Books & Literature

Book Review: Ah Well, Nobody’s Perfect, by Molly Meldrum

This second autobiography from Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum reflects on the people from his life, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

In 2014, three years after a life-changing fall while putting up Christmas decorations, Molly Meldrum released his long-awaited autobiography: The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story: Life, Countdown and Everything in Between. In it, he promised to return to writing with further stories of the famous (and infamous) people and occasions of a life that will, in all likelihood, never be repeated. This is that book.

ahwellnobdysperfect200Ah, Well, Nobody’s Perfect – The Untold Stories is a collection of personal reflections from Molly and a cavalcade of people from his life. These include the people in front of the camera, as well as those behind the scenes; both in the studio and on tour. It also includes a number of stories from his two other great passions: football (particularly the St Kilda Football Club) and cricket.

This volume of autobiography regales us with tales and memories from his earliest days, living with Ronnie Burns and his family, to discovering his passion for Aussie Rules and his steadfast commitment to the St Kilda Football Club, through more lows than highs. There is the obligatory sparring over who it was that ‘rebranded’ Ian Meldrum with his now famous moniker, ‘Molly’, and a lengthy collection of Australian celebrities discussing their personal, sometimes intimate and sometimes influential connections with The Guru.

At almost 500 pages, there are some hysterically funny insights into Molly’s private life and professional dealings, a number of the promised TV highlights from the Hey, Hey, it’s Saturday era, and the honesty of a man whose passions and friendships have never been anything less than full throttle.

Co-written with Jeff Jenkins, it is an easy read that feels less like a second volume of autobiography and more like a compendium edition. The erratic nature of the collection, which jumps back and forth across both time periods and themes, as well as between Molly’s input and interviews with others, is fun but never quite meets the level of the original volume.

It is most definitely one for fans of Molly Meldrum and offers a genuine account of how iconic and influential he is. Do yourself a favour!

Reviewed by Glen Christie

Rating out of 10:  7

Released by: Allen & Unwin and available locally through Dymocks.
Release Date: November 2016
RRP: $34.99

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