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Nailing It
'An uproariously funny collection of true stories from one of the comedy greats' - BILL BAILEY
A collection of hilarious and often absurd epiphanies in the legendary comedian's life that defined him - more in a for worse than for better kind of way - and all delivered in his unique deadpan style.
Growing up, Rich Hall aspired to be a writer, and after school he trained to be a journalist. But after a stint at the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee, he found himself trying to impress a girl by doing a one-man show in a state university campus in Kansas, armed with a bucket, a bullhorn and some dog biscuits. It wasn't exactly a triumph, and he didn't get the girl, but he had found his true calling.
Nailing It is a collection of true stories from both Hall's professional and personal life where he really had to nail it . They're not about glitz, or fame, or how he met his seventh wife at the rehab clinic and found spiritual direction. None of that happened to him. They're about accidentally melting Kraft cheese at his first Edinburgh Fringe Festival, alienating an entire convention of RV holiday-makers in Las Vegas, singing The Who's 'You Better You Bet' at a charity gig and turning his performance into a legendary rock'n' roll disaster, and attempting to seduce Karen, which must have been successful because she is now his wife. And other such escapades. Hall doesn't always come out of them all covered in glory - far from it - but if someone propped him up at the end of the comedy bar and put a 50p coin in him, these are the tunes he would spin. And you'd be laughing all night.
A collection of hilarious and often absurd epiphanies in the legendary comedian's life that defined him - more in a for worse than for better kind of way - and all delivered in his unique deadpan style.
Growing up, Rich Hall aspired to be a writer, and after school he trained to be a journalist. But after a stint at the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee, he found himself trying to impress a girl by doing a one-man show in a state university campus in Kansas, armed with a bucket, a bullhorn and some dog biscuits. It wasn't exactly a triumph, and he didn't get the girl, but he had found his true calling.
Nailing It is a collection of true stories from both Hall's professional and personal life where he really had to nail it . They're not about glitz, or fame, or how he met his seventh wife at the rehab clinic and found spiritual direction. None of that happened to him. They're about accidentally melting Kraft cheese at his first Edinburgh Fringe Festival, alienating an entire convention of RV holiday-makers in Las Vegas, singing The Who's 'You Better You Bet' at a charity gig and turning his performance into a legendary rock'n' roll disaster, and attempting to seduce Karen, which must have been successful because she is now his wife. And other such escapades. Hall doesn't always come out of them all covered in glory - far from it - but if someone propped him up at the end of the comedy bar and put a 50p coin in him, these are the tunes he would spin. And you'd be laughing all night.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 20, 2022
6 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Rich Hall
27 books22 followersRichard Travis Hall is an American comedian, writer, documentary maker, and musician, first coming to prominence as a sketch comedian in the 1980s. He wrote and performed for a range of American networks, in series such as Fridays, Not Necessarily the News (popularising the "sniglet" neologism), and Saturday Night Live.
After winning a Perrier Comedy Award in 2000, using the character of Tennesseean country musician Otis Lee Crenshaw, Hall became popular in the United Kingdom, regularly appearing on QI and similar panel shows. He has created and starred in several series for the BBC, including comedies with Mike Wilmot and documentaries often concerning cinema of the United States. Hall has also maintained a successful stand-up comedy career, as both Crenshaw and himself.
After winning a Perrier Comedy Award in 2000, using the character of Tennesseean country musician Otis Lee Crenshaw, Hall became popular in the United Kingdom, regularly appearing on QI and similar panel shows. He has created and starred in several series for the BBC, including comedies with Mike Wilmot and documentaries often concerning cinema of the United States. Hall has also maintained a successful stand-up comedy career, as both Crenshaw and himself.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 6, 2022
These are stories about the crux of the comedy moment - in both my professional and personal life - where I had to nail it. Screwball turn-of-events, wayward characters, unplanned disasters, and something-wonderful-right-away moments that made my life funny by happenstance. They're not all triumphs, but if someone propped me up at the end of the comedy bar and put a quarter in me, these are the tunes I would spin.
Hall presents a memoir-like cavalcade of funny tales. (I'm not sure if cavalcade is the right word, but, dammit, how often do you get to use that one, so, yeah - it stays.) It's sort of like a memoir in that Hall relates humorous happenings from his life, more or less in chronological order, but huge chunks are left out. For instance, he skips over the birth of his daughter, though one expects she came to the world in the usual way (and she did indeed learn to walk while Hall was away), in favor of the tale where he introduces her to the Montana ranch he bought without his wife's knowledge, and/or permission.
Most of this is freakin' hilarious. I lost count of how many times I LOLed. I particularly enjoyed Hall's retelling of his reluctant participation in the 1987 theatrical release Million Dollar Mystery, a film so awful it prompted an audience member to say "That movie was so bad, I want everybody's money back."
This is a fun collection of anecdotes, packed with plenty of laughs.
And, Rich, you really should go fishing with Roger Daltrey. Nobody's getting any younger here.
Just sayin'.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the read.
Hall presents a memoir-like cavalcade of funny tales. (I'm not sure if cavalcade is the right word, but, dammit, how often do you get to use that one, so, yeah - it stays.) It's sort of like a memoir in that Hall relates humorous happenings from his life, more or less in chronological order, but huge chunks are left out. For instance, he skips over the birth of his daughter, though one expects she came to the world in the usual way (and she did indeed learn to walk while Hall was away), in favor of the tale where he introduces her to the Montana ranch he bought without his wife's knowledge, and/or permission.
Most of this is freakin' hilarious. I lost count of how many times I LOLed. I particularly enjoyed Hall's retelling of his reluctant participation in the 1987 theatrical release Million Dollar Mystery, a film so awful it prompted an audience member to say "That movie was so bad, I want everybody's money back."
This is a fun collection of anecdotes, packed with plenty of laughs.
And, Rich, you really should go fishing with Roger Daltrey. Nobody's getting any younger here.
Just sayin'.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the read.
June 17, 2025
This is a very amusing memoir of selected scenes and stories from the comedian Rich Hall's life. The stories tell of - among other things - his first foray into comedy, his first successes, his first Edinburgh festival, meeting his wife, the last outing of his alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw, and an ill-fated charity concert.
Full of witty asides, we learn of Hall's poor judge of comedy potential (Larry David!), his incongruous encounters with celebrities, and why Buckingham Palace is like Aeros and Piers Morgan.
Served well by Hall's training as a journalist, this is an immensely readable book that - despite Hall's belief that no one reads comedy books in summer - I finished in mid-June!
Full of witty asides, we learn of Hall's poor judge of comedy potential (Larry David!), his incongruous encounters with celebrities, and why Buckingham Palace is like Aeros and Piers Morgan.
Served well by Hall's training as a journalist, this is an immensely readable book that - despite Hall's belief that no one reads comedy books in summer - I finished in mid-June!
September 24, 2023
A sort of a memoir which focuses on different stories from Hall's life. Mostly very funny, but also a bit self-congratulatory on occasions and sometimes quite withering towards his comedic peers. But if anyone's earned the right to do this sort of thing it's Hall; anyone that's seen him knows what a comedic genius he is. If you're into comedy at all, give this book a read.
August 20, 2022
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Book Group for an advanced copy of this memoir and recollections of a life spent being funny.
Back in the early 80's through ways that were more grey market than black my father got an illegal cable box that somehow had all the channels a young person would want to watch. My favorites, at my young age, were the comedy shows on HBO. Specials, movies and original programming I loved them all. My favorite was Not Necessarily the News a news parody, commercial satire that had a segment entitled Sniglets that I found mostly odd, sometimes humourous sometimes fall off the couch hysterical. Sniglets was defined as "Any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary but should", and the bits were always hosted by Rich Hall. Later I would see him on a few comedy specials, missed the first movie he made, but I always found him really smart and very very funny. His latest is Nailing It: Tales from the Comedy Frontier a memoir of his youth, a Bidungsroman on his growth and a really funny, surprisingly touching collection about his life.
Rich Hall grew up always wanting to be a writer, submitting stories in the men's adventure theme to publishers, and never hearing anything, until one Christmas morning his father gave him a scrapbook of all the rejection notes sent to Mr. Hall that his father intercepted. An odd life lesson but one that seemed to happen alot to Mr. Hall. Leaving for a job in journalism he knocked the side mirror off his girlfriend's father's car, maybe causing them to break up, which might have made the newspaper life not as interesting as pretending to be a street preacher for animals as he later found himself doing. From street performance the jump to comedy seemed natural, moving east and gaining skills he soon found writing jobs in New York, a movie better left undiscussed, life on the Fringe Festival, more TV shows, marriage, RVs and turning down offers to fish with Roger Daltry. Books were written, shows were made and songs about rum in Australia were sung, a career that anyone would be happy to have.
I have read Mr. Hall's other books on America, Self help, and the book on his alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw, which I have to find again as it was funny as heck. This memoir is not only funny, with great stories, and odd situations, but a lot of moments and passages of writing that come as quite a surprise in how sentimental and poignant they are. The thoughts on comedy, where it is going and where and how Mr. Hall creates it are expected but his thoughts on family, and various people who enter and leave his life are beautiful sketches on odd people. The opening section alone has some of the best writing that I have read and felt in awhile, going from dog preacher, to early standup, and writing messages to his (ex)? girlfriend in books that he would have delivered to her ski resort house. Writing that I would not think to find in a memoir about comedy.
Not only one of best memoirs that I have read in awhile, especially on comedy, but one of the best books of nonfiction that I have read, and I have read a lot. Not many books can make you think about life, laugh at loud, and go darn I wish I could write like that in the same sentence. Highly recommended for fans of early cable comedy, country song parodies, and memoirs that reach dip into what makes a person go. Also Mr. Hall's other books are very good also, and highly recommended.
Back in the early 80's through ways that were more grey market than black my father got an illegal cable box that somehow had all the channels a young person would want to watch. My favorites, at my young age, were the comedy shows on HBO. Specials, movies and original programming I loved them all. My favorite was Not Necessarily the News a news parody, commercial satire that had a segment entitled Sniglets that I found mostly odd, sometimes humourous sometimes fall off the couch hysterical. Sniglets was defined as "Any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary but should", and the bits were always hosted by Rich Hall. Later I would see him on a few comedy specials, missed the first movie he made, but I always found him really smart and very very funny. His latest is Nailing It: Tales from the Comedy Frontier a memoir of his youth, a Bidungsroman on his growth and a really funny, surprisingly touching collection about his life.
Rich Hall grew up always wanting to be a writer, submitting stories in the men's adventure theme to publishers, and never hearing anything, until one Christmas morning his father gave him a scrapbook of all the rejection notes sent to Mr. Hall that his father intercepted. An odd life lesson but one that seemed to happen alot to Mr. Hall. Leaving for a job in journalism he knocked the side mirror off his girlfriend's father's car, maybe causing them to break up, which might have made the newspaper life not as interesting as pretending to be a street preacher for animals as he later found himself doing. From street performance the jump to comedy seemed natural, moving east and gaining skills he soon found writing jobs in New York, a movie better left undiscussed, life on the Fringe Festival, more TV shows, marriage, RVs and turning down offers to fish with Roger Daltry. Books were written, shows were made and songs about rum in Australia were sung, a career that anyone would be happy to have.
I have read Mr. Hall's other books on America, Self help, and the book on his alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw, which I have to find again as it was funny as heck. This memoir is not only funny, with great stories, and odd situations, but a lot of moments and passages of writing that come as quite a surprise in how sentimental and poignant they are. The thoughts on comedy, where it is going and where and how Mr. Hall creates it are expected but his thoughts on family, and various people who enter and leave his life are beautiful sketches on odd people. The opening section alone has some of the best writing that I have read and felt in awhile, going from dog preacher, to early standup, and writing messages to his (ex)? girlfriend in books that he would have delivered to her ski resort house. Writing that I would not think to find in a memoir about comedy.
Not only one of best memoirs that I have read in awhile, especially on comedy, but one of the best books of nonfiction that I have read, and I have read a lot. Not many books can make you think about life, laugh at loud, and go darn I wish I could write like that in the same sentence. Highly recommended for fans of early cable comedy, country song parodies, and memoirs that reach dip into what makes a person go. Also Mr. Hall's other books are very good also, and highly recommended.
September 8, 2022
Nailing it! Tales from the Comedy Frontier by Rich Hall
BLURB: "A collection of hilarious and often absurd epiphanies in the legendary comedian's life that defined him - more in a for worse than for better kind of way - and all delivered in his unique deadpan style."
I picked up this book because of Otis Lee Crenshaw. A white trash, ex-convict, country singer alter ego that Rich Hall created sometime around the late '90s. Sure, I vaguely remember watching Not Necessarily the News back in the 1980s and I kinda, sorta, almost remember the sniglets*, but I'm here mostly because I think Otis Lee Crenshaw is comedy genius.
This isn't really a traditional memoir, it's more a collection of anecdotal essays ostensibly concerning the hit-and-miss nature of life lessons. Because Mr. Hall is a long established comedian, who apparently has developed a large following in the UK, there is more substance (not to mention cultural variety) to the stories shared here than your average celebrity of the moment tell-all. It's basically the tale of someone who found what he loves to do and somehow stumbled into a career doing it.
It's often humorous, sometimes thoughtful, occasionally hilarious, and, a time or two, a bit profound. Most of the tales contained in this memoir pertain to some significant moment in the arc of Rich Hall's life. Both personal and professional moments - usually a combination of the two. Towards the end it gets a little too pompous for my taste as Hall laments the current state of stand-up comedy with an extended rant about the lack of any real edginess in the profession these days. There may be some truth to it but it still gets tedious quickly.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this collection of anecdotes from the perspective of a somewhat more working-man celebrity... And not just because: Yes! There is a chapter featuring Otis Lee Crenshaw (a surreal moment of real life/performance art colliding at a funeral service in Scotland). It's more witty fun than roll on the floor hilarious but I found NAILING IT! by Rich Hall to be an entertaining read.
*Rich Hall is the creator of sniglets; which are made up words to describe things for which no words currently exist.
BLURB: "A collection of hilarious and often absurd epiphanies in the legendary comedian's life that defined him - more in a for worse than for better kind of way - and all delivered in his unique deadpan style."
I picked up this book because of Otis Lee Crenshaw. A white trash, ex-convict, country singer alter ego that Rich Hall created sometime around the late '90s. Sure, I vaguely remember watching Not Necessarily the News back in the 1980s and I kinda, sorta, almost remember the sniglets*, but I'm here mostly because I think Otis Lee Crenshaw is comedy genius.
This isn't really a traditional memoir, it's more a collection of anecdotal essays ostensibly concerning the hit-and-miss nature of life lessons. Because Mr. Hall is a long established comedian, who apparently has developed a large following in the UK, there is more substance (not to mention cultural variety) to the stories shared here than your average celebrity of the moment tell-all. It's basically the tale of someone who found what he loves to do and somehow stumbled into a career doing it.
It's often humorous, sometimes thoughtful, occasionally hilarious, and, a time or two, a bit profound. Most of the tales contained in this memoir pertain to some significant moment in the arc of Rich Hall's life. Both personal and professional moments - usually a combination of the two. Towards the end it gets a little too pompous for my taste as Hall laments the current state of stand-up comedy with an extended rant about the lack of any real edginess in the profession these days. There may be some truth to it but it still gets tedious quickly.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this collection of anecdotes from the perspective of a somewhat more working-man celebrity... And not just because: Yes! There is a chapter featuring Otis Lee Crenshaw (a surreal moment of real life/performance art colliding at a funeral service in Scotland). It's more witty fun than roll on the floor hilarious but I found NAILING IT! by Rich Hall to be an entertaining read.
*Rich Hall is the creator of sniglets; which are made up words to describe things for which no words currently exist.
May 26, 2023
Nailing It is a book of many ideas. It is not a straightforward autobiography of the acclaimed comedian Rich Hall. It is not a guide to comedy, or even to life as a comedian. It is not a tome of name-dropping grand-standing. It is not a travelogue, but it talks of travel. It is not a rags-to-riches story, although there are rags and a few riches along the way.
Through a series of anecdotes and episodes from his life, Rich Hall builds a vivid picture of his life and career. We find out how he met his wife, Karen, how he first got into comedy, the girl who got away, and meeting the man who replaced him.
We learn of his time in Edinburgh when he was nominated for the Perrier Award. We learn of his time singing with Roger Daltrey at the Royal Albert Hall. The formation of his band, and the development of his alter-ego, the grouchy singer-songwriter Otis Lee Crenshaw.
There is the account of his time in Las Vegas, insulting RV drivers, until he has the chance to try one for himself. We see how important integrity is to Hall, but how the attractions of a large vehicle can sometimes lead to a compromise.
The book is very well written and moves at a pace. It shows the importance of humour in the world, and how the people paid to make us laugh need to have a good sense of the absurd, every time they go to a new town and sell their wares.
Through a series of anecdotes and episodes from his life, Rich Hall builds a vivid picture of his life and career. We find out how he met his wife, Karen, how he first got into comedy, the girl who got away, and meeting the man who replaced him.
We learn of his time in Edinburgh when he was nominated for the Perrier Award. We learn of his time singing with Roger Daltrey at the Royal Albert Hall. The formation of his band, and the development of his alter-ego, the grouchy singer-songwriter Otis Lee Crenshaw.
There is the account of his time in Las Vegas, insulting RV drivers, until he has the chance to try one for himself. We see how important integrity is to Hall, but how the attractions of a large vehicle can sometimes lead to a compromise.
The book is very well written and moves at a pace. It shows the importance of humour in the world, and how the people paid to make us laugh need to have a good sense of the absurd, every time they go to a new town and sell their wares.
June 24, 2023
Meryl bookclub 2024 maybe ✅ …. American comedian Rich Hall recalls moments in his comedy career when he nailed it, gleefully hamming up his moments of triumph, hilariously accompanied by humiliation, unexpected failure and many, many teachable moments.
Comedians have ginormous egos but Rich appears to be very down to earth about his value to society (self acknowledged as not terribly important, a humble state his wife works hard at reinforcing), and Nailing It is all the more entertaining for it.
Rich the mouthy cowboy and Rich the erudite writer might be notions you find hard to reconcile at times, but I get it, it keeps you paying attention and for a comic that’s pretty much nirvana.
Well written, funny and occasionally quite somber (that last chapter hits hard man) I’m going to pour myself a bundy and coke and continue marvelling at the gorgeous cover drawn by the supernaturally talented Andrew Smith
Thanks Rich, I liked spending time in your fermenting, fizzing, fidgety head for a few days
M 2023
Comedians have ginormous egos but Rich appears to be very down to earth about his value to society (self acknowledged as not terribly important, a humble state his wife works hard at reinforcing), and Nailing It is all the more entertaining for it.
Rich the mouthy cowboy and Rich the erudite writer might be notions you find hard to reconcile at times, but I get it, it keeps you paying attention and for a comic that’s pretty much nirvana.
Well written, funny and occasionally quite somber (that last chapter hits hard man) I’m going to pour myself a bundy and coke and continue marvelling at the gorgeous cover drawn by the supernaturally talented Andrew Smith
Thanks Rich, I liked spending time in your fermenting, fizzing, fidgety head for a few days
M 2023
January 10, 2025
Not an autobiography in the classic sense, but it does start out that way - an origin story of sorts in the earlier chapters, but moving on to individual scenes from Rich Hall's comedy career, from the surreal to almost slapstick.
Those who've seen (and enjoyed) his stand-up will be pleased to know that his writing style is very similar to how he speaks on stage. Dry, cynical and with pithy observations and similes that can often catch you off guard. If, like me, your mind's ear would be reading the book in his voice, it really adds to the effect.
Pleasing, too, that Otis Lee Crenshaw gets a chapter. I won't give any spoilers, but that was definitely a funeral I'd have loved to have been at.
Those who've seen (and enjoyed) his stand-up will be pleased to know that his writing style is very similar to how he speaks on stage. Dry, cynical and with pithy observations and similes that can often catch you off guard. If, like me, your mind's ear would be reading the book in his voice, it really adds to the effect.
Pleasing, too, that Otis Lee Crenshaw gets a chapter. I won't give any spoilers, but that was definitely a funeral I'd have loved to have been at.
January 29, 2023
The nuclear ballistic missile / Alabama taxi driver story is a world-class quality anecdote, beautifully delivered by Rich Hall, and that alone would probably justify the cover price of “Nailing It”.
Otherwise, Rich Hall’s “Nailing It” is an above-average standard comedian’s memoir, enlivened by Hall’s dexterous prose style and way with an extended metaphor, but ultimately a little aimless and meandering (not unlike, as Hall would freely admit, his career). “Nailing It” has some skilfully-written passages, but it gets a bit too bogged down in celebrity-adjacent anecdotage, despite Hall’s frequent declarations of indifference to that kind of vapid shit.
Otherwise, Rich Hall’s “Nailing It” is an above-average standard comedian’s memoir, enlivened by Hall’s dexterous prose style and way with an extended metaphor, but ultimately a little aimless and meandering (not unlike, as Hall would freely admit, his career). “Nailing It” has some skilfully-written passages, but it gets a bit too bogged down in celebrity-adjacent anecdotage, despite Hall’s frequent declarations of indifference to that kind of vapid shit.
February 3, 2024
Books by comedians can be a really mixed bag; often the performer's act, or even stage personality, doesn't translate well to the page. Well, Hall's book struck me as resting at the higher end of the scale. Turns out he is as funny, charming, and interesting here as he is when performing. Indeed, since this is an engaging version of a comic's life story hero quest it's more fun than just a bunch of random humorous essays and bits. I was entertained, and happy to learn more about Mr. Hall and his career.
March 26, 2024
I'm not a frequent reader of memoirs or humor books, but this was as quirky and funny as Mr. Hall's standup routines. His one season on SNL in 1984-85 was where I first heard of him, although they used his writing a lot more than his face onscreen. Nailing It is a collection of career highlights, so to speak, and each episode is told with a kind of cerebral self-effacement I found very readable and most enjoyable.
June 19, 2025
A collection of anecdotes, mostly excellent. The one about the final days of Otis Lee Crenshaw was my favourite. I was really enjoying this book - the writing is phenomenal - until right at the end where Rich has a cranky old man rant about the state of modern comedy: everybody's so woke these days, young comedians aren't funny, and you can't say anything anymore without someone being offended. *yawn* *eyeroll*
September 19, 2022
A great collection of anecdotes from an underrated comedian.
Rich has honed his craft for many years and is one of the few comedians left that doesn't have boundaries in place to inhibit him. If he knows somethings funny; he's saying it - long may he reign...
Rich has honed his craft for many years and is one of the few comedians left that doesn't have boundaries in place to inhibit him. If he knows somethings funny; he's saying it - long may he reign...
November 13, 2022
Great stories, I didn't want to put it down. The stories tied together the narrative of Hall's career organically. I was a little disappointed by the last two chapters veering towards "you can't say anything these days" territory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
This is very good.
Despite not being a fan of Rich Hall when I’ve seen him on TV or on panel game shows, when in written form he is much better and it’s an enjoyable and funny look back and forward through how a stand-up gets going.
Despite not being a fan of Rich Hall when I’ve seen him on TV or on panel game shows, when in written form he is much better and it’s an enjoyable and funny look back and forward through how a stand-up gets going.
July 7, 2025
Strange. The first half, looking back at his early life, is interesting but not very funny, to me. The second half, the more recent life and work, is rather weirder but very very funny.
Overall, definitely worth it.
Overall, definitely worth it.
August 11, 2025
I love Rich Hall. This is the first thing I've read by him but I love his writing, his indifference to fame etc. Plus the last chapter about the future death of comedy is one of the most poignant things I've read
November 5, 2022
Very uneven collection of stories. A couple were 5 stars and others 1.
December 29, 2022
Great set of anecdotes, suprinsingly poignant as it reaches its conclusion. He’s a top man, Mr Hall.
June 29, 2024
Great collection of stories by a very underrated comedian.
July 2, 2024
Very funny guy, both in RL and on paper.
July 27, 2025
With some occasional five-star sentences.
April 26, 2023
Audiobook.
I once went to see Rich Hall perform in The Forum in Waterford – back in my college days. People kept leaving to go to the bathroom, and he started to poke fun. Unfortunately I was one of those people and I tried to cover my face with my hand as I walked past. He took the opportunity to take the joke to the next level saying “if only we’d done that in Vietnam, things might have gone a lot better”.
Anyway, that’s my Rich Hall anecdote. In this book he tells anecdotes about himself and his journey to becoming a successful comedian. His anecdotes are a lot better than mine, and this is well worth a listen. Very funny throughout.
I once went to see Rich Hall perform in The Forum in Waterford – back in my college days. People kept leaving to go to the bathroom, and he started to poke fun. Unfortunately I was one of those people and I tried to cover my face with my hand as I walked past. He took the opportunity to take the joke to the next level saying “if only we’d done that in Vietnam, things might have gone a lot better”.
Anyway, that’s my Rich Hall anecdote. In this book he tells anecdotes about himself and his journey to becoming a successful comedian. His anecdotes are a lot better than mine, and this is well worth a listen. Very funny throughout.
December 7, 2024
If you are looking to read this to find out more about Rich Hall in the style of an autobiography then this probably isn’t the book for you, but if you’re looking for a book of humorous anecdotes from his professional and personal life then this book will tick those boxes. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to and quite a few of the anecdotes made me laugh.
Rich’s personality shines through in the writing and there is no doubt that he wrote this, there definitely hasn’t been a ghost writer with this book but at times this meant that I felt the writing didn’t flow that well because it was written in a conversational style. I enjoyed the anecdote of Rich and his co-star hunting for the hidden movie money and also the one about the Royal Albert Hall performance which made me go straight to YouTube to see if video footage was available. However some of the stories were better than others and I felt like I was rushing through a few of them whereas others had me gripped so it was a bit hit and miss in that regard.
I’d recommend this book to any fans of Rich, there’s not a lot more that I could say about this book, to give more detail would spoil the anecdotes and that is really the total of the book.
Rich’s personality shines through in the writing and there is no doubt that he wrote this, there definitely hasn’t been a ghost writer with this book but at times this meant that I felt the writing didn’t flow that well because it was written in a conversational style. I enjoyed the anecdote of Rich and his co-star hunting for the hidden movie money and also the one about the Royal Albert Hall performance which made me go straight to YouTube to see if video footage was available. However some of the stories were better than others and I felt like I was rushing through a few of them whereas others had me gripped so it was a bit hit and miss in that regard.
I’d recommend this book to any fans of Rich, there’s not a lot more that I could say about this book, to give more detail would spoil the anecdotes and that is really the total of the book.
October 6, 2023
Here’s my book review
https://youtu.be/UH4cPiXbxqE?si=YHxR_...
A hilarious book and one that I could hear his voice through the stories. (Like an audiobook but in my head).
While reading this, I realised I’ve never tasted a Bundy. I must find my inner feral and try it at least once in my life.
https://youtu.be/UH4cPiXbxqE?si=YHxR_...
A hilarious book and one that I could hear his voice through the stories. (Like an audiobook but in my head).
While reading this, I realised I’ve never tasted a Bundy. I must find my inner feral and try it at least once in my life.
August 31, 2025
I read Nailing It! by candlelight as Hurricane Fiona knocked down trees and power lines around me. It was that good.
Last chapter, set in the future, with the omelet joke? Funny stuff.
One thing I can say is Rich and I feel similarly about is our wives. I adore mine when she’s a noun. But when she’s a verb, I adore her even more (and it’s hard fucking work).
Last chapter, set in the future, with the omelet joke? Funny stuff.
One thing I can say is Rich and I feel similarly about is our wives. I adore mine when she’s a noun. But when she’s a verb, I adore her even more (and it’s hard fucking work).
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