Andy Kind may be the only MediaNet member to have published his autobiography. We asked Mike Smith to review Stand Up and Deliver
Having seen the ebullient audience reaction from comedian Andy Kind’s live stage act, this book has a tough act to follow. Stand Up and Deliver takes us on the fascinating rollercoaster of the amateur comedy circuit. On stage Andy brims with confidence and deals (often hilariously) with audience heckles. It came as quite a revelation that off stage he faced nervousness, terrible venues and cruel comics. His friends could easily be caricatures of real life. His love life endures meteorological changes. His journey of faith almost heads towards ordination... twice. Permeating all this is a desperate desire to please his Mum and Dad. What makes this such a gripping and amusing read is not just Andy’s raw wit, or that he ends up in preposterous situations. It isn’t just his peculiar friends or the pessimistic put downs from his wacky subconscious: Horatio. The reason you’ll struggle to put this book down is that Andy shares his life in almost diary-like intimacy through the acute lens of his own hyperactive, comedic but honest powers of observation. In doing so, he lays his soul’s deepest struggles bare. If you would like to laugh with (and sometimes at) Andy when faced with the absurdity of daily life – this is well worth a read.
Stand Up And Deliver is published by Monarch Books ISBN 978-0-85721-025-8.
It's available from Amazon here.
You can see Andy live at The Church and Media Conference 2011.
Andy's website is at www.andykind.co.uk