I know that once I make my confession things are gonna get ugly in here, so I’m just gonna come right out and say it. I’ve never seen a single episode of Doogie Howser, M.D., and deeply disliked How I Met Your Mother. The first, because it simply wasn’t on TV in Trinidad at the time, and the second because the show never grabbed me, and I found the laugh track annoying.
So there.
HOWEVER—and it’s a big however—I adore Neil Patrick Harris. Men with three first names are so sexy. I loved his memoir, Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, especially since I got the audiobook and Neil read the whole thing to me. I’m lazy, I know.
I love the memoir genre, especially if I like and respect the person who wrote it, but this one was different. Special. Neil chose to organise it like one of those old-fashioned Choose Your Own Adventure books I couldn’t get enough of as a child. The kind that had you hopping back and forth from page to page to see what happened next, depending on choices you make.
Pretty damn hard to achieve with a memoir, no? Double the difficulty because it’s written in the second person: You.
Anyway, Neil nailed it. He has a wonderful voice, and he’s led a happy and interesting life. I’ve always had the theory that some of the most successful and creative people have lived through a hard, painful life. Neil kicks that theory into a cocked hat. He was loved, cherished, and encouraged by his family. He lived the dream.
We get to hear about his early adventures in theatre, his big breaks on his own TV series, and how the stole the show from everyone else on HIMYM. How he fell in love and came out as a gay man (or was it the other way around? I don’t remember.) How he became daddy to two beautiful children (that part was super interesting).
And he’s friends with Elton John!!!! Squeal!
Loved it. Good job, Neil.
Pairing
I’m gonna pair Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography with The Magic Misfits, because I bloody well didn’t know he’d written other books.
As well as the DVD trio of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas because as much as I adore John Cho and Kal Penn, NPH steals the show. Spoiler: he’s high and super horny and he humps everything.
Get it, and enjoy some of the best slacker comedy out there.
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Have you read the book? Seen any of the movies? Comment here.
Interested in writing your own memoir? I can help. Contact me here.
