In this rollicking memoir, Cleese takes his readers 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.
So, first: don't expect anything about MPFC or Fawlty Towers: he barely touches upon either. The surprising thing is, that's OK! This is about John Cleese, his life, who he is. The book is a mix of insightful, tender, funny, spiteful, disjointed, rambling, baffling. In other words, a fair facsimile of a human life. Cleese has enough interesting moments, and has learned enough from them, to make this life worth chronicling. Three stars (not four) because of disjointed narrative and loose ends.
I was provided with a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
I was delighted when I received this book because I have been a fan of Monty Python since I was a little kid (and way too young to be watching it, though that never stopped me). John Cleese's autobiography is funny, charming, and very informative. Unfortunately, there isn't much Pythoness (is that a word?) in this book - it basically leads up to Monty Python's Flying Circus (MPFC), and there are a few pages about MPFC. However, the book is mostly about Cleese's life up to that time.
Actually, my favorite sections of the book are about Cleese's early life through college. One favorite quote is when he has passed his final exam and earned his degree, he called his parents:
"'Mum,' I said, "I just wanted to tell you I've taken my final …
I was provided with a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
I was delighted when I received this book because I have been a fan of Monty Python since I was a little kid (and way too young to be watching it, though that never stopped me). John Cleese's autobiography is funny, charming, and very informative. Unfortunately, there isn't much Pythoness (is that a word?) in this book - it basically leads up to Monty Python's Flying Circus (MPFC), and there are a few pages about MPFC. However, the book is mostly about Cleese's life up to that time.
Actually, my favorite sections of the book are about Cleese's early life through college. One favorite quote is when he has passed his final exam and earned his degree, he called his parents:
"'Mum,' I said, "I just wanted to tell you I've taken my final exam and I know I passed, so that means I've got my Cambridge degree!' There was a pause. Then she said, 'You remember the greeny-brown pullover you took back at the beginning of term...?'"
Oh, how I understand that. I had a similar experience with my mother.
"So, Anyway" is a funny, affectionate, and sometimes biting account of Cleese's early life in show business and his relationships not with his fellow MPFC members (especially his friend and writing partner, Graham Chapman), but also Tommy Steele, Peter Sellers, Ronnie Corbett, Ronnie Barker, David Frost, Harry Secombe, Marty Feldman, and many others.
What I found very interesting was that Cleese never really intended to go into show business. He studied science and then law, finally obtaining a law degree at Cambridge. While he took part in plays in school and later in Footlights revues, he actually intended to go to work for a law firm once he got his degree. Instead, he was offered a job as a trainee producer-writer with the BBC Radio Light Entertainment Department at more than twice what the law firm had offered him. Cleese said, "After all, I'd discovered that I thoroughly enjoyed writing comedy and that I had a talent for it." Immediately after accepting that job, Cleese and his fellow Footlights troupers were offered a job by a London impresario. They would put on their Footlights show, renamed "Cambridge Circus," at a small theater in the West End in London. From then on, there was no turning back - Cleese was in show business to stay.
The Footlights Club is a group of comic writer-performers at the University of Cambridge.
I really enjoyed this book and will definitely reread it.
