Comedian Tony Martin has strip-mined his often unremarkable life to tell sixteen small tales fraught with laughter and detail. Choosing to ignore his many dubious achievements in the world of Australian show business (Martin/Molloy, The Late Show, a short-lived but torrid affair with Sharon on Kath & Kim), New Zealand-born Martin instead recalls dozens of tiny life-changing moments that, frankly, could have happened to anybody.
In damning personal testimony spanning nearly forty years on both sides of the Tasman, Martin wreaks havoc as an apprentice props man in amateur theatre, attempts to corrupt his school's 'weird religious kid', tries vainly to seduce an unwilling babysitter, turns an entire tour bus against him, battles an addiction to Donkey Kong, seeks to master the art of 'kerning' under the tutelage of a tyrannical Geordie, and is forced to donate an unfeasible amount of blood in an attempt to save his own life.
Lolly Scramble is a light but flavoursome assortment from a man who appears to have learnt very little from his many mistakes. Tuck right in, but don't eat them all at once or you'll spoil your dinner. Initially a member of the D Generation, Tony Martin went on to co-host the Martin/Molloy program with Mick Molloy in the mid to late 90s. The show produced three ARIA award winning albums, The Brown Album, Poop Chute, and Eat Your Peas. A film nerd of the highest order, Martin then went on to write and direct his first movie, Bad Eggs. He has also appeared on The Panel, Kath and Kim, and in the films The Castle and Crackerjack. Lolly Scramble is his first book.
