Who Thinks Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Books are Funny?

I enjoy the weekly episode in the Irish Times, but I don't think I could read a whole book about him. But there's a lot of accuracy in Paul Howard's portrayal of a certain type of Blackrock College/St Michael's shallow idiot (apologies to the many intelligent nice people who also went to those schools) who judges everything by appearances and looks down on people who have actually achieved far more of substance in their lives but don't drive a BMW and wear designer shades in the middle of January and have a high salary job in daddy's company.
I have to say though, he's become a bit nicer as he gets older. But I can still only take him in small doses.

yeah the thing is, it is slightly exaggerated, ended up in 92 one night years ago, wasnt bothered with town, girl asks me what car I drive, I tell her and she was like "oh daddy drives one of those too". It is obviously a bit OTT for humours sake, but not as much as some might believe. Then we have KPMG girl. Also I have just tried looking for it but cant find it, will look again later, but kids from D.4 etc areas were driving out to Tallaght and throwing loaves of bread out and cash out the window in their parents german cars. Also didnt one school have a ski trip, where they would compete to show how little the money meant to them by breaking expensive phones, burning money etc? This definitely happened, will go trawling for links later...

Paul Howard directed a play based on the books didnt he? Also Damo from Damo and Ivor would be a fairly good interpretation of ROCK in my opinion...

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Found the idea really funny in the early days. Some people didn't realise he was a parody too and their reactions were particularly gold.

Misty Moon puts hands up and admits in shame that she spent quite a bit of the time reading the first one she got (Teenage Dirtbag Years) trying to figure out if she knew this guy. 'Cos I really did actually know a few that were so similar it was a bit eery. Except that I'm a year or two too old for it to have been possible.

I have to admit they're some of the few books that I do end up laughing out loud at. I got Teenage Dirtbag Years as a birthday present and couldn't wait to get the other two or three that were out at the time. Used to follow it in the Tribune sometimes, too. A few years later I was having a big clear out and decided they belonged to the pile of "have read once, never going to read again" book and got rid of them. A couple of years ago though my brother passed the latest one he had gotten on to me and I was hooked again. There were three more to catch-up on at the time and I bought them all in the airport on the way back to Germany. For a somewhat bizarre experience, try reading Champagne Mojito and Nama Mia followed by The Pope's Children and Follow the Money. :P

They are some of the only books that will actually make me laugh out loud. I had tried to read them years ago but didn't 'get' them. After spending a year in UCD, I completely understood them and binged on back-reading all the old ones.

I haven’t read any of the recent ones, but found the earlier ones hilarious. Honor was still only a baby in the last one I read.

Some of the guys I was in school with thought Ross was “a legend”, and didn’t seem to realise that the character was taking the piss out of people like them

I very much like them in fairness

I'd be on her like a dog on a dropped waffle/seagull on a dropped 99 etc...

They're a bit of an institution at this stage. Easy, funny reading - the plotlines are knowingly off the wall, but there's always a bit of sly half-serious social commentary going on in the background.

I always buy the new one each year - it's always been worth the cash I pay for it!

Obviously since he's been doing a book a year for over a decade at this stage along with a weekly column, and a play, any whiff of originality has long since worn off.

I wouldn't buy the books but I have to give credit to Paul Howard for managing to stretch the string out this far.

Occasionally some throwaway lines make me laugh for satirising the wankerish attitudes of the people at the top of Irish society. Like when they were going to turn his Alma Mater into a public school and loads of past pupils charged to the school in outrage to protest about "a great institution being turned into a borstal!" or when Gonzaga, a private school, was dismissed as "always the Tanaistes, never the Taoiseachs".

MayoSalmon wrote: »

12 Books about the same ****e and people still love it...jaysis fair play to him so!

You could say the same about Harry Potter or any other popular book series: you're either into them or you're not, doesn't make them shite if you're not into them

They are genius. He (Paul Howard) gels both sides together perfectly. Ive read them all from first to the last one and as soon as I've finished I look forward to the next one.

I'd say if I picked them up half way through the collection without knowing the full story and backgrounds it might be a bit different.

The way he perves after his sister and tries to justify it is hilarious or when he gets emotional and just balls out crying is brilliant. Riding the gangsters misses on the stairs was another. Its just genius.

Really want to see one of the plays.

le la rat wrote: »

That could have been kicker on Saturday

George Hook still maintains he's the best Irish rugby to have never made it.

mauzo! wrote: »

I think they are hilarious!!

Taking the stairs the same way you'd take the Seoige sisters....two at a time

Laboured imo, are the books filled with that?

Tommy booooowe