Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: flanagan

  • Kitty Flanagan’s 488 Rules for Life The thankless art of being correct

    Kitty Flanagan’s 488 Rules for Life The thankless art of being correct

    What started out a joke, could be easily considered as the breakthrough book on modern day etiquette, as delivered by comedienne Kitty Flanagan in her latest book, 488 Rules for Life, a book which could possibly become the arbiter of modern day manners, for those who care to discover that there are indeed manners, or at least rules for just about everything in life, whether you knew it or not.

    As she rightly says when she was presented with the fact that there were ONLY twelve rules for life, ‘That’s madness, I have more than twelve rules just for the bathroom.’ And yes, she really does, as you will soon discover.

    Feeling it was her next mission in life, Flanagan set out to write down all the many rules she considered as essential to being able to survive the modern times we all live in, with a modicum of decorum, as well as preventing continually annoying at lot of people.

    After some considerable though she has made finding the right rule out of the 488 very easy, as the book is clearly divided into sections which contain the basics and then the more complex aspects of the rules, which you may not already know, and if you do will simply reinforce the veracity of the rule!

    Now some of this is tongue in cheek, but some of it is not, as you will discover in the section Fruit, which has its own ‘sealed section’ for reasons which will become clear once you have availed yourself of this advice, and why not. In all the etiquette books and society standards over many, many years, fruit was always an issue to be addressed.

    There is another ‘sealed section’ devoted to Wedding Speeches which, as most of you have been to a wedding or three in their time, probably needs no explanation, but is something that should be presented to anyone in danger of committing a terrible social ‘faux par’ by not following all the rules!

    Funny, irreverent, and poking fun at the rules, or rather lack of rules in today world, rules which over generations, even centauries have set the stands by which society operates and setting the boundaries many dare never cross for fear of social ostracization, 488 Rules for Life contains so many elements of truth about how we, as a modern society, go about living what we consider a pretty courteous life!

    By the end of this ‘comprehensive guide to modern behaviour’ Flanagan’s hope is that you will be a better person, and understand all the rules. By doing so you will also help others become socially law abiding citizens of the world who manage to do the almost impossible, change society and by doing so, will make it a far less irritating place in which to live and carry out what should now be considered as the essential rules to guide you through life, hassle free, with the confidence to know you got it right!

    Note: Flush Pause Check (FPC) about the loo: No bare bums on tables – not what you thought, its about parenting: and a final word as rule 372 states: If you tell guest not to bring anything, don’t be annoyed when they don’t bring anything!!!!!!

    No, you’re not finished. There are more rules after this one………

    You got it! Right!

  • Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies

    Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies

    In this laugh out loud look at life thought the eyes on one of Australia’s much love comediennes, Kitty Flanagan, we are introduced to a slice of life that has come about by simply being the person she was born to be, someone who loves to see the funny, idiotic and outrageous aspects that do go to make up everyone’s life; though perhaps not in such a colourful a manner as Flanagan’s.

    A self-confessed lover of attention from a young age, actually a very young age, she was born to be someone who would perform on the a stage, but as she says, she was late coming into the comedy scene, because she was still trying to discover where she really did fit in the world and what she wanted to do with her life.

    Abortive attempts at university, teaching, copywriting and crayfish processing, where she finally found herself in the cold room until she agreed to stop talking, saw her reviewing her ambitions. Several failed love affairs also called for a bit of revision.

    Having travelled widely as a result of her latest reincarnation she finally found a small niche in the world of stand-up comedy, as comedian in training, which saw her performing in Singapore at the entry point to a very popular karaoke bar upstairs. As with many of the events in her life, this also came to a colourful finale as she was deleted!

    Flanagan tells many tales about her life experiences leaving many of the sacred cows of the world out in the open for further exploration. Internet dating for older women, doing drugs, and what happens when you get it totally wrong, trying to find the right man in your life, and getting egged to name just a few.

    Hitchhiking was something that was common way back when the world was a safer place, but as she discovered it was more by good luck and the intervention of a very sensible older woman, that she did not take the first lift offered by a car load of dubious young men heading north, but the one organised by her good Samaritan with a well-respected truck driver! She lived to tell the tale.

    Part Three is a revelation as there is a miscellany of fascinating facts mixed up in The Grave Diggers Wife and other bits and bobs considered as the flotsam of a life well lived and enjoyed. Particular attention should be paid to the tale titled I love a bidet, for all of us who have often times marvelled at this wonderful appliance and then used the standard model!

    As all good comediennes do, she uses the art of everyday living to build a solid platform from which to entertain, often wonders why someone who lacks self-confidence, by her own admission, but is confident on stage has been so successful and has finally after years of analysis decided that it is no big deal really. Perhaps that is the secret to her success!

    Rounding out her series of very enjoyable tales is the one about her father and the possums, something we can all relate to either doing or being involved in something similar and if we can’t, perhaps it should be added to the ‘to do’ list of life.

    Billed as a collection of cautionary tales, Bridges Burning and other hobbies is certainly that, but it is also a slightly wry look at life, people, herself and the world that surrounds us; all the many things that go into the making of a very talented and much loved comedienne.