Nerd Do Well

A Small Boy's Journey to Becoming a Big Kid

By: Simon Pegg

Narrated by: Simon Pegg

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

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 that began with his regular Monday morning slot in front of his 12-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.

©2011 Simon Pegg (P)2011 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"How did a geeky kid with a love of Star Wars end up a cult film hero working with Steven Spielberg? Simon Pegg reveals much more." ( The Observer Magazine (UK)

"Self-confessed geek turned Brit Hollywood hero Simon Pegg opens the book on his nine-to-five." ( GQ (UK)

" Nerd Do Well, does the necessary job of telling Pegg's story, but does so in an intimate manner." ( The Times)

Love it! So glad that he made this happen.

Would you listen to Nerd Do Well again? Why?

Sure. It is a great story if not a bit disjointed at times. My only criticism of the actual structure would be that it jumps around in a way that seems to expect you to know where it is going but overall it was excellent.

What does Simon Pegg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hearing it in his voice is the only way it could be done. He had to read it and you can totally see him performing it. One thing that I really appreciated about it was that it was un-apologetically written with the British reader in mind. So many references and slang that made it more authentic. There was no pandering to other parts of the world and even as an American I appreciated that.

Any additional comments?

Loved how he threw in bits from his movies and Spaced that referenced things but without noting that he'd referenced them. A nice little extra for those of us that have followed him throughout his career.

I really wish the underlying story was the book

I've always enjoyed Simon Pegg's unique style of humor, and was very excited to read his memoirs. However, once we broke off into his story about Pegg, the Pegg Jet, a robotic butler, and a beautiful, French cat burglar I just wanted more. Frankly, I would've bought a standalone book of just that story. The memoirs are a wonderful glimpse into the life of a witty comic, but the story is a glorious view into his comedic styling that deserves more time than it gets.

Definitely best enjoyed in Audiobook form!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if they like Pegg, they will enjoy this - and specifically the audiobook, since it's read by him.

Any additional comments?

Simon Pegg's autobiography in audiobook form is narrated by himself; as a result it's funny and entertaining, and comes across like a 4 hour long stand up comedy monologue. I see a lot of mixed reviews and I can imagine it might not be as coherent on printed paper, since so much of the tone comes from Pegg's delivery.

It's part autobiography, and part complete fantasy as he imagines his present self as some kind of Janes Bond-esque type translated into pulp sci form,with a robot butler and all. Strange, funny, sometimes confusing, and a bit too short, but still very entertaining at least in audiobook form.

Simon Pegg has the attention span of a 10 year old

What made the experience of listening to Nerd Do Well the most enjoyable?

Even though the narrative jumps between real life and his storybook like, it was still enjoyable

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Telling when there was a chapter break so that you can catch on when the switch between real life and the fantasy world a little faster would be nice but not really necessary

Which character – as performed by Simon Pegg – was your favorite?

His fantasy world is very rich with detail.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I have no idea and I don't know how you would make a movie about this book

Nerd Do Very Well

If you're a fan of Pegg and his style of humor, this book is a must have. Not only is his humor and stylized joke punctuation littered throughout, it's voiced by Pegg as well and he really brings the story to life.

Amazing

Where does Nerd Do Well rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best.

What did you like best about this story?

It's multiple stories sci-fi and biography mixed together, Amazing.

Any additional comments?

It's good. A completely new concept in book writing, like everything else he does original ideas.

Highly recommended!

I love his style, his story, and his voice! A must listen. I wish it was longer.

Hilarious!

One of my favorite actors and truly delivers with his tales and a fun side story!

One of the Best Audio Books Ever - Hands Down!

The pure joy of this is listening to Simon tell his story while also interweaving a secondary adventure as though Simon himself is a James Bond type of figure. I could listen to a series of those stories. Simon's vocal work is fantastic. Thoroughly engaging. Not since listening to Bruce Campbell's first book, If Chins Could Kill, have I had this much fun listening to an audiobook. If you are a Simon Pegg fan, I highly recommend this book!

The perfect nerd

Delightful, passionate, excited, humble, reflective, gracious, and appreciative -- Simon Pegg represents the best example of geekdom as it should be. Unlike others, I didn't mind this being abridged. Longer would have been better but it worked this way too.