Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life

by Bill Engvall, Alan Eisenstock Narrated by Bill Engvall

Overview

Bill Engvall has been making people laugh professionally for more than 20 years, and along with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White, is a founding member of the superstar Blue Collar Comedy Tour. In this audiobook, Engvall explains what it means to be 'just a guy' using all-new stories from his own life. Bill has always lived with his heart in the right place and his brain often missing in action-it's not his fault, he's just a guy. Fans will recognize the family-friendly humor that they know from his live act, his Blue Collar CDs and DVDs, and his solo Comedy Central specials. Just A Guy brings the final piece of the Blue Collar empire into audiobook form for the very first time and is sure to be a popular Father's Day gift for the millions of fans who've launched Bill Engvall and Blue Collar from a groundbreaking act into a multimedia cultural phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In this rather bland attempt at the humorous sensitive-man memoir that seems to be a prerequisite for a certain type of middle-aged comic (e.g., Cosby, Reiser, Romano), Engvall tries to cram his whole life into one book rather than stick to one theme (marriage, fatherhood, etc.). The end result is 46 micro-chapters that never really deliver the same laughs that have made him a part of the successful Blue Collar comedy quartet. But there is interesting material: Engvall reminisces about starting at the bottom of the entertainment business, first as a stand-in and extra on movie sets and later playing chauffeur to some of the biggest names of comedy. But these tales are given short shrift so Engvall can focus on his childhood love of baseball, his favorite car as a teenager and his partying a lot in college. In the end, Engvall realizes that "all guys are the same," and that's why the sensitive parts of the book—Engvall's parents' divorce or the pain of leaving his family to go on the road—are the ones that truly stand out. (May)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

From the Publisher

The sensitive parts of the books...truly stand out.” —Publishers Weekly

“If you like Blue Collar TV or are just looking for some good comedy, this is a great book to pick up.” —Blogcritics.org

“His folksy humor...has made him a hit in the heartland...Don't bet a little plain ol' charm won't work just as well on the rest of the country.” —Philadelphia Inquirer on The Bill Engvall Show

FEB/MAR 08 - AudioFile

Bill Engvall, one of the stars of the Blue-Collar Comedy Tour, knows that visitors, like cheese, can stink up the joint if they stay around too long. That's why his biography is a nicely sized three-disc set. Engvall tells us the story of his life and, at the same time, lets us in on the laughs. He performs the book himself, which is a smart choice. His down-home delivery suggests that he’s the kind of next-door neighbor you could invite over for a beer and borrow power tools from. In this production he says that guys have just three needs: eating, sleeping, and sex. And after hearing him explain his thinking, you just might think he’s right. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169398595
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	05/29/2007
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Welcome to the story of my life.

Let's start with the basics.

Like who am I?

Oh, I know you know I'm the comedian who came up with "Here's Your Sign" and that I'm a member of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" and TV show. I'm the one who's not Jeff, Ron, or Larry the Cable Guy. Yeah. That one. That's me.

But who am I really?

That's what I'm about to tell you. I'm a little nervous because I know what's coming. I'm about to reveal some stuff that's very personal, a little bit embarrassing, and sometimes kind of strange. I think there's a decent chance you'll chuckle once or twice. You might even tear up. Hopefully not at the same time.

Now, a couple things you should know about me before we get started.

First, I'm unbelievably normal. Unlike many comedians and serial killers, which my dad considers the same thing, I don't come from a screwed up, crazy family. I was never smacked around, molested, or locked in a fruit cellar. Sorry. I'm pretty much the boy next door, the kid riding his bike down the street, the guy on the other side of the classroom. Okay, I'm the one with the chalk up my nose, but only because the teacher's putting me to sleep and I'm trying to amuse myself until the bell rings. So that's me. You know me well. You've hung out with me after school, gone to the movies with me, played ball against me, and if you're a girl, you've probably ignored me.

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