I haven’t had the pleasure of attending any of comedian Billy Connolly’s live stand-up. Still, he has become such a universally-loved comic that I could recognise the sound of his voice, characteristic Scottish brogue, unique sense of humour and expletive-laden vocabulary anywhere. And so could many people all around the world. A sure sign of icon status.
After reading Billy Connolly’s first full-length autobiography, Windswept & Interesting (received in October this year from Jonathan Ball Publishers), I feel as though I know the man personally, and as if he counts me as close friend and confidant. Which, of course, is exactly what an excellent autobiography would achieve.
Billy was born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942. His mother abandoned him at the age of four, and he suffered appalling abuse at the hands of his own family. Indeed, his is a remarkable story of success against all odds. Billy recounts the exceptional life story in his inimitable way, keeping you engaged and enthralled with a treasure trove of wonderful anecdotes, great laughs and some tears.
A man of many talents, Billy dabbled as a qualified welder, army paratrooper, and even gifted banjo player. But ultimately it was his knack of telling a good story and his brand of self-deprecating humour that had audiences in stitches, and eventually brought him enormous international success and stardom.
Even now, in his late seventies, he still does not play – or write – by the rules. He has always been known for his fearlessness and outspokenness, calling out hypocrites, phonies and frauds. His book is no less sharp-tongued, but he also comes across with so much empathy, warmth and humour, that he endears himself to the reader, much like he does his audiences. I also appreciated the candour and matter-of-factness with which he recounted some childhood horror stories - and the fact that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, without trying to come across as a martyr or fishing for sympathy. He just tells it as it was.
His rise to stardom was marked by an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975. It caught the national attention and catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star, eventually leading to record audiences wherever he performed in the world, and a showbiz career spanning more than 50 years, including stand-up, presenting, and acting in award-winning Hollywood films.
In Windswept and Interesting, Billy tells his story in his own words. In fact, he recorded the book into a device that was meant to transcribe it automatically. Except, predictably, the device could not decipher his heavy Scottish brogue, and his daughters had to step in and manually transcribe it for him. It is a delightfully funny read, and in a relaxed conversational style, Billy imparts some hard-earned wisdom, but also countless tangents (so characteristic of his stand-up) on everything from fishing and farting to the joys of dancing naked.
The perfect holiday read, I highly recommend this life-affirming biography of a true comedy legend, one Sir William Connolly, CBE, much-loved Scottish comedian, musician, TV presenter, actor, artist, and mensch. You certainly won’t regret it.
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