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Picking up from where Peter's massive bestselling autobiography The Sound of Laughter left off, Saturday Night Peter charts the hilarious journey his career took as he developed and honed his comedy skills by taking to the road and trying out his stand up material in pubs and clubs across the country.
Each Saturday night would present Peter with a new venue, a new audience to win over, other acts appearing and the ever changing and all important performance itself. But behind the scenes there were the digs and landladies, the preparation for the show, the anxious drive there and of course the inspiration for the material itself.
Read about Peter's first venture into stand-up comedy and Bolton's worst takeaway. Click here to read more [Adobe Acrobat or other PDF reader required].
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Peter Kay was born in Bolton in 1973. After leaving school with a GCSE in art, he held a series of jobs including working as a cinema usher, mobile disc jockey, in a factory packing toilet rolls, garage attendant and in a bingo hall.
Since winning the prestigious North West Comedian of the Year in 1996 , Peter has firmly established himself as one of Britain's best loved comedians. Winning numerous awards for his work, including four British comedy awards and three awards from the Royal Television Society.
Amongst other work, Peter wrote, directed and starred in That Peter Kay Thing, Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere, the BAFTA-award winning Phoenix Nights and, most recently, Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Geraldine - The Winner's Story.
His autobiography The Sound of Laughter is the UK's bestselling hardback autobiography of all time with over 1 million copies sold.
Product Description
Review
"More hilarity from the author of The Sound of Laughter" (Woman & Home)
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
The long-awaited follow up to The Sound of Laughter
Another enjoyable read with some excellent anecdotes that give you a good feel for what it is like to be a Stand-up. The key is stage presence and delivery, which Peter Kay has in abundance. Loved some of the stories about corporate gigs and the Edinburgh Festival and how PK's path crossed with a number of other famous names on the way (Graham Norton, Johnny Vegas, Steve Coogan, Jason Manford....). It would also seem that life on the road with Paddy in tow was surely never dull. Could see the inspiration for Phoenix Nights with some of the more desperate acts out there, the Meat Loaf tribute and the dire angry impressionist really made me laugh. Also did not realise the spat with Liam Gallagher began way before the Brits. Will definitely bring a smile to any reader's face although overall does not flow as well in comparison to `The Sound Of Laughter'.
I'm not normally a great autobiography reader but certain people I will make the time for and Peter Kay is one of them, simply because not only is he funny but he also comes across as genuine and down to earth. I think with Peter, you don't just get a story about his life - you get his comic genius written down on paper. The opening line about trainee ballerinas queing outside Greggs Bakers sums up real life perfectly and hooks you in from the start, just like his first book. Any foreign readers (Americans in particular) would be baffled as to why trained gymnists are woofing down pies but in Britainthat's the way we roll. Just like his first book, there are loads of laugh out loud moments too. I don't really laugh at books like I've heard some people do but because I can hear him saying it, it becomes priceless. Like reading a script book for a show once you've seen it. Normally I'm a bit dubious about people who release a second autobiography but in this case, it's welcomed and I even hope they'll be a third offering although it's about time we saw him back on the telly or doing a Live show again. Phoenix Nights 3...?
This isn't a bad book; it's just not a particularly good one. It's certainly not a patch on `The Sound of Laughter'. A few chuckles are to be found in it but certainly no laugh out loud moments. His previous book had some great tales of his childhood, but this is (at times) a rather tedious account of his stand-up career. The re-printing of some sections of his older stand up routines only adds to the since of disappointment.
Peter Kay is a funny guy on television and on stage. I like his down to earth humour, well observed and clever yet also familiar and universal, and his Bolton accent imparts a charm to all that he does.
But hang on. His appeal is his character and that does not come across well in his books. I have the same criticism of this book as I had with "The Sound of Laughter" - it is not the medium in which he works best. This books also feels rushed, it is poorly written with absolutely no style, and his humour (so instantly likeable when heard) is strained when read in print. It sounds calculated and shoe-horned into his prose.
But I have a genuinely sensible suggestion (I think!) Why does he not read his books aloud onto CD so that we can all enjoy his wry observations on life as they are best heard? It would be funnier than reading the book by a long chalk.
Oh, and Peter, whilst I'm on the subject, please get some new fresh material that doesn't try to gain yet more laughs from garlic bread, cheesecake and Rola Cola. You've done that; it was funny; we all laughed; but we won't keep laughing unless you strike off in a fresh direction with new material. You're getting a bit like Victoria Wood who still thinks it's funny to make jokes about Carmen rollers and lemon acrylic cardigans. I thought all comedians devised new material all the time but, from this book, it seems that Peter Kay has a stock of "good material" that can be wheeled onstage, dusted down and plugged in to play and replay over and over and over again years after it was first performed. I think your fans deserve a little more effort than that.
This book is like shepherd's pie in a glass: good content but badly presented.
I loved the first book because it brought back so many of my own memories at school, life in the 70s and 80s etc. I have all the DVDs and love them, and don't get me wrong I really like the second installment but as I already know the stand up bits, I feel a bit hard done by!
I was excited at the release of this book as I really enjoyed the first one "The Sound of Laughter", and it didn't disappoint! :) Thouroughly amusing, just like the man himself! You can almost hear him saying the things for real! The exerpts from his shows are great as they bring back great parts of the stand up dvds! If you like Peter Kay, then this book is a must :)
I started reading this book and read it none stop for about two days and throughly enjoyed every second of it. It has so many laugh out loud moments that at some points i emabarrassed myself with a total outburst of laughter with tears streaming down my face. BUY BUY BUY honestly you wont regret it.
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