Being from just down the road in Ayrshire he's national hero to me and his face should be on our currency IMO. Anyhow this is a marvellous tale concerning the life and good times of one Billy Connolly daft Glaswegian comedian and musician. This book tells the story of all that and more; it's filled with heart-wrenching sadness, gut-busting laughs, and a bunch of other stuff that is always entertaining, always interesting, and as far from 'beige' (Billy's greatest dislike is of 'beige' or uninteresting people) as you can imagine. Listening to this book had me laughing to a point where I had to pause the book so I could compose myself and also hear what Billy was saying! It was inspirational how he dragged himself out of that environment, through hard work, a sense of humour and a passion for music and reading.

If you are not a fan then it is an interesting read in its own right, but there are likely to be several references throughout that you will perhaps not understand.In a 1999 interview with “The Sunday Herald” Connolly condemned the SNP as “racist” and the new Scottish parliament as a “joke”. Everything he has achieved in his life, and even now through his art, is nothing short of phenomenal.

The stories and memories Stephenson explores break your heart, make you laugh and actually don't make you close the book pitying Billy at all. You see where he has taken this pain and what he has done with it and you applaud him for pressing on and pushing through it.Billy Connolly is a voice I have known of since childhood when Mum and Dad listened to his vinyl LPs, a voice I have known but at the time I didn’t really understand, probably just as well really. I’ve loved watching him most of all on his world tours where you’d get to see him just being himself, interacting with people, having a laugh, discovering interesting things, simply rejoicing in everything. It’s the pleasure and enjoyment of storytelling, of being himself, which makes his autobiography so enjoyable for the reader, and especially the fan.