The Pocket Book of Boosh

The Pocket Book Of Boosh
Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Richard Fulcher Et al
 
Out Now

To be honest I'm a novice when it comes to all things Boosh. I was aware what it was and knew the guys from it, but its all sort of seemed just a little too out there for me and I like a lot of obscure stuff. When I started reading the book though I think I'm gonna have to look online for some DVDs or anything to do with the zooniverse as I can happily say I'm a Boosh convert. From the off the book is really easy to get into and for someone not knowing much of the characters or any "in jokes" I found it totally bizarre but equally funny, which if you're in a room with other people it can get a bit annoying for both parties having to point out or re- read the funnies but its worth it at every page.

The basic layout is the same (I think) of the original hardback that came out last year so here we have some updates and sketches and scribblings from the cast and crew. I know what you're thinking "just another cash in for Christmas" right? Well actually no its not since there are a lot of things to recommend to first time buyers or people wanting a smaller copy of last years version. When I was reading through the various sections I got a feeling of a Monty Python style of humour that a lot of people don't really get sometimes or just don't find funny. There were a lot of parts of the book that give genuine belly laughs that go on for a good 10 mins or so, which again are fine but in company you get some very odd looks.

If I had to choose one section to someone who wasn't very sure whether to buy or not it easily has to be the letters written by "Bollo" the silverback gorilla writing letters to Peter Jackson to get the leading roll in King Kong. I could go into more detail but there's no way I could do it justice - basically read it for yourself and get ready for a good ole fashioned giggle. I liked the way the book is broken down into each characters section with a few pieces of "poetry" thrown in for good measure. So if like me you're not very sure who some characters are they all get their say and their odd little bit of comedy. I will have to be honest here though as I'm not an avid fan of the series some of the jokes did fall a bit flat and since it wasn't as funny as it meant to be these bits did seem to drag on quite a bit which was a shame considering the really great parts seem to be over quite quickly. In all I really enjoyed the book I'm not sure if I could recommend it to someone who has last years since there could be a lot of older material but for someone who was looking for a stocking filler or something for yourself, either way it's a great read and very very funny.

Finlay Meldrum

Last modified: 22/09/2009 15:49:29