You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Not here to justify my love, which began in almost-childhood, for Monty Python - racist, misogynist as much of the humor is. Having begun with "not knowing" and progressing through knowing, to wondering how we cope with the sins of artists we love - I decided it's important to say yes, I see the racist and misogynist aspects. Humor about those things is wrong and was never right. It was considered acceptable in its time, but it shouldn't have been. In spite of that, I loved Monty Python and I still do. I cope with it by not promoting it. I rarely post Python on my social media anymore - except in very limited circumstances to a select audience. I try to remember not to quote Python in polite company. It's like porn - to be enjoyed in private.
Though I love Python, honestly I would probably never have picked up this book if we weren't in the midst of a pandemic! My favorite independent bookstore was under threat of closing, & they were asking people to help them survive by ordering books online. Back in March, I went online and found a selection of books from a variety of genres, some light, some not so light, most relatively short, and some things I would not normally read. This was among them. If you like Python, you'll probably enjoy this memoir, and if not, you won't.
Yes, lots of name dropping, gossip, vacations with George Harrison, Bowie, Mick Jagger, Robin Williams, etc etc. In places it was a little repetitive in that way. I get the feeling Idle's approach to this was "here's what I did", not "here's who I am." That's OK & it's what I expected. It was fun and light, nothing malicious. I get the feeling Idle's friendships were/are genuine - with George Harrison in particular. I learned lots of fun trivia and gossip. I get the feeling Idle isn't a dickhead, or at least not in general, and he hates the current incumbent US President (he whose name we do not say as it is on enough hotels), which definitely endears him to me. HEY REPUBLICANS, DON'T READ THIS BOOK! You don't get to have Monty Python.
Yes, Idle puts himself at the center of Python. Why not? I'm sure the others did too. I haven't read any of their memoirs to find out. He did write "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", so all the fame he's achieved specifically because of that song is his to claim.
The writing is nothing special. Again, it's just light and fun.
I would probably have given this book 3 stars with a "three and a half" note, but I'm rounding up because the thing I really liked about this book is it's going to lead me to lots of funny YouTube videos, I hope! The Rutles, multiple different performances of ALOTBSOL, and out-takes from Spamalot, if nothing else! And I'm going to really have a good laugh at all of that!!
Though I love Python, honestly I would probably never have picked up this book if we weren't in the midst of a pandemic! My favorite independent bookstore was under threat of closing, & they were asking people to help them survive by ordering books online. Back in March, I went online and found a selection of books from a variety of genres, some light, some not so light, most relatively short, and some things I would not normally read. This was among them. If you like Python, you'll probably enjoy this memoir, and if not, you won't.
Yes, lots of name dropping, gossip, vacations with George Harrison, Bowie, Mick Jagger, Robin Williams, etc etc. In places it was a little repetitive in that way. I get the feeling Idle's approach to this was "here's what I did", not "here's who I am." That's OK & it's what I expected. It was fun and light, nothing malicious. I get the feeling Idle's friendships were/are genuine - with George Harrison in particular. I learned lots of fun trivia and gossip. I get the feeling Idle isn't a dickhead, or at least not in general, and he hates the current incumbent US President (he whose name we do not say as it is on enough hotels), which definitely endears him to me. HEY REPUBLICANS, DON'T READ THIS BOOK! You don't get to have Monty Python.
Yes, Idle puts himself at the center of Python. Why not? I'm sure the others did too. I haven't read any of their memoirs to find out. He did write "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", so all the fame he's achieved specifically because of that song is his to claim.
The writing is nothing special. Again, it's just light and fun.
I would probably have given this book 3 stars with a "three and a half" note, but I'm rounding up because the thing I really liked about this book is it's going to lead me to lots of funny YouTube videos, I hope! The Rutles, multiple different performances of ALOTBSOL, and out-takes from Spamalot, if nothing else! And I'm going to really have a good laugh at all of that!!
Times it was laugh out loud funny- other times it grew tiresome.
Quite a life and lots of famous people were/are his friends.
Found his relating of all the times he was funny a bit off putting.
But then again- like Monty Python, but often felt that type of humor a bit coarse.
Quite a life and lots of famous people were/are his friends.
Found his relating of all the times he was funny a bit off putting.
But then again- like Monty Python, but often felt that type of humor a bit coarse.
This was a touching and funny book, despite all the name dropping, or maybe because of it. I won this through Goodreads, and entered to win because I'm a fan of Monty Python, especially Holy Grail. This book made me laugh and cry, it felt like a goodbye letter to his fans, especially in the last chapter. It was interesting to see inside Eric's life, though in some parts, I wasn't sure if it was the truth or a bit or a stranger mixture of both (I'm guessing the last was the case fairly often).
It was a wonderful look back to the life of a humorous man. It was a great look inside the whirlwind of his life and the many other lives who touched his own.
I never expected Idle's autobiography to be a tale of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll (and actors and comedians), but it is. It turns out that he had quite a wild youth, and when the Pythons were at the height of their popularity it put him on par with like likes of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, and the like, and they apparently hung out and partied a lot. But, more importantly, this was an amusing read.
A paragraph from the book: "A party broke out and, if you can believe this, all of the Rolling Stones turned up. I of course pretended to the Star Wars folk that this was no big deal and happened all the time, but it began an epic night which ended only at 6:00 a.m. when the cars came to pick up the actors for work and the Stones sloped off to hang upside down in their caves. When I saw The Empire Strikes Back, I was so proud. The scene they shot that morning bears the scars of the evening. Carrie lurches out of a spaceship to meet Billy Dee Williams and says, "Hi!" Harrison is still clearly drunk. I remain inordinately proud of the scene I spoiled and hope that one day George Lucas will forgive me."
A paragraph from the book: "A party broke out and, if you can believe this, all of the Rolling Stones turned up. I of course pretended to the Star Wars folk that this was no big deal and happened all the time, but it began an epic night which ended only at 6:00 a.m. when the cars came to pick up the actors for work and the Stones sloped off to hang upside down in their caves. When I saw The Empire Strikes Back, I was so proud. The scene they shot that morning bears the scars of the evening. Carrie lurches out of a spaceship to meet Billy Dee Williams and says, "Hi!" Harrison is still clearly drunk. I remain inordinately proud of the scene I spoiled and hope that one day George Lucas will forgive me."
Received free from Penguin First to Read, my thoughts are my own.
This isn't the book for very dedicated Monty Python fans, as this likely wouldn't provide them much new information. But for people who've enjoyed the movies and shows, this is a great, upbeat exploration of Idle's life, meandering through his childhood to adulthood and fame. Though he does touch on trials--mistakes made, hearts broken, friends lost, it is overwhelmingly upbeat. The song in the title isn't just referenced (though it is brought up often), but the outlook the song captured is, too.
Though he never intended for it to catch on as it did, Always Look on the Bright Side became a source of hope and wry humor, which resonates throughout this book. Fans will have a chuckle often, and possibly learn something new.
This isn't the book for very dedicated Monty Python fans, as this likely wouldn't provide them much new information. But for people who've enjoyed the movies and shows, this is a great, upbeat exploration of Idle's life, meandering through his childhood to adulthood and fame. Though he does touch on trials--mistakes made, hearts broken, friends lost, it is overwhelmingly upbeat. The song in the title isn't just referenced (though it is brought up often), but the outlook the song captured is, too.
Though he never intended for it to catch on as it did, Always Look on the Bright Side became a source of hope and wry humor, which resonates throughout this book. Fans will have a chuckle often, and possibly learn something new.
Brilliant, hilarious, heartfelt. I laughed and cried the whole way through. The book reads well but I recommend the audiobook to get the comedic bits in the voice of the author. I normally hate celebrity memoirs, but this one will be one I repeat reading.
The rock star life of a comedian. It's hard to listen to Eric's star studded anecdotes and not feel a tiny bit of envy. What a life!
Listened to the audiobook read by Eric Idle. Highly recommend.
What a life Eric Idle has led! In other people, it would sound like insane name-dropping. OK, it STILL sounds like insane name-dropping, but how lucky to be friends with Beatles, Stones, Robin Williams, ... I've enjoyed so much of his work, from the Monty Python sketches, to the Monty Python movies, to Spamalot, Here Comes The Sun on Saturday Night Live, his various weird musicals like Not The Messiah. Reading this book helps add a dimension to all the other media I've absorbed. Recommended for Python lovers.