Jo Brand is rather misunderstood as a comedian. She often gets labelled as a man-hating lesbian ranting on about periods whereas she actually rather likes men ("at least in principle") and claims to have only ever done 10 minutes about the "painters and decorators" - a euphemism she claims to despise. I've always rather enjoyed her brand of self deprecatory humour and somewhat left-field (and often left-wing) observations on the predicament of the modern woman. Look back in Hunger is her autobiography and, one would assume, is intended as a first volume as it really only covers the period in her life until she decided to become a professional comic.
I enjoyed the book, I have to admit, as it's witty and light reading but I couldn't help but think it was a bit shallow. It really came across as a biography rather than an autobiography, but I can't imagine that she would use a ghost writer as she is an author in her own right (or is that write?). However, most of the early chapters give largely biographical details of where she lived and went to school without the depth of feeling and introspection one would expect from a self-penned tome and nothing of deeply felt self-analysis in Stephen Fry's autobiography.
The one part that I did find very interesting was her time spent as a psychiatric nurse, which included a spell at the old Bethlem Royal Hospital - the original Bedlam. Here we did coax a bit more opinion out of Ms Brand particularly relating to the more controversial areas of psychiatric care, such as ECT. She presented a programme for the BBC on the history of psychiatric care a few years back and I can't help but think that an entire book on this part of her life may have been more interesting. The book closes with her first forays into the comedy circuit.
I've put rather a downer on this but, as I said, I did enjoy this - I just would have liked a little more.
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I am also a fan of Jo Brand. Top Three favourite JB lines?
ReplyDelete1. I'll just move this microphone stand so that you can see me.
2. I must be anorexic - I look in the mirror and think I look fat.
3. I'm not related to Russell Brand - but I have shagged his grandfather.
I've not read her autobiagraphy - the nearest I have come is reading Dear Fatty - the autobigraphy of overweight female "alternative" comedian Dawn French. It is done as a series of letters to people who matter to her. It was pre-her split with Lenny Henry but does talk about the bad patch they went through a few years back. It also tells of some tragedy and unpleasant events in a very personal, revealing way.
Talking of Lenny Henry - he became unpopular with The Irish after Thierry Henry's handball in the famous ROI-France game. Not because his name is Henry - but because his wife was French.
Talking of black people and autobiographys - Foster Kid by Paul Barber is another good read - again it tells of tragedy and unpleasant events in a very personal, revealing way.