- Ricky Gervais Guide to Medicine on iTouch - Alex Sharp (Screenshot from Audible Download)
All of the books in the Ricky Gervais Guide to ... collection start off with magisterial music and Gervais' philosophical musings on the given topic. The Extras star then formally introduces his Office co-writer, Stephen Merchant, who acknowledges the Gervais' recognition with lofty gratitude. The tone of the audiobooks immediately tumbles when Gervais introduces the round-headed Karl Pilkington, and for the rest of the recording, the conversation leapfrogs between affable observations and boorish contempt.
Overview of The Ricky Gervais Guide to Medicine
Although the audiobook starts as a conversation about medicine and occasionally touches the topic of medicine, there is little information to be gained from the book. When debating the value of Karl's idea that the medical community needs a machine which could allow a doctor to physically experience what a patient is feeling, the conversation takes a typical tangent. As Karl explains his idea, he says, "With all ideas, comes something. Einstein said that."
Gervais and Merchant pounce, declaring it a "historic day" if Pilkington is quoting Einstein. Gervais gives a prissy command to word it exactly and begins to lure Karl to walk into an awaiting trap, coaxing, "What did Einstein say, exactly?"
"If an idea isn't daft," Pilkington attributes to Einstein, "it isn't worth thinking about." Merchant responds with confusion, and Gervais is "sure Einstein didn't say 'daft.'"
Despite the title, it is not a guide to medicine; it is banter between friends. For the most part, the conversations are funny and engaging. Some sound familiar, as they are recycled from previous recordings, but the hour of listening passes quickly.
Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant Bully Karl Pilkington in Conversation
Some of the content from the Guide to ... audiobooks is compiled from the Ricky Gervais podcast shows. At times, listening to the audiobook can feel like uncomfortable, because Ricky Gervais is mean to Karl Pilkington. Gervais mocks and belittles Pilkington. The XFM Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant podcasts became famous because of the prattle and plaguing of Karl Pilkington. David Itzkoff asked Pilkington about the browbeating conversations in an "Arts Beat" interview for the New York Times, and Pilkington dismissed all concerns.
He is not bothered by the aggravation Gervais and Merchant can cause. "It’s different when it’s mates, isn’t it? It’s like there’s some unwritten rule that if you’re mates, you can say what you want to each other, and you don’t really get that annoyed about it." ("Meet Karl Pilkington, the Stealth Star of 'The Ricky Gervais Show'," February 7, 2010.) Listeners can feel absolved of all guilt about enjoying the teasing and tormenting.
There is a free preview podcast of The Ricky Gervais Guide to Medicine for listeners who are debating downloading the modestly priced audiobook, which is available for under $2.00 at both the iTunes store and Audible.com.
Publication Information
The Ricky Gervais Guide to Medicine was provided by Glyn Hughes from RickyGervais.com in 2008. The content was created by and starring Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant, and Karl Pilkington. The Audible Enhanced Audio edition runs for 54 minutes.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
