Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens

This is a case where the audio book far surpasses the written text. This is much more than Mr. Izzard reading his book aloud. He constantly veers off into "footnotes" which steal the show. They add a richness, color and personality to the stories which the book alone could never do. It's like being at one of his shows - but it goes on for days and has you riveted. The memoir is the audio book. The written text should be considered the abridged version.

Eddie Izzard has to be one of the smartest comedians out there. I also find his overall stage presentation to be fascinating because he is such a great speaker, especially when doing all his silly routines. It's no surprise then that when I learned he has a book coming out, I pre-ordered it right away,For those reading this book hoping for explanations or deep thoughts on the origins of "Cake or Death", or my absolute favorite "Deathstar Canteen", you will not find that here. What you will find,however, is a very personal story about a man who worked very hard to make it to the stage, hone his craft, and deal with some deep personal issues and experiences that had a sincere effect on his life all along the way. His first-hand account of coming out as a transvestite was quite interesting and explains all of the hopes, fears, and prejudice that went along with that process. I also found it interesting that, despite his comedy routines, there was literally almost no swear words in the book, but there were what had to be the most amount of foot notes usage I have ever seen. Yes - Eddie's rambling verbal style is in full swing here, and we love him for it.This book makes a great companion to his documentary about his life, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in his career.Well done Eddie, and keep polishing those nails. I wouldn't want you to be any other way.

A very interesting documentary-type book that detailed his life from earliest memories, through his tenacious journey to become one of the worlds most recognized comedians. His persistence is astounding and his determination admirable. But somehow, because of the lack of any real insight into how he feels about love and the people who have meant the most to him (apart from his mother which is minutely described) I ultimately found this book missing that essential ingredient into understanding who someone really is - surely why anyone would buy his book in the first place.

Eddie Izzard is probably one of the greatest comics in the world. His casual off the cuff stance is rooted deeply in a commitment to perfecting his craft. Determined and dedicated to a degree that is awe-inspiring, it is very difficult to accept that his intellectual but silly "action transvestite" stage presence grew out of a painstaking and painful commitment to achieving his various amazing goals. He has been out long before out was out and about. He has been a street performer, played on Broadway and the West End, and has starred in dramatic films. He ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa to honor the 27 years Nelson Mandela spent in prison. He has gone on to create hit TV shows and perform his stand-up act in three or four languages around the world. His early take on the palpably ineffectual Church of England is displayed in the hysterically funny routine known as " Cake or Death?" Truly a comedy classic . He credits the incredible success of the British Empire to the "cunning use of flags." His stand-up specials must not be missed and if he does do as he promises to do, run for mayor of London in 2020 I am going to give up my American citizenship to vote for him. He is a genius. He is uniquely funny and he is probably one of the most driven dedicated people on the planet. However the autobiography "Believe Me" is the equivalent of literary equivalent of ketamine. On stage he kills. On the page he bores. Unfortunately this book is larded with so many unnecessary footnotes that the narrative is often lost . Don't read this book. Watch "Dress to Kill" or watch him in Oceans 12 and 13. Believe me.

slow and plodding … not at all what I expected … he takes a really long time to meander and doesn't really leave the reader in a different place than when they started … and, unlike Eddie on stage, there's an awful lot of flat jokes … I was expecting more, he delivered less …

I became a fan after I saw Eddie Izzard on HBO. You get the feeling he’s enjoying himself, which makes it more fun, and I think his humor is smart and silly and different. His delivery cracks me up. I admire that he’s an “out” transvestite and performs that way and that he was honest about that journey. I’m always curious about people’s backgrounds and, though the book bogged in a few parts and he kept going off on tangents in his footnotes, I enjoyed learning more about him. His mother died when he was young and he and his brother were sent off to boarding school due to this father’s job. He talks about how that affected him and still affects him today possibly in his personal relationships, which he hardly mentions. What came through for me is his tenacity and that he’s always looking for the next challenge such as running marathons for charity and doing comedy shows in other countries in their languages. He’s positive, optimistic, inspiring, and puts good energy out there. Well done!

I have always liked Eddie Izzard; ever since the 1960s which is as far back as I can remember. They say if you can remember the 1960s you were not there. Well I was, and I can. Even though I was only four at the turn of the decade when the 1970s started, I can still remember them. Well some of them anyway. I didn't know who Eddie Izzard was back then but I am pretty sure that if I had known him I would have liked him a lot. I like the way he communicates with people and his openness and his strange stories. He makes you think and he makes you laugh. This is the book he has written about his life and I do believe, perhaps wrongly, that he has written this himself rather than had a chat with a ghost writer who has written it for him. He also wants to make sure that everyone is picking up what he is laying down and there are plenty of amusing notes (in very small print) at the bottom of the pages to explain, for example, to readers from America, what some of the terms mean that he uses that will not immediately make sense to them. This is the sort of man he is.Oh and he runs marathons too. Lots of them.

Buy it - a wonderful read by a lovely human being.

I'm a big fan of Eddie Izzard and have had the pleasure of meeting him. This book was just like Eddie talking, going off at a tangent as he frequently does, funny as he always is but I found it very touching too. He obviously misses his Mum hugely and is is also close to his father and brother which comes across in his writing. I found his writing honest and brave and it really lets you see a lot more of the person he is. If you're a fan too then you definitely need to read this.

It's great to learn a bit more about such a great comedian. When they are at the top of their game - which Eddie seems to have been forever - you can forget the difficult path to get there. As a runner I was almost more keen to understand his motivation to run so many back-to-back marathons. He's a tenacious comedian and runner. Oh, and the story telling is fantastic as you just apply a mental soundtrack of his lilting tones and it comes to life.

Nearly finished the book-a good read.Parts, particularly the first half, are written to some extent as he communicates on stage-which is fun.