Tuesday, May 20, 2008

e

West Kensington, that's the location of Leo Burnett, a long(ish) commute for both of us. Time invested best in books.
The last one we both read was e.

We wanted a novel, something easy to have fun with, and we found Matt Beaumont's book very very very funny. It's written completely in email. Amusingly it is set in a London advertising agency, which doubles the fun for us. It's hilarious, the said agency is pitching for a huge Coca-Cola account and everyone has gone bonkers – the Creative Director is stealing ideas off junior teams and tossing in stupid French words in every other sentence, très cool! The creative teams and pretty much everyone is spending more time in the bar than at their desk. TBWA, Trevor Beattie, a team from Watford, a sex tape, PA wrestling, hippie creatives, over-expensive shoots in the southern hemisphere and suicide attempts – the book is crammed with lots and lots of fun. Once you get into the different characters and their email style, you cannot put it down. Well worth a read.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

it's a good book but wouldn't hurt if both of you stick your heads out of advertising once in a while, lads.

seriously.

Anonymous said...

oh no worries about that, currently reading Don Quixote (this one's not for the train ride though, rather on my bed table), also finished Introducing Philosophy last week, and waiting for amazon to deliver Natsuo Kirinos Out this week.

only living within advertising would be well boring.

Anonymous said...

All i read is Dean Koontz's slasher, thriller, sci-fi.

And i love it. and i'm proud. Anything that isn't "turn-a-page" fun... i can't stick with it.

Hollie does the reading in the duo.

Anonymous said...

Read this for a laugh, boys:

http://hayesthompson.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-goes-on-in-that-bowl.html

Anonymous said...

PS. Some local, W14 trivia for you: the first two of which are strangely both Ewan McGregor related. 1. The garage at the top of Avonmore Road was the base from which said movie star and mate launched their epic African journey in 'Long Way Down'. 2. You may recognise the south west corner of the junction next to West Ken tube as the outside shot of the flat in the movie, Trainspotting, where Begbie jumps from an overhead cupboard, onto the unsuspecting estate agent and viewers. 3. Your offices look out on what used to be (and perhaps still is) the most expensive outdoor advertising site in London. 4. That stretch of the A4 has some of the poorest air quality in Europe.5. I used to live at 30, Avonmore Road.

proxikid said...

This one's good.
Shame about the other ones.

I think Matt should have stuck to writting about advertising and not gone into school kid problem solving etc.

'The Cheese Monkeys' is another fun read about what it means to be a graphic designer. A novel in two semesters. (however really ignore the second book. 'The Learners' even though is set in an ad agency mainly focuses on killing all main characters with external events, which are both tidious and sad)

Anonymous said...

cheese monkeys, sounds really fun :) did you also read the e before christmas, the follow up? any good?

hayes, great facts, we confirm the level of air evilness :D

Anonymous said...

Guy's, considering the fact you get lots of people looking at this blog, when are you going to post your portfoilo up here?

You're sure to get some haters, but let's see what you're all about.

I'm intrigued.

Anonymous said...

Never take any advice from anyone who says "Guy's"

Possibly the worst use of apostrophe I've ever seen.

william said...

Have you read "And then we came to the end?" - that's a really good book about working in advertising. Or just working generally.

William

Anonymous said...

Seeing as book recommendations is the thing - If you want a bit of a giggle - "I lick my cheese" by Oonagh O'hagan, anyone who has ever been a student or Flat shared can relate to this one.

Mike.