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Not Taco Bell Material

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 2,838 ratings · 472 reviews

In his second book, Adam Carolla—author of New York Times bestseller In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks and chart-topping podcaster—reveals all the stories behind how he came to be the angry middle-aged man he is today.

Funnyman Adam Carolla is known for two things: hilarious rants about things that drive him crazy and personal stories about everything from his hardscrabble...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published June 12th 2012 by Crown Archetype (first published November 2nd 2010)

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Nov 02, 2012 Pete rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: petestop0f2012

If you've listened to Adam Carolla on the radio, you've probably heard about 90% of these stories before in some form or another. I guess what you're paying for with the book is a more coherent collection that has some structure to it.

I listened to the audiobook, which was an interesting experience for a couple reasons.

1. Rather than reading his own book out loud, Carolla seems to get the beats of a story and then just retell it, which suits me just fine. I'm sure that's annoying to some people...more If you've listened to Adam Carolla on the radio, you've probably heard about 90% of these stories before in some form or another. I guess what you're paying for with the book is a more coherent collection that has some structure to it.

I listened to the audiobook, which was an interesting experience for a couple reasons.

1. Rather than reading his own book out loud, Carolla seems to get the beats of a story and then just retell it, which suits me just fine. I'm sure that's annoying to some people out there, but I think he himself would probably admit that his strength lies in talking more than it does in written prose, so why not play to your strengths?

2. After a couple chapters, he recorded short pieces with the people he'd written about. It was pretty cool, and it was a nice bonus to actually get the perspective of his friend Ray, who corroborated some of the stories about him, and to hear from Dr. Drew who told some stories that weren't included in the book.

3. There were parts where he actually laughed or said things in the narration that made me think he was enjoying doing the audiobook. That was refreshing.

4. At no point did he have illusions about what he was doing. So many audiobooks feel, to me, like they are performed like old time radio dramas. I mean, why does Tom Stechshulte have to read the title and then say, "Narrated by Tom Stechshulte"? He IS Tom Stechshulte, so it feels weird and formal. In this one, Adam kept referring to the fact that he was reading an audiobook, explaining the pictures you would be seeing if you actually had the book, and referring to how long he'd been in the studio recording the thing. It was fitting because it's memoir anyway, so why not add a little bit about recording the book while you're sitting in front of the mic?

I think what sold me on the audiobook originally was figuring that he's a radio guy, so a narrated version of this would make sense. But after listening to it, what I really enjoyed is that the change in format also caused a change in the material. Audio FELT like the right format for it, and I don't think that was an accident.

I'd like to see more audiobooks take this approach, adding and subtracting material or reading it in such a way that you really feel like reading it and listening to it are two different experiences, and that if they're going to take the time to record an audibook, they might as well make it something more than 8 hours of someone reading out loud.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Andrew Oshman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Updated Review:

Overall, this book made me happy, but I think there won't be a huge audience that loves this book. For those who want to be entertained, read his book, "In 50 years, We'll All Be Chicks". "Not Taco Bell Material" is more of those wondering about his journey and how it's possible to overcome crappy jobs and situations to succeed.

There are some very funny parts to this book and the whole concept of using a Tan Gent to go off on a tangent is one example of Ace Man's brilliance. Caro...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Kelley Tackett rated it 5 of 5 stars

I used to hate Adam Carolla. I thought he was just some guy riding Jimmy Kimmel's coattails doing dumb shows like The Man Show. Then I listened to his first book In Fifty Years, We'll All Be Chicks and changed my mind. Carolla is my kind of people. The title of this book comes from him applying at Taco Bell and being told that he was "not Taco Bell material." As he points out, if you can fill out the application at Taco Bell in anything other than Crayon, you're Taco Bell material. I wish I coul...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Dione rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a hilarious read. If you enjoy when authors can poke good-humored fun at their upbringing, then this is the book for you!

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 Alec rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can't say for certain, but I have an inkling that no other person in history has ever read Not Taco Bell Material, Adam Carolla's memoir and a monument to listless parenting and general unimpressiveness immediately after reading about the super-human exploits of William Stevenson. Too bad, because it's clearly a natural fit. I can picture the cocktail party conversation:

"You know, I read William Stevenson was responsible for convincing Niels Bohr to defect, thus keeping his vital nuclear resea...more I can't say for certain, but I have an inkling that no other person in history has ever read Not Taco Bell Material, Adam Carolla's memoir and a monument to listless parenting and general unimpressiveness immediately after reading about the super-human exploits of William Stevenson. Too bad, because it's clearly a natural fit. I can picture the cocktail party conversation:

"You know, I read William Stevenson was responsible for convincing Niels Bohr to defect, thus keeping his vital nuclear research out of Nazi hands."

"How interesting! That reminds me, did you know that Adam Carolla once shared a futon with one other guy, two dwarf rabbits and a kitten named Max in a small one bedroom apartment?"

Ok, maybe I can't picture the conversation, but now the two are forever linked in my brain...which gives me a kind of literary whiplash I hope doesn't cause permanent damage. On the plus side, just looking at "A Man Called Intrepid" next to "Not Taco Bell Material" on my bookshelf kind of makes me laugh.

As for the book, it was (obviously) funny and Adam Carolla has a truly interesting and often inspirational back-story. Talk about a guy who came from nothing and got where he is thanks to hard work, persistence and, of course, the requisite amount of talent. I will say my enjoyment was tempered by the fact that, as an avid listener to his podcast, I have already heard almost all of these stories. That does make it all the more remarkable, I suppose, that I still laughed heartily throughout.

In many ways it's inevitable that a memoir deteriorates into a sort of "look at how great I am" series of stories, but I did get a little tired of what Carolla himself would call the "blow-hardy" tone of the book. Again, it's a hazard of the genre, but I think he did a better job in his first book of diluting the "Carolla's a hero" talk with bits of self-deprecation. As a fan, part of me is concerned that Carolla is getting a little too high up on the horse these days, and is due for some sort of scandal and subsequent fall. Oh well, I guess that's neither here nor there. I'll continue to read, listen and laugh until he goes down in a blaze of glory.

If you're going to read one Carolla book, I'd recommend his first one. However, this is still a funny, easy read with dashes of insight and undertones of inspiration. For a special treat, pair with war-based non-fiction. Bon appetit.
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May 01, 2012 Crown Publishing Group added it

Shelves: humor, biography-memoir

In his second book, Adam Carolla—author of New York Times bestseller In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks and chart-topping podcaster—reveals all the stories behind how he came to be the angry middle-aged man he is today.

Funnyman Adam Carolla is known for two things: hilarious rants about things that drive him crazy and personal stories about everything from his hardscrabble childhood to his slacker friends to the hypocrisy of Hollywood. He tackled rants in his first book, and now he tells his bes...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 April Hamilton rated it 5 of 5 stars

There's a bit of retread from Carolla's first book, In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks, here, but there's a also a bit more background and detail given on the repeated anecdotes so it didn't really bother me.

Carolla, as always, is hilarious in his cantankerous, profanity-laced tirades against political correctness and other ills of modern society, but this book is much more of a real autobiography than his first. It traces his life from childhood to the present via a framework of the homes he's...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 13, 2013 Angela Horn added it

Shelves: humor, nonfiction

I think because Adam Corolla and I are around the same age and grew up in the same part of the country, this book was rather nostalgic for me. Things really were different back then from how people raised their kids (or let them run wild) to society at large.

Adam moves from a life of poverty with a family known for their laziness to odd jobs then into a career in show business. It was a fun journey with lots of interesting stories about everything from nobodies to celebrities.

One warning if you’...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Joe Tynan rated it 4 of 5 stars

It ain't Shakespeare, but it served well on a sick, miserable Sunday afternoon . . . and now to find something for a sick, miserable Monday afternoon.

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Sep 20, 2012 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Inspirational, good job Ace man.

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Nov 23, 2012 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adam Carolla fans and/or twenty-something year old men

Shelves: audio-books, memoir, humor

Let me start by saying to my Goodreads friends that I am NOT recommending this book to you. I was almost hesitant to give it 3 stars because I ran the risk of one of my friends seeing that I liked it and picking it up and I didn't want to have to explain myself. I don't think that my Goodreads friends and I are the intended audience. Maybe a twenty-something immature man is really right audience. Nevertheless, I'm a forty-something year old woman and I still gave it 3 stars. Why? Well, I'll star...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoir, non-fiction

Oh Adam Carolla, I want to like you, but the more I get to know you, the more distasteful I find you. Some of his anecdotes were funny. I especially enjoyed the one about Natalie from the Dixie Chicks. But I think I enjoyed that story mostly because it was a masterful prank played on Carolla by Jimmy Kimmel, and not another story about how great Carolla thinks he is.

This book felt like one long rant about how shitty everything and everyone around him is, and how great he is for overcoming it al...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

While not as sidesplittingly hilarious as his first book, Not Taco Bell Material still does not disappoint. The book takes you on a tour through the progress of his life, as symbolized by the houses he lived in. Each chapter represents another “chapter” in his life as roughly defined by his house. So, earlier on, for example, you find him living in a garage, while struggling to find odd jobs. Later on, to give another example, he talk about the period of life when he finally owned his first hous...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Taja Meadows rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: auto-biography

Let me begin this review by stating that I don't read autobiographies, I don't listen to audiobooks, and I don't enjoy non-fiction.

That said, my 3 star rating should be taken for more that face value.

Mr. Carolla is a man that I grew up listening to. During my high school years, when we were all affraid to talk about certain subjects, this man entertained us nightly on Love Line with Dr. Drew - while we secretly held our radios speaker-side-up under the pillow to avoid mom hearing what we were tu...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

ribald, funny & inspiring, rotating cast of degenerate roommates, redemption & success, and a call to action. "Tell your sh*tty neighbors to shut the ef up and take a hike."

7...if there was such a thing as 3rd hand, the Carollas would have jumped on that train
70..Mexican guy who made fred sanford look like the Monopoly man
118...Frisky, 50's nudie mag..topless chicks in huge panties w/huge beehive hairdos & huge cans w/huge saucerlike nipples. No internet, any porn in a storm.
125..Ray...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although some of the language was crude and the actions objectionable, I found myself laughing out loud while I read this book. It was a sad commentary about how many people think these days. I did love the ending which summed up the moral of the story. Until I read Mr. Carolla's books, I thought he was unfunny and sophomoric. However, once I got to know how his mind worked, I discovered that he really was a likable guy who made mistakes and was trying to grow up into a responsible adult of sort...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Corolla told a great story based on all the different places that he lived throughout his life. It was a neat look into his back-story. Nice to see a normal blue-collar guy make it & yet stay pretty humble. He referenced his earlier book, which now I wish I had read before because there are many references to it in the book. I did enjoy the style in which he writes - just like I do, I write like I speak - so I have a feeling I will be reading that at some point as well.

This is a great book i...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm a big Carolla fan and I like the concept of this book. But between Loveline and his own shows, I heard pretty much all these stories (and many of them multiple times) before reading the book. If you've been listening to the Aceman for a long time, this may not be worth your time.

BUT, if you're just getting aboard the "pirate ship" and want to learn about Adam's life and times, then this book is a fantastic source of fun and info.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Josh Ingraham rated it 5 of 5 stars

As far as humor book go, this one is top shelf. I laughed outloud many times while reading. This book is made up of many hijinx and astute opinions from Corolla's life. If you look back fondly at many of the ridiculous antics of your youth, than you will enjoy this book.

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Apr 29, 2013 Elizabeth Plav rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you're a 14 year-old boy (or 14 year-old boy at heart) with raging hormones and crude sense of humor, and who thinks that drugs, hot chicks, and things like bodily excrement are hilarious, you'll love this book.

Even though I'm NONE of the above, and obviously not the intended target audience for this book, I still found it... interesting. I found it interesting to get a glimpse into a world I've never known or been a part of: the life of a guy who was a "jock" (football player in high school)...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you like Mr. Carolla's podcast, this book is largely redundant. However, borrow it from the library and read the last 15 pages which are oddly beautiful and sweet.

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Jul 29, 2012 Abbey Valentine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Always love Adam Carolla, his last book was great. This book is a funny and interesting read, as well as easy. Great for an evening or hammock read.

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Jun 30, 2012 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've got nothing but love for the ACE Man. However, not as funny as his first, but still pretty good. Easy, but enjoyable and SOMETIMES funny, read.

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May 23, 2013 Mortira rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full disclosure: I didn't finish this book.

I picked up Not Taco Bell Material up because of the title. I've never been a fan of Adam Carolla, and I half expected this book to be obnoxious. It usually was, although I did have a few decent laughs. Occasionally there was some bullshit philosophy that could almost be considered charming.

I couldn't bring myself to continue after the chapter about 'pee and poo'. At that point it wasn't too offensive to finish, but every chapter is essentially the sam...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Almost peed myself, several times.

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Apr 29, 2013 Jaime rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Listened to the Audiobook:

Now, I have listened to Adam for YEARS (Loveline to his Podcast) and he has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. There are a lot of people who don't like him because of his opinions etc. He can be a little crass, but I have accepted that to be Adam. I would lean more towards a 3.5 star review. I wanted to love it so much more, but I have honestly heard almost ALL of the stories he told. Now, if I had been oblivious to most of the stories I probably would have enjoyed...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Robbie rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wish this had been better. I think Adam's a funny guy, a smart guy; sadly, this doesn't translate into his being a good writer.

Each chapter begins with a photo of a dwelling where Adam lived, and then he tells about the time he lived in that place. It starts off fairly well, with Adam telling us about his early years, his relationship with his parents, etc, and that bit's actually quite good; his mom and dad sound like interesting people, if a bit wacky and unconventional. I wish it had kept...more

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Oct 03, 2012 William rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked Carolla's first memoir, "In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks." This book covers the same ground, even repeating some of the same stories. But it lacks the insight and social-political weight of the first book.

50 Years made a good case for the wussification of American society, and did so with deft humor and delightful anecdotes. This book makes an equally good point: you must get out and hustle and compete, and stop whining and voting for expansions of food stamps and free stuff. But he ling...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Megan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: geethatstenhoursofmylifeillneverget, listened-to, memoir

Blech. Ick. This sucked. Really, really sucked. I find Adam Carolla to be a pretty funny guy. Not gut-busting hysterical or anything, but he doesn't mind throwing around the F-bomb or making fun of people, so I can get a kick out of him. Not with this crap. First off, he reads the audio as if he's having a conversation with you. Full of goofy laughter and backtracking. Perhaps that's his schtick, but it wasn't doing it for me. I spent how many hours listening to his replay of high school hijinks...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let's be honest, this will never be the "Great American Novel," but it was a fast (under 48 hours) and funny read.

If you have never heard of Adam Carolla, he started as a DJ at KROQ and has made a ton of success as a holds-no-bar man's man. He says what's on his mind regardless of whether or not it will garner him some amount of negative attention. No story really illustrates this better than when he was at Jimmy Kimmel's Grandfather's funeral in Las Vegas and the entire family saw a rainbow. Th...more

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About Adam Carolla

Adam Carolla is an American radio personality, television host, comedian, and actor. He is currently the host of The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast.

Carolla is also known as being the co-host of the radio show Loveline from 1995 to 2005 (and its television incarnation on MTV from 1996 to 2000), as the co-host of the television program The Man Show (1999–2004), and as the co...more

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Books by Adam Carolla

In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: . . . And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy

The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide To Life and Love

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