Fame Can Wait

Most biographies of people in music or theatre focus on household names, people who, by talent, sheer luck, or a combination of both, have achieved stardom. David Scheel was almost one of those. Everyone who saw Scheel perform in his teens, either as an actor or concert pianist, earmarked him for stellar success. And it almost happened, several times. But not quite, as fate stepped in each time to demonstrate just what a perverse sense of humour she has. Nevertheless, David Scheel overcame innumerable obstacles to forge a successful career in his native Australia, Britain, and later in the USA, developing the hit show Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player, which has led to David being hailed as the successor to the legendary Victor Borge. Only recently, Broadway magazine called David "the funniest pianist in the world", whilst the prestigious BBC Arts Review said: "He is as funny as any, wittier than most, and, uniquely, a concert pianist of international stature." Away from music David is also a respected commentator and campaigner on environmental conservation issues, and this memoir is often serious and starkly candid, but equally often hilariously funny, and it proves that you don't have to be famous in order to write an autobiography that will engage the reader from the first word to the last.