Almost Interesting: The Memoir

I enjoyed reading about Dave's life and what makes him tick. I've always gotten a chuckle from his humor. The book is written as if he's talking directly to you in conversation.

I have more respect for him after reading the book. He owns up to lots of stuff and calls it like he sees it. Good stuff for a celebrity/comedian.

Some interesting stories, especially from his SNL days and movies with Chris Farley. There's also a chapter about his assistant's attempt to murder David. The chapter about his dust up with Eddie Murphy was news to me.

This book is exactly what David Spade says it will be: a quick and entertaining read meant to do nothing beyond entertain. I laughed out loud a lot, as his humor holds true in his writing as it did in his performances. I gave it to my brother to read and saw him laughing to himself while reading it not long afterward.

Funny, written the way David speaks, with little observations thrown in by parenthesis. Interesting story of how he grew up and the challenges he faced along the path to stardom. (Who speaks that way- the path to stardom? Seriously?)

I've read hundreds of these "famous people" autobios and have to say that in a lot of ways, this was the most enjoyable. In spite of his a-hole persona onscreen, Spade comes across as a cool guy who went through some s***, paid his dues, and was rewarded for his efforts. He is the ONLY famous person who comes across as truly grateful for the breaks he's gotten, which was very refreshing.
Before I read this book, I honestly felt that Spade was easily replaceable in every movie I've ever seen him in ("Joe Dirt" being the notable exception - he nailed that one), and I only picked this up because I was looking for more details on Chris Farley through people who worked with him. So yeah, I wasn't a big fan or anything. The book turned out to have less on Farley than I'd hoped, but I left with a strong feeling of admiration for Spade. The guy has really overcome a lot of obstacles and manages to describe them without going into "whining" or "so there" douche mode. The a-hole I'd seen nearly 100% of the time in his performances (again, Joe Dirt being a notable exception) was nowhere to be found in his writing. The chapters about his Mom and Dad and brothers are particularly touching. I found myself wishing that he did more "bio" stuff, ie, going through the long list of films he's done in much more detail (he barely even mentions the bulk of them and the ones he does mention are kinda skimmed over), and wish that there was at least one story about shooting with Joe Pesci... and though I never once watched the show, it was really odd to not have ANYTHING about "Just Shoot Me..." But hey, that's what's special about "Almost Interesting." It's not a traditional "famous guy telling all" book. He's just an average Joe who happens to be famous. A guy you're having a beer with and this is what he had to say that night. Maybe next time you're out, he'll say more. Really cool.