audiobook A Field Guide to the Buildings of Ireland: Illustrating the Smaller Buildings of Town and Countryside by Sean Rothery; Maurice Craig in Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant; compelling; hilariousBy J. PhillipsViz is a British comedic institution; way up there with the likes of P.G. Wodehouse and Monty Python. There; Ive said it. They shaped the sense of humor of an entire generation. I started reading it religiously from around 1984; at the age of 11. Im not sure how accurate it would be to say that the Viz team put Newcastle on the map; but they certainly had a hand in it. For kids growing up in Newcastle in the 70s and 80s there was this sense of resentment that the national media seemed to go out of its way to ignore the North East. It was as if we didnt exist. And then Viz went national.Having moved away from Newcastle and living in New York for almost 12 years; Id completely lost touch with Viz until very recently when I started following them on Facebook. And once again theyre making me laugh out loud every day. My interest in Viz rekindled; I came across this book by Chris Donald and bought it without a second thought. Having just finished it I can quite honestly say its one of the best reads Ive had in years.In "Rude Kids"; Donald traces the history of the comic from its late 70s roots as a DIY 12-page fanzine selling less than 100 copies around the pubs of Newcastle; all the way through its early 90s heyday selling over a million copies; to its subsequent downfall and Donalds departure as editor in 1999. And its a fascinating and compelling story.Chris Donald is an excellent writer and his narration kept me riveted throughout. I couldnt put the bloody thing down. Im not sure Id describe it as a rags to riches story - after all; the story starts in a nice house in the leafy middle class Jesmond; not a council flat in Byker - but the rise and fall of its success makes for gripping reading. Along the way; Donald paints vivid and colorful accounts of the various characters involved and documents his dealings with the southern types responsible for Vizs publishing and marketing (most of whom come across as complete tossers who didnt get what Viz was about; naturally). One of the best parts of the book - its meat and potatoes as far as Im concerned - is its accounts of the Viz teams relationship with John Brown; their long standing publisher during Vizs heyday. Having read the magazine during those times; I vividly recall many comically snide references to Brown in the pages and was vaguely aware that some kind of ribbing was going on; but had no idea what was behind it. This book makes it all clear; and its hilarious at times. Many of the stories follow a similar pattern - Brown would do something which incensed the team (usually along the lines of some extremely misguided publicity stunt or licensing deal); Chris would demand that he send thousands in cash up to Newcastle in order to placate the cartoonists; Brown would refuse; then give in and send the cash.The comic was evidently plagued by bad decisions; from the cringe-worthy attempts to animate some of the characters (I remember seeing these back in the early 90s and thinking how cheap and rushed they looked) to some frankly horrible marketing ideas. Its both depressing and hilarious at the same time. I particularly enjoyed Donalds accounts of the various controversies that Viz managed to get itself into; and the brilliantly Viz-esque ways in which they dealt with them.Yes the story gets a little gloomy toward the end as the Viz hemorrhages readers by the tens of thousands every issue; but Donalds quintessentially Geordie sense of humor (dark; dry; sarcastic; cynical) means there is never a dull moment. I think I laughed out loud on every page. Well maybe every two pages. Three at the most. Bottom line is this. If Viz makes (or made) you laugh; then so will this book. Its written by the man who conceived; founded and directed its content for its first 20 years. Donalds writing style has Viz written all over it - I dont think he can not be funny. Youll especially enjoy the tidbits of information about Viz characters and their origin; and the insights into the Viz creative process.This book just gelled with me and I was sorely disappointed when it was over. I wouldnt have minded if it were twice as long. It just left me wanting to read more by Chris Donald. I dont know if this is a Newcastle thing; or whether or not the fact that Im basically from the same extended social circle that the Donald brothers were in (theyre over 10 years older than me but Im from the same part of Newcastle and had older friends and acquaintances who knew them); but I felt very comfortable indeed in the company of Chris Donalds narration. Best laugh Ive had in ages. I wish he would write another book.