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So, Anyway...
- The Autobiography
- Narrated by: John Cleese
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
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So, Anyway...
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Summary
Candid and brilliantly funny, this is the story of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a self-confessed legend.
En route, John Cleese describes his nerve-racking first public appearance, at St Peter's Preparatory School at the age of eight and five-sixths; his endlessly peripatetic homelife, with parents who seemed incapable of staying in any house for longer than six months; his first experiences in the world of work, as a teacher who knew nothing about the subjects he was expected to teach; his hamster-owning days at Cambridge; and his first encounter with the man who would be his writing partner for over two decades, Graham Chapman. And so on to his dizzying ascent via scriptwriting for Peter Sellers, David Frost, Marty Feldman and others to the heights of Monty Python.
Punctuated from time to time with John Cleese's thoughts on topics as diverse as the nature of comedy, the relative merits of cricket and waterskiing and the importance of knowing the dates of all the kings and queens of England, this is a masterly performance by a former schoolmaster.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- M. L. S. Lee
- 15-02-17
Entertaining, unexpected
Would have liked to hear more about his time with the monty python team, same about fawlty towers! There are hilarious stories, well worth the listen - also this audiobook is quite special in a way, in comparison to the book, some things you can't get from the book I imagine!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Tom
- 06-02-17
Good, but maybe hard-going at times.
I leapt at the chance to hear John Cleese read his own autobiography, although, by the end, I felt I might have enjoyed it more if it had been read by someone else. At times, the text becomes a bit of a rant, or so relentless that I paused the recording to take a good break from it. It could be hard going on occasions.
It's also, in my view, less balanced than some might have expected. There is a very great deal of detail about Cleese's early life, but the story pretty much peters out around the time of Monty Python. His take on the production and recording of, say, Fawlty Towers, would have been good, but it merits hardly a word, as does much from the mid 1980s onwards.
Maybe he has a second volume in mind?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jamie Sleeman
- 08-10-19
And now for something completely different....
Well-written, humorous and intelligent book written by a well-read, humorous and intelligent person, even if he hasn't yet worked out that no-one is fooled by that combover. (Seriously Cheese old man, embrace the slaphead. It's liberating.)
Can't wait for part 2 to come out, so I can buy that too!
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- Andrew Durston
- 09-10-19
Spot on , great words from a great man .
was a complete pleasure, highly recommend. learnt lots and I laughed . what more can you ask for .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- So.Hi
- 15-10-19
A Fan-tas-tic Listen
A fun listen. Michael Palin pops up at the start and finish, some audio from ore-python days, suitable use of f**k where appropriate... you tend to forget about Cleese’s pre-python career. All told in good humour, very respectful to most bar Ned Sherrin and the “Nazi loving Daily Mail”. Loved it!
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- George Dall
- 26-03-18
"Reese's Pieces, I Don't Know Who John Cleese Is?"
You will after listening to this! A must listen too (only took me two days) even if you have never heard of John or seen any of his work. Thoroughly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dusty
- 13-03-18
Medicinal Cheese!
Like the Python sketches, I did not want it to have an ending. Warm, funny (of course!), sharp and endlessly endless. I particularly enjoyed the distain for misguided political correctness and also his love of guided selfies. Thank you Mr Cheese!
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- Mrs J
- 04-06-21
Brilliantly funny
Brilliantly funny nothing less than you expect from this master of humour all the better for having John Cleese reading it definite laugh out loud moments
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Johnny
- 24-12-17
Great insight
Really enjoyable insight to a legend but also the early years of English life. Delivery in a serendipitous style John seemingly having no choice in that direction it’s like took
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- BennySaysRelax
- 30-01-18
A fun and enjoyable ride
Would you consider the audio edition of So, Anyway... to be better than the print version?
Yes. Listening to Cleese reminisce with pleasure and laughing at his own memories was a fun and somewhat personal angle that would be missed in the print form. As well as that some audio samples of previous work was used alongside the book text which made it a bit different.
What was one of the most memorable moments of So, Anyway...?
Not one thing alone but is does give the opportunity to see Cleese outside of the persona he has.
Which character – as performed by John Cleese – was your favourite?
John Cleese. By far.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
The title So, Anyway.
Any additional comments?
Cleese falls short of going into detail about the Python years. I think deliberately. Instead this book shows Cleese as a human that grew into a Python ( so to speak ). That feels like something new to a fan of him. He has always had a certain persona which this book now sheds light on. You get the chance to see a glimpse of the real John Cleese.
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