Frank skinner autobiography

Before the chapter is out, has been covered in a bucket of piss and has felt up his teacher at the nativity play. Some of it is pretty hard to keep track of. I, on the other hand missed, the whole Three Lions fever. In , I was holed up working at a Butlins holiday camp and we tended not to get out a great deal. I heard enough of the song though.

The DJ in the showbar played it constantly, at least three times a night around the championships. We ventured out to catch the England matches if we could and I remember the hyped tabloid newspaper covers from the time that Frank talks about but more so for me, the replenishment and lyrical re-write of the song for the World Cup two years later, was more superior.

By this time, I had moved from the camp in Bognor to Brighton and was caught up in the whole atmosphere the second time around. Argentina match that David Beckham was sent off, at this pub in The Laines. It might not have been a great day for Beckham, but it was a great one for me. This is an important factor. He shares the same school of thought as I when it comes to football, and is the very reason I never got into it.

That, and my local team was crap. I was born and grew up in Redcar, so by this logic, which was very much felt by everyone around me, I became a Middlesbrough fan. Another reason I, albeit very briefly, became a Middlesbrough fan was because aswell as collecting dole, my father worked on the sly at Ayresome Park as a steward and sometimes, had to take me with him.

The first game he took me to was a belter. The Boro won , against Sheffield Utd. My father stuck me somewhere in the stands on some steps within some seating with a cup of Bovril which I burnt my mouth on within about two minutes and fucked off for the whole match. All I remember about the match was that Bernie Slaven strode through the mud with the ball, deep inside the Middlesbrough half and motored the length of the pitch to score in the Sheffield goal.

If only he had a call up. Halfway through the book, Frank expresses how he feels about writing the first half and wished he had the ability to ask his new mate, the reader, what he thinks. Insecurities though, lie in his modesty and sometimes come across as false when he eagerly protests at the opposite. Sure, that is hard to put across right when the extreme amount of your readers earn considerably less than you.

He knows it. There are even publisher stuff in here that seems completely unedited, like what his editor wanted him to expand on. I have a sneaky feeling though that this is probably the only time I will come across such abashment in the next year's reading. But, the spontanaiety in the story telling is what I really liked. Gradually he begins to scrutinize his own book and thus again, himself.

He is definately uncomfortable about writing this and because of it he comes across as very likeable. He can tell a story. He can captivate and hold ones attention, hence his success and as the cover tells you, the book too. He favours muchly the present tense where he feels more relaxed and confident, when he talks about himself in the past tense, he struggles and worries he is not genuine enough, which gets a little annoying.

He spends so much time putting himself down which is loveable to a point, then gets a bit irritating. He has a real rant about the media and how they handled his move to ITV. According to her bio, she is allegedly known to be bright, warm, fresh, silky, friendly, sexy and uplifting. The great thing about this book is that it writing it has infinately made him a better, more reflective person about life, despite the uber modesty and embarrasment somewhat at having to write the book.

Seriously, you feel that he thinks it absurd he would be asked to write one. Whereas much of this is self-effacing with the grandeur of his stories he is far too modest for his own good , he seems as though he is going on a genuine journey, a catharsis of growth even. Daniel Cushnie. It has a laid back feel which makes it a relaxing read before bed.

I think it's fair to say I enjoyed the second half more than the first. I wish he delved into the stand up comedy side of things sooner. I would like to have heard a more in-depth analysis of his creative process too, but it's not as if he ignores that side of things. He does admit to feeling like he "disappears up [his] own arse" when talking about comedy in-depth, so whenever he does it's never in enormous detail.

I think he thought most readers would prefer anecdotes from gigs and perhaps he's right on that. I would have liked a bit more of both, personally. As to whether it was a funny book, I didn't always respond to the jokes but it did give me quite a few laughs here and there. I thought it was good how he would often jump backwards and forwards in time, sometimes every couple of pages.

It did stop me from getting bored. I also liked when he would refer back to his obsession with Elvis Presley because it made me feel more understood regarding my own musical fixations. Plus, I was impressed to learn that he loves old kung fu movies, including some niche titles. Author 16 books 1 follower. The life story of "cheeky chappie" comedian and broadcaster Frank Skinner, following the man formerly known as Chris Collins from a working-class upbringing in Birmingham, via a drinking problem, to huge success on the stand-up circuit and, most unlikely of all, the pop charts.

The autobiography dates from around , when his chat-show fame was at its height, even as a high-profile relationship was falling apart. The style is chatty, the book giving the impression of a long, almost stream-of-consciousness ramble. While inevitably funny, it is very much a first book, lacking the elegance and razor-sharp wit which might have been expected from someone so literate.

While the studied irreverence is amusing many references to, er, back door activity , the book is at its most interesting when Skinner ruminates on the nature of love, his Catholic faith, and the details of his slow but steady rise to prominence. Unabashedly crude in parts, and painfully honest without being self-excoriating, this is a fascinating read, but possibly for fans only.

Joe Waters. I'm a big fan of Frank Skinner in recent years particularly his radio show , so I guess I was always going to be amenable to a positive review of this book, but it still delivered what I was hoping for. The book dives in at the deep end with revelations that I'm sure some will perceive as obscene. However, I think the book is a candid revelation of himself and these are important to convey a sense of who Frank is.

The narrative is far from linear and seems to follow more of a conversational, reminiscing structure, but it does seem to come together in the end. I'm sure this book isn't for everyone just like Frank himself , but if you're a fan, I don't think it will disappoint. Likewise, if your a comedy fan in general, the book gives a lot of interesting info on the comedy scene at the time and how Frank came to be.

Michelle Duffy. The book goes back and forth between present day and the past. Short snippets of his life. Remarkably honest. Warts and all Very interesting read. Everything was mentioned: drink, sex, bullying, being an asshole, his obsession with football, comedy, work, family and friends. Good read. Darla Ebert.

Frank skinner autobiography

The author is mildly amusing but, for me, he meandered once too often into the realm of the crude. So much of his life was somewhat interesting, especially his roots and rise to celebrity-hood. But the interspersed so-called "jokes" were off-putting to the extreme. I would not recommend this book due to the fact of being embarrassed for the author.

And I am embarrassed for myself for having read so many pages of very unpleasant words and anecdotes the author considered hilarious. He seemed to glide effortlessly from his childhood days to his present-day life in the world of celebrity-hood and then he smoothly segues partially backwards in time to the in between years. These particular literary moves impress.

Matt Boak. This book has definitely not aged well. Loads of joshing tales about bullying people at school and how much success he was having with women once his career took off. I think this flow possibly suffers because I did the audiobook which seems to be a slimmed down version of the book. Definitely do NOT bother with the audiobook… possibly the written version is better.

Kevin McAllion. Author 2 books 42 followers. Written in the early s, this entertaining memoir hasn't aged particularly well and will come across to plenty of readers as sexist. British Comedy Awards. Retrieved 9 August Retrieved 14 July Produced and directed by Paul Wilmshurst. Archived from the original on 22 April Retrieved 25 August The Daily Telegraph.

Archived from the original on 12 January Retrieved 6 June To wit: his name isn't even Frank Skinner. It is Christopher Graham Collins. His parents still call him Graham, but when he was getting into stand-up comedy there was already a Chris Collins registered with Equity, a man who happened to be a singer from Burnley, so the comedian from the West Midlands had to change his name.

Kent Online. There's a few friends who still call me Chris, but even some of those have started calling me Frank. I became Frank in about and now, if anybody asks me my name, I'd say 'Frank'. The Herald. Retrieved 25 September BBC News. Retrieved 28 October Retrieved 13 July The New York Times. Retrieved 9 July Archived from the original on 9 July Archived from the original on 17 October Retrieved 11 October The Independent.

Archived from the original on 17 December The Observer. Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 May Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 November The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 31 May Doctor Who: The Sinestran Kill". Retrieved 11 June Retrieved 21 June Retrieved 14 September The London Gazette Supplement. Retrieved 30 December ITV News.

Retrieved 25 March Retrieved 20 December In and he sold-out two UK tours, the second of which culminated in a performance at London's Battersea Power Station - what was then the largest ever audience for stand-up comedy in the UK. On television, Frank has created and starred in a succession of hit comedy shows, including nine series of The Frank Skinner Show from to ; and with his comedy partner David Baddiel, Fantasy Football - , and Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned - As well as live stand-up and television, Frank has attained three number one hits with the iconic football anthem 'Three Lions' alongside David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds.

He has starred in the West End in both Art and Lee Hall's Cooking with Elvis ; and his critically acclaimed first book Frank Skinner was the bestselling autobiography of , spending a total of 46 weeks in the Sunday Times bestsellers' list. In Baddiel and Skinner's World Cup podcasts caused an online sensation with over one million downloads leading to yet another number one chart hit.

In Frank Skinner returned to stand-up with another sell-out tour of the UK. Frank currently divides his time between London and Birmingham - and, of course, his beloved West Brom. More from this Author.