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A review by thisbookbelongstosk
Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes
4.0
Being a big fan of Pete Holmes (listening to his podcast, watching his specials and TV shows, going to a bunch of his live shows and even meeting him in-person), I was excited to listen to the audiobook copy of this book. I love when an author narrates their own book, which ALWAYS happens with comedian memoirs. (Plus, Pete is just such a wholly good and funny person, so there's that.)
Since I know a lot of Pete's history (through his comedy, TV show, podcast, etc), there was a lot that I already knew: his religious past, his first marriage and subsequent divorce, his comedy roots in Chicago and NYC (and making fast friends with Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V Gordon, John Mulaney, etc).
That being said, he definitely offered a few bits of information that made this all worthwhile. I especially loved Pete's Mulaney impression that he uses every time he quotes Mulaney, or his brief Bill Burr impression. And I absolutely adored any of the moments where he quotes Kumail and Emily (specifically their fashion advice and the anecdote about them dropping him [Pete, who they playfully refer to as their son] off on whore island to find he managed to build a car out of coconuts).
For those who don't know Pete, he grew up religious, lost his faith, and then found a new expression of faith through his experiences with philosophy, therapy, eastern meditation practices and (on occasion) mind-altering drugs. Pete is a happy go-lucky, golden retriever of a man, and his path to enlightenment is practical and honest. Throughout his ups and downs, he remains Pete.
There are so many great philosophical questions and affirmations in this book. Pete's openness is so gratifying. It makes me really happy to see that he's come out the other side of his crisis years to find success and happiness. The amount of work he's done (professionally, personally, spiritually) is inspiring to read about, especially as someone who has been rooting for Pete Holmes for many years, and as someone with work still to do for myself in those areas.
I really really enjoyed this book. Typically, I only like to recommend comedian/artist memoirs to fans of that person, but this one offers so much more than just Pete's story. If you want a light-hearted introduction to spirituality (or the spiritual journey), this book is a great choice from a uniquely curious, funny, not too serious perspective.
Since I know a lot of Pete's history (through his comedy, TV show, podcast, etc), there was a lot that I already knew: his religious past, his first marriage and subsequent divorce, his comedy roots in Chicago and NYC (and making fast friends with Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V Gordon, John Mulaney, etc).
That being said, he definitely offered a few bits of information that made this all worthwhile. I especially loved Pete's Mulaney impression that he uses every time he quotes Mulaney, or his brief Bill Burr impression. And I absolutely adored any of the moments where he quotes Kumail and Emily (specifically their fashion advice and the anecdote about them dropping him [Pete, who they playfully refer to as their son] off on whore island to find he managed to build a car out of coconuts).
For those who don't know Pete, he grew up religious, lost his faith, and then found a new expression of faith through his experiences with philosophy, therapy, eastern meditation practices and (on occasion) mind-altering drugs. Pete is a happy go-lucky, golden retriever of a man, and his path to enlightenment is practical and honest. Throughout his ups and downs, he remains Pete.
There are so many great philosophical questions and affirmations in this book. Pete's openness is so gratifying. It makes me really happy to see that he's come out the other side of his crisis years to find success and happiness. The amount of work he's done (professionally, personally, spiritually) is inspiring to read about, especially as someone who has been rooting for Pete Holmes for many years, and as someone with work still to do for myself in those areas.
I really really enjoyed this book. Typically, I only like to recommend comedian/artist memoirs to fans of that person, but this one offers so much more than just Pete's story. If you want a light-hearted introduction to spirituality (or the spiritual journey), this book is a great choice from a uniquely curious, funny, not too serious perspective.