One Hit Wonderland [Paperback]

Tony Hawks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2007

It's 1988 and radios across the land blast out the Top Ten hit "Stutter Rap" by Morris Minor and the Majors. The man behind the fake moustache is Tony Hawks. Fast forward to the 21st century and those heady days of pop stardom are a distant memory. That is, until it is suggested that Tony is just another One Hit Wonder. Really? We'll have to see about that. For two years Tony struggles to have a hit somewhere—anywhere—in the world, changing acts and styles with a bewildering lack of integrity. From Nashville to Amsterdam, from Eastern Europe to Africa, he travels the globe in search of that elusive hit. But it's only after a chance encounter with actor Norman Wisdom that things get really strange. Is it really possible that together they could storm the Albanian charts? In One Hit Wonderland anything can happen.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The author of A Piano in the Pyrenees (2008), Playing the Moldovans at Tennis (2001), and Round Ireland with a Fridge (2000) is, to be sure, a unique and engaging writer of travel memoirs. But did you know he also recorded two hit records? All right, the first was in 1988 (it was called “Stutter Rap,” a spoof of the Beastie Boys), and the second was a hit only in Albania; but the point is he has two hits to his name. This very funny memoir is the story of how he scored his second hit, and it takes him from Nashville to Africa to, obviously, Albania. Along the way, as he tries to find just the right song to put him back on the charts, he tries everything from spoofy country and western to a Paul Simon–inspired blending of African and traditional rock themes to, well, just about anything he thinks might work. It’s the best kind of travel memoir: alternately informative and hilarious, with a cast of memorable characters who, if they weren’t real people, would be right at home in a zany comic novel. Hawks is a lively, inquisitive storyteller, and readers, as always, will come away from the book glad to have accompanied him on another offbeat odyssey. --David Pitt

Review

It's the best kind of travel memoir: alternately informative and hilarious."  —Booklist

"Extremely entertaining."  —The Observer

"A lively, comical read from the master of absurd situations, with plenty of fair comment on the world of music."  —Front Magazine

"A wonderful shaggy dog story—all the more wonderful for it actually having happened."  —Daily Telegraph

"A smashing book."  —Norman Wisdom

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ebury Press (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0091882109
• ISBN-13: 978-0091882105
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More Than Superficial Resemblance to "Stutter Rap", May 5, 2004

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Hit Wonderland (Paperback)

I generally like Tony Hawks, and, in fact, think his masterpiece "Round Ireland With a Fridge" is the most entertaining travelogue ever written. It's hard to top fridge toting, but "One Hit Wonderland", while occasionally amusing, really doesn't measure up to his earlier works.

Tony had a top 5 hit in the UK in 1988 with his group 'Morris Minor and the Majors'. It was a comic parody (kind of like a British 'Weird Al Yankovic' concept) of the Beastie Boys. What was the song title, you may well ask? It was called "Stutter Rap." Need I say more? (You can hear it on Hawks' website, directions are found in the book.) In this book he takes another bet (surprise!) this time attempting to have a top 20 hit anywhere in the world within two years. Many odd comic misadventures ensue with trips to Nashville, Amsterdam, Romania, and the Sudan, before finally finding a compilation with famous composer Sir Tim Rice, and English movie star (from the 1950's or so) Norman Wisdom doing the trick, rising to number 18 in Albania.

The book is sort of like "Stutter Rap" in that Hawks' musical career went downhill fast after that song; likewise, this book is a decided plunge from his earlier writing efforts. There are amusing portions of the book, but he generally comes across as a bit of a prat, and frequently a bit condescending, particularly to the United States, and most particularly to Christians. I didn't really find it a bit amusing when, during his Nashville foray, for instance, he entered a church during worship specifically to mock it, nor was I amused when he mocked an older woman working in a Christian book store. If this is what he is resorting to for humor, then, I doubt I will really need to examine his next book too closely.

Three stars, but I seriously considered two. The adventures with Tim Rice and Norman Wisdom in Albania really pulled it back from the edge.

5.0 out of 5 stars Really, Really Great, August 27, 2009

By 

G. K. RN "optimism always." (somewhere in the caribbean islands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Hit Wonderland (Paperback)

Like most people, I was first introduced to Tony Hawks through the book "Round Ireland With a Fridge." And, also like most people, I loved that book and immediately set off to read his other books. I read all of them and I have to say that after Fridge, this one was my next favorite. I flew through the pages, snorting with laughter, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. I was actually sad when it ended (although this isn't unusual for me when reading really good books.) I definitely recommend this book.