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Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life [Hardcover]

Bill Engvall (Author), Alan Eisenstock (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 29, 2007
What does it mean to be JUST A GUY?
--A guy doesn't think before he speaks.
--Eating and sleeping always come first. Always.
--A guy may get married, but he doesn't have to like it.
--It's tough to admit, but all guys are exactly the same.
 
Blue Collar Comedy Star Bill Engvall is JUST A GUY.  He's been one his whole life.  He can't help it.  He was born that way.  And that makes him an expert on the subject.   

For the record, here's the official definition of a guy:  A person who doesn't think before he speaks.  He can't.  He's not that deep.  Because a guy has only three basic needs: eating, sleeping, and sex.  That's it.  JUST A GUY chronicles a lifetime in pursuit of those needs.
 
In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Bill Engvall takes you on the rollicking ride of his life, beginning with his childhood in Texas and adolescence in Arizona, becoming a fixture in local emergency rooms, the result of massive amounts of non-thinking behavior trying to impress girls or torture his sisters; to high school in Dallas where he dabbled in an array of truly odd jobs, learned the trombone, and came of age, all strangely connected; to college and his tenure as his fraternity's social chairman, where he masterminded a series of legendary parties and attempted to rescue his pet bird while the house was burning down (not his fault, honest); to following his dream as a standup comic and, gulp, singer; to his brief stint in children's theater while sharing the stage and the back of a van with the director's dog, and as a movie extra with forked tongue and cloth claws; to his bumbling and riotous courtship, then marriage to Gail, the love of his life; and, finally, fatherhood, where he remains, to this day, a well-meaning, but flawed parent.
 
Through it all, Bill gamely stumbles along, struggling to maintain a façade of confidence and control.  Far from a superhero, Bill Engvall is an everyday Everyman, the poster boy for normal.  The result is JUST A GUY who is disarming, perceptive, wildly funny, and unexpectedly moving. 
 
JUST A GUY will make you laugh out loud and tug at your heart. 
 
Hopefully, not at the same time.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this rather bland attempt at the humorous sensitive-man memoir that seems to be a prerequisite for a certain type of middle-aged comic (e.g., Cosby, Reiser, Romano), Engvall tries to cram his whole life into one book rather than stick to one theme (marriage, fatherhood, etc.). The end result is 46 micro-chapters that never really deliver the same laughs that have made him a part of the successful Blue Collar comedy quartet. But there is interesting material: Engvall reminisces about starting at the bottom of the entertainment business, first as a stand-in and extra on movie sets and later playing chauffeur to some of the biggest names of comedy. But these tales are given short shrift so Engvall can focus on his childhood love of baseball, his favorite car as a teenager and his partying a lot in college. In the end, Engvall realizes that "all guys are the same," and that's why the sensitive parts of the book—Engvall's parents' divorce or the pain of leaving his family to go on the road—are the ones that truly stand out. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

BILL ENGVALL has been a comedian for more than twenty years, and is a founding member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour--along with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White--and the Blue Collar Comedy television show on the WB.  Engvall's first CD, Here's Your Sign, was the #1 comedy album of the year.  He is a co-star of the movie Delta Farce and the star of the sitcom "The Bill Engvall Show" on TBS. He lives in Los Angeles.
 
ALAN EISENSTOCK is the author of several non-fiction works, including THE KINDERGARTEN WARS: The Battle to Get into America's Best Private Schools, TEN ON SUNDAY: The Secret Life of Men, and SPORTS TALK.  He lives in Pacific Palisades, California. 
 

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (May 29, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312362676
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312362676
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, but not particularly humorous., June 6, 2007
This review is from: Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life (Hardcover)
This book was very interesting, to say the least. Engvall wrote on his life in many subsections, making each to the point without having to add extra words to fill out a chapter. From his childhood antics, to his college antics, to his start as a comedian, to meeting his wife, this was a book that waqs hard to put down.

However, very little actually made me laugh. This is more an autobiography than an attempt at humor. You shouldn't buy this book because you want humor; you buy this book because you want to know more about Engvall.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, January 15, 2012
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This was very entertaining. Felt like I knew Bill personally after listening to the cds. It helped pass the time on my long car ride to and from work. I was actually less stressed than just listening to the radio.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A telling memoir from a funny guy!, March 31, 2011
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I like Bill Engvall. Of the four Blue Collar Comedy comedians, he is probably my favorite. (Though I admit that his show on TBS is just not that funny.)

So I had pretty high expectations for this book - something more than the book by Ron White that was simply a rehash of his comedy bits, and more personal than Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck dictionaries, and something more entertaining than a book full of one-liners by Larry the Cable Guy.

I'm happy to say that Engvall met my expectations of a book about the comedian, not a book of comedy. So if you're looking for a book full of jokes, "Just A Guy" isn't for you. That's not to say that many of Engvall's stories aren't humorous - but the book is more memoir than stand-up.

But if you want to know more about Bill Engvall the person, pick up a copy. You'll enjoy the read.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Welcome to the story of my life. Read the first page
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John Wayne, Michael O'Keefe, Bat Boat, Little League, Barry Manilow, Mean Green, Miss Miller, Roller Derby, Double Black Diamond, Bobbie Brown, Baby Ruth, Cardinal Pub, James Woods, Lone Star, Cub Scout, Kansas City, Rex Hudler, Rosemary's Baby, World Series, Writing Night
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