I’m a Joke and So Are You

I’m a Joke and So Are You
by Robin Ince
Published by Atlantic Books, £16.99 hardback, Waterstones.

Robin is a well-known and much-loved stand-up comedian and side-kick to Professor Brian Cox on their Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage.

He’s also local, and a lovely man with a fascinating mind, so I was looking forward to getting a  sneak peek into that mind to see what was actually going on in there.

In this book, Robin’s aim was to take a look into the brains of comedians and find out whether there was anything inherent in them that made them want to stand up in front of a room full of people and bare their souls, or whether it was more about things that happened to them during their childhood and later lives that made them take the career path they did.

It’s a fascinating premise and one that he has, of course, carried off brilliantly. Robin has used his own stories, as well as those of many other well-known comedians, to talk about the subject. He has also spent much time speaking to experts on the subject, including neuro-scientists and  sychologists, about what makes people tick.

The result is an informative and fascinating look at the human brain and how it works. But it’s also, at times, hilarious, and at others, touching.

If you have any interest in people, or in Robin’s work, or, in fact, even if you just have a brain of your own that interests you, then this is a great read. Buy it!