I was disappointed this book wasn’t more like the how to fail interview I really enjoyed. It was an okay telling of Russell’s story and his dads. There were some you’d bits but nothing laugh out loud.

If you've seen Russell Kane's stand-up, then you've got a pretty good idea of what you are going to get here. He talks a lot about his dad in his act and in Son of a Silverback he tells the story of his formative years by focusing on that very important relationship in much more detail. It's a memoir, not a stand-up routine so as well as being very funny it's also frequently very poignant. Having such a full-on alpha male for a father obviously had a big effect on him growing up, but also provided him endless material for his comedy. Highly entertaining.

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up.

I’ve been a Russell Kane fan since about 2009 when he MC’d a humanities quiz for college students at my local university in Essex.

This book has its genuinely laugh-out-loud moments but more than anything, it’s a memoir on how class and being brought up by a misguided and problematic alpha male can impact a young boy. For this reason, I found some of the stories quite difficult to read (or rather, listen to) but really enjoyed Russell’s narration.