Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Last Book I Read

I received a copy of Bob Newhart's autobiography for Christmas a couple years ago, but somehow it got buried in my to-read pile until just recently. Sadly, I must report that it isn't very good. Newhart's comic style, which I always enjoyed on his records and TV shows, just does not translate to the printed page. His deadpan style just comes across as flat, and the stories are dull. Maybe his patented stuttering vocal delivery could rescue some of these stories, but not all o0f them. In the final analysis, the guy has not led a very colorful life, even despite his sojourns in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the world of television. He really seems to be straining to come up with interesting anecdotes and even resorts to providing transcripts of some of his most famous standup routines, though they don't come off any better in this format than the other material. So my recommendation is that, if you are a Newhart fan, go back and give The Button-Down Mind another spin, or pop in a DVD of The Bob Newhart Show (the one with Emily and Howard and Mr. Carlin)-- I can practically guarantee that you'll enjoy either more than this book.

No comments: