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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
The autobiography, or rather "sortabiography", of Eric Idle, one of the members of Monty Python.
I'm a casual Python fan, a big fan of the movies and sketches I've seen here and there, but I'm not close to having watched most of their stuff. Because of that, I'm probably the target audience of this book. If you know everything there is to know about Idle and the Pythons, you probably won't learn a lot here. If you know nothing, you probably won't be interested.
The title of "sortabiography" did make me think that this might be somewhat on the memoir side, but this is a proper autobiography - it's mostly a rundown of everything that Idle's done, everyone he's known, and his bigger life events. He's witty in his writing here like he is in his work. This definitely gave me a guide of stuff to watch from him, and gave me way more context for JUST how famous the Pythons were. I mean, Eric got married in Lorne Michaels' apartment as David Bowie and Mick Jagger carried in the cake. He got Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher so drunk that it's visible in some Cloud City scenes. My favorite story was that the reason Life of Brian exists today is because George Harrison (yes, the Beatle) mortgaged a house. The book is full of anecdotes like that, but not a ton of depth. There's a few emotional moments, like when Graham Chapman dies, but it's more focused on running down his IMDB.
Overall, this is a straightforward list of things that Eric Idle's done and famous people he's vacationed with. He's funny, but I would have gotten more out of a memoir-style book.
I'm a casual Python fan, a big fan of the movies and sketches I've seen here and there, but I'm not close to having watched most of their stuff. Because of that, I'm probably the target audience of this book. If you know everything there is to know about Idle and the Pythons, you probably won't learn a lot here. If you know nothing, you probably won't be interested.
The title of "sortabiography" did make me think that this might be somewhat on the memoir side, but this is a proper autobiography - it's mostly a rundown of everything that Idle's done, everyone he's known, and his bigger life events. He's witty in his writing here like he is in his work. This definitely gave me a guide of stuff to watch from him, and gave me way more context for JUST how famous the Pythons were. I mean, Eric got married in Lorne Michaels' apartment as David Bowie and Mick Jagger carried in the cake. He got Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher so drunk that it's visible in some Cloud City scenes. My favorite story was that the reason Life of Brian exists today is because George Harrison (yes, the Beatle) mortgaged a house. The book is full of anecdotes like that, but not a ton of depth. There's a few emotional moments, like when Graham Chapman dies, but it's more focused on running down his IMDB.
Overall, this is a straightforward list of things that Eric Idle's done and famous people he's vacationed with. He's funny, but I would have gotten more out of a memoir-style book.
Wish I’d read the John Cleese book instead.
This reads like this:
I’m great
I’m great
I’m great
I’m great
...and loads of famous people are my best friends.
And if you didn’t realise he wrote the title song then you will after he’s reminded you about 50 times and told you how successful it is.
This reads like this:
I’m great
I’m great
I’m great
I’m great
...and loads of famous people are my best friends.
And if you didn’t realise he wrote the title song then you will after he’s reminded you about 50 times and told you how successful it is.
Idle expertly toes the line between hilarity and poignancy, retelling some of the funniest and most heart wrenching experiences of his life. It is the kind of book that will lift your spirits, as well as create a kindred bond as we realize we all go through the same trials, no matter who we are. If you are a fan of Monty Python, you will certainly enjoy the raunchy history of the group, as told by one of the most prominent members.
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Like much of my taste in music, I inherited an appreciation of Monty Python's Flying Circus from my parents. We had copies of Life of Brian, Holy Grail, the Monty Python Papperbok, and the Big Red Book (which was, naturally, blue). I also saw the occasional clip of their skits broadcast on TV or on VHS tapes.
I knew very little about the Pythons themselves, and hardly thought about them until I saw a recorded speech about creativity in management by John Cleese. "What!" I thought. "They're still alive?!"
Sadly, many of them aren't anymore (as the book recounts), but reports of Eric Idle's death have been greatly exaggerated, and in 2018 he published this book about the wild ride he experienced with the Flying Circus.
I rarely read autobiographies. But to me, this is a good autobiography because:
- The title makes sense: "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", originally composed for Life of Brian, rapidly becomes Eric's motto and carries him through the ups and downs.
- It conveys the unique voice of the author.
- It has loads of direct quotes and specific situations described in detail.
- The author talks about their failings and flaws and doesn't try to paint a perfect picture.
- It tells me things I didn't know.
- It even has photos! (Not only in monochrome, either; the center of the book has a colour-photos section.)
The book surprised me because I didn't realize that the Pythons were that famous, or that the world they lived in day-to-day was the world of show business.
When they performed shows at their peak, they would fill stadiums with tens of thousands of screaming fans. Their social milieu consisted of pretty much every other ultra-famous musician, actor, comedian, director, etc from the post-war generation: Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Carrie Fisher, the Beatles... These stars were mutual fans of eachothers' work, and they were able to talk to eachother about the weird experiences they had of being paid enormous sums of money to entertain people.
When they performed shows at their peak, they would fill stadiums with tens of thousands of screaming fans. Their social milieu consisted of pretty much every other ultra-famous musician, actor, comedian, director, etc from the post-war generation: Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Carrie Fisher, the Beatles... These stars were mutual fans of eachothers' work, and they were able to talk to eachother about the weird experiences they had of being paid enormous sums of money to entertain people.
Overall, I found the book an interesting and entertaining read which told me about what it was really like being part of one of the most famous comedy troupes in the world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol
Mental illness: At times, Eric and other Pythons suffer from depression and other mental health conditions.
Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death: Unfortunately, not all is well in show business. Piles of drugs and alcohol become readily available to the Pythons, and Eric succumbs to long alcoholic binges. One of the Pythons dies from drinking while on anti-alcohol drugs. Another Python successfully recovers from alcoholism.
Adultery: Eric admits breaking up his first marriage by cheating on his wife.
Sexual content: Eric describes the various dalliances that he and other Pythons engaged in. He also waxes lyrical about his (second) wife's personal qualities.
Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death: Unfortunately, not all is well in show business. Piles of drugs and alcohol become readily available to the Pythons, and Eric succumbs to long alcoholic binges. One of the Pythons dies from drinking while on anti-alcohol drugs. Another Python successfully recovers from alcoholism.
Adultery: Eric admits breaking up his first marriage by cheating on his wife.
Sexual content: Eric describes the various dalliances that he and other Pythons engaged in. He also waxes lyrical about his (second) wife's personal qualities.
I think only Eric Idle can name drop this many people and still be tolerated. Although in the second half of the book I was starting to feel tempted to shut it off. However, Eric's narration is fantastically well done so I can't be too jealous that he knows everyone.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
A fun memoir from the Pythonest Python. Overall a good narrative, and I learned a lot, but at times it felt like it was padded a bit much with name dropping and "oh I went on this fancy vacation with all these other famous people," which I found much less interesting.
funny
fast-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced