THE LIFE AND TIMES OF NICK CROWSON

Frank Skinner on Frank Skinner autobiography

Book Review, 2016

This work was first published by Arrow Books in 2002. As somebody who little follows stand-up comedians my interest here grew more from TV familiarity through his hosting of BBC1's 'Room 101'.

His autobiography paints an honest true-to-life depiction of his journey from life at home in a terraced street in Smethwick, Birmingham, through tribulations at school, not working and early jobs, before becoming a successful and prize-winning stand-up comic and TV presenter on 'Fantasy League Football'. The book was written before my later association with him.

The work is 394 pages long and gives a fulsome account of his life as a whole, not focussing solely on his successful days in the public gaze or some narrow year span of his life, unlike other similar concerns.

He paints somebody in the adolescent and early 20's as enjoying life's pleasures of the pub and following his beloved West Bromich Albion; who lived for life outside of academic ambition and strong career focus. This was encouraged by what grew to become an alcoholic addiction. Indeed it was something of a surprise that from a steady stream of setbacks, he was able to shine in his English degree at Warwick University, from which he never really looked back. Except. Perhaps to speak of his initial lack of success as a starting out stand-up.

The book is read as a continuous narrative, without sectioning by chronology, subject or chapter titles. This lack of sectioning makes the job of somebody wishing to read certain parts of his life more difficult. Neither is there any indexing to facilitate checking of matters or detail on specific subjects or people. The range of black and white and colour photographs provides a good visual image of his life's stages.

His earthy humour is naturally portrayed, with recollections of stories and incidents that may not to be of everybody's taste. As somebody with a very prominent Adams's apple, he can be crass and overblown in his treatment of things of a sexual nature. He very much likes his 'knobs' gags.

This work has since been superseded by a collection of later memoirs, focussing more on his life as a stand-up comedian; entitled 'Frank Skinner: On the Road', first published in 2009.