Author:Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan was born and raised in Manchester in the 1960s, the fourth of six children. From an early age he entertained his family with impressions and was often told he should 'be on the telly'. Failing to get into any of the London-based drama schools, he accepted a place at Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre and before graduating had been given his first break as a voice artist on the satirical puppet show Spitting Image.
The late eighties and early nineties saw Coogan developing characters he could perform on the comedy circuit, from Ernest Moss to Paul Calf, and in 1992 he won a Perrier award with John Thomson. It was around the same time, while working with Armando Iannucci and Patrick Marber on On The Hour and The Day Today, that Alan Partridge emerged, almost fully formed.
Coogan, once a tabloid fixture, is now a respected film actor, writer and producer. He runs his own production company, Baby Cow, has a raft of films to his name (from 24 Hour Party People to Alpha Papa, the critically-acclaimed Partridge film), six Baftas and seven Comedy Awards. He has found huge success in recent years with both The Trip and Philomena, the latter bringing him two Oscar nominations, for producing and co-writing.
In Easily Distracted he lifts the lid on the real Steve Coogan, writing with distinctive humour and an unexpected candour about a noisy childhood surrounded by foster kids, his attention-seeking teenage years and his emergence as a household name with the birth of Alan Partridge.
fascinating read...disarmingly honest
—— The IndependentAbsolutely fantastic, honest and candid
—— Chris Evans, TFI FridayCoogan's childhood vignettes are both touching and hilarious...Coogan covers his one-time appetite for cocaine and alcohol with as much frankness as he does everything else but such is the warmth of the book, his excesses are the least interesting part of this very funny man...A-ha, indeed
—— Evening Standarda wonderful insight into a man who has lived it all
—— Yorkshire PostWritten with distinctive humour and an unexpected candour, Coogan's autobiography travels from a noisy childhood surrounded by foster kids via his attention-seeking teenage years to his emergence as a household name with the birth of Alan Partridge.
—— GransnetWith trademark humour Steve Coogan shares all
—— Guardian Bookshop, Observer – Best reviews in 2016A simple, readable confessional … interspersed with Coogan’s trademark caustic asides and loads of telly and performance insight… If you love Coogan, this delivers
—— Observer - Books of 2015 in reviewSelf-aware, deferential and modest
—— Times Literary SupplementScientifically unprovable but entertaining, illuminating and lipsmacking . . . a mighty fine and convincing read
—— Classic RockThere's a bit of a fashion at the moment for books focussing on a particular year and David Hepworth's 1971 is one of the best
—— ChoiceAnyone who misses Word magazine like an old friend, has just found the perfect read.
—— Paul Dowswell, author of AuslanderHepworth lifts the lid on the unrepeatable year when rock's lunatics finally took over the asylum.
—— Chris Adams author of The Grail Guitar -The Search for Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze TelecasterFull of fascinating detail and obviously a labour of love, a must for anyone who can remember the Seventies or who was there.
—— Rosalind Miles, author of The Women's History of the WorldA wonderful piece of work
—— Simon Russell BealeWithout doubt, one of the greatest self-penned appraisals of a popular entertainer's life and work...What makes this book a classic (yes, you heard me) is the beauty of the writing, the seemingly effortless imagery of situations, saints and sinners (EC puts himself in the latter category, often), and the persuasive nature of the text that should make even the most casual reader clamour for more after 670 pages
—— The QuietusOne of the finest musical biographies I have ever read ... an engrossing and rewarding read
—— Keith Bruce , The HeraldThe greatest songwriter of our generation ... a tremendous read
—— Jonathan RossIt really is stunning. Hugely illuminating, fiercely passionate, funny, moving and beautifully written.
—— Mark BillinghamTypically sharp and funny on songwriting
—— Telegraph Books of the YearThe writing is as good as you would expect from such an accomplished lyricist. The tone is wise, warm and often rueful, befitting a 61-year-old elder statesman, and the story a compelling one
—— Mail on SundayFor serious music fans? It has to be Elvis Costello's Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink (Viking). Utterly definitive and clearly, painstakingly penned by Costello himself, who doesn't want to miss a detail
—— Kitty Empire , GuardianWriters like Costello because he's always taken writing seriously. That's obvious to anyone who pays attention to his lyrics, and it's even more apparent to anyone who reads Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, his charming new autobiography. The book is refreshingly free of salacious gossip and needless name-dropping; it's an intelligent self-assessment from a musician who went from angry young man to elder statesman of pop ... a defiantly fun autobiography.
—— Michael Schaub , NPR BooksThis is a big book, literally, by one of the best rockers in the business. Given the singular, and eclectic, nature of his career, it is no surprise that Elvis Costello's anecdotal autobiography is an idiosyncratic journey through his music and the people and places that have inspired him ... A must for Costello fans everywhere.
—— Booklist (starred review)Costello's prose cuts with the same spiky wit and observational power as his well-known lyrics ... packed with great lines, vivid anecdotes ... a treat for his many fans.
—— Kirkus ReviewsPlenty of tales to keep the pages turning. Readers will be fascinated by Costello's stories...his book feels like a discussion between friends over a pint.
—— Publishers WeeklyOften brilliant and wholly idiosyncratic
—— David Ulin , Los Angeles TimesRevelatory, evocatively crafted, [and] highly entertaining
—— David Fricke , Rolling StoneA winningly droll and good-natured guide to his life and many works throughout
—— Clark Collis , Entertainment WeeklyPunctuated with sardonic and self-aware truths
—— PitchforkVivid ... It's not surprising that one of rock's most literate songwriters would pen such a deep, free-form memoir
—— Houston ChronicleElvis Costello delivers an impeccably detailed autobiography. He's often as brilliant at turning a phrase in prose as he is in his lyrics
—— Paste MagazineEnthralling ... This is family history as musical encyclopedia, and to listen to Costello recount his life is to be buttonholed by an enthusiastic fan. Fandom for Costello is inseparable from the compulsion to write songs and, it seems, to understand his own life ... Fortunately for the fan of Costello's music the topic of discussion is often his own songs, and he is, unsurprisingly, a witty and eloquent guide
—— Paul Grimstad , New Republic[Costello] pens books with the same clever writing that he uses in song
—— Kathy Flanigan , Milwaukee Journal-SentinelCostello['s] book is capacious, clever, and full of heart and soul
—— Dan DeLuca , Philadelphia InquirerThe story unfolds like a movie that jumps across time, more thematic than chronological, as boyhood anecdotes and obsessions intersect with mature songs and adult reckoning.... The book doubles as a selective mini-history of 20th century music, as told by a discerning guide. He addresses artists both towering (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash) and relatively unheralded (David Ackles, Robert Wyatt) with a fan's affection and music scholar's insight
—— Greg Kot , Chicago TribuneWith an encyclopedic knowledge and appreciation for, and deep love of, music, and with an expressive power and heart, Costello's memoir will take its place in the highest echelons of the genre
—— Library Journal (starred review)His book is almost essential as an idiosyncratic history of 20th-century pop music
—— ExpressStudded with entertaining anecdotes
—— Evening Standard Best Music Books of 2015