Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography

by Eric Idle

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot, comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candor

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, theater, and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, 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 John Cleese and 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 humor that has delighted audiences for five decades. The year 2019 marks the fiftieth 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.

• ISBN10: 1984822586
• ISBN13: 9781984822581
• Publish Date: 2 October 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 18 September 2020
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Crown Archetype
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

I have a feeling that I’m going to contradict myself several times during this post. For those who don’t know, Eric Idle is one of the writers and members of Monty Python, so maybe being odd and contradictory is the best way to review this book. Sure, let’s go with that.

I found myself laughing uproariously several times during this book, of course. Eric Idle has the gift of stating the saddest things in a way that neither diminishes what happened, or dwells on it. Kind of a like a “Yeah, that sucked, but it’s life” attitude (you’ll see what I mean when you read about what happened to his dad). He’s well aware of his talents, but equally well aware of his faults and finds humor in them.

This book both needed to be longer, but could have been condensed. See what I mean about being contradictory? At less than three hundred pages, there’s really not much to the book length-wise, so being longer wouldn’t have been bad IF there was more that could be said. Of course, I also found myself thinking that parts dragged. Some of it read like sitting with someone who suddenly switches from telling you a story to muttering to themselves about it.

Eric Idle would be the perfect person to hang out with at Thanksgiving, or during a family reunion: he has the most interesting reminiscences. However, some of that was lost in the writing. I really liked his stories of the random weirdness he got into. Because of that, I wish there was also a book with memories written in collaboration with all the members of Monty Python. That would be epic. Of course, Graham Chapman would have to come back from the dead for that, and who would cheat death just to argue with editors?

All in all, the funny parts were hilarious, the little-known tidbits were fascinating, and the rest was just there. Would I recommend it? Ummmm…maybe? It wasn’t a bad way to ring in a new year of reading, but it wasn’t incredible.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2019/01/01/always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life-a-sortabiography-by-eric-idle/

[Melanie]

Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.

I was in a weird mood last week and didn’t want to listen to any of the books I had on my iPod. I started looking through my Audible wishlist and found this book by Eric Idle. I’ve been a fan of Monty Python movies for a long time now. My love started out with Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which has some of the best one-liners in any movie). Then I watched The Life of Brian (which to this day is still my favorite of all the Python movies).

This book starts off with Idle growing up as a poor boy in Britain during World War II. Then quickly moves on to his becoming a comedian and how he met the other Pythons. I really liked hearing about how Python came to exist.

I learned so much about Monty Python and about the many other celebrities they met and hung out with. Come to find out, Elvis was a huge Python fan and used to stay up nights reciting skits in bed. He also talks about how he made Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles laugh historically. How he became friends with all of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Robin Williams and George Harrison (who funded the entirety of The Life of Brian because he wanted to see the movie).

There were some really great parts about the making of Spamalot (I’m still mad at my husband for not taking me to see it when it was here last month). He also talked about winning the Tony for best musical.

There’s also a very touching tribute to George Harrison. He talks about a vicious attack on Harrison and his wife that almost killed the two of them and that Idle thinks it made Harrison die faster. There’s also a very touching tribute to Robin Williams.

He ends the book talking about what his last words would be and what his obituary would be. He even believes he will be forced to sing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (which is the most requested song at British funerals, also became a war song and at several different sports venues) at his own funeral.

This is a must listen to any fan of Monty Python.

Narration
This book is narrated by Eric Idle himself. I love listening to memoirs narrated by the author. You really feel like they are telling you their life story as if you’re sitting in a living room. No one else could’ve narrated this because Idle voice several of the characters that he played in movies and in Flying Circus.

[Heather]

Eric Idle has always been my favorite member of Monty Python so I absolutely had to listen to this book.  I can't imagine just reading this book.  Listening to him read this made the book.

This book was so much fun.  He is an unapologetic famous person.  He talks a lot about all of his famous friends.  He points out that he has non-famous friends but that no one in interested in reading about them.  He hung out with Beatles and Rolling Stones and all the other famous comedians in the 1970s so the stories are as wild as you'd expect.  One of my favorite stories was when Graham Chapman had a party at his house for his parents.  His parents were ready to go to bed at 10 PM but first they politely kicked the Rolling Stones out of the house.  I can see how some people would think of these stories as name dropping or bragging but he is full of so much love for his friends and joy for his life that I loved hearing about it.  What can you expect from a man who gave a toast at David Bowie's wedding to Iman and once got mistaken for a Beatle while standing next to George Harrison (who was pushed aside unrecognized)? 

He weaves the story of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life through the book.  He wrote it to have a happy ending in his movie that actually ended with the main character being crucified.  Since then it has taken on a life of its own.  It started being sung during British military disasters and then at funerals.  He's sung it for the Queen and during the Olympics.  He's sung it in drag and in a tutu, as one does.

If you are a Monty Python fan who has watched the many documentaries about the history of the Pythons you'll love this book.  You'll have already gotten a good grasp of the official history from those shows.  This book will fill in what fun was happening behind the scenes and in the time since.

 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story