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Details
Title: Celtic and Me: Confessions from the Jungle
Author: Dominik Diamond
Published: 2010
Author page: Dominik Diamond
Synopsis
Product Description
About the Author
Dominik Diamond’s comedy career was doomed when he introduced the host of Have I Got News For You as Sean Deayton when doing warm-up for their first ever show. But he did squeeze out a colourful media career, from the Gamesmaster phenomenon to documentaries proving God’s existence. He has survived a decade as a national newspaper columnist, had one of the UK’s most successful radio phone-ins, inspired Simon Pegg to be a comedian, punched one half of Little Britain on live TV, helped launch the Fratellis, sang onstage with Glasvegas and still found time to support Celtic.
Review
It’s subtitled ‘Confessions from The Jungle’ yet he was only ever in the Jungle once in his life. This is one of the many contradications that litter his book and life. He didn’t get into Celtic until very old and start going to games regularly til he was in his 30s but, a bit like his radio shows, he’s a truly engaging character. There’s no doubt that he’s tagged Celtic to the book to get it to sell but about 80% of the book is about Celtic and his fascination with the club and support. He is an absolute bawbag but he knows it. Appears to have calmed down a lot in recent years. He also comes across as genuine in the main. Or as genuine as any media type possibly could be (one good example is where he takes a vow of silence for 5 days in a Jesuit retreat in the Philippines “breaking it only for daily lessons with [the senior priest] and occasional discussions with the tv crew.”
Celtic fans took to him because of his up-front Hunskelping in the media at what seemed like every possible opportunity. I remember one time on ‘Live and Dangerous’ which isn’t covered in the book when he suggested, after I think a Rangers win in Europe, that their team would be out celebrating tonight and David Murray would likely be “legless.” (Happy to be put right by someone if the context isn’t quite right). After the ad break he had to apologise as pure hunnerts ae perma-rangers flooded their lines with complaints this was a slur on their disabled Chairman, which DD earnestly (or as sincerely as he could pass off) tried to deny. There was no doubt in my mind he meant it. And then he moves to Glasgow and wonders why huns start attacking him in kebab shops. It’s cos that’s what they do when their parole comes through, stoopid. No point in bleating about “death threats” from Combat18 and hun chib challenges outside Heraghty’s when you’ve spent most of your time on air ripping the hun underclass a new a**ehole at every turn. They do have radios in prison after all.
Quite a good read in the main, occasionally funny. A decent dissection of Celtic on and off the pitch for the last decade before the “intensity” of living and kebab-shopping in Glasgow got too much for him and he re-discovered Jesus then departed for Nova Scotia. At different times he’s interviewed some interesting characters including MoN, WGS and Noel Gallagher. MoN’s obsession with the JFK assasination was a helluva story and not the only one although the book is laced with new age fan nonsense such as references to “the legendary Republic of Ireland keeper Pat Jennings.” And he says he got most of the Celtic-related info from Kerrydale Street.com! (Although he went out for a regular bevvy with the pals he made over on the Huddleboard . . . before they turned on him for suggesting on-air that maybe not all huns were in fact animals! I doubt they’ll appreciate the name-checks given)
(Carfin Harp of the KDS forum)
Product Details
- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Black and White Publishing (26 Aug 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845022939
- ISBN-13: 978-1845022938
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.4 x 2.4 cm