Review: Call Me Russell

by Elizabeth Read

Call Me Russell by Russell Peters

It seems everywhere you look today, Russell Peters is there. This past Thanksgiving he appeared in a promotion for food bank donations, the week before he received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and this December, he’ll be on TV in a Christmas special. He’s also appearing in a new movie, Breakaway, and has released a new performance DVD. And he’s written a book, Call Me Russell, that first came out in paperback and will also be released in hardcover.

Peters’ smiling demeanor hides a very determined person who faced rejection and turned it into approval. His humour is not derivative of the cerebral word play of a George Carlin but of a colloquial style of speech taken from the streets. This Brampton-born son of parents with Anglo-Indian ancestry has become a world-class comic based on his experiences growing up as a member of a minority, albeit in a multicultural setting. Many of his routines come out of the pain of feeling different and can be transposed to other immigrant groups that have experienced culture shock.

Call Me Russell is his own account of how he rose to fame. Peters includes many photos, excerpts from some of his famous routines, and a lot of name-dropping. It takes an enormous amount of confidence and ego to put yourself out there as Peters has done in his career. And in this book he does not shy away from describing situations that place him in a less than flattering light. Peters took many risks in his career, counting on the support of his family, particularly his brother, who is also his manager.

Now that he’s a married man with a family and facing middle age, the next stage of Russell’s life is still waiting to be written. But it’s safe to predict that he will continue to enjoy being in the spotlight and reveling in perks of a showbiz lifestyle.