-
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
- A Sortabiography
- Narrated by: Eric Idle
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Celebrities
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $21.81
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
So, Anyway...
- By: John Cleese
- Narrated by: John Cleese
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this rollicking memoir, So, Anyway..., John Cleese takes listeners on a grand tour of his ascent in the entertainment world, from his humble beginnings in a sleepy English town and his early comedic days at Cambridge University (with future Python partner Graham Chapman) to the founding of the landmark comedy troupe that would propel him to worldwide renown.
-
-
Cleese, the early years, in his own voice
- By G. Beauchamp on 01-15-17
By: John Cleese
-
Diaries 1969-1979
- The Python Years
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Palin's diaries begin in the late 1960s when he began writing for hugely popular programs. He recounts how Monty Python emerged and triumphed. From the success and cult status brought by Monty Python, Palin shares stories from their world tours, their stay at hotels recently trashed by Led Zeppelin, their battles over censorship, and how individually the Pythons went their separate ways. Yet at the same time they were working on the now celebrated series of films, including The Holy Grail....
-
-
The Diary of a Sometime Python
- By tru britty on 03-28-15
By: Michael Palin
-
Monty Python's Flying Circus
- By: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle
- Length: 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the ultimate in TV comedy madness and absurdity, this cult series, which began in 1969, inspired many of today's writers and performers. This audio programme features many of the legendary sketches, songs, and catchphrases, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Ministry of Silly Walks", "The Lumberjack Song", "And Now for Something Completely Different", and many more.
-
-
Warning: Lark's Vomit
- By Gretchen SLP on 07-18-16
By: John Cleese, and others
-
I Must Say
- My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend
- By: Martin Short
- Narrated by: Martin Short
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Short takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride.
-
-
This is what audio books were made for!
- By Ty Brady on 11-06-14
By: Martin Short
-
Born Standing Up
- A Comic's Life
- By: Steve Martin
- Narrated by: Steve Martin
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the mid-70s, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".
-
-
Fantastic
- By Andrew on 11-30-07
By: Steve Martin
-
Kiss Me Like a Stranger
- My Search for Love and Art
- By: Gene Wilder
- Narrated by: Gene Wilder
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gene Wilder is one of the great comic actors who defined the 1970s and 1980s in movies. From his work with Woody Allen, to the rich group of movies he made with Mel Brooks, to his partnership on screen with Richard Pryor, Wilder's performances are still discussed and celebrated today.
-
-
Interesting for a number of factors.
- By A reader from Philadelphia. on 04-17-05
By: Gene Wilder
-
So, Anyway...
- By: John Cleese
- Narrated by: John Cleese
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this rollicking memoir, So, Anyway..., John Cleese takes listeners on a grand tour of his ascent in the entertainment world, from his humble beginnings in a sleepy English town and his early comedic days at Cambridge University (with future Python partner Graham Chapman) to the founding of the landmark comedy troupe that would propel him to worldwide renown.
-
-
Cleese, the early years, in his own voice
- By G. Beauchamp on 01-15-17
By: John Cleese
-
Diaries 1969-1979
- The Python Years
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Palin's diaries begin in the late 1960s when he began writing for hugely popular programs. He recounts how Monty Python emerged and triumphed. From the success and cult status brought by Monty Python, Palin shares stories from their world tours, their stay at hotels recently trashed by Led Zeppelin, their battles over censorship, and how individually the Pythons went their separate ways. Yet at the same time they were working on the now celebrated series of films, including The Holy Grail....
-
-
The Diary of a Sometime Python
- By tru britty on 03-28-15
By: Michael Palin
-
Monty Python's Flying Circus
- By: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle
- Length: 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the ultimate in TV comedy madness and absurdity, this cult series, which began in 1969, inspired many of today's writers and performers. This audio programme features many of the legendary sketches, songs, and catchphrases, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Ministry of Silly Walks", "The Lumberjack Song", "And Now for Something Completely Different", and many more.
-
-
Warning: Lark's Vomit
- By Gretchen SLP on 07-18-16
By: John Cleese, and others
-
I Must Say
- My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend
- By: Martin Short
- Narrated by: Martin Short
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Short takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride.
-
-
This is what audio books were made for!
- By Ty Brady on 11-06-14
By: Martin Short
-
Born Standing Up
- A Comic's Life
- By: Steve Martin
- Narrated by: Steve Martin
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the mid-70s, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".
-
-
Fantastic
- By Andrew on 11-30-07
By: Steve Martin
-
Kiss Me Like a Stranger
- My Search for Love and Art
- By: Gene Wilder
- Narrated by: Gene Wilder
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gene Wilder is one of the great comic actors who defined the 1970s and 1980s in movies. From his work with Woody Allen, to the rich group of movies he made with Mel Brooks, to his partnership on screen with Richard Pryor, Wilder's performances are still discussed and celebrated today.
-
-
Interesting for a number of factors.
- By A reader from Philadelphia. on 04-17-05
By: Gene Wilder
-
Made in Scotland
- My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country
- By: Billy Connolly
- Narrated by: Gordon Kennedy
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Billy Connolly may be a citizen of the world, but in his heart he's never been far from his homeland. Made in Scotland is Billy's unique and intimate portrait of his native Scotland, a love letter to the places and people that made him. It's an adventure inspired by a single incident: the moment Billy received his Knighthood and was asked, 'How does it feel to have achieved all this when you came from nothing?' His response was, 'But I did come from something!'
-
-
I can't believe I wasted a credit on this blather.
- By J. M. Popa on 01-23-20
By: Billy Connolly
-
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the autumn of 1988, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club with an ambitious plan: to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Jules Verne's fictional hero Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. The rules were simple. He had to make the journey in 80 days using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg.
-
-
music incredibly distracting and annoying
- By LJ on 05-18-19
By: Michael Palin
-
Blowing the Bloody Doors Off
- And Other Lessons in Life
- By: Michael Caine
- Narrated by: Michael Caine
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of our best-loved actors, Michael Caine has starred in over 100 films in his six-decade career, spanning classic movies like Alfie, Zulu, and The Italian Job (the inspiration for the book title) to playing Alfred opposite Christian Bale's Batman in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster Dark Knight trilogy. Caine has excelled in every kind of role - with a skill that's made it look easy. As he says, "Small parts can lead to big things. And if you keep doing things right, the stars will align when you least expect it."
-
-
wow.
- By Gregory C. Fowler on 10-27-18
By: Michael Caine
-
Believe Me
- A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens
- By: Eddie Izzard
- Narrated by: Eddie Izzard
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the course of a 30-year career, Eddie Izzard has proven himself to be a creative chameleon, inhabiting the stage and film and television screens with an unbelievable fervor. Born in Yemen and raised in Ireland, Wales, and postwar England, he lost his mother at the age of six. In his teens he dropped out of university and took to the streets of London as part of a two-man escape act; when his partner went on vacation, Izzard kept busy by inventing a one-man act, and thus a career was ignited.
-
-
My three least favorite words: "End of footnote."
- By David H. Lawrence XVII on 06-20-17
By: Eddie Izzard
-
Erebus
- One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former Monty Python stalwart and beloved television globe-trotter Michael Palin brings the fascinating story of the Erebus and its occupants to life, from its construction as a bomb vessel in 1826 through the flagship years of James Clark Ross's Antarctic expedition and finally to Sir John Franklin's quest for the holy grail of navigation - a route through the Northwest Passage, where the ship disappeared into the depths of the sea for more than 150 years. It was rediscovered under the arctic waters in 2014.
-
-
Epic Adventures Vividly Told
- By Neil Ring on 02-03-19
By: Michael Palin
-
Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection
- Every Soundtrack Episode of the Classic BBC TV Comedy
- By: John Cleese, Connie Booth
- Narrated by: John Cleese, Connie Booth, Prunella Scales, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Fawlty Towers, where attentive hotelier Basil Fawlty and his charming wife Sybil will attend to your every need - in your worst nightmare. With hapless waiter Manuel and long-suffering waitress Polly on hand to help, anything could happen during your stay - and probably will. John Cleese’s special introductions to each episode are included in this collection of all 12 TV soundtrack episodes.
By: John Cleese, and others
-
Still Foolin' 'Em
- Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys
- By: Billy Crystal
- Narrated by: Billy Crystal
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Billy Crystal is 65, and he's not happy about it. With his trademark wit and heart, he outlines the absurdities and challenges that come with growing old, from insomnia to memory loss to leaving dinners with half your meal on your shirt. In humorous chapters like ""Buying the Plot"" and ""Nodding Off,"" Crystal not only catalogues his physical gripes, but offers a road map to his 77 million fellow baby boomers who are arriving at this milestone age with him. He also looks back at the most powerful and memorable moments of his long and storied life, from entertaining his relatives as a kid in Long Beach, Long Island, and his years doing stand-up in the Village, up through his legendary stint at Saturday Night Live, When Harry Met Sally, and his long run as host of the Academy Awards. Listeners get a front-row seat to his one-day career with the New York Yankees (he was the first player to ever ""test positive for Maalox""), his love affair with Sophia Loren, and his enduring friendships with several of his idols, including Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali. He lends a light touch to more serious topics like religion (""the aging friends I know have turned to the Holy Trinity: Advil, bourbon, and Prozac""); grandparenting; and, of course, dentistry. As wise and poignant as they are funny, Crystal's reflections are an unforgettable look at an extraordinary life well lived.
-
-
Disarmingly Honest
- By David Shear on 09-12-13
By: Billy Crystal
-
Apropos of Nothing
- By: Woody Allen
- Narrated by: Woody Allen
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this candid and hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. He revisits his entire 60-year-long career as a writer and director, from his classics Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters to his most recent films, including Midnight in Paris. He discusses his marriages, romances, and famous friendships, his jazz playing, and his books and plays. We learn about his demons, his mistakes, his successes, and those he loved, worked with, and learned from.
-
-
Totally Woody
- By Ronald R. Kubiak on 04-19-20
By: Woody Allen
-
Is This Anything?
- By: Jerry Seinfeld
- Narrated by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since his first performance at the legendary New York nightclub "Catch a Rising Star" as a 21-year-old college student in fall of 1975, Jerry Seinfeld has written his own material and saved everything. "Whenever I came up with a funny bit, whether it happened on a stage, in a conversation, or working it out on my preferred canvas, the big yellow legal pad, I kept it in one of those old school accordion folders," Seinfeld writes. "So I have everything I thought was worth saving from forty-five years of hacking away at this for all I was worth."
-
-
Joke, joke, joke. Boring, boring, boring.
- By ECMILLER on 10-11-20
By: Jerry Seinfeld
-
I Remember Me
- By: Carl Reiner
- Narrated by: Carl Reiner
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For over half a century, millions have appreciated Carl Reiner's work as comedian, actor, director, TV writer and author. Winner of numerous accolades, including 12 Emmy wins and one Grammy award, Carl Reiner once again brandishes his literary talents to tell the story of his life in I Remember Me. Reiner reminisces on 90 years of love and laughter, highs and lows, mistakes and triumphs. Told with a warm heart and an occasional touch of nostalgia, Reiner draws from decades of family, friends and fun to illuminate his life and career as one of America's most loved and memorable figures.
-
-
I'll have what he's having
- By Amazon Customer on 04-23-15
By: Carl Reiner
-
As You Wish
- Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
- By: Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner (foreword)
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.
-
-
Warm-hearted retelling
- By Thomas Allen on 10-19-14
By: Cary Elwes, and others
-
Silver Screen Fiend
- Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film
- By: Patton Oswalt
- Narrated by: Patton Oswalt
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author, comedian, and actor Patton Oswalt shares his entertaining memoir about coming of age as a performer and writer in the late '90s while obsessively watching classic films at the legendary New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Between 1995 and 1999, Patton Oswalt lived with an unshakeable addiction. It wasn't drugs, alcohol, or sex. It was film.
-
-
For Patton Oswalt fans and stand-up fans.
- By Brian on 02-19-15
By: Patton Oswalt
Publisher's Summary
We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python - from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film.
Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the '60s and '70s, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie and Robin Williams, all of whom became dear lifelong friends. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout involving other close friends and luminaries such as Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels and many more, as well as the Pythons themselves, Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal parts hilarity and heart.
In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named for the song he wrote for Life of Brian and which has since become the number one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the kind of offbeat humour that has delighted his audiences for five decades.
The year 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of The Pythons, and Eric is marking the occasion with this hilarious memoir chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life featuring everyone from Princess Leia to Queen Elizabeth.
What listeners say about Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
- Wendy McLachlan
- 10-29-19
Worst book I have listened to!
I am a huge Monty Python fan, but this book was all about name dropping. I battled listening to the end.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TullochReviews
- 08-02-19
Fantastic read by a brilliant comedian
A fantastic review by a brilliant comedian, goes into the laughs, the sad times and the legacy he has built and left behind. Kind, caring and funny
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Simon
- 10-02-18
Pop Idle!
There has been so much written and documented about the Pythons that I wasn’t totally sure I would enjoy this. In the end it was a real joy, some old stories with a new slant and plenty that I had never heard. This is a positive and uplifting story that seems to flash past all too fast. I think it’s so typical of the man that I’ve read the story of his life and I am left wanting more. If I was to make any complaint about this it’s just that, it’s too short for me. Major events seemed to come and go all too quickly because he may be Idle by name but he certainly isn’t idle by nature! He has packed so much variety into his life in comedy. If name-dropping was an Olympic sport Idle would have a string of gold medals, it’s amazing to hear about the people he is able to call friends from Rolling Stones to flying Beatles! If I have a favourite of all the stories it is one about Leslie Nielsen and how he manages to avoid talking to people in lifts. And as I am no great Python expert I was very surprised to hear the stories about one of their greatest ever fans and his Pepperpot bedroom antics! As I’ve always thought when listening to autobiographies in an audio format it’s best coming from the horse’s mouth and so it proves here too. Idle’s voice gives a very positive tone to what is a very positive story. When it comes to comedy in the UK we have some of the most amazing real-life characters and in these days when there can be a tendency to talk our country down it’s fantastic to be reminded of one of our genuine national treasures. As I said, my only criticism is that I finished wanting more but maybe it’s a mark of the man that he didn’t get too carried away when writing his own life story! This is definitely about looking mostly on the bright side of a life.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lesley Goodman
- 10-22-18
A great read
Copious name dropping, a lot of blowing his own trumpet, but an interesting book. Would definitely recommend. Seems like a bloody nice chap who's had a bloody nice life. Good on him!!!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mark
- 10-21-18
Warm and witty.
Always one of the more accessible members of the Pythons, Eric weaves a funny, insightful and touching account of a life full of creativity, extraordinary people, fame and iconoclastic wit.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- mrs alison bethell collins
- 10-20-18
Fabulously entertaining!
What a lucky jammy life he’s had! And appreciated it too! Well worth a listen!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- James M.
- 10-18-18
And now for something completely hilarious
A heart warming story of how a small, hunchbacked fish wife from the north side of Bristol and how she became one 1/6 of the greatest comedy team ever and all the celebrities that he’s hung out with over the years and the drink and drugs that went with that.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Richard
- 10-04-18
Brilliant, funny and moving
As Eric himself suspects, the length of the many Python documentaries may add up to be longer than the original series! So while of course there is alot about Python here, there's also lots of stuff that will is new. If you've read the Greedy Bastard Diary (also a brilliant book), you'll spot a few bits from there that he's reused but also expanded on. I laughed out loud in many places but was also moved in other places, especially the George Harrison chapter. The emotional power of course being all the more effective because Eric is reading his own words. A "must listen" for any Python fan.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mr R B
- 10-26-19
This starts off great
Eric reads his book well and after the beginning I thought I was in for a treat. Somewhere near the middle it gets a bit lost in a luvvie's love in of Olympic proportions. I don't mind the namedropping as that's par for the course with a celebrity book, but even so it is a bit of a who's who of right on people. Some of the anecdotes, like his stories about George Harrison, are great and well worth the listen. His political views are bang on for mega-wealthy Hollywood types but irrelevant for the rest of us and to my mind didn't need to be in the book. Summary - the parts about Eric's early life and the beginnings of Python are great and well worth the listen (can we say the years before the money?). The rest was a bit of a slog. I was pleased when it finished.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- S A.
- 10-12-19
I laughed, I cried and then listened to this book
see I was listening. absolutely brilliant. incredible snapshot of a legendary era that will never happen again. the cast of characters are a who's who of legend status. Eric tells it in such a brilliant and funny way. These guys are the last few remaining true comics of a lost generation
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 10-07-19
Excellent and what more do you expect?
Just great, wonderfully read and written by the man himself. I was brought up with Python and all the wonders of Eric's work. To listen to his incredibly funny account of his life was well worth my time.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- karin
- 10-16-18
Better than eating cake
Excellent book honest and uplifting. Tears off joy and sadness with a sprinkle of silly lunacy. Warning Can give you heartburn.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 11-01-18
Not just an Idle fan
I found the story funny, reflective, sad, unbelievable & most of all enjoyable. This is a person who has lived & is living a great life. Hearing Eric’s voice, telling his story a slam dunk, back of the net, top shelf yarn. To borrow a couple of quotes “Say no more, now f-off & get it.”
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Philip
- 09-24-19
Loved this book
Monty Python was an essential par of my University Education although I confess I was perhaps more amused by their anarchic humour than their creative genius. Now the latter is more obvious. I had underestimated the contribution of Eric Idle to their overall success and this book establishes how important EI was in their success. In addition, he describes his elitist life with enough humility for you to really like him. He still sees his failings and yet became a friend to many great celebrities some of us who have left us. I imagine he is much loved back. I was so pleased to know that they were also loveable people in private through his eyes. A man with significant wealth, privilege and high level contacts but I’d be happy to invite him found to dinner just because he still sees how funny we all are. To my surprise this turned out to be a nostalgic autobiography that anyone with a send of humour, love of 60-70’s popular music and the cult of personality will simply adore. please write more Eric!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Gregory McNulty
- 04-27-19
Not Quite Idle
This is the second autobiography I have read from one of the Python legends. And like the John Cleese memoir this one also falls a bit flat. It is written almost like a series of sketches but with a great deal more laughs. There is a lot of name dropping going on but if if he leaves all of the experiences with other celebrities out I guess it defeats the purpose of an autobiography. So consider that a moot point. What I did find pleasing was that Eric made a point of letting the reader know that the Python guys and gals were and still are good mates. His chapter on Robin Williams was very moving written with great compassion and humour. If you were/are a Python fan you should enjoy this.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Alf Salgo
- 02-12-19
Good in parts
I was looking forward to listening to this book as I have always been a fan of Eric Idle. Unfortunately, the more I listened to the book, the more annoying was the incessant name dropping interspersed with sketchy details of other events in his life. Disappointing and I was unwilling to finish it.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lindsay Buttery
- 01-10-21
A winner, wonderful listen Python fan or otherwise
Thoroughly enjoyable book, self narrated by author Eric. Deeply funny at times, Eric knew a lot of people, notably among those George Harrison & his great friend, Robin Williams, about whom he writes very touchingly. .Very highly recommended
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 05-02-20
The name dropping became tedious and tiresome
Although some good stories are peppered throughout, this book is basically chapter after chapter of name dropping. It got very boring very quickly.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael
- 12-02-19
Alt title: Diary of a Self-confessed Name Dropper!
Idle confesses up front that he’s going to drop a LOT of famous names throughout his book. Why not I say?!?!?! What a remarkable life Idle has led and when one of your best friends was George Harrison, I think you’re entitled, nay - compelled - to list as many of your “connections” as possible. What’s remarkable about all this is that Idle still seems to view all these celebrities with a certain sense of awe - humbly seeming not to realise he is a bigger celebrity than most of them! This is a very warm, frank and above all human, self-reflection on a life that has had all the ups and downs we’ve come to expect of the “rich and famous” yet Idle never yields to self-pity or (worse still) self-loathing and his infectious sense of humour is ever present throughout. A brilliant book, brilliantly told by the funny man himself. Do NOT miss this one!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michelle Gunn
- 11-17-19
Brilliant!!!
Loved it from start to finish, great insight to his life so far, funny informative. a light and entertaining book for all.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- russ T nayle
- 11-04-19
What are you waiting for?
If you’re aware of Monty Python, know the name Eric Idle, have a love of comedy and have an Audible credit burning a hole in your smart phone then click purchase. You won’t regret it and if you don’t find this enlightening, enchanting, educational, emotional and other e words, then tough shit, it’s a few more quid into the back pocket of a bloke who, with his friends, changed the face of comedy and entertained me throughout my life. You’ve come this far, you should see it through! Thank you Eric, I’ll get many laughs with each time I listen.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 07-28-19
Incredible
The best audiobook ever. Well it should be. It’s written by a bloody Python. 😂😂😂. Eric Idle to be precise. 😜