Book info

• Title May I Have Your Attention, Please?
• Author James Corden
• Year 2011
• Genre Memoir

So... the story of my life. I've often thought about this moment, about what it would be like to write my memoirs. I always thought it would make me feel important. It doesn't. If anything it makes me feel a little strange. The truth is, I should never have been this famous guy. I wasn't the cool, clever, good-looking boy at school. But I always dreamt of it, hoped for it, longed for it: throughout school when I was disruptive, in my teens when I tried to form my own boy band and through hundreds of auditions for parts which were met with constant rejection. Until finally I co-wrote Gavin and Stacey. And my whole life changed. This is that story. The story of how I found myself here, talking to you.

Thoughts

Firstly, I just need to get this down, that I’m sure I’ve read this before, and relatively recently, but I cannot find a review of it anywhere - not in any website backups or Goodreads or anywhere. Why would I have missed it? Anyway, I read it again just to make sure and it’s a really interesting memoir.

Corden is a love or hate character, that’s become clear although I don’t really know why. I think he’s great, and have loved some of the stuff he’s done on his late night show, but of course, it’s Gavin and Stacey that we all admire so much. This book tells how James battled through boredom in childhood and fought against regular rejections to get to a position where he was able to write, record and celebrate the success of that show.

That last part was actually the most interesting to me, how James become a self-confessed unpleasant person, wrapped up in his own headlines, and leaving behind what grounded him to home and family. It could very easily push you from one side of the love/hate divide to the other, if not for the fact that it’s a really honest assessment of how success so young to someone so desperate for it can be a curse rather than a blessing, it’s kind of a warning to other hopefuls… but with the good news that you can come out the other side.

Alongside all that, it’s a very easy book to read, written as if you’re just having a fireside chat. Definitely worth a go.

Rating: 4 / 5