Life and Laughing My Story – Michael McIntyre (Summary)

Gets a new house, sofa, view, etc. to write his autobiography/memoir. He’s not even started his book and his observational comedic stylings start tickling our funny bones.

His earliest memory is a fellow 4-year-old classmate pooing in music class. The teacher announced that if nobody admitted it, all kids would have to, one by one, pull their pants down to show their bums.

His first bit was peeing on the doctor and everyone had a hearty laugh.

He looks foreign because his dad has Canadian roots and his mother has ties to Hungary, so he calls himself a Canary. Then he finds out he has Jewish blood.

Entertaining stories of Granny trying to buy haddock by asking for headache and her love for scrabble.

Hi father would perform live comedy in his time too and Michael reading his dad’s scripts are hilarious.

Stories of dad, wife getting pregnant, kids and new house. His obsession with his living room and not letting kids in. Apparently they have rooms that are kept immaculately and nobody uses apart from one year … Christmas!

He highly recommends Easy Way to Stop Smoking Audio Book by Allen Carr & My Personal Journey

His meeting with Billy Connolly and other stars like Ronnie Corbett.

His mom took him to tarot card readers and he shares his thoughts on psychic mediums.

They would hide their car up the road from their grandma as she gave them dramas about spending money until they got caught and grandma threatened to cut them out of her will.

His dad insisted on him playing the guitar that Michael had not played in ages until he played the national anthem.

His trip to Corfu with his friends and trying to make out with as many girls as possible. His friends were in their 40s while he finally just managed to kiss one who the boys had already kissed.

When his body started changing, he thought getting a boner means w4nking. So when his friends asked if he did, he said he would be doing it all the time e.g. w4nking in the changing room, walking around, etc.

Michael would not treat his step-father Steve well until one day when Steve handled some ‘hoodies’.

His stay in in America, trying to lose his virginity, fake IDs and nightclubs. His friend gives him tips on his first time and drew some diagrams where to focus.

His dad calls to tell him he can’t afford the school and had to move, pops his cherry, had a mullet, passes driving test.

His dad would start visiting him as he’d come to America for work and Michael would get more exposure to the great comics. He mentioned that Eddie Izzard was a legend but won’t do specials. His dad died after having chest pains and having a heart attack after going to walk it off. He received a letter from past the grave as the dad had written an ‘if I die’ letter.

He finds out Tina had a breast reduction because of back pains. His funny story about how he was told ‘have you got a light’ is a great pick-up line and he tried it and the lady pulled out the lighter but he didn’t have a cigarette. When he was in Edinburg he would struggle with being single while all 4 of his housemates were shaking up the house with sounds of fornication. He tries to buy weed with a cheque and the dealer would keep posting the toaster down even through it didn’t have toast… because the heating didn’t work!

After watching Woody Allen, he found his purpose of writing and studied screenwriting as much as he could. His sister Lucy would we his only stable rock with parents changing partners and other family members coming and going, so she would also help him with his screenwriting. He would meet his dream girl Kitty. His back and forth dating struggles with her.

His Granny harasses him about having a partner and she wanted to be the most important person in his life. She wouldn’t accept any woman and just wanted to play scrabble with Michael all day. He announces that he’s going to be a stand-up comedian. His first night he got one solid laugh. He was in love with Kitty and even though he was booked on circuit he’d find ways to meet her and rented very close to her. He persists even though she would be around a lot of male company and ‘just friends’. She finally falls in love with him.

He meets her parents who upsells her. Then she meets his granny who down sells him. Granny tells Kitty about the biggest and smelliest poos that Michael takes. She cuts Michael out of her will. They would live together and Michael would work for a mobile company selling phones. Real life struggles. He starts doing more gigs and gets discovered by an agent. They get engaged.

Usual work struggles from working with cranky old men in Jongleurs to not selling any tickets when prices went up. Things changed when he stopped caring, didn’t do his bits and just went off the cuff. A great review in the paper, Perrie Edward, getting married and going for an extravagant honeymoon. By extravagant I mean he would return home broke that they’d struggle and start selling their stuff. He put all his hope in the Edinburg awards coming round again. He would work so hard that he’d get health issues, anxiety, etc. He was focusing on not being into props, scripts and the usual comic stuff. He gave his best but he did get it.

He and Kitty would try for a kid. Jongleurs denies him being a headliner. Birthing dramas. He decides on headlining with others and wanted to break off from Jongleurs as soon as possible. He gets to perform in front of royalty and Jason Orange of Take That.

He ends with what happened to characters in his stories just like they do in the movies. He now lives very close to his old house.