Salacious/gossipy memoir audiobooks read by the author
January 17, 2023 7:34 AM   Subscribe

Just finished Prince Harry's Spare audiobook. Looking for other audiobook memoirs read by the author that are engaging but light enough to only half pay attention. The reality tv version of audiobook memoirs--potentially dumb, but fun.

I just finished Prince Harry's 'Spare' on audiobook. And while I think it was honestly kind of silly and poorly [ghost]written, I found it amusing enough to be engaging while I did other stuff around the house. I'd love recommendations of other audiobooks to check out within the following guidelines:

-Memoir read by the author
-Ideally not dense or technical subject material (all the war parts of Spare had me dozing off)
-Would love some levity/humor
-Open to flat out salacious, gossipy kinda stuff
-It doesn't have to be literary or even informative. I'm basically looking for the reality tv version of audiobook memoirs.

I would think David Sedaris (not dumb) would be a good starting point except that I've read everything of his so looking for new material.
posted by greta simone to Media & Arts (35 answers total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
I have not yet read Yours Cruelly but I've heard great things about it and who doesn't want to listen to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark tell you all about her life?
posted by restless_nomad at 7:39 AM on January 17, 2023 [2 favorites]


Hollywood might be a good place to look--it's very common for actor/celebrity memoirs to be read by the author.

Hearing Robert Evans read The Kid Stays in the Picture is better than reading it yourself.

For something a little more timely, check out Tina Fey's Bossypants, Jessica Simpson's Open Book, or Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died.
posted by box at 7:46 AM on January 17, 2023 [2 favorites]


Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe definitely fits the bill, and I assume his later books would as well.

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain by Courtney Robinson if you've ever been a Bachelor fan.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:52 AM on January 17, 2023


Bad Kid: A Memoir, by David Crabb
Intimacy Idiot, by Isaac Oliver

First is definitely memoir format, but plenty of the points on your list. The latter is a series of essays, all drawn from Isaac's life and endlessly listenable. These are both funny, moving works about mundane life details elevated by skillful, glittering, thoughtful prose.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 7:54 AM on January 17, 2023


I loved The History of Bones by John Lurie—great voice, lots of funny stories, knew everyone from the downtown NYC and indie film scenes of the 80s/90s.
posted by staggernation at 8:17 AM on January 17, 2023


Stephen Fry has three memoirs. Moab is my washpot is the first, then the Fry Chronicles, and the third More Fool Me. All three are available as audiobooks read by the author.
posted by 15L06 at 8:20 AM on January 17, 2023


Elton John's memoir "Me" (which I think was mentioned in Spare) is narrated by John and has a lot of gossipy anecdotes from his career. (edit: sorry, I'm wrong on this! John only does the introduction and epilogue, and the bulk is read by Taron Egerton).
posted by rollick at 8:25 AM on January 17, 2023


Do yourself a favor and listen to Tiffany Haddish read her memoir The Last Black Unicorn. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry. This is definitely a book for grown-ups, so don't put it on in the car when you're driving your kids to soccer practice.
posted by cleverevans at 8:26 AM on January 17, 2023 [4 favorites]


These are a bit older, but I remember Tina Fey's Bossypants and Amy Poehler's Yes Please both being interesting. I've also heard good things about Jessi Klein's You'll Grow Out of It and Seth Rogan's Yearbook.
posted by neushoorn at 8:28 AM on January 17, 2023 [2 favorites]


For a time a few years back I listened to lots of comedian and some actor autobiographies on my commute. Some faves:

Billy Crystal, Still Foolin Em
Martin Short, I Must Say
Nora Ephron, I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman
Diane Keaton, Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty
posted by Glinn at 8:35 AM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


The first money-grab book out of the gate after Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered was a memoir by her alleged friend Faye Resnick. It is trashy and full of salacious gossip.

Resnick narrates the audiobook version but the book was actually written by someone else. I listened to it when it came out in 1994 so I imagine some of the details are dated now. People who actually knew both Faye and Nicole said it was rife with lies and exaggerations.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:36 AM on January 17, 2023


You might enjoy Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture by Andy Cohen (especially if you are a Real Housewives fan - but if not, those parts are fairly easy to skip, and there's plenty of other stuff you will enjoy) and Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index by, of course, Kathy Griffin.
posted by bananapants at 8:38 AM on January 17, 2023


Yes to Tiffany Haddish's memoir - it's just great and her voice is so expressive.

If you like David Sedaris, you'd probably enjoy Augusten Burroughs. All of his books (except Sellovision) are memoirs or autobiographical. Maybe start with Running With Scissors. His books are full of detail about his crazy childhood and fantastical life. Content warning for very bad parenting.
posted by hydra77 at 9:57 AM on January 17, 2023


Jenifer Lewis reading her own memoir The Mother of Black Hollywood is pretty excellent. I was not super familiar with her work but really got a kick out of it. Lots of shenanigans, tender moments, and also a fair amount of drugs and sex!
posted by CookieNose at 10:03 AM on January 17, 2023


Rachel Dratch did a memoir, Girl Walks Into a Bar..., similar to Tina Fey's (they did a lot of work together pre-SNL) But her career experiences went down a bit differently.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:03 AM on January 17, 2023


Cat Marnell's How to Murder Your Life definitely meets your requirements.
posted by tacopasta at 10:12 AM on January 17, 2023


And Away by Bob Mortimer, if you're fortunate enough to know who he is (British comedian, originally known for double act with Vic Reeves aka Jim Moir, more latterly beloved for his appearances on Would I Lie to You and with friend Paul Whitehouse on Gone Fishing).
posted by penguin pie at 10:21 AM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Jeff Tweedy's Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) is read by him (and occasionally with dialogue between him and his wife and him and his kids); if you are a fan of his music, there's some salac-ish details in there about the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, kicking various people out of Wilco and his drug issues.

(I imagine if you were interested you might have already read it, but perhaps not, and perhaps this will be useful to someone else!)
posted by dismas at 10:38 AM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Seth Rogen's Yearbook. OMG. If you enjoy his talk show appearances you will enjoy this.
posted by apparently at 10:54 AM on January 17, 2023


Best answer: Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown, by Anne Glenconner, who is also the narrator of the audiobook.
posted by paduasoy at 11:33 AM on January 17, 2023


I don’t like the accent she uses when doing the Lewis Carroll quotes but Holly Madison’s “Down The Rabbit Hole” might fit the bill.
posted by Selena777 at 11:56 AM on January 17, 2023


I enjoyed Carrie Fisher’s memoir Wishful Drinking. I would say it is gossipy and mildly salacious, but relatively gentle and quite funny. Fisher does a nice job of narrating her own book. As a child of the ‘80s, I have a real soft spot in my heart for her! I listened to this while walking the dog and doing chores, and it was perfect for that.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:00 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins is Rupert Everett's memoir. It definitely meets your criteria!
posted by pintxo at 12:11 PM on January 17, 2023


Parker Posey's You're on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:29 PM on January 17, 2023


Thirding Seth Rogan's Yearbook.

I haven't listened to it yet, but if Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is even half as good as an audiobook as it is a book, it sounds like 100% what you want.
posted by Mchelly at 12:34 PM on January 17, 2023


The Princess Diarist is another memoir by Carrie Fisher that's more salacious - she talks about her affair with Harrison Ford, for example.

If you're a Parks and Rec fan, or even if you aren't, Retta's memoir is hilarious.
posted by Threeve at 12:40 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Patricia Lockwood's Priestdaddy! Read by author, lots of levity/humor.
posted by foxfirefey at 1:06 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


Mel Brooks “all about me”.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 1:39 PM on January 17, 2023


I just finished and loved Geena Davis's new memoir Dying of Politeness. It was an easy read -- hilarious, charming and very smart.
posted by veery at 1:44 PM on January 17, 2023


Samantha Irby isn't super famous (yet) but her so-far four memoirs made me laugh a lot. She does dish a lot of dirt, principally on herself, her family, and the jerks she meets in various professions. Building on her standup experience, her audio book delivery is great. She's not rich, she tells hard truths about racism and disability and yet I laughed the whole way through.
posted by Jesse the K at 2:49 PM on January 17, 2023 [4 favorites]


Don't pass up the chance to listen to Harvey Fierstein read his autobiography, I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:55 PM on January 17, 2023


YMMV, and it's not salacious at all, but Mel Brooks' memoir to me was very sweet, like listening to an old great uncle or something, except a great uncle who has had a hugely successful career in filmmaking. He's kind and generous about everyone (including himself, talking about some of his gags that actually are not hilarious as if they were. It didn't bother me.) It'll depend on whether you have any affection for his movies but I loved it. I literally laughed and cried.
posted by less-of-course at 3:48 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-ins by Kathy Griffin
posted by lizard music at 6:47 PM on January 17, 2023


Mindy Kaling has some good memoirs that she narrates.

I also enjoyed Jenny Lawson's books and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime
posted by aetg at 7:04 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]


This is maybe too high brow here, but this might fit the bill
posted by thivaia at 8:05 AM on January 18, 2023


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