Just a Guy
Notes from a Blue Collar Life
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4.6 • 25 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
What does it mean to be JUST A GUY?
--A guy doesn't think before he speaks.
--Eating and sleeping always come first. Always.
--A guy may get married, but he doesn't have to like it.
--It's tough to admit, but all guys are exactly the same.
Blue Collar Comedy Star Bill Engvall is JUST A GUY. He's been one his whole life. He can't help it. He was born that way. And that makes him an expert on the subject.
For the record, here's the official definition of a guy: A person who doesn't think before he speaks. He can't. He's not that deep. Because a guy has only three basic needs: eating, sleeping, and sex. That's it. JUST A GUY chronicles a lifetime in pursuit of those needs.
In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Bill Engvall takes you on the rollicking ride of his life, beginning with his childhood in Texas and adolescence in Arizona, becoming a fixture in local emergency rooms, the result of massive amounts of non-thinking behavior trying to impress girls or torture his sisters; to high school in Dallas where he dabbled in an array of truly odd jobs, learned the trombone, and came of age, all strangely connected; to college and his tenure as his fraternity's social chairman, where he masterminded a series of legendary parties and attempted to rescue his pet bird while the house was burning down (not his fault, honest); to following his dream as a standup comic and, gulp, singer; to his brief stint in children's theater while sharing the stage and the back of a van with the director's dog, and as a movie extra with forked tongue and cloth claws; to his bumbling and riotous courtship, then marriage to Gail, the love of his life; and, finally, fatherhood, where he remains, to this day, a well-meaning, but flawed parent.
Through it all, Bill gamely stumbles along, struggling to maintain a façade of confidence and control. Far from a superhero, Bill Engvall is an everyday Everyman, the poster boy for normal. The result is JUST A GUY who is disarming, perceptive, wildly funny, and unexpectedly moving.
JUST A GUY will make you laugh out loud and tug at your heart.
Hopefully, not at the same time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this rather bland attempt at the humorous sensitive-man memoir that seems to be a prerequisite for a certain type of middle-aged comic (e.g., Cosby, Reiser, Romano), Engvall tries to cram his whole life into one book rather than stick to one theme (marriage, fatherhood, etc.). The end result is 46 micro-chapters that never really deliver the same laughs that have made him a part of the successful Blue Collar comedy quartet. But there is interesting material: Engvall reminisces about starting at the bottom of the entertainment business, first as a stand-in and extra on movie sets and later playing chauffeur to some of the biggest names of comedy. But these tales are given short shrift so Engvall can focus on his childhood love of baseball, his favorite car as a teenager and his partying a lot in college. In the end, Engvall realizes that "all guys are the same," and that's why the sensitive parts of the book Engvall's parents' divorce or the pain of leaving his family to go on the road are the ones that truly stand out.
Customer Reviews
Bill is THE MAN!
I was so disappointed when I got to the end of the book! As I read, I could imagine Bill's voice & cadence as I devoured each chapter. He's definitely my favorite & I can just imagine the sense of humor his wife must have! Really impressed!!
A great book
I bought this on kind of a whim. I love Bill's standup and figured this was more of it. Boy was I wrong. For a guy this is a great read on just about every level.
Just A Guy
I really enjoyed this book, Bill seems like a regular guy like the title describes. I feel like I could sit and talk to him like I grew up knowing him. Look forward to his next book.