Lolly Scramble
December 15th 2006 03:41
A friend of mine leant this one to me earlier this week, and I gotta say - wow. I really tore through this one, read it in a day. It was that good. I mean, I've always been a fan of The Late Show and Tony Martin, so I knew I'd like it - I just wasn't prepared for how well-written this was or what sort of book it would be.
'Lolly Scramble' is, as the title says, a 'memoir of little consequence'. It isn't really an autobiography, what we do get in the way of biographical information is only in little snatches and doesn't really have any bearing on the text. If Martin had written a biography in the traditional sense it wouldn't really have had all that much in it to set itself apart from any other Australian (or New Zealander) comedian's life. So, instead, Martin has prepared and served to us sixteen self-contained stories from his life where, well, you just gotta laugh.
Martin is a gifted comedian, and it has never been more clear to me than here in this book, where he displays a real knack for storytelling. These are stories that could pretty much have happened to anyone and, in his trademark ironic fashion, Martin is quick to point this out. The talent here is in the way he tells his stories. Each individual story pulled me in within a page and I was sad to see each and every one of them end. He turns the mundane into the hysterical, and he also displays a real gift for characterisation, bringing to the fore each of the supporting players that make up the meat of each story... the shonky drunk driver, the sex-obsessed geordie mentor, the enigmatic back-doctor, the tinfoil-obsessed flatmate, and - my favourite - the old German landlord.
Martin starts his stories lightly, showcasing the more amusing moments from his childhood and career-searching years in New Zealand, and moving forward in a rough chronological manner through his later misadventures in Australia. The final two stories take on a more serious tone (though, sometimes infuriatingly, our protagonist never seems to lose his sense-of-humour in the face of adversity), and it's in these two stories that Martin writes closest to home. It's often said that the best comedians are born of tragic upbringings, and it was mildly surprising (to say the least) to find that a comedian as cheerful as Martin might fall into this category.
This is a very easy-to-read and funny book. I laughed out loud several times, much to the annoyance of my fellow commuters on the train. I was always a fan, but I now definitely have a bigger appreciation of Tony Martin after this book.
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
This is a great review. I've never heard of the book but am definitely interested after reading your review.
Tracy
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