During the slow, languorous days between Christmas and New Years, I never saw a patch of blue sky. It was gunmetal gray skies, soft rain and low temperatures. So what better companion could I have for my walks than ‘Windswept and interesting’ by Billy Connolly?

The big yin

His voice is certainly frailer at times, but it’s still recognisable as the big yin. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy audiobooks read by the author; you feel they’re telling you their own story. And what a story Connolly has. He didn’t have it easy as a child, his mother abandoning him when he was a toddler, his father working in India. He was brought up by an aunt who bullied him mentally and physically, and sexually abused by his father when he returned. The treatment he received from his aunt he is open about, but the abuse from his father only briefly mentioned - as he says, it’s something he has locked away inside himself.

He recounts it all in ‘Windswept & Interesting’ - his life in the shipyard, on the road as a folksinger, early marriage and fatherhood. Travelling and touring, life with Pamela and his work in films comes later. It’s not always chronological, as you would expect from Billy. He drifts back and forth between various stages of his life, and that was fine for this listener.

Jokes

I’ve been a fan for years so have heard a lot of his routines, but it was a joy to hear him tell some of his most well known jokes and stories again. There’s also a lot of his life I was unfamiliar with, such as his time with Gerry Anderson and I haven’t seen all of his films. Of course he's a natural raconteur, and comes across as a genuine, honest and naturally funny bloke who is not unafraid to admit the mistakes he has made in his life. This is proper wart’s and all account, there’s no glossing over anything.

I also wasn’t aware of his love of books (he attributes everything he has achieved in his life to Partick library) and I was delighted when he said that ‘Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole was one of his favourites, and the other side of the coin was Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Brother’s Karazmavov.’ There’s a lot of light and shade in Billy Connolly’s life, and he comes across as someone who has learned a lot of wisdom along life’s path. As he recounts his days now in the Florida Keys, weakened badly by Parkinsons, he say’s he’s had a good life and he appreciates all of it. He’s come through a lot in his life and is a proper survivor.

Laughter

During my walks I probably got a lot of strange looks, as I smiled and laughed my way through ‘Windswept & interesting.’ He tells one funny story and starts to break up with laughter (it concerns a pigeon and pub) and struggles to finish his story. I actually had to sit down for a minute to compose myself. Thank you Billy Connolly, for your wit, warmth and exuberance throughout your lifetime, you are truly a one off.

AudiobookBook review -Windswept and Interesting by Billy Connolly

Audible Audio

October 14, 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton Limited

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