Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey

by Richard Ayoade

In this book, Richard Ayoade - actor, writer, director, and amateur dentist - reflects on his cinematic legacy as only he can: in conversation with himself. Over 10 brilliantly insightful and often erotic interviews, Ayoade examines Ayoade fully and without mercy, leading a breathless investigation into this once-in-a-generation visionary. They have called their book Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey. Take the journey, and your life will never be the same again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comedy, Humor, Biography, Film, Memoir, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

Richard Ellef Ayoade is a British comedian, film director, screenwriter, television presenter, actor, and author best known for his role as the socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, for which he won the 2014 BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Reviews

[Barry Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Ayoade is a treasure. His comedic style is pretty much unrivalled on television today. So how well does his unique branch of humour translate to the page? Quite well actually, well, at least I thought so.

Ayoade on Ayoade can be seen as a spoof, a mockery, a satire on those pretentious novel length interviews given by directors who only a handful of intellectuals have heard of and even fewer have actually witnessed their works. One that comes to mind is probably the most famous, Hitchcock by François Truffaut, although I greatly admire both Hitchcock and Trauffaut so I am clearly disgustingly hypocritical and I should be shot. This book is presented as a series of interviews given by Richard Ayoade to Richard Ayoade (hence the name stupid!). His quick-witted and subtle humour flows wonderfully throughout these interviews.

However it's more than just that. It is entirely held together by a series of footnotes, in fact nearly half of the book is just footnotes. It would make David Foster Wallace proud but made navigating this book on my Kindle a task akin to Dante's journey through the Inferno. The footnotes are full anecdotes within themselves, made up of letters and diary entries and strange Pinteresque short film scripts. The book's subtitle, "A Cinematic Odyssey", is really the best description of it.

So who wants to read this book? Well, let's see. Here's a test. Do you know who Pedro Almodóvar is? If yes, then congratulations this book is for you! If no, well then, carry on with your life.

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Ayoade: Actor, Writer, Director. Father, Husband, Man. Nasal, Norwegian, Nigerian. Some Other Things, Too.

In this book, Richard Ayoade interviews himself, Richard Ayoade, about his life in the limelight, mostly concentrating on his love for film and the films he has made, namely the only two he has made, Submarine and The Double.

This is not a biography. Or an autobiography, though there are some elements of such here. It's more of an assault of autobiographies and interviews and cinema as a whole, and so many other things.

P.S. Don't buy this book on Kindle. You will regret it and want to kill yourself for not heeding my Wise Words. This book is built upon the footnote and appendix system, and you MUST flick back and forth between the three in order to fully appreciate Ayoade's might. Do. Not. Buy. On. Kindle.


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[Bea]

DNF @ 40%

Sad to say I just didn’t care at all. I wasn’t finding it very funny when actually I was expecting a hilarious piece of writing from one of my favourite comedians. I can’t see myself picking this up again soon.

I’ve also seen a lot of other reviews saying that this was also not their cup of tea and writing jokes down are not his strong point.

[Laura Caley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book if I'm honest - I'm a huge fan of Richard Ayoade and had high expectations for this book. The first part with the interviews was funny at times and I could cope with reading this but the second part was far too ... Annoying I guess is the correct term. Jokes had been stretched too far and it just wasn't my cup of tea sadly.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

📽️"Ayoade on Ayoade" read by both Ayoade and Ayoade, with an appearance by Jesse Eisenberg . I found this hilarious. Reviews indicate it is a polarising book. It seems not everyone is as enamoured with Ayoade as I am... Oh well. I listened to the entire thing while I was spring cleaning and it was delightfully odd company. I've got two more to listen to and I'm looking forward to them! I will probably buy a physical copy eventually as well. 📚🎧

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly pointless in a charming way. Then a bit irritating. Just enough "laugh-out-loud moments" to qualify for my enduring respect.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ayoade on Ayoade' is a playful, funny parody of those earnest books which fawn over auteurs and deconstruct their work for meta levels of meaning. That Richard Ayoade is so willing to poke fun at this, whilst apparently engaging with it in his own films, made me like him even more - and I already like him a lot.

'Ayoade on Ayoade' is, in parts, laugh out loud funny however it is also quite disjointed, especially the book's lengthy appendices which, whilst still good, got a bit boring and repetitive.

'Ayoade on Ayoade' seems to have divided readers, and I can understand why, it's clearly not got universal appeal. I would suggest that if you like the idea of Richard Ayoade interviewing Richard Ayoade (about half of the book) whilst taking celebrity introspection to absurd new levels, or - for example - you know who Terrence Malick is, and you are attracted to reading a series of highly unlikely tweets he sent whilst making the film 'The Tree of Life', then you should find much to enjoy here. If not, give it a miss.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so much to like it! I tried so hard to like it! But the appendices were Just. Too. Much.
Ayoade is probably one of my favourite actors and comedians. I hadn't read anything from him before this, and maybe if I had I would have been better prepared for this book, but it was not to be.
5 stars for being a genre-bending mindfuck, but 1 star for being inaccessible and unwieldy. Settled for 2.5

[Lizz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

This was brilliant! I never thought anyone would get face-to-face with the elusive genius, Ayoade. What an artist! A man ahead of his time, though slightly behind mine.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I am an admirer of Richard Ayoade's performance on the British sitcom, The IT Crowd, and his two films, Submarine and The Double. Like many books by comedians, Ayoade on Ayoade is a vehicle for jokes, and most of them are funny. Ayoade is particularly good at making up fake movie plots (see Hot Sauce 2: The Afterburn).

The book itself is a parody of high-brow interviews with film directors. It probably helps if you've taken a film studies class or two in college, as the satire of this writing style is pretty spot on. Ayoade's interviews are totally ridiculous, however, and this is not a book to read if you want to learn anything purely factual about him. The constant absurdism does raise the question of whether there's anything true in the book, even on a metaphorical level. I think the answer is yes.

First, Ayoade is incredibly self-deprecating, even observing that "Ayoade is so terrified of criticism that he prefers to criticize himself (often mid-sentence, and in parentheses) before the reader has a chance to demur." Second, it's probably not a coincidence that the director of a film adaptation of Dostoevsky's The Double -- a story about a timid man who is terrorized by a charismatic, immoral doppelgänger -- also wrote a book where one version of himself interviews another. While any reflections on this theme are couched in the style of the book, I still think there's some insight to be found into Ayoade's view on this kind of duality:

What's inspired me so much about doing this book is that you are another facet of me. Obviously, by being in the 'journalist' role, you are the most weak, facile, and spineless side of me, but you're still me. You have a type of insight. Clearly no one can completely know me, not even me, so you get it wrong, you're afraid to fully engage. You're shy of a full celebration of my gifts, but at least you dare approach.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite enjoyable but more like a comedy book you would dip into every now and again. To read it on one fell swoop ends in mild disappointment as it's quite samey throughout however I have to confess to giggling a fair bit while reading.

Leave this one in the bathroom for occasional musings and you are sorted!

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who, like me, wondered if this was coming a little too early in the career of Richard Ayoade, rest assured – this is a spoof of those grandiloquent career-spanning interview books. It's a very competent spoof, too – one showing that he can put pen to paper and come up with something clever enough, enjoyable and witty and at times sprightly, and very well sustained. Unfortunate, then, that he has sustained mediocrity too far.

From the book we can gather that he has a brilliant line in self-deprecation, and is even more cineliterate than his two films so far might have suggested. He can convey the ins and outs of a pretentious dialogue with himself very well – but the joke isn't that great, and however many times he drops trashy films (or A-Ha) into things there is a sense of the cleverness not quite being put to as great a use as it might have been. He can provide the usual satiric short essays, that might have been seen before and might not, which provide glimpses of the stereotypic life in Hollywood, but the book never rises beyond that. Sure, it doesn't flag, provide too many missteps or outstay its welcome, but it starts in one measured furrow and hits the hedge having deviated little. It provides a reasonable crop (one highlight a Lynchian short film script with tiny waiters); no more.

[Falko Rademacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I was tempted only to give three stars, but there is enough funny, quirky stuff in this strange book to call it "quite good". Even though the term "self-indulgent" is screaming from every page. Maybe a better word is "eccentric"? Alright then. But please Sir, Mr. Ayoade, Sir: Fewer footnotes next time, Sir. I read this on a Kindle, like so many, many other people do nowadays, Sir. And these hundreds of footnotes (that's not an exaggeration) made me go forth and back all the time. A bloody nightmare which substantially spoiled my reading experience. Being niche is fine, but being annoying is not.

[Lauren James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ayoade is one of my favourite comedians, so I was expecting to find this hilarious, but it sticks to the same joke (him interviewing himself) the whole way through, and it quickly got grating. There was no actual content beyond the satire.

[Kristopher Pistole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you realize this is not a book in which Richard talks about films but instead is a farce in which he comically dissects the interview experience. Ayoade, the author of this book, interviews Ayoade, an insane and ego-menicale filmmaker version of himself. It's a comedic bit that builds and builds on itself into absurdity.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a simple equation to figure out how much you'll like this book.

x = your rating of Submarine out of 5

y = how much of a pretentious film buff you are out of 5

Your rating for Ayoade on Ayoade = 2x/3 + y/3

I gave it a 4.

[Amy W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodness, where to start? This was quite the ordeal. I realise it's supposed to be a spoof and the endless footnotes another witty idiosyncrasy, but my God it wore thin. Then just when I was at my lowest ebb, there would be an Alan Partridge-esque gem that I couldn't help smiling at:

"What a day! I acted so much before lunch that I ended up needing to eat two puddings after my chicken kievs: a custard-y one that had sultanas in and then a lighter one that may have been meringue (though I couldn't be sure because I still had the taste of the first one in my mouth)."

Or maybe it just seemed funnier because of the tedious try-hard waffle surrounding it? I feel like the idea of the book fell flat most of the time, which was a shame. After a strong start, there wasn't really enough to sustain a whole book. I don't think it's a case of me not "getting" it. I'm aware the book was trying to be deliberately irreverent, but that only works if the end result is actually funny, which, alas, this mostly wasn't. A bit disappointing, really.

I need a lie down.

[Mish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely unreadable, pedantic wank.
Pedants think they are funny and clever but they can be excessively annoying.
The book form of Richard Ayoade is terrible due to the fact that the pedantry can't be lifted by Richard's usual deadpan performance. I liked him in the IT Crowd but less so on comedy quiz shows.
I didn't get very far with the book before I started to skim for an interesting part. Unfortunatley, I didn't find one.
Much as you may love Richard, don't fall into the trap that he can be as interesting in printed form.
Started the book and finished it during the 20 minute journey from Birmingham to Coventry.
This shocking discovery has made me more wary of other funny men's books, e.g. David Mitchell...

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left me in stitches. Literal stitches; I fell into a mall water fountain while reading the MANY appendixes. This book is 'shoot milk out your nose' funny while still being deeply insightful. The only question remains "how much Ayoade is too much Ayoade?" The answer, hopefully will be answered in his next book 'Ayoade IN Ayoade' (hot).

[Jostein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly a bit of a disappointment. Just not as funny as his other books. I still chuckled a bit, and was charmed by Ayoade's quirkiness, but I thought it was too little to give this one a decent rating.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book around 10pm one night, thinking to myself I'd just get in 30 mins or so before bed. I stayed up until 6am because I kept laughing so much that I'd flood my body with adrenaline and whatever other feel-good chemicals are released when you laugh.

If you're a fan of Richard Ayoade, you can basically read the entire book in his unique style of vocal staccato flow which enhances the experience tenfold.

However there are some cons/things that aren't for everyone. There's a lot of to-and-fro (about 60% of the book is in ridiculous footnotes) and if you can't get into that idea on it's lunacy fundamental level, I'm afraid it might be a frustrating read. I however loved it. Furthermore the ending (if you can call it that) is sorta weak compared to the first 3/4 of the book.

EDIT: Formatting.

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very first episode of "The IT Crowd", I deemed Moss my favorite character in the show, and Richard Ayoade one of my top 5 comedians EVER. And he didn't disappoint me with this book!

conditions to read this book:
1- you must love British humor.
2- you don't mind lists.
3- or footnotes (lots of them. half of the book is footnotes).
4- you must appreciate Ayoade's humor.

I would say you must know a lot about films and directors, but I don't and I still enjoyed this book. I won't say it's a memoir, it's more of a satirical piece and a parody of similar books about directors and these book-length interviews. My favorite bits of the book were his writings on writing and acting, and of course the footnotes. It's a parody of the film trade and deep philosophical films and directors, and I laughed all the way through.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your normal kind of autobiography, if you're not already a fan of Ayoade when you pick this up you'll soon be wondering what in the gibbering flip is going on. Luckily, I am a fan.

Writer, director and actor Ayoade documents a series of antagonistic interviews with himself, alongside diary entries, stock award acceptance speeches, and some of the best film trivia questions every put to paper (example questions: True or false, Ridley Scott's middle name is Didley?; From what source does Robert Rodriguez get his confidence?; What would possess someone to rewatch Ordinary People?)

I enjoyed this immensely.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought about giving it two stars but I couldn’t. It just wasn’t good. It’s like someone was spitballing an idea for a joke, “imagine if...” and even though the joke wasn’t that funny, somehow it became a 300-page book.

I think I still like Richard Ayoade, but this was a waste of everyone’s time.

[Moa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest books, if not the, I've ever read. Each sentence brings you on a rollercoaster you've never been on before; you never know what is going to happen next. Clever, funny, brilliantly formatted, with an unexpected index to finish the book off. Never had a boring second reading this!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times totally hilarious with great puns and references, at other times deliciously absurd, a book only someone like Ayoade could write. A book completely unlike any other.

[رؤيا شعبان · Rating 3 out of 5]

first of all , first of all ,

Do you know who is Richard Ayoade ?
هل تعرفون من هو ريتشارد ايوادي ؟



well
حسناً ،
هو مخرج ، اقصد ممثل ،
لا مخرج ، اقصد ممثل كوميدي
:D

بالطبع هو معروف كممثل كوميدي في مسلسلات البرطانية ،
و لكني معرفتي به اولا كمخرج فأنا لا أشاهد المسلاسلات الكوميدية علي أية حال



بعد مشاهدتي لفيلم

Submarine



و الذي هو من انتاج 2010 و لكني لم احصل علي فرصة لمشاهدته سوي العام الماضي
, و رغم ان قصة الفيلم تشبه كثير " دا كتشر ان دا ري " و لكني ابهرت بالحس الفني في الفيلم
الموسيقة ، التصوير ، التحرير بشكل عام
و كل مشهد فيه لوحة فنية بحد ذاته ،
و بعد ذلك
قد حصل ان شاهدت فيلمه الاخير جداً

The Double



من بطولة الرائع جيسي ايسسنبريغ
و لاني ابهرت بكلا الفيلمين و الذي لم تكن لذي فكرة انهما لنفس المخرج
الا بعد ان انتبني الفضول لمعرفة من خلف هذا الابداع و تفجاءة انه نفس الرجل
بالطبع ،
احببت اسلوبه الاخراجي لدرجة كبيرة خصوصا في فيلم الاول و الذي
سوف اقراءه روايته في اقرب وقت
و ايضاً فيلمه التاني ، مستوحاه من رواية للعظيم ديستوفسكي و الذي هي في قائمة قراءتي ايضاً
* الكثير من الكتب يالهي *

حسناً حسناً

ما أحاول قوله ، ان ريتشارد ايوادي ، مخرج رائع
و الاجمل من هذا ،
روحه الفكهايه الظريفه و اسلوبه المرح في الكتابه
لا ننسي انه ممثل كوميدي ايضاً


و الان لنعود للكتاب
عن ماذا هذا الكتاب ؟

"This book is about films . my films ,their films , your films , our films .
filming films . filmy films . film films .
film.
just film .
nothing else .
except film . "

أجل هذا الكتاب كله عن الافلام و الافلام و لا شئ سوي الافلام
أنا امزح
هذا الكتاب عن ايوادي
المخرج ايوادي
يستضيف نفسه في لقاء خاص
بشكل كوميدي ، فليس هناك مستضيف
فيخاطب نفسه و يسأل
عن حياته
عن سنوات حياته الفنية
عن تطور الفن من يوم والدته لليوم الحالي
و يختم لنا الكتاب بمشهد تخيلي لجنازته ايضاً
الكتاب يتكلم عن اعماله
ايوادي لا يأخد اي شئ جدي في الكتاب
فكله سخرية في سخرية
سخرية من الكتابه او الاخراج او الثميل
لكنك ستجد فيه امور كثيرة مسلة
بالطبع لو لم تكن مهتم جداً بالافلام و ليس لك اطلاع كبير بكتابة النصوص و الاخراج
لن تستمتع بالكتاب
ولكن بشكل عام الكتاب كوميدي جداً جداً
و هناك الكثير من الفقرات التي جعلتني اضحك من دون توقف

"The year is 2020
the world has forgotten meaning . the world has forgotten Cinema . the world has forgotten itself .
because the world has forgotten Ayoade .
I don't want to in that world . none of us do .
so let us never forget.
let us never stop giving thanks .
let us always remember just what it is that we have .
we have Ayoade
we have Cinema .
we must hold both close to our hearts before the wind blows them away ."

over all

الكتاب جميل و ممتع و ليس هناك اكثر من هذا لاقوله
لاني استمتعت به جداً جداً و انصح به
لكل المهتمين بالافلام او لهم معرفة كافيه و رغبه في معرفة المزيد عن المخرج
هناك نصائح للمخرجين او كتاب السيناريو باسلوب فكاهي
و انا بالطبع سأعيد قراءة هدا الكتاب مرة اخرا
ربما احبه اكثر في القراءة التانية
:)

[I'mogén · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a piece of literary genius! From the first page I was laughing and knew this would be a great book. An interview with himself is such a unique concept, which played off well alonside Ayoade's intense, dry humor.
The book is packed with interactivity that I was not expecting and looking back now, I wish I follwed Ayoade's advice and turned to the Appendix when he said, because when I did get to them in the back, I felt like they lacked charm and humor that they would have had if I had read them in the correct context. Because I failed to do so, a lot of the time I had no idea what I was reading.
The only faults I saw in this book was I didn't get a lot of the references to celebrities enough to enjoy the joke to it's full capability and I wish the middle portion was more like the 'Interview' with himself section as they were definitely my favourite parts. The middle was definitely blander in comparison with the rest. Also, I don't know how much to believe... xD
Anywho, a great book and excellent concept. I'm glad I purchased this.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited for this book initially. Starting it I was quite amused by the tone and asides and pedantic stylings that are so familiar to Ayoade's comedy. But those qualities quickly became tediously self-indulgent when spread over the course of the entire book. Sure it was funny to refer the reader to 10 footnotes and 3 areas of the appendix in the first chapter. But to continue that over the course of the entire book... ugh. It got really old.

I still enjoy Ayoade as a comedian but feel that he is best employed in dialogue with someone else (and by someone else I mean an entirely different entity rather than playing himself against himself) who can break up the dry service of his incredibly witty but unvarying humor.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love The IT Crowd and I love Maurice Moss. Therefore I love Ayoade. I think his "memoir", so to speak, is enjoyable if you love Moss. You can read it in his voice.
I must say, I missed some of his jokes. Perhaps you need to be British or into films, of which, I am neither. I still laughed at some of the quips and oddities and read it in Ayoade's voice.
Those readers who like none of the above should avoid this read. If weirdness is your thing, then this is for you.