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Loading... I Think the Nurses are Stealing My Clothes: The Very Best of Linda Smithby Linda Smith
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  dtw42 | Apr 25, 2010 |   If you already knew of Linda Smith, you wouldn't have needed that introduction, and you would probably already know if you would like to read this book. If you didn't know of her already, I realise that the introduction above doesn't really help you decide whether to read it. Comedy, like music and many other things, is a matter of taste that can be difficult to explain. Many people found Linda Smith funny, and many probably wondered why she didn't achieve greater success. The reason for that may be down to what she wanted from life and work, and to the type of person she was. That sense of who she was comes across very strongly in this collection, both in the material itself and in the reminiscing of those who worked with her. In that sense, this is a very good book, better than many collections of the work of comedians. The material is varied in quality, but it's a good reflection of the sweep of her career and her development as a performer. Most of it really brings a smile to the face. One gem that's stuck in my mind: To be honest, once you've decided you've got a favourite chair, you don't like change of any kind. There's a reasonable selection of photographs to go with the career history that is the sort of thread running through the book. Overall, an enjoyable read, best treated as a sweetie jar to be dipped into now and again rather than consumed at one or two sittings. (  ) kevinashley | Nov 23, 2008 | This book is not a biography (although for ease of cataloguing, I have tagged it as such), it is more a celebration of a career, cut short too soon. It only covers her career and we get only passing references to her family, friends and external interests. Each chapter begins with an appreciation from someone intrinsic to that particular stage in Linda's career and is followed by a script of her work at that time. The scripts are occasionally annoying because, on stage, Linda often inter reacted with her audience. this works well but, comes across less appealingly in the written word. This, however, is a minor niggle in a thoroughly enjoyable book. A reminder of the lady who, I believe, would have become the first comedienne to gain the hero status of a Hancock, or a Leno. (  ) the.ken.petersen | May 15, 2008 | Linda and I am roughly the same age only she got to do stand up comedy to boost the moral of striking miners and their families. Needless to say we were both angry - well wouldn't you be if Government favours one group of people over and above another with all the injustice that ensues, so she can be forgiven for the occasional f**k and d***head. Transcripts of some of her performances and quest appearances as well as tributes by those who knew Linda. My favourite are the diary entries in modern contexts as Charlotte Bronte, Gregor Samsa from Kafka's "Metamorphosis", Noel Coward reviewing Llewelyn-Bowen's fantasy room. "Tracy Emin's cat Docket went missing. It wasn't such a happy ending. Docket was found - but she was found by Damien Hirst. Nasty business." Pg 261 If this wets your appetite, then there is her audio CD "I Think the Nurses...." and a biography is out soon. WorkinSuffolkIdio_s | Apr 11, 2007 | ) JamesCotton | Nov 23, 2006 | no reviews | add a review
'One of the smartest, funniest and most sweet-natured people I ever encountered ... Her voice lit up Radio 4's News Quiz, she was brilliant on QI and she tirelessly travelled the UK as one of the most respected and loved comics on the circuit.' STEPHEN FRY Stephen Fry spoke for much of middle England when he responded to the news of Linda Smith's tragic death of cancer, aged 48, earlier this year. Linda was the brilliant mainstay of Radio 4s The News Quiz, Just a Minute, and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue for many years. She was just establishing her career on TV through blistering performances on Have I Got News for You, QI and Room 101, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Linda was one of the few women to conquer the male dominated world of comedy and she had the wit and the charm to win over millions of male and female fans in equal measure. She had an eye for the absurdities of modern life and loved to prick the egos of the pompous and the vain. She could be savage about the people she despised too. When she spoke of the "dead devil-eyes of Nicky Campbell" she meant it. When she called David Mellor, "the thinking woman's fat ugly bastard", she meant it even more. When she called David Blunkett "Satan's bearded folk singer", it was a simple statement of fact. No wonder then Linda was voted the 'wittiest person alive' by Radio 4 listeners in 2002. In this brilliant anthology, we go right back to the start of Linda's career and re-live her very best material from the picket lines of the Miners' Strike, to the Edinburgh Festival and on to her mainstream success on BBC radio and TV, and as touring comedian loved up and down the country. THE ESSENTIAL LINDA SMITH is being compiled and edited by her partner of twenty-three years, Warren Lakin. The book also carries contributions from her extensive fan club including: Paul Merton, Graham Norton, Clive Anderson, Bill Bailey, Jo Brand, Alan Davies, Jack Dee, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Tony Hawks, Eddie Izzard, Matt Lucas, Nicholas Parsons and Alexei Sayle amongst others. It will be the must-have gift for comedy fans and Radio 4 listeners this Christmas. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)828.9202Literature English English miscellaneous writings English miscellaneous writings 1900- English miscellaneous writings 2000-RatingAverage: (3.61)
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Wikipedia in English
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Nevertheless, some other sections work better: Linda's contributions to radio programmes such as The News Quiz, Booked, The Beaton Generation, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and so on, being at least semi-scripted, are more readable as prose.
Included are a section of photos from 1985 to 2004, a few playbills/posters from early standup shows, and some nice commissioned cartoons from Steve Bell, Martin Rowson, and Phill Jupitus. (