outrageous rants on The News Quiz, his legendary singing on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, or his hilarious monologues and sketches on the award-winning Jeremy Hardy Speaks to The Nation and Jeremy Hardy Feels It.Often referred to as 'the comedian's comedian', Jeremy's comedy could be both personal and political, ranging in topics from prison reform to parenting, from British identity to sex. His comedy could be biting, provocative and illuminating, but it could also be surreal, mischievous and, at times, very silly. And while Jeremy's unwavering socialism was a thread that ran throughout his comedy, his greatest skill was that, whatever their political beliefs, Jeremy always brought his audience along with him.Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is a fitting celebration of this brilliant comedian. Introduced by Jack Dee and Mark Steel and containing material from his stand-up to his radio monologues and political satire to the joyfully silly gems, as well as tributes from his friends and fellow comedians, it is curated to encompass everything about Jeremy that fans adored. Edited by Katie Barlow and David Tyler, Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is wise, daft, outrageous, personal and, above all, very like Jeremy himself.'Ground-breakingly brilliant, off-the-register funny' JACK DEE'A one-off. Part genius, part naughty schoolboy' SANDI TOKSVIG'Unfussy, unshowy, principled, self-deprecating, hugely loved and admired by his fellow comedians and funnier than the lot of us put together' RORY BREMNER

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Politics, Comedy, Memoir, Anthologies

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2020

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss Jeremy

I never met him. I never even went to see him live. But Jeremy was a regular on my radio. He was clearly honest, impassioned but above all funny.
This book captures him extraordinarily well.
I miss Jeremy.
I enjoyed this book.
Thank you.

[Eva Müller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally I read books written by comedians - often enough that I bothered making a GR-shelf for them. For me to enjoy those books, I mainly expect them to be more than a re-packaged Best Of of their stand-up material. And many of the books by comedians I've read manage to do that and also be moving and/or funny. But if it's just a written down stand-up routine it never really works. So why did I pick up a book that very clearly advertised itself as that? (With some additional material by other people - mostly comedians - who in all fairness do not try to rehash their stand-up routine in it). I guess because I really miss Jeremy Hardy on the News Quiz.

One of the Memoriam-chapters is written by Jack Dee and he even says that Hardy was never fond of the idea of written-down standup but argues that it's like reading the lyrics to a song: of course it's not the same as listening to it but you might pick up nuances you missed by just listening. Well, he has a point. It's nice to be able to fully appreciate a punchline, without already having to pay attention to the set-up for the next. Of course, that kind of reading requires a certain level of self-control; to pause now and then to fully appreciate a joke, not to read half the book in one sitting because then it kind of turns into the breathlessness of an evening of watching stand-up except without the proper delivery of the material. I have a hard time with that kind of self-control, hence my problems with printed stand-up.

I still enjoyed it because even my breathless reading couldn't completely ruin good material and because the different essays by the other writers/comedians after each chapter provided some natural pauses that did stop me from binging the whole book. And they were also all beautifully written.

[Sarah Staunton-lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book - I can hear Jeremy’s voice in every page. An absolute must for Jeremy Hardy fans

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest the 4 stars is only really applicable if you have heard or seen Jeremy Hardy in action.
I have been a fan of his work for some time and really appreciated this reminder of how good he was even though it does not really work so well as a book if you cannot 'hear' it as delivered by him in his perfect dry wry style. I always looked forward to his regular appearances on radio and his occasional tv dabbles and this book reminds me how much the comedy world in Britain should miss him now he is gone.
So I am biased. Sue me.

[Kexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved Jeremy Hardy on the radio - he made me laugh out loud & some of his rants are classics- but like having too many sweets at the end of a meal it all becomes too much. It's the classic 'dip in' book, put on a shelf and pull out once every other month, read a page and put it back!

[Trish Isherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss Jeremy Hardy's humour and he will be greatly missed . Hilarious, laugh out loud book, highly recommend.

[Sadie Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is a collection of excerpts from Hardy's comedy - mainly from the radio version of his stand-up, Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation, but also some pieces from newspaper columns, early stand-up sets and his contributions to The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - interspersed with reminiscences from fellow comedians and friends. I find reading funny things difficult, as being able to see all the text on the page means my brain has already seen the punchline before I actually "read" it, so it's not laugh-out-loud funny in the same way as listening to Hardy was, but it's a lovely reminder of a much-missed favourite comedian, both his humour and his passionate political beliefs. (In other circumstances, I think it might have been a book I would have dipped in and out of rather than reading from cover to cover, but in fact a book made up of snippets and fragments was the perfect thing for my unfocused lockdown brain.)

[Sue Chant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book - full of hilarious snippets from his act and warm, funny tributes from his friends and collegues. He was a brilliant performer, scathing about injustice and bigotry, but in a way that made you laugh out loud as well as think. A great tonic for troubled times.

[John Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed until I cried, and after I'd cried for a while I laughed some more.

I knew Jeremy Hardy only from the radio. He was wise, cutting, pointed, scornful and outrageously opinionated; but above all wonderfully, memorably funny. The anger and pain behind his humour came through, but it was generous anger and hard-working pain. Everyone's irreplaceable in some way, but Mr Hardy was unique. I am sad to think that I will never hear him give Boris Johnson the kicking he deserves. And now that he's gone no-one can do it as well as he would have done, or made us laugh so much while we winced. Bless him.

[Martin Mccann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently on Twitter among the COVID-19 and racism content, I saw a tweet that made me think (a rare enough event these days). It asked a simple enough sounding question-"out of people not know to you personally who had died, which death had the biggest impact?". I'm not really one for joining in public displays of emotion when it comes to well known people passing on- after all in the vast majority of cases while it is sad at a basic human level, the death of most celebrities has never really changed how I went about my day, even really famous folk who defined their own eras. However when Jeremy Hardy died in February 2019, it did hit home for me, and not just because I was lucky to have shaken his hand after one of his shows in Belfast.

Jeremy and the two Marks- (Thomas and Steel) as well as Josie Long, Stewart Lee and Francesca Martinez were, and are, a seemingly ever reducing circle of of properly left wing comedians who get access to the airwaves, as opposed to the watered down centrist shite that forms the majority of comedic output on television these days. It is probably no surprise that those folk I have mentioned are actually proper activists who get involved in campaigns and are capable of intelligent nuance as opposed to the populists who think they are edgy by saying "Fuck the Tories" but were instrumental in helping shape the environment that consistently and continually claimed Corbyn was unelectable over four years and therefore shepherded Johnson into Downing Street. The same type of folk who claim to be liberal or on the left but whose automatic reaction when prisons are mentioned is to go for the unoriginal "joke" about rape and try and try to get a laugh out of it.

The fact Jeremy Hardy was sacked from his position as Guardian columnist in 2000 because he was too left wing was a portent of the direction the paper took, moving to the right to become the mainstay of the most dangerous of demographics- middle class centrists who have never actually been directly negatively impacted by government policy until Brexit suddenly woke them up and then go on about being "politically homeless" in an attempt to sound more intelligent that they are.

So that leads on to this book. It is an anthology of some of Jeremy's best work from his "Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation", "Just a Minute", "News Quiz" and stand up performances, collected together by his wife and producer. On the face of it this sounds like something that shouldn't work since Jeremy's stuff is written to be performed, not read off a page, but I did find myself hearing his voice in my head as I progressed through the book. In fact because the text was in front of me I was able to see things that would have been missed by listening. The structure and word play, many of it ad libbed, highlighted an intelligence that was to be welcomed in a time when being populist and dumbed down was and is a ticket to regular TV appearances, again as the current "pretend-edgy-but-actually-very-safe" centrist output proves.

Contributions from his peers throughout the book leave the reader in no doubt as to how Jeremy was viewed both from a professional and personal point of view. The theme throughout is that many still can't believe he is gone and is missed, and it is clearly heartfelt, not just some boilerplate celeb tributes that normally appear when someone well know dies. This however is no hagiography (as opposed to my review which I am very aware is skating close to that line!) which Jeremy would be relieved by- some of the contributors discuss his distaste for anything that is gushing. But it is clear his loss is being felt by those asked to contribute, and the tributes are meaningful and well balanced.

It may be clichéd to talk about mixed emotions but really this book affected me in ways I have rarely experienced- possibly only when reading Jean Bobet's "Tomorrow We Ride" or Paul Fournel's "Need For The Bike" in the past. It is so easy to get stuck into Jeremy's material and find yourself laughing and moving from one piece to the next to the next, getting lost in the humour and acute observations and then suddenly remember that he isn't here any more. That such a talent was taken from us after only 57 years on this planet really sums up the zeitgeist of the past few years. I genuinely felt cheated by life at the end of this book, which is still only a snapshot of his work. Nuanced, intelligent analysis of the biggest political developments of the day, a voice to the oppressed, some serious topics that affect us all presented in a way that made me laugh as well as feel more motivated to do what I can in any little way to bring about change.

This book is a worthy and loving tribute that reflects the life and talents of Jeremy Hardy. Just be prepared for the highs of the material and the clarity it brings on some of the most hot-button topics and the lows when you remember that the source of this humour and analysis is no longer with us, and we seem to be moving further away from it. But sure what does it matter as long as Mitchell and Webb, Russell Howard or the guys from the Last Leg can pretend to be grown-up and anti-establishment while knowing that their mediocrity and safe humour means they can be safely kept on our screens while Jeremy and his peers pop up on reruns of QI or are left on BBC Radio 4 where obviously the hoi polloi are less likely to come across them accidentally.

[Richard Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Jeremy Hardy do a stand up gig once. At the start I wondered whether we had made a mistake and he was the sort of comedian who works best in small doses, by the end of the evening I was crying with laughter.
This book is a beautiful epitaph to the man, and makes me regret not paying more attention to him before now. We have lost someone special.
Sandi Tosvig's section will bring tears to your eyes.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, with some laugh out moments along the way.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really good read and it far exceeded any expectation that I had. At the start Jack Dee wrote that it was every comedians nightmare to have their spoken word written down in book form as nuance, comic timing and tone are so important to the impact of the words, this was my main reason for being apprehensive before reading but I needn't have worried because Jeremy's words have been clearly selected with such love and admiration for his work that it makes for a funny, educating and thought-inducing read.

I knew very little of Jeremy before reading this book, I'd recently watched an early 90's VHS tape of a variety of comedians doing 10 minute sets of which Jeremy was one of them, I admired his way with words and how he combined humour and politics without being sanctimonious or preachy. This led to me wanting to seek out more of his work and I found this book, it was written at the beginning that those who compiled it hoped that it would be either a compendium for existing fans of Jeremy or an introduction for new fans. As a new fan it does this brilliantly, the material is gathered from across all of Jeremy's stand up work and radio work and it covers a broad scope of topics such as politics, parenthood, marriage, sexism, racism and immigration and as a reader you really get a feel for the sort of person Jeremy was and what he stood for.

The main body of the book is interspersed with short sections from his partner, friends and colleagues reminiscing about him which added an extra dimension to the book. It is evident that he was a principled, compassionate and intelligent man with integrity and a rarity amongst the current comedy scene to be someone who actually talked about "stuff" rather than observational or easy humour.

His way with words is masterful and I enjoyed how he was able to add humour to topics and situations that you would not usually expect to find humour within but to do it in a way that induces consideration and debate whilst still being respectful to the topic. Sometimes books similar to this have a tendency to border on being a bit dull but this book didn't and that is a testament to the skill of Jeremy's work.

It's a great book that a lot of love was clearly poured into both from those compiling the book and from Jeremy himself with the obvious passion and knowledge he had for the topics included. I look forward to seeking out more of his work I'm just sorry that I did not find his work whilst he was still alive. I can't help but feel that his take on the current British Government over the last few years is something I would really have liked to hear.

[David Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy Hardy was truly one of the great standup comics, not just of his era or his nation, but of all time. Nobody else has managed to combine social commentary with genuine wit as readily as Hardy while still having a deep appreciation of the truly silly.

Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is a carefully-curated collection of some of his finest moments gathered for the appreciation of his fans. It's a perfect opportunity for those of us who have regularly marveled at Jeremy's talent to savour some of his greatest work.

I would always recommend Jeremy's work to anyone but I'm not sure I'd be keen to thrust this into the hands of anyone who hadn't heard his work before. Hardy wasn't just a great writer, he was an outstanding performer and the best way to appreciate this material is hearing it out loud. If you've never heard Hardy before then I'd urge you seek out his performances on the News Quiz or Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation. Unlike many other comics of his generation, he wasn't distracted by TV roles, movie stardom or novel writing, he dedicated his tragically short life to spending as much time onstage as his life would allow. If he wasn't touring the UK he was fronting benefit gigs or transferring his standup to a radio stage, further honing his craft. Consequently his delivery was masterful and while his material definitely works on the page, its natural home was always the stage.

I laughed out loud often reading this but my joy was always tarnished with a tinge of sadness knowing we lost a great talent far too soon. The Trump/Johnson years would have been much more bearable with Jeremy to guide us through them.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
This and a Maltesers Easter egg (which I wholly reserved for eating during these reading sessions) are what I needed to keep me on the side of sane during a dip in an already ‘trying to be hopeful and smiley’ time. I was already part way through reading other books but needed something witty to distract - not just political meanderings though, Hardy always managed to weave in the human element in such an obvious and caring way. Familiar comedy from an educated and active voice from the matching period of my growing up, trying to work out all the morals, class and politics of life. A genuine observation that I noted during reading this “All of our taps are mixers aren’t they? Does that make us middle class?” Really enjoyed the work and delivered lines with his peers too, as instantly recognisable material came alive on the page.

Also helpful in my current working through the fine details, separating the strands of liberals, left wing and socialists, and how not all now present within one person. Hardy got quite close in terms of all three, and whilst being often at war with his own stands, I’m glad that I had balanced voices like this as influences. Here’s hoping that one day we have more comedians like him

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable in places - with the amount of eulogising by other comedians and folk in the business, you'd have to be hard hearted (or hard of hearing) to come away from this without an appreciation of how liked Jeremy Hardy was before his death aged 57 from cancer in 2019. This is a loose connection of bits from Hardy's stand-up, radio shows and other endeavors, collated together into a number of themes, and in the main this works well. There were plenty of quirky moments and I did laugh out loud several times.

But alas it was a case of the book having less and less of an impact the more I read. Around the middle, a couple of chapters more focussing on politics and Hardy's lefty views lost me a little, and after that point I felt more aware that the humour was a bit 'Radio 4' for me - verging on the self-aware, contrived and slightly smug. Not without merit, but when presented as a 300+ page book, you start to see the joins in the the jokes to a much greater extent that you might with a book that was reliant less on repeating snippets of his material.

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy Hardy was a wonderful comedian, so I wasn’t entirely sure a book of his stand up would work. Granted there’s also a few slices from articles he’s written, or bits from the news quiz and I’m sorry I haven’t a clue, but on the whole it’s his stuff.
Reading it though one thing becomes clear. As Hugo Rifkind says, he was funny. In a poliical comedian this is no mean trick. Political comedians nowadays seem to have forgotten that at some point there’s supposed to be a joke in there. Jeremy never did. This collection of some of his best bits, shows just that. Even just having his voice in my head, he still makes me laugh.
Interspersed with those, are little memoirs of him, from the likes of Hugo Rifkind Jack Dee, Graeme Garden, Andy Hamilton, and of course Sandi Toksvig.
He was a singular talent, who is sadly missed

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really a radio listener so I missed out on some of Jeremy Hardy's best work. Most of what I'd seen of him was on television panel shows and he always struck me as funny, intelligent and the kind of comedian who's most loved by other comedians - the people who really understand their craft. This collection confirms all of that, shows to him to be much, much funnier (not to mention brave and humane) than I thought from my limited exposure to his work. It's also a beautiful tribute to a man who died too young.

[Barra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny. Thought provoking. Surreal and unexpected. Coincidentally I finished this feast of Jeremy on the second anniversary of his passing. The moving and witty tributes in this book written by his peers bring home his huge importance as a comedian to the reader. How marvellous that we should have been given this infectious collection of quotes, musings and rants so soon after his death to help to fill the gap he’s left behind. Most recommended.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A National Treasure Trove

A brilliant comic who oozed sincerity, and, though very ordinary, was extremely extraordinary. This is a wonderful collection of some of his most scathing, anti-establishment, but always always incredibly funny stories, quips and most of all challenging riffs. Not since Linda Smith has anyone been so able to mix the serious with the absurd yet remain a loveable and wonderful human being.

[Judy Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read: as well as laugh-out-loud comedy, there's lots of social comment and wisdom. I wish that I had realised how much more Jeremy had done on radio than I had listened to. I only knew him thrugh "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" and "The News Quiz". I searched in vain on BBC Sounds for "Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation", which I missed when it was on. I do hope they broadcast it again sometime.

[Steven Pilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won't change your life or qt least shouldn't. You know what you are getting with Jeremy Hardy but it's funny occasionally strident and it's on the right side of history . It's a book to pick at as if you are a fan you will know much of what js written and it works better in his voice but it's good and so read it

[Steve Gillway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really gives you a flavour of the man, his politics, his style of comedy, his irreverence, his matter-of-factness, bluntness etc. There would be too much for him to rant about in the times we live in. This selection allows to speculate.

[June Tilbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could only bear to read this in short chunks, partly because I didn’t want it to end and mainly because the thought of Jeremy no longer being with us is still unbearable.
The book gives a wonderful flavour of the man and his very special sense of humour.
Highly recommended.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny.

The other thing that comes across is Hardy's amazing intellect and clear vision. Refreshing, challenging and a reminder of all those "Have I Got News For You" episodes he never made - our loss.

[Steve Angelkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful heartfelt collection of works from Jeremy Hardy.

[MRS S J APPLEGATE · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class

Wonderful reminder of his work and his passions.
Moving tributes from people who knew him closely.
A brilliant and now poignant read.

[Clive Bevitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of the work of Jeremy interspersed by recollections by those who knew him.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much as I love Jeremy hardy and there were parts I laughed out loud, it was a tad too long.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the right LOL impact I was hoping for.