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Rainn Wilson is a renaissance man. He is an actor, entrepreneur, podcaster, spiritual leader, and apparently a king of bassoons. The Bassoon King is Wilson’s memoir that covers his childhood, faith, fame, and yes, a little bit of bassoonery. Here is my The Bassoon King book review.
The Bassoon King Summary
The full title of the book is:
“The Bassoon King: Art, Idiocy, and Other Sordid Tales from the Band Room”.
You might also find a hardback or audiobook titled:
“The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy”
Same book as far as I can tell. And what is that book about? “The Bassoon King” is Rainn Wilson’s memoir released in 2015. It covers Wilson’s odd childhood in Seattle. His eclectic parents (Father, Mother and Stepmother. They didn’t all live together at the same time though. That would be awkward.) Young Rainn was a self-described nerd of the highest order. He found comfort in music, theater and Dungeons and Dragons.
He chronicles young adulthood as a struggling actor and temporarily abandoning his Baháʼí Faith. He coped with mental health issues with drugs and alcohol. He notes, “That didn’t work out so well”. (Does it ever?)
Wilson eventually lands a role on the documentary style sitcom “The Office” as nerdy know-it-all Dwight Schrute. The book covers his time on the show as the iconic character. You know about The Office, right? It’s a pretty big deal.
The Basson King explores Wilson’s faith, big societal issues (climate change, etc.) and living life with empathy, integrity and community. Basically, the deep stuff! Life’s big questions are where Wilson spends his time these days. He founded the media company SoulPancake in 2009 for that very purpose – asking life’s big questions.
SoulPancake has since merged with Participant Media.
Find Rainn on Instagram.
Now onto the rating of “The Bassoon King”
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 3.5/5
Some swears, drugs and alcohol, and a disgusting tale about pulling a tapeworm out his underwear as a child. BUT… Wilson also projects a warm, thoughtful aura who is continually striving for community, harmony and making the world a better place. That’s pretty darn wholesome.
Hilarity Score: 4/5
I listened to this as an audiobook at 1.75x speed. Dwight Schrute is a hilarious and beloved-yet annoying TV character. Rainn Wilson is not Dwight Schrute, but I couldn’t help but picture Dwight reading this memoir to me very quickly. And that by itself was hilarious. Beyond that, Wilson is funny throughout the entire book, even when covering heavier topics.
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 4.5/5
Loved it. I first read (via audiobook), Wilson’s book Soul Boom and became a fan. So I had to dive into The Basson King! I loved Wilson’s tales of bizarre childhood and path to fame. Yet his spirituality and Dwight-like nerdy awkwardness make him a relatable and compelling character.
Things I liked:
- The tapeworm story
- honest struggles of faith, mental health challenges and family strife. But also had a “happy ending”, in that he seems to have overcome (or at least manages) his struggles and lives a purpose driven life, helping others explore life’s big questions.
Things I didn’t like:
- The tapeworm story
Conclusion: Final Thoughts on “The Bassoon King (Art, Idiocy, and Other Sordid Tales from the Band Room.)”
I enjoy learning about the real-life experiences of TV and movie personalities. Sometimes I like the person less, sometimes more :). In this case, I found Rainn Wilson to be a thoughtful, interesting, and compassionate human. His memoir made me a fan and I intend to follow his future pursuits.
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