Rodney Dangerfield It Aint Easy Being Me
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First and foremost, this book is absolutely hilarious! I almost never find myself laughing when reading a book, no matter how "funny" it is supposed to be, but this book made me laugh at almost every page. Rodney Dangerfield's jokes are legendary and so clever that one cannot help but crack up at them. Dispersed throughout his life story are breaks in the narrative where Rodney places some of his jokes that loosely relates to the topic of the chapter. I never found these jokes to be distracting or out of place, but rather very entertaining and helpful to the mood and pace of the book. I know I will be coming back to this book many times in the future to look over these fantastic jokes to tell to my friends and family because everyone needs to hear the hilarious jokes of one of comedy's greatest minds.
What I loved most about this book was how fast paced it was, moving very quickly and never getting slow or boring even in-between the jokes. Rodney's style of joke-telling is very fast with a strong punchline at the end that almost never fails to kill the audience with laughter. In that same manner, the more serious aspects of his memoirs were just as quick-witted and hard-hitting with engaging anecdotes about his interesting life, coming at you non-stop in quick succession to constantly entertain and amuse. It's Not Easy Bein' Me was easily one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read because of how quick and funny it was from start to finish.
I learned a lot about Rodney Dangerfield after reading his book. Beforehand, my only knowledge on the guy extended as far as knowing a couple dozen of his jokes because my dad recites them all the time, as he is a huge Rodney fan himself. Since my dad always spoke so highly of the guy, I figured I needed to finally read up on him to see what all the hubbub was about; I'm glad I did. One thing that was surprising was to find out that Rodney Dangerfield was just a stage name, and his real birth name was Jacob Rodney Cohen. He didn't even come up with his now-famous name himself; he just asked some guy to make something up for him before going onstage one night to cover his true identity. Funny how things work out! These memoirs are chock-full of fun facts, interesting details, and even some sad realizations about Rodney's life that will keep you glued to the book.
In fact, I was shocked to learn how depressing Rodney's life truly was growing up. I always thought his shtick about getting No Respect was all made up for laughs, but apparently a lot of those jokes were, unfortunately, based on his real life adversities. His mother in particular was not a very good person to him, and certain things that happened to Rodney as a child were heartbreaking to read about. It looks to me like Rodney Dangerfield was the proverbial sad clown, one who covered up his sorrow with jokes and laughter. I'm glad things started to turn around for him later in life, but his depression always lingered to some degree, which is quite a shame to think about considering how outgoing and jovial he came off as.
On the lighter side of things, I found out that Rodney Dangerfield helped start the careers of many famous and successful comedians that we know today. Did you know that he had a hand in helping Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Rosanne Barr, Jim Carrey, and many others comedic greats? Where would comedy be today without the mark left by Rodney Dangerfield? I don't want to know.
Rodney Dangerfield was not like most other famous comedians who have made it big. Rather than getting sucked up in the glory, the fame, and the money, Rodney stayed true to himself and never lost sight of why he got into comedy in the first place. He never considered himself to be better than his audience or other comedians; Rodney never passed up on a handshake with some random joe on the street, and he was always hospitable to strangers and amateur comedians. What made so many people connect to Rodney Dangerfield was his style of comedy, that he was the downtrodden everyman who never got the respect he deserved. This is a sentiment that many of us feel in our lives, and to see it personified onstage by such a funny person is what made so many people gravitate towards Rodney Dangerfield in the first place.
If you want to read a hilarious memoir by one of comedy's greatest talents, then It's Not Easy Bein' Me is the book for you. His jokes will leave you laughing your ass off; his anecdotes will make you wish you were there to witness these fantastic tales yourself; and Rodney's legacy will make you wish he were still with us today, lighting up our world with some much needed laughter. Rodney sadly passed away shortly after completing his memoirs, so this book acts as a final tribute to one of the funniest people who ever lived.
Though his whole act was predicated on never getting any of the respect he deserved, he will always have my greatest respect and admiration as both an average guy as well as a comedic legend. Rodney and his book get an A-OK from me!
It was just odd to read brief mentions of Dangerfield's first wife--whom he married (and divorced) not once but TWICE and was with for 30+ years--as just not the gal for him, a miserable marriage etc--but no details! No details at all about his children and raising them. Childhood trauma and bits about Dangerfield's relationship and reconciliation with his father is on the page, which was nice. But generally the style of "2-3 short paragraphs concluding in a punchline broken up by a joke then a new, short narrative section" became a bit tedious. I could FEEL Dangerfield telling a series of anecdotes to a biographer and the biographer then stringing them together into each of these chapters. Because each story is so short, at times too punchy, most of the stories lacked any real meat or depth. And a few of the sections confused me/didn't land--a few were told apparently for the sole function of telling a joke about some person he knew, but without context, a few of them I couldn't figure out why they were funny.
It was fascinating to see his old material written out. Because every section is broken up by one of his jokes, mostly his bad wife/bad sex jokes, it's like a glimpse into comedy in the past. It's a reminder that so much comedy now is referential comedy, story-comedy, "you know me as a person and it's funny because I'm expounding on my life" comedy. Dangerfield and the comics of his day (many of whom are name-dropped b/c he knew everyone) did classic set-up and punchline jokes. And many of the ones in the book are, indeed, funny. Many of them are also, indeed, a bit racist and misogynist. I wasn't offended, but just reminded of how things used to be. I grew up on Dangerfield's movies, and it was like "oh, yeah, huh."
But with the straightforward journey through Dangerfield's career, the memoir offers an interesting view of how comedy used to be, and how it has changed. If you're a fan of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dangerfield's stories from his early days of trying to make it will feel familiar. Then it was fun to see the names of the comics Dangerfield supported/nurtured to fame through the 70s and 80s (including Jim Carrey). He seems like a really good guy, who worked very hard to get to where he was.
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I wrote a longer review of the book here: http://cranialgunk.com/blog/2013/01/1...
Reading Rodney Dangerfield's autobiography, It's Not Easy Bein' Me, was like listening to him do a long monologue on the Tonight Show couch. He starts off just like anyone else. He speaks casually, makes small talk. He seems sincere. He's not angling for a punchline and then -- Pow! Pow! Pow! He fires off a joke, then a zinger, then a pun, a play on words, his catch phrase, and then more jokes and one-liners.I wrote a longer review of the book here: http://cranialgunk.com/blog/2013/01/1...
...more It's Not Easy Being Me is a very entertaining autobiographical memoir of Rodney Dangerfield's life and career; and it is a book I think all fans of his will enjoy. While I would have preferred Dangerfield to "put a little more meat on the bone" pertaining to certain aspects of his personal and professional life, the book does a very good job providing readers with key insights into how Jakob Rodney Cohen, the man, become Rodney Dangerfield, th
**** A Book All Dangerfield Fans Are Likely To Enjoy!It's Not Easy Being Me is a very entertaining autobiographical memoir of Rodney Dangerfield's life and career; and it is a book I think all fans of his will enjoy. While I would have preferred Dangerfield to "put a little more meat on the bone" pertaining to certain aspects of his personal and professional life, the book does a very good job providing readers with key insights into how Jakob Rodney Cohen, the man, become Rodney Dangerfield, the comedian beloved by his many fans.
Dangerfield claimed to "get no respect," although he always earned my respect for being a comedian who could make me laugh — often times before he opened his mouth! Reading "It's Not Easy Being Me" has now expanded my respect for him as a result of learning about his being such a warm, caring, thoughtful, kind-hearted person.
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I laughed several times throughout the book with his one liners. It's an easy read because of Rodney's writing; one bo
I was very pleased with this wonderful autobiography. I learned so much about Mr. Dangerfield, like his very unhappy childhood with his negligent and cold mother and absent father. Isn't that the way it is? It seems the most tortured among us make the best comedians. I also loved learning just how many people he helped along the way, and he always stayed down to earth and humble.I laughed several times throughout the book with his one liners. It's an easy read because of Rodney's writing; one book I didn't want to put down.
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" I told my doctor I broke my arm in two places>He told me to keep out of those places."
" when I was a kid I never got no respect from my parents. They got divorced and had a custody battle over me and no one showed up."
My old man never liked me either he paid my allowance in travler checks.
This guy was my hero. Here is some of my favorite one liners from he book" I told my doctor I broke my arm in two places>He told me to keep out of those places."
" when I was a kid I never got no respect from my parents. They got divorced and had a custody battle over me and no one showed up."
My old man never liked me either he paid my allowance in travler checks.
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I don't like stand-up comedy and I didn't like Rodney Dangerfield's comic "persona." To me, it was simply an obnoxious, whiny character with a grating accent. I thought his acts relied too much on shock and too little on real humor. Can't think why I bought the book, except that it was on sale and the publisher's blurb must have been appealing.
It started out slowly, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I finished the book with a great deal of respect for t
A touching memoir from an unexpected source.I don't like stand-up comedy and I didn't like Rodney Dangerfield's comic "persona." To me, it was simply an obnoxious, whiny character with a grating accent. I thought his acts relied too much on shock and too little on real humor. Can't think why I bought the book, except that it was on sale and the publisher's blurb must have been appealing.
It started out slowly, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I finished the book with a great deal of respect for this hard-working, generous man who overcame so many obstacles. It's not a completely satisfying memoir because he was unable to open up about many of the important things in his life (like his children.) Maybe because people knew him as a comic, he felt he had to be "on" all the time. That's tiring and disappointing for a reader who wanted to know more about the man behind the act.
He includes a lot of material from his routines. Some of his jokes are funny, some are tasteless, and some are both. His stories about the comedians he worked with through the years are fascinating. My favorite was the story of comedian Joe E. Lewis hitting on his own sister. "Ooh, ooh!" (For those of you old enough to remember "Car 54 Where Are You?") To be fair, Lewis WAS drunk and lots of people then came from huge families. Still....
I wish Dangerfield had been able to open up more about his life outside of show business. The stories of his sad childhood with an absentee father and a cold mother are touching. He knew poverty and show business was a way out. And a child who grows up being ignored by his parents finds comfort in the spotlight and the adulation of fans. You sense that the applause and laughter both rewarded him financially and made him feel loved and appreciated.
I think he was trying to be honest with his readers, but he's a hard guy to figure out. He says he loved being a father, but that his first marriage was bad. And yet, he and his first wife were together for ten years before their son was born and he left the marriage six months later. He clearly wanted children, but apparently the reality of fatherhood was too frightening to live with. Maybe he was afraid of hurting his son as his father had hurt him.
He eventually reconciled with his wife and a daughter was born. Wanting a "normal" life for his children, he left show business and sold siding, apparently successfully. His stories of being a siding salesman are some of the best in the book. Then he went back into show business, but in order to be available for his children, he opened a club in New York City.
He was an admirable man in many ways. He grew up without a father, but tried hard to be a good father himself. The title of his memoir is right on the money. It WASN'T easy being Rodney Dangerfield, in spite of his fame and wealth. He struggled with depression all his life, sometimes not even able to work because of it. And yet he kept going and helped and encouraged many young comedians along the way.
I tell ya, Rodney, you get nothin' but respect from this reader.
...more Born Jacob Rodney Cohen, Dangerfield was initially a failure as a comic, so he ended up selling aluminum siding. As amazing as it sounds, he also performed as a singi Although his public persona was one of living a very difficult life where nobody treated him decently, in this book Dangerfield admits that he did indeed have it pretty good as an adult. While his childhood was a difficult one, like many successful people, he turned his early struggles into the driving force that made him a star.
Born Jacob Rodney Cohen, Dangerfield was initially a failure as a comic, so he ended up selling aluminum siding. As amazing as it sounds, he also performed as a singing waiter and an acrobatic diver early in his career. Yet, he never gave up his dream of being a comic, continuing to write jokes when he wasn't selling. A divorce, a name change to Rodney Dangerfield and a couple of lucky breaks and Dangerfield was on his way to stardom.
When reading this book you realize that Dangerfield was an exceptional writing talent as well as a gifted comic with a superb delivery of his own material. As he states in this book, Dangerfield was also a principal writer of many movies that he starred in. He also was instrumental in helping many aspiring comics, some of them were Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, Jim Carrey, Rosanne Barr, Tim Allen and Rita Rudner.
Dangerfield was arguably the best stand-up comic of all time. His delivery was precise, well-timed and the jokes never required a great deal of insight. Unfortunately, like so many great comics, he suffered from internal demons, in his case it was depression. He self-medicated with alcohol, marijuana, sex and harder drugs and was under a doctor's care for decades. His story is one of success after struggle for recognition and then with himself after he received the recognition.
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And my two favorite wife jokes: "With my wife, I got no sex life. She cut me down to once a month. Hey, I'm lucky--two guys I know she out completely."
And "I tell ya, my wife likes to talk during sex. Last night, she called me from a motel."
The writing style is breezy and easy reading.
This autobio was pure Rodney and I loved it. Great stories and generously filled with his jokes, my favorite one being: "What a childhood I h ad. My mother never breastfed me. She told me she liked me as a friend."And my two favorite wife jokes: "With my wife, I got no sex life. She cut me down to once a month. Hey, I'm lucky--two guys I know she out completely."
And "I tell ya, my wife likes to talk during sex. Last night, she called me from a motel."
The writing style is breezy and easy reading. I'm willing to believe Rodney wrote it without a ghostwriter but one never knows. The book is longer than it appears to be, like Rodney had a bunch of more recent things he wanted to get in before he ran out of time and allotted space.
The ending of the book is bittersweet if you know how Rodney's life ended. In the final chapters he relates how he was told he needed both brain and heart surgeries. The problem was the brain surgery might give him a fatal stroke during surgery, but without heart surgery his heart would fail and he would die in three months. What to do? To keep the spoilers at a minimum, Rodney survived brain surgery on April 8, 2003. He would have heart surgery over a year later on August 24, 2004, and die in the hospital six weeks later on October 5 at age 82.
But even in death he left us with an ironic joke about someone's official cause of death being "complications from surgery." You'll have to read what he said about that in the big.
Bottom line, lots of stories, lots of jokes, lots of photos, but most of all--lots of Rodney. Well worth reading.
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As expected, Rodney's memoir (It's Not Easy Being Me) is filled with tons of funny jokes plus interesting stories about his personal life and career. I was surprised to learn about his rough childhood and how he made it into
My favorite Rodney joke goes something like, "my wife is such a terrible cook that we pray AFTER we eat!" 🤣 Love that joke so much that I tell it to my students every semester (and I always give Rodney credit out of respect). He was such a gifted comedian and is truly missed.As expected, Rodney's memoir (It's Not Easy Being Me) is filled with tons of funny jokes plus interesting stories about his personal life and career. I was surprised to learn about his rough childhood and how he made it into showbiz much later in life (after taking a 12-year hiatus to sell aluminum siding). His unconventional path to such a remarkable career is inspiring to all. I give this book 2 thumbs way up and lots of respect!
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Mr. Dangerfield's memoirs are a delight, as was this book to read and thoroughly enjoy. Rest in Peace Sweet Rodney, We your fans miss you tremendously. Our lives without your genius comedy, really Get absolutely, No respect! God bless you and thank you for the joy and laughter you gave us. We love you Rodney. and remember I thank God he gave us you to fill the void of sadness and replace it with a smile.
Rodney's Triumph in Print!Mr. Dangerfield's memoirs are a delight, as was this book to read and thoroughly enjoy. Rest in Peace Sweet Rodney, We your fans miss you tremendously. Our lives without your genius comedy, really Get absolutely, No respect! God bless you and thank you for the joy and laughter you gave us. We love you Rodney. and remember I thank God he gave us you to fill the void of sadness and replace it with a smile.
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Couldn't put it down. I loved it when Rodney was on Carson. His rapid fire style kept you laughing the whole time he was on. I regret I never saw him in person, while in Vegas. He always appeared to be so nervous. Will miss him forever.
So Funny!Couldn't put it down. I loved it when Rodney was on Carson. His rapid fire style kept you laughing the whole time he was on. I regret I never saw him in person, while in Vegas. He always appeared to be so nervous. Will miss him forever.
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The way it's written, you just can't help yourself but to read it to exhaustion.
A great insight on the life of a comic and a real perspective on how hard life is. Couldn't stop reading it. Read it in three days.
The way it's written, you just can't help yourself but to read it to exhaustion.
A great insight on the life of a comic and a real perspective on how hard life is. ...more
Rodney is one of us, covering his sadness with self deprecating humor that only he can do, like a warm blanket in winter. I laughed many times reading his memoirs even went back to many YouTube clips to see the guy in action. Read this book!
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