This book is 100% Randy Rainbow. If you've loved his video parodies, you'll love his book, which often takes the same tone and is filled with his killer humor. It's also filled with love for his mother, Nana, and cat. And he tells the story of his often painful childhood, because, obviously... it's Randy Rainbow, which by now I hope we all know is his REAL name.
I laughed a lot as I read it, and also stopped to think at the more painful parts. Randy is a huge success and he works hard... and he deserves everything that is coming his way. It's so nice to read a story of a genuine mensch who understands his path and makes the most of it. Love it, Randy. Keep singing, keep writing, keep feeding the cat, and keep enjoying life!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Over the top, fabulous, and like Randy, himself, lots of fun! Anyone who enjoys Randy Rainbow’s parodies and persona will enjoy reading about his life story and family members, both dysfunctional ones and loving, supportive ones. I recommend this book strongly.

Disclosure : I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my review. What follows is my honest opinion.

I was delightfully surprised by this book. I've been a fan of Randy Rainbows since I first stumbled upon his viral hit Kim Davis Cellblock Tango six years ago. Since then he's brought his unique brand of campy levity to some of the most fraught times in American history. He's a national gem, to say the least, and in his debut memoir, he charts how he made the unlikely journey from South Florida to everyone's social media feed. What I expected to be just a book of his signature sassy humor turned out to be a heartwarming and deeply personal account. Sure the book is chock full of colorful asides and his trademark bitchy humor, but it is so much more than that. He covers so many unexpected issues including his verbally abusive relationship with his father, his various self-image issues, and his unshakable relationship with his beloved grandmother. What seemed like a meteoric rise to fame was a lifetime of preparation and a relentless scrappy attitude. Randy takes you on his wild ride from being a hooters host to doing duets with Bernadette Peters and Patti Lupone. This book was an absolute delight to read with no shortage of humor or celebrity name-dropping. I belly laughed and ugly cried my way through this whole book and I can't think of a better way to summarize the emotions Randy has helped us feel during these difficult times.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC of “Playing with Myself” for an honest review. This was a very light and entertaining book by Randy Rainbow ( his real name!). Reading the book feels like Randy is right next to me , joking and speaking just to me.. The book gives the reader an understanding of the difficult childhood Randy experienced with anti Semitism and homophobic attitudes. Randy was fortunate to have a very loving grandmother and mother both of whom influenced him and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. His father was a different story! There is a lot of humor throughout the book and much heartbreak , too. I enjoyed the Yiddish words that snuck into many stories. I didn’t like the way the narration skipped all around and there was also too much repetition. The book did give the reader an understanding of exactly who Randy is and why . Keep up the good work , Randy. I love watching you preform.

The first thing that may surprise you about comedian, singer, and social media star Randy Rainbow is that Randy Rainbow is, in effect, his real name.

Openly gay and even more openly fabulous, Rainbow manages to infuse an honest and heartfelt memoir with his stage persona that is most vividly known for spoof interviews that weave together a tapestry of social insight, political satire, and musical parodies. Born into a Jewish family in New York, Rainbow's family relocated to Florida but he would eventually drop out of community college in favor of a move back to New York in his 20's where he would hold a variety of jobs in and around the world of Broadway until he began blogging and really began to grow in recognition around 2010.

The 2016 national election made Randy Rainbow a household name.

While "Playing with Myself" continues Rainbow's nearly constant irreverence, rest assured that the book itself is a serious, and seriously humorous, memoir in which Rainbow openly shares about his childhood, his struggles with anxiety and depression, his many friends who have supported him along the way and, yes, that not so long ago controversy over old social media posts that were dug up by decidedly non-fans and revealed concerns that Rainbow addressed openly via an interview with The Advocate.

It's that openness, about his talent and his missteps along the way, that makes Rainbow a refreshing media presence and author. "Playing with Myself" deals with the full spectrum of Rainbow's life, an obviously tension-filled relationship with his father and the inspiration that he's long drawn from his mother. Rainbow practically fanboys over many of the celebs he can now call friends such as Carol Burnett, Patti Lupone, and Titus Burgess.

"Playing with Myself" is most effective as a memoir with Rainbow's earlier years, the book's final 20-25% perhaps becoming a tad repetitive and the chapter in which Rainbow deals with those old social media tweets a bit awkward in construction and a tad late in the book due to how it interrupts what had, for the most part, been a vibrant, personality-driven reading experience. Because the social media chapter, in particular, happens late in the book on some level as the reading winds down you're a little more drawn to looking up those social media posts rather than wanting to head to Youtube and check out Rainbow's dozens of brilliant musical spoofs.

That said, as someone who was aware of Rainbow but not necessarily familiar I actually did find myself heading over to check out his many musical spoors and was gleefully overwhelmed with his immense talent, musical gifts, semi-political insights, and ability to play into a character that is part character and part Rainbow himself.

I mean, seriously. Randy's last name really is Rainbow. I think he should probably thank the universe that he's gay and that he has vibrant musical talent.

It may very well be impossible to read "Playing with Myself" without falling completely in love with Randy Rainbow. Rainbow's spirit radiates throughout the book and while Rainbow serves up name-drops galore, it's in an almost bewildered kind of way where he seems genuinely awed by this life that he's created for himself supported by his thousands of fans.

With his trademark pink sunglasses and a willingness to go there and then go there again, Randy Rainbow's "Playing with Myself" reads like he performs and that's an absolute delight from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and could relate to so much but it became a little repetitive. Overall enjoyable on how he got his start and how he came up with his ideas.
3.5

I first discovered Randy Rainbow via some video parodies that he made a few years ago and have followed him since. About 6 months ago I saw him at a live performance which he was hysterical and he was talking about his upcoming book. So I was thrilled to read his life story and find out so much more about him then I ever knew before.
The book was somewhat different from what I had pictured, expecting it to be mainly about his now famous routines, but it was fantastic to learn about his personal life from good to bad. He was very honest describing growing up and be different from the main stream, but that made this book so much fun to read.
I highly recommend this book to all fans of his but keep in mind you need to not be offended by the content.