Neil Forsyth kindly sent me a copy of his new book, thinking that I might like it. Neil’s with a small publisher and doesn’t have an Evil Pr company to do his Pring for him, so I said that I’d write something about it if I enjoyed it.
I then spent the next week kicking myself for being so stupid, as I immediately realised that it would probably be shit. The concept, you see, is that Neil, under the guise of cheeseburger van tycoon ‘Bob Servant’ has been replying to spammers, engaging them in convoluted email exchanges and then printing them up in a book. I know, I know – ‘prank call’ humour. So it seemed horribly clear that Neil and I would have our own awkward exchange of emails, which would probably then be adapted for the sequel – ‘Conversations With People Who Thought The First One Was Shit’.
Happily, I’ve been laughing myself silly at it. Bob’s a superbly rounded character, there’s a natural sense of the intrinsically funny and the author knows how to pace a gag. There are some beautifully dry annotations, and a picture of an ostrich that is perfectly, perfectly placed.
Take that as a recommendation for the Christmas pile, then. “Delete this at your Peril” – more information here.
Is this a cunning ploy, hoping that you’ll be innundated with books to review, which will then solve your Christmas present dilemma?
I thought this site was spam?
Not a day goes by when I don’t try to delete your stuff, Jonny, and I remain peril-free. You friend sounds like another one of those lazy ancien regime types who made a pile selling miners’ kidneys in the ’80s and now has nothing better to do than sit around all day eating grapes and taunting hard-working Nigerian scam artists. The pair of you will be first against the wall when the revolution comes…
If anybody wants anything reviewed that my mum might like…
“If anybody wants anything reviewed that my mum might like…”
I really am trying to avoid the obvious double entendre. Maybe Ivan should take over here ……
Neil sent me a copy of his book too but Q is reading it while I finish another one waiting for review. I can honestly say that I have never had so many books to read in my life. I haven’t even read my own yet – have you? You can always do a review of it if you like – and on Amazon where you aren’t allowed to mentioned the word ‘Twat’, despite the book’s title.
Bonkers.
You’re right Jonny, ‘delete this at your peril’ is hilarious. An equally funny book currently out is Air Mail – letters from the world’s most troublesome passenger.
Sorry, Fanto – wouldn’t dream of subjecting Mrs B to such infantile abuse. She is a saintly and long-suffering woman of almost superhuman equanimity and restraint, as Jonny’s survival to what passes for adulthood amply demonstrates. Personally, I’d’ve fed him into Short Tony’s sausage machine before he was weaned…
Bob is my hero! I always wanted to play jokes on spam-artists but never got around to it.
There was this Nigerian movie on tv about a con-artist whose girl-friend suspected that he was a fool-around type of guy. She asked her gal-pal to flirt with him, to check him out…and he really was a cheating kinda guy.
The two girls plotted revenge, getting all his *hard earned* money in the end.
guyana-gyal: He got really stuffed then?
More emptied than stuffed, Naga, hahaha.
I doooo wish you’d told me before I got all my Christmas presents:(
Great book. I’ve read it more that 5 times now I’m sure. However I was under the impression the actual author was someone other than Neil Forsyth.
SL would be his initials I think?
Hullo Josh and welcome. I have wracked my brain, and the only person who I can think of like that is golfer Sandy Lyall..?!?