Simon Pegg

My attraction to this book began with the title. How could I resist the offerings of a fellow nerd? The jacket blurb further cemented my need to read it, invoking and evoking love for the same cross-section of science fiction and adventure genre films that I crave. It was instantly on my to-be-read (someday) list. That day came when it showed up on the display shelf of the local library and I snatched it up without thinking if I could even find the time to read right now. I couldn't. But I did anyway, in fits and starts.

Reading about Pegg's life in fits and starts seems fitting, since that is how he seems to have lived it and also how he writes about it. Mixed in with the non-chronological memoir of how he came to be a genre (not-quite-super) star are some oddly personal (considering he didn't want this book to be too personal) moments (TMI) and alternating chapters of an intentionally badly-written adventure story starring a fictional Pegg. These are the parts I skipped.

The parts I enjoyed (for the most part) describe his love of science fiction and TV and film and especially science fiction TV and films (Star Trek and Star Wars), how he managed to get an education in drama almost in spite of himself and then almost as accidentally parlay that into an actual career.

The writing is servicable and sometimes funny. His insights into genre films (especially his reactions to the various incarnations of Star Wars) and how they are made make the book palatable (I would have liked much more of this). The rest of the book is a hodge podge, like he couldn't quite decide what to focus on.

You may like (parts of) this book if you are a Star Wars or Star Trek fan. The rest of you can give it a pass.… (mere)

This book cannot be rated on its merits alone. It feels too much like you are supplying a ranking for Simon Pegg himself. Therefore it cannot have any other rating than 5 stars and be accurate. The flights of fiction and philosophy were entertaining. It seems as though (as he states in multiple places) that Pegg is a bit shy of the whole autobiography idea. He has identified himself far too closely with the label Fan to think of himself in the mode of Producer of Things That Have Fans without feeling a little ostentatious or even moments away from being proved a momentary blip on the pop culture thingamajig. This is probably why he is likable - he both craves our attention and knows that it's not considered honorable or cool to need it, He is at once "look at me!" and "Didn't mean it! Back to what you were doing. Sorry for the bother. Having a lovely time, you?"
One note of caution, if you find that the word "circularity" makes you cough up office fur balls or reminds you too potently of your workaday drudge, proceed with care. Pegg seems to have learned this word just for the and in the time-tested method of vocabulary acquisition, has chosen to use it in a sentence. As many sentences as his editor will bloody well allow. And if you don't like it there are plenty more biographies that do not have a Star Wars bit in the appendix or a subject so likeable that you cannot help but read some of the bits out loud just so you can pretend to be Simon Pegg.… (mere)