Just a Guy

February 12, 2007
In this rather bland attempt at the humorous sensitive-man memoir that seems to be a prerequisite for a certain type of middle-aged comic (e.g., Cosby, Reiser, Romano), Engvall tries to cram his whole life into one book rather than stick to one theme (marriage, fatherhood, etc.). The end result is 46 micro-chapters that never really deliver the same laughs that have made him a part of the successful Blue Collar comedy quartet. But there is interesting material: Engvall reminisces about starting at the bottom of the entertainment business, first as a stand-in and extra on movie sets and later playing chauffeur to some of the biggest names of comedy. But these tales are given short shrift so Engvall can focus on his childhood love of baseball, his favorite car as a teenager and his partying a lot in college. In the end, Engvall realizes that "all guys are the same," and that's why the sensitive parts of the book—Engvall's parents' divorce or the pain of leaving his family to go on the road—are the ones that truly stand out.

Bill Engvall, one of the stars of the Blue-Collar Comedy Tour, knows that visitors, like cheese, can stink up the joint if they stay around too long. That's why his biography is a nicely sized three-disc set. Engvall tells us the story of his life and, at the same time, lets us in on the laughs. He performs the book himself, which is a smart choice. His down-home delivery suggests that he's the kind of next-door neighbor you could invite over for a beer and borrow power tools from. In this production he says that guys have just three needs: eating, sleeping, and sex. And after hearing him explain his thinking, you just might think he's right. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine