I'm a Joke and So Are You: Reflections on Humour and Humanity

Robin Ince has a good life. As a successful comedian, presenter, and writer, he's got a job that you are probably jealous of. So, why did he find himself stuck on a train platform in rural Northumberland, swearing maniacally, punching his own leg, vowing never to do stand-up again? Was he having an existential crisis? He didn't know. But he wanted to find out.Insightful, witty, and often just plain weird, this book charts his journey to discover why he's made the choices he did in life, and what makes us who we are. Why did Robin become a comedian? Why did you become an accountant (sorry)? Why are we like we are? Informed by interviews with a bevy of comedians such as Jo Brand, Ricky Gervais and Tim Minchin, as well as with neuroscientists, psychologists and doctors, Robin looks back on his life and turns his comedic observational skills on himself - exploring the key psychological questions we all ask ourselves. How does our childhood shape our life choices? Do we all have a need to perform? Are we more than our brains? Is failing good for us? Did our parents f*&k us up?A primer to psychology and neuroscience without the textbooks, this fascinating book will amuse, inform, and give you an invaluable insight into yourself (and Robin), while also treating you to his hilarious musings on the human condition.