Simon Pegg Nerd Do Well Review By She Geek

When I was offered the opportunity to receive an advance copy of Simon Pegg’s autobiography Nerd Do Well I jumped at the chance. I’ve been a fan of Pegg’s work for some time and thought it would be interesting to get a behind the scenes glimpse at a man who has offered me many hours of entertainment. If you don’t know him by name you’ll no doubt know him as the main hero in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and as Scotty in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek.

As he notes in the book, speaking about his family and the people closest to him isn’t an easy task for Pegg. But I feel that he did a fine job in bringing to life the things that most influenced him personally and professionally. Within the pages of Nerd Do Well (Gotham Books), Simon Pegg not only informs but entertains and humors readers, sparking precious personal memories of our own personal geekiness and establishing a sort of kindred spirit bond with the actor himself.

If you are used to chronological biographical information you’ll not find it here. Pegg jumps between various times in his life using his “ESTB (electro-static time ball)” linking various similar experiences together. Then unlike other autobiographies we are introduced to super spy Pegg and his robotic butler companion Canterbury in fictional chapters; that in my opinion serve as both a unique look into the humorous mind of Pegg, while serving as a creative escape for the actor when things get too personal. But like other biographies the book includes color photo inserts, and an author art page.

Simon Pegg is not at a lack of words in Nerd Do Well, in fact I think readers
will find his vocabulary use surprising. He Geek and I do our reading while
commuting, with one reading aloud while the other drives. So between the words
that you’ve heard but aren’t always used to seeing in print, and coupled with
unfamiliar UK culture words and references, it made for slower reading and some tongue-tied moments. But despite these oratory hiccups, the book proved to be an easy read from a content and subject matter standpoint.

To be honest, I hate to give too much insight as I personally enjoyed hearing the stories unfold and don’t want to ruin that for others. But to give you a glimpse. . . you’ll be given access to his first crush, sexual encounter, meeting of best friend Nick Frost, and discover over-and-over again how circular his life seems to be having started off as a fan then later co-worker with those he’s admired for their craft.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Pegg was destined for stardom. His life story is one of being in the right place at the right time. While reading through his experiences I could personally feel the excitement as he encounters some of today’s heavyweights, such as George Romero, that most geeks would love to add to their list of seven degrees of separation list in a first degree position.

Shaun of the Dead is one of my all time favorite movies, and probably my favorite part of the book was learning about the various influences that went into the film. I dare you to read this book and not pop your DVD into the player for some romzomcom fun afterwards.

I also enjoyed learning how the team we come to know in the BBC show Spaced
came together. (If you haven’t experienced this twisted roommate adventure
in Geekdom, you owe it to yourself to pick up the DVD set and hunker down for a weekend of fun hijinks and humor.)

Click the pic to buy 'Nerd Do Well' on Amazon

Unlike other biographies I’ve read, it amazed me at how much of the page count was given to honoring the work of those who have influenced Pegg along the way. More than a chapter is devoted to an overview of Star Wars. Many a Star Wars quote is mixed into the overall book, that unfortunately I didn’t always get but was always caught and pointed out by He Geek. I couldn’t help but be transported back to my youth when I would don a baseball style T-shirt imprinted with a Princess Leia iron-on, or play with my Princess Kneesaa Ewok stuffed animal.

I also personally bonded with Pegg’s first experiences with films having watched them on grainy imports. These viewings put me in my own ESTB when as a youth I engrossed myself in the scrambled images of The Empire Strikes Back on
a VHS tape that had been gifted to me and that I now realize was piracy at its
infancy. Like Pegg I absorbed the fantastical space journeys and spine-tingling
horror moments that awaited me on movie rentals and continue to hold a fond
hold of my heart.

Although our journey comes to a bit of an abrupt end, a fact that is even pointed out by the actor himself, the reader is left having experienced some major highlights that have influenced his notable work.

I’d welcome the chance to sit down with Simon Pegg and hear additional stories while kicking back a Coke Zero together. But until that time, I’ll just enjoy one of his many cinematic offerings connecting the influential dots with what I’ve gleamed from this autobiography’s pages.

So in a nutshell, if you wear the geek badge proudly you’ll find much to be enjoyed in Nerd Do Well.

Follow Simon Pegg online at Peggster.net or on Twitter at @SimonPegg.

(Disclaimer: HeGeekSheGeek.com was supplied a preview copy of this book in exchange for our personal reviews. We were not required to give a favorable opinion.)