Book Review: Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg

Title: Nerd Do Well

Author: Simon Pegg

Simon’s Information: Twitter | Website

384 pages, Published by Gotham Books

Buy The Book: Amazon

From the Publisher:

The unique life story of one of the most talented and inventive comedians, star of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Star Trek.
Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: actor, comedian, writer and self-proclaimed supergeek Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre furrows in recent times. Having landed on the U.S. movie scene in the surprise cult hit Shaun of the Dead, his enduring appeal and rise to movie star with a dedicated following has been mercurial, meteoric, megatronic, but mostly just plain great.

From his childhood (and subsequently adult) obsession with science fiction, his enduring friendship with Nick Frost, and his forays into stand-up comedy which began with his regular Monday morning slot in front of his twelve-year-old classmates, Simon has always had a severe and dangerous case of the funnies.

Whether recounting his experience working as a lifeguard at the city pool, going to Comic-Con for the first time and confessing to Carrie Fisher that he used to kiss her picture every night before he went to sleep, or meeting and working with heroes that include Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino, Pegg offers a hilarious look at the journey to becoming an international superstar, dotted with a cast of memorable characters, and you’re rooting for him all the way. (Summary provided by Gotham Books.)

My Thoughts:

Simon Pegg’s Nerd Do Well is a true memoir, and not just a series of humorous vignettes like many well known personalities are writing these days. Pegg starts his story from the beginning regaling readers with tales about his time as a boy in a Gloucester village and progresses forward until he achieved stardom as an adult.

Much of Nerd Do Well is told with a dash of Pegg’s trademark wit, but there are also many touching parts as well. I particularly enjoyed the chapter where he told about his mother’s involvement in community theatre and how it influenced him as a child. He writes about his parents with the kind of affection and enthusiasm that I can only hope one of my sons will write about me with one day when they reach star status. Which of course they will…or not.

But back to Pegg. Simon Pegg has also added a new phrase to my vocabulary: “gobbling off.” I’ve already managed to work it into casual conversation about three or four times today. I’ll just let y’all buy the book to find out what that particular phrase means. There are a few phrases like that throughout the book that may not be familiar to  readers here in the states, but it adds to the charm of the book. And to an extent to the charm of Pegg himself. After all, aren’t these unfamiliar phrases just one of the many reasons why we Americans love our British (or Scottish) imports so much?

I enjoyed reading about Simon Pegg’s early crush on Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. In one of the many hilarious footnotes in the book he discloses that when he was writing of his childhood crush on Carrie Fisher he checked to see if she follows him on Twitter. She does not. Hopefully Ms. Fisher will remedy that soon! Another funny part of the book involved Simon and Nick Frost’s crush on Gillian Anderson of X Files whose picture they taped on the inside of a cabinet so they would see it every time they made a cup of tea. Pegg writes that later when he was in How To Lose Friends And Alienate People alongside Anderson it was a full circle moment, “but it wasn’t fate, it was the complex swirls and eddies of quantum attraction, an interaction of millions of tiny choices, preferences and details that magnetised us…” He writes of many such fateful moments throughout the book including the story of how he came to meet his wife Maureen as the result of a number of random choices resulting in the fateful (?) meeting in the back of an airport transfer bus after a trip to Greece. I love the way Simon Pegg writes of these chance encounters that shaped his career and his personal life, because they are so relatable. Who hasn’t had a major life changing moment that was the result of a seemingly minor decision? I know I’ve had many.

Pegg states many times throughout Nerd Do Well that he is uncomfortable writing about his loved ones. He says that he would much rather write about his dog Minnie, because while it’s personal, he doesn’t feel like he’s betraying his family’s privacy. I want to thank Simon Pegg for sharing intimate details of his life despite his initial misgivings. I am a fan of Simon Pegg. One of my favorite movies is his hilarious film Hot Fuzz. If I’m having a crappy day, I know I can turn it on and immediately feel better. I highly suggest reading Nerd Do Well. Buy it if you’re a fan of Simon Pegg or if you would like to see how one of the great comedic minds of our time works. It is very well-written. I would “nerd out” with Simon Pegg any time!

I would like to thank TLC Book Tours for including me on the Nerd Do Well tour. be sure to check out the other stops on the tour:

Friday, June 3rd:  GeekDad

Monday, June 6th: We Be Reading

Wednesday, June 8th: Luxury Reading

Thursday, June 9th: Lit and Life

Friday, June 10th:  Nerds in Babeland

Monday, June 13th: The 3 R’s Blog

Tuesday, June 14th: HeGeekSheGeek

Wednesday, June 15th: Life in the Thumb

Thursday, June 16th:  Simply Stacie

Friday, June 17th:  GeekMom

Monday, June 20th:  Book Reviews by Elizabeth A. White

Tuesday, June 21st: Total Fan Girl

Wednesday, June 22nd: A Library of My Own

Thursday, June 23rd:  Well Read Wife

Friday, June 24th:  Acting Balanced

Friday, July 1st: Chaotic Compendiums

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