Billy
- ISBN: 000711091X
- Description:
Billy Connolly is loud, hilarious and contradictory. His biography, written by his wife, former comedian and practising psychotherapist Pamela Stephenson, is pretty much the same. Over the years Connolly has grown from Glasgow shipyard welder to folk-singing beardy hard man (yes there is such a thing) to darling of the good and great (or at least famous) around the world. That he is so many things to so many people while in no way compromising his core self can only be good. It would be no mean feat for Stephenson, then, to pen a history to that would satisfy Connolly audiences of fans and contemporaries from all periods of his life's journey. In most places, but in truth, not all, the author manages to do this well.The first half of the biography is somewhat anthropological in tone. Not surprisingly, a post-war Glasgow upbringing is somewhat alien to the antipodean author and Stephenson errs towards Angela's Ashes intonation as she describes her husband's tenement childhood (Scots readers may also find her regular translation of seemingly self-explanatory Scots phrases--which Connolly would use--obtuse). In contrast her examination of her experience of living with the comedian and his life from that point on is much better. Anecdotes which Connolly uses in his live shows pepper the text and laughs are raised as he tells of the time he was mistaken as a drug dealer on Speyside, of his cheeky friendships with cinema's elite and even through the more difficult times; the difficulty of balancing an almost manic humour with a troubled life. Pages turn quickly as we grow to understand more of what makes the man tick.Certainly fans of Billy Connolly will enjoy this book. It is not perfect but it is certainly entertaining and should fill a gap in the market until Billy--with his half-remembered stories and off-centre view of the world--decides to let us into his head as well as his history. There's surely one ideal way to do this and that's by writing his story himself. --Helen Lamont
- Pages: 291
- Format: Hardback
- Genre: Biography
- Rating: Not yet rated
Listed Copies of this Book
| Details | Price | See More | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condition: Excellent Seller: mikepembo (No ratings yet) |
£0.25 £4.45 (inc p&p) |
 |
 |
| Condition: Excellent Seller: Ann (No ratings yet) |
£1.00 £2.63 (inc p&p) |
|
|
| Condition: Excellent Seller: writemoves (No ratings yet) |
£2.00 £3.31 (inc p&p) |
|
|
| Condition: Excellent Seller: pud (No ratings yet) |
£4.00 £5.63 (inc p&p) |
|
|
| Condition: Excellent Seller: jan07 (No ratings yet) |
£4.50 £6.58 (inc p&p) |
|
|
| About this copy: Unwanted present.Unread | |||
| Condition: Good Seller: delanysdonkeys (No ratings yet) |
£1.99 £4.07 (inc p&p) |
|
|
| About this copy: in good condition with no tears | |||
Some Other Books by this Author
BillyBilly Connolly is loud, hilarious and contradictory. His biography, written by his wife, former comedian and practising psychotherapist Pamela Stephenson, is pretty much the same. Over the years Connolly has grown from G...
No. of listed copies: 1
Bravemouth: Living With Billy ConnollyWritten by Billy Connolly's wife
No. of listed copies: 4
Billy The No 1 BestsellerA very frank and personal biography written by Billy Connolly's wife about her comic genius husband.
No. of listed copies: 2
BillyThe complete life story of a comic genius. From a troubled and poor childhood in the docklands of Glasgow to become one of our best loved comics.
No. of listed copies: 6
Bravemouth: Living With Billy ConnollyBilly, the ground-breaking biography of the nation's favourite iconoclast, gave millions of readers a fascinating insight into the personal and professional life of the genius that is Billy Connolly. Now, in the sequel t...
No. of listed copies: 0
see all books for Pamela Stephenson
Other Books in this Genre
Parcel Arrived Safely, Tied With String by Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford is one of Britain's best-loved entertainers, with roles as varied as the hapless accident-pr...
No. of listed copies: 2
Together by Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton
The story of two sisters who landed on Planet Pop and how they survived thanks to each other. Since they first...
No. of listed copies: 2
Ruud Gullit: The Chelsea Diary by Harry Harris
biography
No. of listed copies: 0
Diana: A Life And Legacy (diana Princess Of Wales) by Anthony Holden
A large format hardback book crammed with black & white and colour photographs following the life of Diana, Pr...
No. of listed copies: 0
Addict by Stephen Smith
An autobiographical account of Steven Smith's life of drug addiction, crime and homelessness.
No. of listed copies: 0
See all listings in Biography
REVIEWS
This book has not yet been rated
Login or register to review this book.