The first full-length memoir from the Big Yin is every bit as warm, hilarious and engrossing as you would expect, and charts his extraordinary life from a deprived upbringing in Glasgow to global success and the challenges of his later years.
Shortlisted for The British Book Awards 2022 Non-Fiction Narrative Book of the Year
'I didn't know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He'd just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs.
He said: "Look at you - all windswept and interesting!"
I just said: "Exactly!"
After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation...'
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.
Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.
Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.
As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.
It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.
Windswept and Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.
Publisher: John Murray Press
ISBN: 9781529318265
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 680 g
Dimensions: 238 x 160 x 38 mm
Billy Connolly's long and vivid life makes for a joyous memoir - The Big Issue
There are a lot of laughs and love in the book, but a great grimness to it as well. - The I
This is everything a celebrity autobiography should be and more. - Scottish Mail on Sunday
Frank and funny. I especially loved the audio book read by Billy himself - nothing beats listening to the story in his own voice. Life affirming.
I thoroughly enjoyed meandering with Billy down memory lane. The book reads like he's talking straight to you & there's many a smile & a giggle on the way.
Thanks for all the laughs over all these...
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Such a good book. I had Billy’s voice in my head reading it to me and it is so funny. Almost like he is in the room. Would definitely recommend it to all his fans
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