Simon Pegg’s Book “Nerd Do Well” does… well!

A while back I heard that Simon Pegg was set to release a book.  Not only was he writing a book, but it was an autobiography!  Initially I was excited and confused at the same time.  I thought to myself, “isn’t he a little young to have an introspective” but also “how’d he get to where he is now, because I’m totally on the same wavelength.”  Well, it turns out he had similar feelings when approached to write the book.  See?  We’re already thinking alike.

The book starts with quite possibly the most entertaining preface known to man.  I know that’s not saying a lot since most prefaces are bland, and usually get skimmed over or skipped entirely.  If that is what you normally do when you read books, please don’t even think about it with this one.  From the very beginning you feel the same nerdy wit that Pegg displays in his films & television series “Spaced”.  The preface is solely written for the American audience (thank you Simon), and explains some of the references that many mainstream American readers wouldn’t normally get.  These references are usually to popular TV shows in the UK that have not made the transition over to the US.

Each page of the book contains at least three humo(u)rous moments which will cause a smirk at the very least.  There were countless occasions throughout my time reading this book that I laughed out loud, sometimes to the point where I had to put the book down, so as not to get it wet with the tears which were streaming down my face.  Yeah, it’s that good.  Now that’s not to say that there aren’t close personal stories included.  Simon (yeah, we’re on a first name basis now) writes about close personal tragedies, romantic endeavo(u)rs and general tales of growing up nerdy.

The book is very relate-able for the  Pegg-centric cinephile.  There are plenty of great stories from his life leading up to “Spaced”, as well as the creative process involved in a brilliantly nerdy television series.  You find out how he met Nick Frost (co-star of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, & Spaced), Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Spaced), and Jessica Hynes (Yvonne in Shaun of the Dead and Daisy in Spaced).  What makes it even more different from any other autobiography is that Simon weaves a send story throughout the book.  It was during these chapters that I laughed the loudest.  Overall it’s a heck of an entertaining read, and by the time you reach the end, you’re left wanting another 150 pages.  Also there’s a couple of nifty picture page sections that sync up with the text.  It’s a really good book, and I’d recommend you go out and buy it now.