Steven Coogan autobiography

[Glebe]

Coogan says that if he'd been allowed he would've pulled the entire production before they started filming, and it was the loneliest experience of his life.

Really?! That's interesting. I think I thought Coogan and the main production team felt they'd made the best film they could, or whatever. And Iannucci's lack of involvement is a big pity, I remember him talking about doing it in interviews a few years back and I didn't know he had such an apparent lack of input. It's funny, because there's definitely some great stuff in there but it kind of fizzles out towards the end.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

I thought Coogan and Iannucci were open, honest and put up with a lot of bullshit questions. As mentioned, the Chris Morris one: 'Why don't you work with him again'?

Coogan would have been within his rights to tell him to fuck right off there and then. Some people seem to think that because they've followed both his and Morris' careers, they automatically know what the relationship (if any) is like between the two. And as Armando mentioned, he has worked with Chris since. This came on the Back of Coogan mentioning that he was annoyed at reading why he apparently shouldn't make a Partridge film. Totally understandable why this would irk him enough to go against it.

Watching Coogan be a fawning sycophant in situations like this and lap up any praise would be unbearable too (he was clearly uncomfortable throughout with people calling him a genius etc.). He's not a genius, just a very good comic actor and writer but he doesn't deserve some bell-end telling him what he should and should not do with his career.

[mobias]

Just wanted that Coogan and Iannucci Guardian thing, really enjoyed it. The Q&A thing at the end was painful but these things always are. Some unbelievably naff questions even by the standards of other dreadful audience Q&A's I've witnessed.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I actually thought they behaved fairly creditably during that Q and A; Steve Coogan even offered to look at that feller's script didn't he, that chancer with the last question? The most "off" thing was when he said he'd made more money for doing some voicework in "Despicable Me 2" than he he had for the whole of "Philomena". Did anyone else think that was a bit of a weird thing for him to say?

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

That for me was more honesty vs discretion. Maybe in a bid to demonstrate how open he is in the book. Could be an extremely dull interview with a more guarded Coogan.

It puts the time and effort required in perspective also. Namely if you want to do something worthwhile for yourself be prepared to have to work hard, with no financial guarantee.

[stranger]

Anyone listen to the two hour 4 extra show yesterday?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06gx1tz

Thanks for posting this, I really enjoyed it. Here's an mp3 of it if anyone wants it:

https://www.sendspace.com/file/a4z7wt

(apologies for the sendspace link, just click on the blue 'Download' button and not the ads)

[Pepotamo1985]

Spoiler alert

They started planning a 2nd series of The Day Today back in the 90s. Imagine!

[close]

I thought this was common knowledge?

[neveragain]

Not to me 'twasn't.

[dr beat]

Finished this the other day.  Found the structure a bit odd, it starts with him discussing more recent projects, namely The Trip, Alpha Papa and Philomena, the latter he is particularly proud of.  Then it goes right back to his childhood before progressing through to the emergence of Partridge. 

There's only a brief mention of Saxondale, which seems odd as he makes out to be very proud of it but without really going into too much detail.  Which is a shame because I thought Tommy Saxondale was a more fleshed-out character than most of his others.  Also relatively little in the way of reference to Coogan's Run even though some of those characters were early creations.  I'm wondering if there is going to be a second volume.

[BritishHobo]

Started listening to the audiobook of this. Odd beast so far, but massively fascinating. There's a weird sort-of mini-sequel to Philomena, with Coogan meeting the real Philomena and her suspicious daughter, in the same vein as Sixsmith, who he portrayed, did. Then Coogan takes her to meet the Pope, which works very well as an addendum to the story.

Enjoyed the chapters on Alpha Papa a lot. Even with the commentary/behind the scenes and the posts in this thread, I was surprised by how chaotic it sounds. At points, Coogan appears to be making vague reference to people finding him difficult on set (mentioning how he didn't have time for joking between takes, as all humour had to be saved up to be used on-screen), and the Julia Davis story (her trying to get in a lesbian backstory for her character and then being replaced because Coogan didn't have time for it) is bizarre.

Also a little fascinated by his description of the original movie premise. I knew there'd long been talk of Alan negotiating with Middle Eastern terrorists, but something about the Television Centre setting, and the subplot with the old BBC pantomime they dig out (where Alan's blacked up and playing a Middle Eastern character) sounded nicely wistful to me. I suppose that lived on with the Radio Norwich van in Alpha Papa.

[neveragain]

... the Julia Davis story (her trying to get in a lesbian backstory for her character and then being replaced because Coogan didn't have time for it) is bizarre.

What's this, which character was she meant to be in the film? His love interest?

[BritishHobo]

The policewoman ultimately played by Anna Maxwell Martin. Davis wanted to put in a joke, according to Coogan, about her character being a lesbian. He sort-of brushed her off and then she sent a long email about it, which he didn't read. It was unclear as to whether he fired her or she quit in the email.

[Icehaven]

Just to say the hardback of this is in Waterstones post-Xmas clearance sections for a fiver now. The copy I found was the only one there and the cover was a bit ripped, so I asked the assistant if that was why it was reduced and and she said no, there'd been others.

[neveragain]

The policewoman ultimately played by Anna Maxwell Martin. Davis wanted to put in a joke, according to Coogan, about her character being a lesbian. He sort-of brushed her off and then she sent a long email about it, which he didn't read. It was unclear as to whether he fired her or she quit in the email.

Forgot to say cheers. I've since gone on to read the book, full of interesting stuff but my, what an odd structure! As someone else commented too. There were loads of points I agreed on as well, such as how anyone who feels they know the complete answer to anything is a bit of a knob. So rarely you hear that expressed.

[BritishHobo]

Aye, the structure's very strange. I reckon he wrote it in the normal order, and then had pressure from the publisher to shunt the more relevant chapters to the front. If you stuck the first few (Philomena, Alpha Papa) on the end, it'd fit perfectly.

[olliebean]

Just to say the hardback of this is in Waterstones post-Xmas clearance sections for a fiver now. The copy I found was the only one there and the cover was a bit ripped, so I asked the assistant if that was why it was reduced and and she said no, there'd been others.

It's also five quid on Amazon, FWIW (£9 for the paperback, though).

[popcorn]

I started reading this but abandoned it because it's poorly written and Coogan comes off as a narcissistic dullard. Hard it tell if it's because he's a narcissistic dullard or because it's just a Celebrity Autobiography.

It's weird how without wit or charm it is. He seems to fall prey to many of the pitfalls the Partridge autobiography lampooned, which is painful. The way he keeps stating over and over again that it's all well and good to make people laugh but he really wants to make people think - this is such a false dichotomy and it comes off as desperation.

[Icehaven]

Just finished it, agree completely about the structure being very strange and disordered. I know biographies don't necessarily have to be chronological but this seems to have gone too far the other way, he was talking about Philomena, graduating drama school and flatsharing with John Thompson all within a few pages at one point. I wonder if it's deliberate though, obviously anyone interested in him enough to read his biog is already going to know about the drugs-n-booze-womanising etc, so it's as if he's trying to make it hard to place exactly when that all took place so people won't go ''Oh, so when he was working on this, he was up to all THIS behind the scenes!'', which makes sense considering he's one of the main Hacked Off celebs. A more 'conventional' biog would have what was going on with your personal life alongside whatever work you were doing, to give it some context etc., It just all feels half finished, there's no mention at all of his daughter (or of who her Mother is) in the text, yet there's a photo of her (the daughter) included with the illustrations. It seems odd to use two pages to describe a not particularly funny prank Caroline Aherne played on you, yet not at least metion in passing that you'd become a Father. If you're that averse to revealing personal information then don't write an autobiography, write a book about your work.

[Dr Rock]

Just finished it too - the audiobook version - and I enjoyed it while agreeing with the faults listed and wish it had been much better. It felt rushed, and a proofreader missed a couple of things. It's 'champing at the bit.' And he misuses 'disinterested.' Anyway if you want to hear the audiobook for free legally, I joined this

https://www.audiobooks.com

who have a one month free offer.

http://www.audible.co.uk/mt/free_trial_special_offer_mt_at?bp_ua&source_code=M2M30DFT1BkSH1015140063&tmad=c&tmcampid=18&tmplaceref=ENGINE&tmclickref=%2Bfree%20%2Baudio%20books%20trial&mpch=ads

You get one book free, and then you can cancel your subscription and not pay anything. So needless to say, I had the last laugh.

[Mr Faineant]

I've only just got around to reading this, and my goodness, it sounds like partridge in so many places. Interesting in parts, but really quite poorly written. An odd one, this.

[popcorn]

I've only just got around to reading this, and my goodness, it sounds like partridge in so many places. Interesting in parts, but really quite poorly written. An odd one, this.

It's just another shite celeb memoir. The sort of thing you think he'd be embarrassed to release after I, Partridge.

[sponk]

It was a bit shit. Obviously rushed, badly edited and lacking in substance. So it's quite odd that I loved it and breezed through it in two sittings. Never had that experience with a book before.

I also seem to remember there was one of those "Shirt by Tommy Hilfinger, £290. Blazer by Hugo Ross, £700" notes on the back cover. Product placement for designer clothes on a book cover? Is that normal?

[popcorn]

I also seem to remember there was one of those "Shirt by Tommy Hilfinger, £290. Blazer by Hugo Ross, £700" notes on the back cover. Product placement for designer clothes on a book cover? Is that normal?

Outstanding.