Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography
Knowing that Eric was very close friends with George Harrison made choosing to read and review this book a no-brainer! The sub-title of this book could actually be “and a semi-autobiography of George Harrison” because from the very beginning Eric Idle talks about their life long friendship. Even in stories that George isn’t in, Idle will end with, “As George Harrison always said….”
But this book isn’t just about Eric Idle, George Harrison and the Pythons. The names of all the notable people Eric has worked and socialized with is outstanding (and take way too much band with to list)! I actually got tired of the name dropping at one point, but that is the way his life has evolved. And every name he drops has a story. From getting Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher drunk the night before a filming a major scene in The Empire Strikes Back (he says you can tell they’re hungover in the scene), to having dinner at Billy Connolly’s house with Robin William and Prince Charles all at the table!
Unfortunately, the ebook copy that I received from Crown Publishing is an unedited proof, so there are some typos and some really rough paragraphs that could use some cleaning up, not to mention one badly placed photo with the wrong caption. Oh…and speaking of the photos! There are photos from so many of Eric Idles stories that you’d think he had them taken just so he could prove that the outrageousness of some of his stories are true.
This book is an absolute must read for everyone…especially George Harrison and Beatles fans…and of course Monty Python fans. And even though they swore they’ll never tour again, Palin, Cleese, Idle, Jones and Gilliam have broken that promise several times already. Let’s hope for another reunion. In the meantime, pre-order this book (https://amzn.to/2wVqOIh). It’ll really make you laugh….and for that reason…
I rate this book, 4 out of 4 Beetles!
Beatles-Freak's Reviews 