Who do I think I am?

by Harry on August 7, 2019

I can’t remember whether I have plugged this before — I suspect I have — but the radio version of Mark Steel’s autobiographical one-man show, Who Do I Think I Am?, is available on Sounds for the next 17 days. It is just brilliant. Its the story of Steel’s search for his adoptive mother, which involves so many twists, turns, and bizarre coincidences that at various points you think he must have added this or that (surely the details about the Socialist Party of Great Britain???) for effect but… no, its all, bizarrely, true. Mainly its hilarious, but it is also, in parts, serious and very poignant. If you have one hour to spare in the next 17 days, this is how to spend it, even if (maybe especially if) you have no idea who Mark Steel is.

{ 5 comments }

1

MFB 08.08.19 at 7:49 am

He also wrote a very good (in my opinion) book called What’s Going On?, about the collapse of his marriage and the collapse of the Western Left, which happened more or less simultaneously, but coincidentally.

2

Dipper 08.08.19 at 9:41 am

Many thanks for linking to this. Steel’s politics aren’t mine, but he is always very funny and this is an intriguing story very well told.

3

Harry 08.08.19 at 1:14 pm

MFB — yes, that’s a terrific book.
There used to be a lovely lovely clip on youtube of him and Jeremy Hardy discussing the ‘triangle of death’ (the area between Reading, Maidenhead, and High Wycombe) which I would sometimes show students because it is, like detectorists (more on which in a post) it exemplifies a way of being friends that is foreign to them. Its long gone, and I wish I could see it again.

4

NomadUK 08.08.19 at 5:45 pm

The ‘triangle of death’ comes up around 14.00, but the whole thing is priceless.

Mark Steel and Jeremy Hardy – Two Men on a Bench (Audio Only)

5

ph 08.08.19 at 10:53 pm

Great! I prefer a touch of the absurd. The Weekly World News and regular doses of the 700 club helped “explain” the Reagan years when “normal” outlets could not.

Now it’s come to this, one the best sources of violence and sex-free satire (yes, there are other forms!) can be found here:

https://babylonbee.com/news/megachurch-introduces-new-jesus-free-salvation-package

Yes, Christian satire from…? It’s a thing. Enjoy!

Comments on this entry are closed.