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  • Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

  • A Sortabiography
  • By: Eric Idle
  • Narrated by: Eric Idle
  • Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (901 ratings)

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Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

By: Eric Idle
Narrated by: Eric Idle
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Summary

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 on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film.

Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the '60s and '70s, 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 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 humour that has delighted his audiences for five decades.

The year 2019 marks the 50th 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.

©2018 Eric Idle (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group
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What listeners say about Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

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And now for something completely hilarious

A heart warming story of how a small, hunchbacked fish wife from the north side of Bristol and how she became one 1/6 of the greatest comedy team ever and all the celebrities that he’s hung out with over the years and the drink and drugs that went with that.

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4 people found this helpful

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Extraordinary

It’s good to hear the authors own voice and none more so in this catalogue of events and people. Thoroughly enjoyed it apart from the Americanisims of ass instead of arse!

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The same old Bollocks.

Christmas 2022 was all about Monty Python for me and I enjoyed revisiting the films and series immensely. However, I have never really bothered with any of the personal lives of the Pythons; until now. Graham Chapman’s biography is ready for reading and I decided to listen to Eric Idle’s book and it didn't disappoint me in the slightest. I also didn't realise he was from the North West in the U.K. just like me, so I guess we are practically family now! 10/10 and I savoured every second of this wonderful, descriptive and enjoyable life of one if Britain’s finest comedians. 10/10

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Very enjoyable.

Eric is responsible for so much happiness in my life and this book didn't disappoint. Such touching and also hilarious stories within this book.

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An easy listen.

His gift for corrupting common phrases and words into an unexpected and occasionally amusing alternative, plus his relentless name-dropping made it an easy listen.

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Brilliant, funny and moving

As Eric himself suspects, the length of the many Python documentaries may add up to be longer than the original series! So while of course there is alot about Python here, there's also lots of stuff that will is new. If you've read the Greedy Bastard Diary (also a brilliant book), you'll spot a few bits from there that he's reused but also expanded on. I laughed out loud in many places but was also moved in other places, especially the George Harrison chapter. The emotional power of course being all the more effective because Eric is reading his own words. A "must listen" for any Python fan.

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Overall very enjoyable

Overall this autobiography was very enjoyable - only occasionally did it dip into simply reciting a list of celebrities Eric Idle met in his life rather than anecdotes about those interactions. Eric Idle is obviously the perfect narrator for such an audiobook and if you have any interest at all in the history of the Pythons then this will be a real treat.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Name Drop!

Name Drop. Name Drop! Name Drop? Name Drop. Name. Drop. Name drop. Then name Drop.

It's OK. Would've liked it to be deeper but he just kept... Dropping... Names. Still, worth it.

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Very entertaining

Interesting insights to not only Eric, Monty Python but other folk like George Harrison, Billy Connolly, Robin Williams and lots more. Great read spanning a few decades.

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Sorta-fantastic!

Loved this audiobook by Eric Idle. Full of amazing stories and events from the 1960's through the 70's and 80's to present day. He is a genius and a hilarious comedian. So much fun!

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