Many of you may not have heard of Billy Connolly, which is unfortunate (for you!)
I have been a fan for years, and was lucky enough once to meet him after a live show in London.
Billy Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards becoming a welder and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually becoming an accomplished banjo player and a member of the band Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty (later of Baker Street fame). The jokes he told between songs eventually took over his act and he became a full-time comedian. Already a big star in Scotland, he became a household name in the UK after appearing on the chat show "Parkinson" (1971) in the early seventies. Billy has released many recordings and videos of his concert performances over the years. He has expanded his repertoire to include acting, appearing in a number of television dramas and films, most recently in the USA. In the 90s he made two documentary series for the BBC, about Scotland and Australia respectively, and in 1997 he starred in the award winning film "Mrs Brown", and more recently, was also the voice behind "McSquizzy" in "Open Season".
Click below to see an example of why Billy Connolly is my all time comedy favourite.
( Or should I say....Da Bomb...? )
I searched long and hard to find a clip without his usual colourful language with little success. Please bear this in mind if you should choose to explore his work further. !
According to the Internet Billy Connolly is known for:
"Tangential storytelling in stand-up comedy performances, often featuring multilayered digressions from original story."
"Banjo playing"
"His long, messy hair, goatee and lots of bad language in his stand-up show"
And the following quotes:
"I'm now a Doctor of Letters. Most of them Fs and Bs."
"In Scotland, there is no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes."
"Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares?... He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!"
"There are two seasons in Scotland - Winter and July."