Tim Key's Instructions: An attempted review
Published: Wednesday 2nd December 2009
I haven't been to a book launch before, so I was, as the kids say, super-excited to attend the unveiling of the second book by comedian, poet and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Tim Key: the tautologously titled Instructions, Guidelines, Tutelage, Suggestions, Other Suggestions and Examples etc. An Attempted Book By Tim Key (and Descriptions/Conversations/A Piece About A Moth).
We'll refer to it as "Instructions", I think.
Never having been to one of these swanky events before, I can only assume that Key's was pretty much the norm. We started, naturally enough, with a stripper. An intentionally hilarious - and brilliant - hula-hooping stripper named Kalki, to be accurate, before moving onto a reading for which Key was supported by his occasional comedy partner Tom Basden and an audience member (who provided the stage directions). Then, as time ticked away on the big screen towards the exact moment at which the book would be officially launched, we all stood, single page from the first edition in hand, and simultaneously read it out loud. A beautiful cacophony, as you can imagine. And finally, the evening came to a close in time-honoured fashion: ceremonial eating of your page. Nom.
Ok, so I am willing to accept the possibility that this launch may have been ever so slightly left-field, but then that is no surprise when you consider the book it introduced to the world. Instructions is not a novel, nor a collections of poems; it's a miscellany of thoughts, plays, observations, diagrams and, well, everything mentioned in the full title. Perhaps you'd like a full page prose explanation of a plan view map ("looking down, sir", as Key explains), a design for a shawl ("Loomed with thick (plain red) wool" and "Best worn by a right proper vixen") or step-by-step instructions on how to bed a nurse? Key provides all this and more - yes, all human (and moth) life is here.
The book, then, is the clearly the result of a unique, often charming and occasionally brilliantly sweary mind and anyone who appreciates comedy constructed with care and a love of unashamed silliness will find plenty to provide a warm glow in Instructions. And this is only enhanced by the fact that it looks ruddy beautiful, thanks to designer Ryan Ras - who gets a mild kicking throughout the book for banging on about pagination and slightly unusual fonts.
Now if you don't mind, I'm off to learn a new dance, generously explained in the book. "Rattle your head... Don't drop her now!!... Keep your whole body in an unhealthy spasm..." Sounds fun, eh?!
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