Billy - Pamela Stephenson

...biography charting the life of Billy Connolly?

Only Billy himself, and he hasn't put pen to paper yet.

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My Initial Thoughts & Feelings
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The book is a very unique insight into the man behind his very unique brand of comedy. It covers some very delicate issues from Billy's early childhood, and demonstrates that strength of human nature to fight ...
...I mean, she loves Billy Connolly, she is married to him and has bore his children, so this in itself would lead you to believe she will tilt the bias of the events of Billy's past to portray him as purely the victim, rather than providing a completely accurate and balanced portrayal of events, most notably from his childhood. Also, in performing her research, Pamela has been inclined to ask her husband about the particular events of his lifetime. ... more

** BE WARNED: THERE IS SOME SWEARING CONTAINED WITHIN THIS REVIEW **

"Billy" - Pamela Stephenson ... Paperback - £7.99

The book is currently available on Amazon for £6.39 with free delivery

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Vital Statistics (Waheyyy!!!)
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• 400 pages
• Published by Harper Collins Entertainment
• Published 8th July 2002
• Also available in hardback
• Categorised as a Biography

Anyone who is offended by bad language should f#~k off now .... ! LOL

Who better, you may think, than the wife of the Glaswegian comic genius, to write a biography charting the life of Billy Connolly?

Only Billy himself, and he hasn't put pen to paper yet.

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My Initial Thoughts & Feelings
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The book is a very unique insight into the man behind his very unique brand of comedy. It covers some very delicate issues from Billy's early childhood, and demonstrates that strength of human nature to fight against adversity to create success and wide-scale acclaim.

I can, at times, be something of a cynic, and this trait led me to question the accuracy with which Pamela Stephenson relays the story to the reader? I mean, she loves Billy Connolly, she is married to him and has bore his children, so this in itself would lead you to believe she will tilt the bias of the events of Billy's past to portray him as purely the victim, rather than providing a completely accurate and balanced portrayal of events, most notably from his childhood. Also, in performing her research, Pamela has been inclined to ask her husband about the particular events of his lifetime. Surely, this would lend itself to the notion of misrepresentation, allowing Billy to ensure the interpretation of events are in line with the way in which he wants them to be interpreted?

Arsehole (!) some people may think, especially considering the severity of the accusations, but it is not this I was specifically cynical about, more the extent to which it happened. Again, I was not questioning Billy's integrity per se, but the way in which such traumatic experiences occur can often cloud ones judgment when casting your mind back. However, that cynicism was only something that lurked in the back of my mind, not fully formed as a conception. Pamela demonstrates, as you read the book, that her research has covered various family members, allowing her to attain a more balanced view of the events from Billy's childhood, ensuring that she strikes the right balance in reporting as factual an account of those events as possible. Of course, there is likely to be some sense of imbalance between the truth and the story in print, but I have absolutely no reason to question what I read as not being as accurate a portrayal of the circumstances as was humanly possible. Sorry for this long ramble, but I felt it was important to illustrate my feeling and scepticism when I was reading the book, and how it was alleviated.

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Pamela Stephenson - Understanding the Author
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Just a short piece of background on the author and wife of the comedian…

Pamela Stephenson was born in New Zealand on 4th December 1949, but became a naturalised Australian actress, psychologist, and a former comedienne.

Following her successful graduation, in 1971, from the Univeristy of New South Wales and then the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art, she pursued a successful acting career, which took her to London in 1976. Pamela shot to fame in the classic 1980's alternative comedy sketch show "Not the Nine O'Clock News", which also starred Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, and Rowan Atkinson.

In fact, it was on "Not The Nine O'Clock News" that Pamela first met Billy Connolly, when she spoof interviewed him mimmicking Janet Street-Porter. The pair hit it off instantly and were married on 20th December 1989 in Fiji, later having three children and moving to Beverley Hills in California.

Pamela gave up her role as a comedienne and actress, instead concentrating upon studying for a clinical psychology doctorate, which she gained in 1996 from the California Graduate Institute ~ well done that lady! It is this psychological training that proved to be highly useful when she began writing the biography of her husband, in which she analysed him and literally put him on the therapists couch!

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The Story & My Thoughts
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The book charts Billy's early childhood, concentrating upon the sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of his Father, and follows his rise to the successful modern day comedian many around the globe know and love today.

I think, despite what I mentioned in my initial thoughts section above, that the childhood Billy was subjected to was a terribly abusive childhood that no child should ever be subject to. Yet, to me, it does pose the question as to whether, without such inhumanity to another human being, Billy Connolly would have strived so hard to achieve and be the success he became, if it had not been for such adverse inhumanity in the first instance? I, of course, by no means lend any grain of understanding or pardon to his Father, but it was something that occurred to me a couple of days ago while reading Lizzie Kempo's fabulously brave, powerful, informative and well written review on bullying … what if these terrible atrocities never occurred? It is often the irony - if that truly is the right word (?) - of such instances that spurs people on to succeed. Triumphing despite adversity. It's a shocking thought, I will admit, and I would imagine that someone like Billy would swap everything he has achieved, to not have gone through such a harrowing experience as a child, but who knows? Thankfully, the worst experience I ever recall experiencing, as a child was minor physical bullying until I stood up for myself, along with pretty constant verbal abuse by anyone and everyone. Whilst this sometimes got me down, it soon became water of a ducks back and I have always learned to laugh off verbal bullying. Therefore, I can never truly appreciate the pain and suffering experienced.

From Billy's early childhood, Pamela moves on to his teenage years and then days working the ship yards of Glasgow, days many fans of Billy Connolly will already be vaguely familiar, due to the comedians frequent comical laments. The story moves at a smooth pace progressively through the important stages of his life and career, pin pointing pivotal moments helping to shape her husbands future career, from the move into folk singing, and then how this magically progressed into comedy, from which point he has truly never really looked back.

The change from trying to understand and analyse her husband at a time before she had met him to the time when they had, is one I found particularly interesting and overall I feel Pamela provided an avid, educational and entertaining read, in what were most probably difficult and emotional circumstances for both husband and wife.

Pamela has managed to also fuse Billy's unique brand of humour into the book, as she relays comic anecdotes of what living with the man is really like. Anecdotes that are equally familiar with the audiences at Billy's shows, but lest we not forget that Pamela herself was a comedienne and has the ability to turn ordinary stories and observations into something much more comical, which - in truth - is one of the great strengths and skills of any great comic genius, whether that genius be male or female.

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Conclusion
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I have always been a huge fan if Billy Connolly and despite the fact that he does tend to swear maybe a little too much, he is an extremely funny and talented comic. I have a mild problem with swearing myself, but - in the main - I put that down to the stress of my job, my family and the ludicrous day-to-day occurrences that I seem to face (that's for one of my novels folks … sorry!), whereas Billy does appear to try and utilise it too much for comic effect, more so than is really necessary considering his comic capabilities. The genius of Billy's comedy is his ability to go off on a complete tangent and bring it back to the initial point almost half an hour later, a little like I do, but with me it's annoying rather than comical!!

Overall, I could not help but be left with the feeling, having finished the book, that it was probably a very good process for both Pamela and Billy to go through, re-living the pain of his youth, in an attempt for Billy to get over the past and truly put it behind him, something that maybe he never truly did. I vaguely recall both Pamela and Billy appearing on Parkinson not long after the book was published and, from recollection, believe it was this revealing and somewhat shocking interview that led me to reading the book, something I never once regretted.

If you are a fan of Billy Connolly, this is a must. If you are a not, it may still be a book of anthropological interest.

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Billy's Comedy Genius
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Now, I know it's a book review, but I couldn't sign off without leaving you with some humour …. 4 of my most favoured Billy quotes / jokes (wish I had thought of them!!!);

"I'm a big fan of the Mars Bar Diet. You don't eat the Mars bar, you stick it up your arse and let a rottweiler chase you home"

"What is it with McDonald's staff who pretend they don't understand you unless you insert the 'Mc' before the item you're ordering? It has to be a McChicken burger...a chicken burger gets blank looks. Well, I'll have a McStraw and jam it into your McEyes, you f**cking McTosser!"

"Fame is being asked to sign your autograph on the back of cigarette packet."

"Two guys are talking and one says to the other: "What would you do if the end of the world was in 3 minutes time?" The other one says, "I'd sh*g everything that moved...What would you do?" And he says, "I'd stand perfectly still".

Thanks for reading Ciaoers and remember adversity often leads to triumph … so, there is hope for all.

Newty.

The genius of Billy's comdey 

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