Playing with Myself
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-29 14:16:37
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Randy Rainbow
- ISBN：125027625X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Instant New York Times， USA Today， and Wall Street Journal Bestseller！
An intimate and light-hearted memoir by viral sensation and three-time Emmy-nominated musical comedian Randy Rainbow that takes readers through his life—the highs， the lows， the lipstick， the pink glasses， and the show tunes。
Randy Rainbow， the man who conquered the Internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses， an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals， and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself， a memoir sure to cause more than a few readers to begin singing one of his greatest hits like “A Spoonful of Clorox” or “Cover Your Freakin’ Face。”
As Randy has said， “There’s so much fake news out there about me。 I can’t wait to set the record straight and finally give people a peek behind the green screen。” And set the record straight he does。 Playing with Myself is a first-hand account of the journey that led Randy Rainbow from his childhood as the over-imaginative， often misunderstood little boy who carried a purse in the second grade to his first job on Broadway as the host at Hooters and on to the creation of his trademark comedy character。 In chapters titled “Pajama Bottoms” （a look back at the days when he wore pajama bottoms on his head to pretend he was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz）， “Yes， It’s My Real Name， Shut Up！” （no explanation necessary。。。） and “Pink Glasses” （a rose-colored homage to his favorite accessory）， Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world， one show tune at a time？”
An intimate and light-hearted memoir by viral sensation and three-time Emmy-nominated musical comedian Randy Rainbow that takes readers through his life—the highs， the lows， the lipstick， the pink glasses， and the show tunes。
Randy Rainbow， the man who conquered the Internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses， an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals， and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself， a memoir sure to cause more than a few readers to begin singing one of his greatest hits like “A Spoonful of Clorox” or “Cover Your Freakin’ Face。”
As Randy has said， “There’s so much fake news out there about me。 I can’t wait to set the record straight and finally give people a peek behind the green screen。” And set the record straight he does。 Playing with Myself is a first-hand account of the journey that led Randy Rainbow from his childhood as the over-imaginative， often misunderstood little boy who carried a purse in the second grade to his first job on Broadway as the host at Hooters and on to the creation of his trademark comedy character。 In chapters titled “Pajama Bottoms” （a look back at the days when he wore pajama bottoms on his head to pretend he was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz）， “Yes， It’s My Real Name， Shut Up！” （no explanation necessary。。。） and “Pink Glasses” （a rose-colored homage to his favorite accessory）， Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world， one show tune at a time？”
Reviews
Lynda
，
If you don't know or like Randy Rainbow， there's no reason to read this book。If you do like him， this book is totally "him。" I highly recommend listening to the audio book， which he narrates。 Perfect Randy Rainbow！ If you don't know or like Randy Rainbow， there's no reason to read this book。If you do like him， this book is totally "him。" I highly recommend listening to the audio book， which he narrates。 Perfect Randy Rainbow！ 。。。more
Carol
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Just fabulous。 Listened on audiobook。 The only way to do it。 Feels like we're besy friends now！ Just fabulous。 Listened on audiobook。 The only way to do it。 Feels like we're besy friends now！ 。。。more
Maria
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Randy Rainbow has been writing parodies to the national news for several years to the tunes of many broadway standards。 They are witty， sharp and fun。Why I started this book: I've been watching Randy Rainbow videos for years。 Love his wicked word play， devotion to broadway and ability to bring humor to dark times。Why I finished it: Snarky， funny and light， perfect tone for a celebrity book and a summer read。 Randy Rainbow has been writing parodies to the national news for several years to the tunes of many broadway standards。 They are witty， sharp and fun。Why I started this book: I've been watching Randy Rainbow videos for years。 Love his wicked word play， devotion to broadway and ability to bring humor to dark times。Why I finished it: Snarky， funny and light， perfect tone for a celebrity book and a summer read。 。。。more
Tina Tessina
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Randy Rainbow！ What's not to like？I loved this book。 So nice to get a behind- the- scenes peek at the fabulous， quirky and loveable Randy。 I read it with YouTube ready on my TV so I could watch the videos as he talks about them。 I recommend it。 Randy Rainbow！ What's not to like？I loved this book。 So nice to get a behind- the- scenes peek at the fabulous， quirky and loveable Randy。 I read it with YouTube ready on my TV so I could watch the videos as he talks about them。 I recommend it。 。。。more
Anna Mills
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I laughed， I cried。。。You get it。 One of the most honest and hilarious autobiographies I've read。 Maybe the only one I've read。。。 I adore Randy Rainbow （bless him for that name）。 He's made life a little more fun during a sh*t time。 I highly recommend this book， except if you've recently lost a pet。。。 Then give yourself time， ugly cry doesn't come close to describing what I did during that chapter。。。 Oooh， spoiler alert？ It was probably all over his socials。。。 I laughed， I cried。。。You get it。 One of the most honest and hilarious autobiographies I've read。 Maybe the only one I've read。。。 I adore Randy Rainbow （bless him for that name）。 He's made life a little more fun during a sh*t time。 I highly recommend this book， except if you've recently lost a pet。。。 Then give yourself time， ugly cry doesn't come close to describing what I did during that chapter。。。 Oooh， spoiler alert？ It was probably all over his socials。。。 。。。more
Kathy
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A must read even if you only have the slightest inkling about Randy Rainbow's work。 I highly recommend the audio version narrated by the man himself。 Such a cool glimpse into the mind and times of a highly inventive， self-made creative。 Full of humor and warmth， it's a fun and quick read。 A must read even if you only have the slightest inkling about Randy Rainbow's work。 I highly recommend the audio version narrated by the man himself。 Such a cool glimpse into the mind and times of a highly inventive， self-made creative。 Full of humor and warmth， it's a fun and quick read。 。。。more
Lori
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Funny memoir。
Diane
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I haven't even seen that many of Randy Rainbow's parody videos， but they were great， and as soon as his book came out I wanted to read it。 It's consistently interesting and amusing， and I smiled through much of the book。 He seems to be sharply intelligent and hilarious in everything he does， and he's a fellow introvert。 Of course， he's also just adorable。 I haven't even seen that many of Randy Rainbow's parody videos， but they were great， and as soon as his book came out I wanted to read it。 It's consistently interesting and amusing， and I smiled through much of the book。 He seems to be sharply intelligent and hilarious in everything he does， and he's a fellow introvert。 Of course， he's also just adorable。 。。。more
Lori
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Memoirs are not my typical genre， but when I heard Randy Rainbow was releasing his autobiography I immediately put this Audiobook on hold via my library！ I didn’t know much about the man behind the pink glasses until I started watching his hilarious videos a few years back…。。 Thanks Melody Phillips！ His birth given name Really is Randy Rainbow 😳😳😳😳 - Needless to say， his childhood was a bit rough。 This memoir was soooo good。。 I laughed， cried and so enjoyed the telling of his remarkable journey Memoirs are not my typical genre， but when I heard Randy Rainbow was releasing his autobiography I immediately put this Audiobook on hold via my library！ I didn’t know much about the man behind the pink glasses until I started watching his hilarious videos a few years back…。。 Thanks Melody Phillips！ His birth given name Really is Randy Rainbow 😳😳😳😳 - Needless to say， his childhood was a bit rough。 This memoir was soooo good。。 I laughed， cried and so enjoyed the telling of his remarkable journey 😊。 Thanks Randy！ Can’t wait to see where the future leads you！！ 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 。。。more
Stephanie
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It's good。 Very similar to his videos， lots of sarcasm， side jokes， and fun observation。 It's filled with name drops， but can you blame him？ He adored Broadway then became part of the inner circle。 His lyrics are just brilliant， no wonder Sondheim adored him。 A fun read。 It's good。 Very similar to his videos， lots of sarcasm， side jokes， and fun observation。 It's filled with name drops， but can you blame him？ He adored Broadway then became part of the inner circle。 His lyrics are just brilliant， no wonder Sondheim adored him。 A fun read。 。。。more
Hollyn
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I listened to the audio version and found it entertaining。 Bottom line: if you like Randy Rainbow’s parodies and You-Tube videos， you’re going to enjoy learning more about Randy the person。
Martin
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I like Randy Rainbow。 I think his videos are funny and clever and loved when he described his creative process。 His book was a fast and funny read and although he keeps on saying how introverted he is， he is not afraid of dropping names of A list celebrities who have complimented him and his work。 He justifiably should be proud of his achievements。 Recommended for all his fans，
philippa derfner
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An amazing memoir filled with so many emotions。 An excellent read。 I wish Randy all the best for the future 。
Peter Wright
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Randy Rainbow is insanely gifted and talented。 He can also write an awesome book。 I hope to one day marry him so that my last name will be Rainbow-Wright
Marcia Merrill
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I’m a huge Randy Rainbow fan and can’t imagine someone reading this book if they’re not。 With that said， I love this book！ It made me laugh out loud so many times。 Reading his words is almost as funny as watching him。 Thank you Randy Rainbow for getting me through the Trump years with so much laughter！
Brit
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3。5。 Delightful and narrated by the author。
Michelle Adamo #EmptyNestReader
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First things first: Yes！ Randy Rainbow is his real name。 Rainbow's in-depth knowledge of broadway musicals， combined with his keen observational skills vis a vis politics and his on the spot wit， led to musical parodies that most comedians could only dream of。 In Playing With Myself， Rainbow takes us through his life， the good， the bad and the …。 well， he was never ugly。 Rainbow shares how a shy kid who was somewhat of a nerd was able to find himself and create the character and person that he i First things first: Yes！ Randy Rainbow is his real name。 Rainbow's in-depth knowledge of broadway musicals， combined with his keen observational skills vis a vis politics and his on the spot wit， led to musical parodies that most comedians could only dream of。 In Playing With Myself， Rainbow takes us through his life， the good， the bad and the …。 well， he was never ugly。 Rainbow shares how a shy kid who was somewhat of a nerd was able to find himself and create the character and person that he is today。 Although the book seems to be quite up front when he discusses being gay， it is not a tell all… names are not named。 If that’s what you want， you will be disappointed。 He says he is not politically motivated but， rather， an equal opportunity parody-er。 Yet he does credit Kellyanne Conaway， 45’s Campaign Manager， with "having written most of my material for the [last] 4 years”。 I first learned of Rainbow the way many did - through social media。 He did not set out to parody 45 rather， he was dealing with the COVID “virus”， confined to home like the rest of us。 Rainbow was at the right place， at the right time and with the right talents and brains to hold it together from 2016-2020。 "For that I will be forever grateful。”Sadly those talents didn’t translate into a great book （good yes， great no）。 Maybe it's me， but I expected it to be funny。 It is humorous in places and the fundamentals are good， but there is a great deal of repetition。 I chose to read this on #audiobook hoping that Rainbow’s humor and delivery would shine through and that he might even sing a few bars of a song or two。 Sadly， it was not to be。 NOTE: Rainbow uses the F*** word， frequently。 If that offends you， this is not the book for you。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️#EmptyNestReader #instagram #facebook #PlayingWithMyself #RandyRainbow #MacMillianAudio #memoir #Humor #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #MayReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks #audiobooks #audible #emptynestreaderaudiobooks🎧 。。。more
Kathy James
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Could not have loved this memoir more。 The audio version has to be the way to go！
Karrie
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If you love Randy， you will love his book。 If you don't， then I would skip it！ But then why are we friends？ If you love Randy， you will love his book。 If you don't， then I would skip it！ But then why are we friends？ 。。。more
Rhea Bohall
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Loved listening to Randy read his own book。 So fun and his life was full of surprises along the way。
Jane
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It was the early days in Trump’s presidency。 Pretty much everyone I knew was depressed。 I was depressed。 And somehow， somewhere， I saw a Randy Rainbow parody video。 It made me laugh。 It made me cry。 I had never heard of the guy， but he was just what I needed， and I figured he must be famous， I’d just never heard of him。Turned out， the parody song videos about Donald Trump are what made him famous。 （And if you’ve still never heard of him， gurl bye。 Why are you reading this review？） Looking back o It was the early days in Trump’s presidency。 Pretty much everyone I knew was depressed。 I was depressed。 And somehow， somewhere， I saw a Randy Rainbow parody video。 It made me laugh。 It made me cry。 I had never heard of the guy， but he was just what I needed， and I figured he must be famous， I’d just never heard of him。Turned out， the parody song videos about Donald Trump are what made him famous。 （And if you’ve still never heard of him， gurl bye。 Why are you reading this review？） Looking back over my Facebook feed from the past few years， here are some of my comments when sharing his videos: “laughing， crying…，” “Oh， Randy Rainbow， thank you for making things a little more bearable，” “Thank you Randy Rainbow for being a ray of sunshine in the darkness，” “Thank you for giving me something to laugh about， Randy Rainbow。”His coming was ordained for us – why else would his real name be Randy Rainbow？ （Seriously。 His real name。 Randy Rainbow。） He was a fat， bullied gay kid with a narcissist father who lost himself in Broadway musicals。 In chapter 12， he writes， “It seemed the stars had truly aligned。 Not only was I finally getting noticed for doing what I loved， I was using the exact same tools （music and comedy） that had helped me through tough times as a kid， getting bullied on the playground and by my father， to now help others through a time when it felt like the whole country was getting bullied on the playground and by my father。 That was some real destiny-type shit！” （p。 124）Does he name drop in his memoir？ You bet。 （And if you didn’t expect Randy Rainbow to name drop in his memoir – again I say， gurl bye！） Is he as over the top in print as he is in video？ You bet。 And I loved it。 Everything about Randy Rainbow is feel good for me （no， THAT doesn’t sound at all creepy）。 And if his love for his cat doesn’t make you shed a tear， you don’t deserve Randy Rainbow。If you’re a fan， read it and feel fabulous – at least for a little while。 （My one regret is not getting my hands on the audio version – narrated by Randy himself！） I see this book finding its way into the hands of many gay/weird/bullied kids who need some reassurance about their future selves。 。。。more
Mandy Dee
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Loved it！ Highly recommend listening to Randy read it！
Mrs。 Gerri Michaels
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Delightful I’m so glad I was introduced to Randy on Kimmel recently！ Loved him and had to buy his book。 It’s a great memoir of a guy who has worked very hard to make a name for himself。
Rusty Kransky
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A charming memoir from the always amusing Randy Rainbow。 He does not shy from talking about the good （all the celebs who are his fans seem like very nice people - Sondheim， Carol Burnett， Patti "F" Lupone， etc。） OR the bad and the ugly - the reactions to his ancient 'comedy' tweets from 2010 that hadn't aged well。 Generally delightful anecdotes and the story of sweet Mushi made me cry。 Always looking forward to the next Randy Rainbow video！ A charming memoir from the always amusing Randy Rainbow。 He does not shy from talking about the good （all the celebs who are his fans seem like very nice people - Sondheim， Carol Burnett， Patti "F" Lupone， etc。） OR the bad and the ugly - the reactions to his ancient 'comedy' tweets from 2010 that hadn't aged well。 Generally delightful anecdotes and the story of sweet Mushi made me cry。 Always looking forward to the next Randy Rainbow video！ 。。。more
Debby
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Loved it and want to watch more videos。 He is a fun writer and I loved seeing how he made it to the big time。
Aingeal Stone
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More a 4。75。 The only reason for not giving a 5 was that the performance often felt more like a reading than a performance。 The story was fabulous and I love Randy and his humour， his fashion sense， his voice 。。。 ENCORE！
Julie Bestry
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Let's start with the fact that I love Randy Rainbow as a performer。 While I discovered him slightly before he went mainstream， I'm just a random suburban woman with no connection to him。 I've never even seen a Broadway musical in person。 But I was predisposed to like the book。The odd thing is that while I did， indeed， like the book， it wasn't anything like I was expecting。 I anticipated it would be a schmaltzy performance of the public version of Randy。 I was not expecting to feel like I was get Let's start with the fact that I love Randy Rainbow as a performer。 While I discovered him slightly before he went mainstream， I'm just a random suburban woman with no connection to him。 I've never even seen a Broadway musical in person。 But I was predisposed to like the book。The odd thing is that while I did， indeed， like the book， it wasn't anything like I was expecting。 I anticipated it would be a schmaltzy performance of the public version of Randy。 I was not expecting to feel like I was getting emails from a famous person who， once we became friends， was just a regular guy with some funny asides。And the book is funny， but it's not HAHAHAHAHA laugh-out-loud hysterically funny。 Rather， it's a sweet， tender， vulnerable story about Randy's life， mostly before he became famous。 Randy jokes that his father is Donald Trump because his own father was a narcissist （and some other unpleasant things） and I was riveted as I read these portions， because I could identify so closely with everything he was saying。 Trump's three wives， and Randy's father's wives， and my mother （and my father's first wife） were all married to the same man， and I'm sure Randy and Tiffany （but not Eric or Ivanka or Don Jr。） and I could go out for dessert （Randy likes coffee ice cream） and commiserate。 His childhood， his less-than-magical rise to success， and Trump-era career are laid open for the reader。 He even shares the awkward moments and strain of his decade-old in-character tweets and Cuomosexual videos being， understandably （if not entirely fairly） brought under examination。 I'm laughing at the idea that Rainbow's book is full of namedropping。 I wonder if any of these people have ever read a memoir by a performer， politician， or anyone who works in the public sphere。 His work was inspired by other creators and performers， and his work was later embraced by them。 How could he possibly write his story and NOT write about the people he's come to count as his friends。 Did Carol Burnett get a lot of attention？ Sure， but not more than his grandmother。 Patti LuPone？ Sure， but not more than his mom。The book is calmer， and more toned down than I'd expected。 I anticipated ***Randy Rainbow*** performative silliness， and instead got a sit-down with the real guy， chubby youth and unhappy family life and stalled career tales。 It's real， and while it wasn't what I thought I wanted， I am moved by all that he shared， from his giddiness at his successes to his anguish over the deaths of his grandmother， Nanny， and his longtime kitty companion， Mushi。Rainbow takes himself seriously， but not too seriously。 He admits that he's an introvert， that he was terrified by the pandemic， that he was hurt by unkind interpretations but understands （and has learned from） them。I'd have liked to hear more about his personal life， but whom he dates in real life is none of my business。 This isn't a tell-all， but a tell-some。 I was shocked to learn that he's about a decade older than I realized， so I'm sure there's more material he has left to share， and I'll look forward to reading that。 （And I will probably， at some point， listen to the audio book， which I'm certain must be the only truly correct way to experience the book。）Good job， Randy！ Thank you for helping me survive the Trump years and the pandemic （thus far） without permanently losing my mind。 I love you for it。 。。。more
Nancy
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great audio book。 Randy is a treasure！
Arielle Ford
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Im a super fan of this charming， talented， funny as shit singer/song writing satirist。 Reading his memoir is like having brunch with your bestest ever funny friend，
Elaine Lawson
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Absolutely love this book and its author; I laughed out loud （rare） and literally cried at one point （also rare。） Rainbow brings so much joy and illumination to our current culture and is， to me， irresistible。 How wonderful that his chosen medium is so accessible; when I recommended this book， at least one person who had never heard of him was quickly enamored。 Rainbow makes it clear how very difficult it can be to be a comic satirist in these divided times， and like many of us， can be hurt deep Absolutely love this book and its author; I laughed out loud （rare） and literally cried at one point （also rare。） Rainbow brings so much joy and illumination to our current culture and is， to me， irresistible。 How wonderful that his chosen medium is so accessible; when I recommended this book， at least one person who had never heard of him was quickly enamored。 Rainbow makes it clear how very difficult it can be to be a comic satirist in these divided times， and like many of us， can be hurt deeply by those who will not look into the mirror before striking out against what they mistakenly take as a personal attack。 He makes it clear that in these times， being a comic can be hard navigation in political waters。 Sharks and pirañas abound！ Luckily， he has the likes of Carol Burnett to cheer him on。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Playing with Myself
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Playing with Myself&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Playing with Myself&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0