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 … 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.
more
On the last day, when the last human beings look out at the blackened cinders of their world, I can only hope that one of them will sing, ‘Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad,’ and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life will ring out as humanity’s final words. I loved this biography of a song and the man who made it, and the picture he paints of his life, his friends, his passions, five Pythons, and a Beatle.
A gentle, sane man has lived a turbulent, crazy life and he’s written a gorgeous book about it. Eric Idle joyously recounts his existence in these pages. Did I say ‘joyously’? I meant ‘ruefully.’
As funny, wicked, naughty, eye-popping and compulsively, joyously brilliant as the genius who wrote it.
What a fun book!! I am a bigger movie than television fan of the Python Boys, so must admit that a fair bit of the book sent me scurrying to Google and YouTube – but I’m a better person for it, by far… What Idle et al. managed to accomplish was nothing less phenomenal than what four lads from Liverpool did: changed the face of an art form. Idle writes exactly the way he speaks/acts, and his tales of the ups and downs of his career (and those of his friends – who are legion) made me laugh out loud on a frequent basis. The book was a deliciously dishy and hilarious romp through the history of the Pythons and of London/UK counterculture over the years, and it was fun and funny and touching and an exceptionally enjoyable read.
Thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for my review copy.
This tell-all from my comedy hero Eric Idle is brilliant, hilarious, touching, enlightening, filled with swashbuckling adventure, edge-of-your-seat suspense, heart-pounding romance, and contained several typos and one inaccurate fact about the Spanish-American war. I expected more out of Mr. Idle’s proofreading skills, quite frankly.
I knew I’d enjoy this book. I am a decades-long Python fan, after all. What I didn’t expect was the eye-opening story of Eric Idle’s youth and his dogged the-world’s-not-going-to-beat-me approach to life. I was shocked at the sheer range and number of luminaries he has been lucky to count as friends and acquaintances, and how sweet and genuine his relationship with those people has been. It’s exciting to have been part of something as well-known and well-loved as Monty Python, I’m sure, but the thing I enjoyed most was the peek into his extraordinary life. A funny and surprisingly heartfelt book.
I need to begin by disclosing that I am an avid Python fan, and have been since the late seventies when my Aunt Dot, who loves to hear my laugh, thought I might enjoy a silly movie she had recently seen called “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” She must have been thrilled because I laughed loudly (which these days embarrasses my adult children) from the opening credits through to the end. One of the aforementioned adult children bought me this memoir for Xmas last year. He’d already bought me John Cleese’s memoir (“So, Anyway”) the prior year, and I had watched the very inventive film of Graham Chapman’s memoir (“A Liar’s Autobiography”) prior to that. With this effort, Idle firmly establishes himself as the comedic lightweight of the Python troupe, attempting to bolster his flimsy reputation by shamelessly dropping the names of the great comedy and musical artists of his heyday and stitching together a rather episodic life around the central theme of his one hit song, obviously written under the influence of one drug or another.
I only say that in order that my review be in keeping with the wit and backhanded humility with which Eric Idle imbues his account of his life. It is no spoiler alert to mention that “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” is currently the number one song played at British funerals, because this fact is disclosed on the book jacket. Idle deftly weaves the stories of his life (professionally, personally, romantically) around this anthem, beginning with the loss of his father at the end of WW II and carried through his first failed marriage and his early substance abuse problems through to huge success both in his career and in his personal life, surrounded by friends and family.
This is certainly a must for Python fans and for lovers of comedy.
Laughed so hard I almost threw up.
‘Nuff said.
There were also parts that made me cry, but we won’t talk about that.
A must-read for Monty Python fans. Entertaining and funny and full of interesting tidbits about the birth of Monty Python and the author’s relationships with other celebrities. Idle also doesn’t shy away from exposing his flaws and mistakes he’s made.
Eric Idle delivers a informative and entertaining look at his own life and his involvement in comedy, music, and film across 70 plus years. If you are a fan of Eric’s from his work in Monty Python, or any of his many other works, then you will be delighted as Eric recounts his own story. From his earliest days in a boarding school for orphaned boys, to college and starting out in comedy skits, to his time with Monty Python and the many years afterwards, you are given a detailed and fun look into Eric’s life. I liked learning about his work as a comedian, and his time spent with the other Pythons, but I really enjoyed his recounting of his friendships with people such as George Harrison, Robin Williams, and others. Eric may be best know as a member of Monty Python, and his song Bright Side (first sung at the end of Life of Brian) has become an international sensation sung at football (soccer) matches and even at funerals, but learning about Eric’s work after Flying Circus and the Python movies really made this book stand out. While still coming back to their seminal work from Flying Circus in reunion tours and special events, Eric shows you how varied and different the rest of his career has been.
I highly recommend Eric’s “sortabiography” for anybody who is a fan of Monty Python, or who has a love for comedy and entertainment. You will be entertained, and maybe learn a few things. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Eric, and if you have a chance I recommend you read this book in that format. Having Eric narrate, sing, and do the various voices added a new level of entertainment to his story.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. If you are a fan of Eric Idle or the Pythons, then this is a book that you must read! Eric Idle tells tales about how they make the movies, the shows, his perisonal life, the people he knows, and he knows a LOT of famous people! This is a fun read and one that I enjoyed.
I read Always Look On the Bright Side of Life from cover to cover. My next mission is to read what’s between the covers. It’s a joy to read his fully transparent personal stories of what got him to the present from birth. Any Monty Python lover or lover of honesty and the crafting of a hilarious comedian and musical genius will love this book. And love Eric as I do. Not to spoil alert, but his stating that ‘Laughter is still the best revenge’ sums it up. Read every word of this book or I will hunt you down and read it to you. And you don’t want me in your house.
A hilarious, charming, book by this incredible, i̶n̶s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ genius