Book review: British Book Awards winner about a national treasure and comedian rambling man
Windswept and Interesting: My Autobiography by Sir Billy Connolly CBE is a remarkable success story.
In fact it is the first full-length autobiography by the Glaswegian ‘rock-star comedian’.
Notably the John Murray Press publication is a No. 1 bestseller and took out the British Book Awards 2022 Book of the Year Audiobook Non-Fiction.
So keep reading to find out more about the book and what we can learn from Connolly’s efforts for our own life-story creating…
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What Windswept and Interesting is about
Windswept and Interesting starts in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1940s when Connolly, 4, and his sister are taken in by aunts after their mother leaves.
Following school he becomes a shipyard welder and plays the banjo on the local folk scene until his act becomes mostly comedy.
Soon Connolly is a celebrity touring the world while also making documentaries and movies.
Along the way he marries twice, has 5 children, and now lives in Florida Keys where he fishes and paints despite suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
“I made fifty films. I wasn’t exactly a matinee idol, but I had fun playing all sorts of characters – criminals, a florist, a pirate, a tennis player, a priest, a gravedigger, a dog, an auctioneer, a scalper, a professor, a cavalry sergeant, an antiques shopkeeper, a doctor, a squirrel, a fisherman, an angel, several kings, a queen’s lover, an opera singer and a zombie.”
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What’s interesting about this life story
Firstly it was interesting to learn that Connolly never went on stage with a script or knowing what he was going to say.
Indeed this included a record-long show in New Zealand that went for over four hours!
Also it was fascinating to hear stories and antics about his famous friends like The Beatles, Elton John and Robin Williams.
But I most liked his description and rules in the opening pages for being a ‘Windswept and Interesting’ (W & I) character.
“I even found the Key to W & I Enlightenment: ‘You can misbehave all you like – provided you leave them wanting more.’”
What we can learn from Windswept and Interesting
Of course Windswept and Interesting is a great example of how to write funny stories that make a reader laugh!
Another thing is the storyline does jump about here and there in time, which is unconventional but somehow still seems to work.
Though surely this is to be expected from W & I Connolly!
Finally, it is great to discover that he ‘talked’ this book into his phone instead of writing or typing a first draft.
“I didn’t actually ‘pen’ anything; I dictated my thoughts and memories into my phone.”
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Final say
Windswept and Interesting: My Autobiography by Billy Connolly is a laugh-out-loud life story from a comic legend.
However, it also reveals a painful upbringing and a life of adventure.
So read this book to see how an ‘ordinary’ man rides the wave of fame and celebrity.
But importantly if you want to enjoy a laugh or three from a living treasure.
Happy writing and reading!
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