ADSactly Comedy: Billy Connolly
"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!"
Hello again @adsactly comedy lovers,
Today, as you may have guessed, we’re talking about another favorite of mine, Scottish comedy legend Billy Connolly, known by many as The Big Yin, which considering the accent would mean ‘the big one’. It’s a nickname that hails from his early club days, when he was performing one of his most famous skits ever, the one about The Crucifixion. Got him in quite a bit of trouble with the local priests, I can tell you that.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Billy was born in Glasgow in 1942. Like many funny people, he was the survivor of an extremely harsh, difficult childhood. His father served in the war, wasn’t even at home when Billy was born and only met the boy years later, after the war was over.
After his father came home a stranger from the war, his mother abandoned him and his sister. What always surprised me about Billy is how understanding he was later about the whole thing, how kind towards all those people who were not kind to him in his youth. Of his mother, he said he completely got it, that she was very young, with two little children, living in poverty. He didn’t blame her life was hard.
"When people say "life is short". What the f***? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever f****g does! What can you do that's longer?"
And it got even harder after she left. Billy and his sister were brought up by their two very strict aunts, who were frequently violent with the children and emotionally abusive. His relationship with his father wasn’t much better, to put it mildly.
I hate to dwell on such stories, mainly because it feels like gossip to say ‘you know, he was abused as a child’, but there are some people who overcome these conditions so astoundingly that you can’t help mentioning it. Sure, many people have hard lives, difficult childhoods, toxic relationships with their parents and guardians, but few manage to not only survive but make something of themselves, be happy etc.
Billy is and always has been a huge inspiration to me.
"Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?"
In his youth, he worked on the shipyards, from sixteen up until the age of 24, as a welder. It was a demanding, tiring job and in Billy’s own words, he was lucky to get out when he did. He told the story of one of the older shipyard workers telling him he could make something of his life, he could do something other than this and that he should get out while he still could. Otherwise, he might’ve ended up working his whole life there until he was too old, his back too broken, his hands too tired. And the world would have been a lot poorer if he had.
After leaving the shipyards, he started playing in a band called The Humblebums with a young Gerry Rafferty. Although later, he became more focused on comedy and stand-up, Billy still plays the banjo today and has released several funny songs that have become hits in Scotland.
After The Humblebums broke up in 1971, Billy began developing his routines and like many British comedy legends, had one of his big breaks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1972. He made quite a name for himself with his irreverent sense of humor, his stories that could go on forever and often digress into another story, and of course, the copious amounts of swearing.
"A lot of people say it's a lack of vocabulary that makes you swear. Rubbish. I know thousands of words but I still prefer f***k."
Now, it would be a bit pointless to begin telling you all the things Billy Connolly did. He appeared on hundreds of televised programs, comedy specials, recorded his own travel series, recently authored a book, performed live across the world. It would also be a bit pointless telling you which of these appearances brought him more fame. Basically, in the decades since, Billy Connolly has become a household name in Scotland, who often poses for selfies with fans whenever they ask him on the street.
They’ve dedicated murals to him. He’s a legend, what more can one say, really?
Like with all the people I’ve featured in this series, I’d much rather let the man speak for himself, so I’d encourage you to watch the videos I’ve linked to this post, to get a feel of what I’m talking about.
"I get claustrophobic easily and I don’t get why aeroplane toilets don’t f****g have windows. I mean it’s not as if anyone can f*****g see in…Unless of course you are the most determined pervert in the world."
Oh, he also appeared in numerous movies, including most recently ‘The Hobbit’, proving his versatility as an actor.
A few years ago, Billy announced he’d been diagnosed both with cancer (which he later defeated) and Parkinson’s disease. Last year, he announced he was retiring from performing live, as he could no longer do it, due to the disease spreading. In 2019, he released a two-part TV mini series called “Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland”, about his life, childhood, time as a welder, comedy career, as well as some hugely touching considerations on death.
It's as if I'm being prepared for something. Some other adventure, which is over the hill. But I've got all this stuff to lose first.
He is, quite simply, one of the most remarkable people in the Universe.
Authored by @honeydue
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Thanks to your gratifying post, @honeydue, I can meet another important contemporary comedian. From what you say, he had a hard life, but he had the strength and lucidity to face it. It can be noticed that he is endowed with a fine and sharp humour, nothing easy and common. All the jokes I quote are very good, particularly for me that of shoes and the brevity of life. I incorporate it to my background of first class comedians.
Yes, he's really a remarkable guy. Glad you learned more about him through my post :D
i like your post very much.you are talent and inteligent man.i want to follow you
A very enlightening blog @adsactly I learned a lot about Billy Connolly which gave me a better appreciation for his unique personality and outlook on life. I get the impression that his quotes are lighthearted attempts at de-cluttering life's complexities........none more so, than the last one you included. i.e., "It's as if I'm being prepared for something. Some other adventure, which is over the hill. But I've got all this stuff to lose first."
I sincerely hope Billy unravels some of the more profound mysteries of life which await us all........over the hill.
Yeah, I think you're right, particularly about the last one. a lighthearted attempt of understanding what's happening. Glad my post helped you learn a bit more about Billy :D
It's always enlightening to understand what makes a person think the way they do. Too often we restrict ourselves to focusing on only one dimension of the skill of performers or artists and not take the time to delve into their humanity. You did a great job with this blog @honeydue. Thank you again. 💐
Aww I love Billy, probably one of my top 10 comedians. And he was brilliant in The Boondock Saints.
Ha I know, right? He's brilliant. I loved him in The Boondock Saints :)) Pretty much anywhere really, no matter how seemingly insignificant the part, he always seems to bring something unique to the picture.
LOL. I've enjoyed the quotes you've made from Billy Connolly's jokes. Another comedy star I didn't know, but now I have a reference thanks to you. I like that in spite of the tragedies or the sorrows he may have experienced, he has assumed a positive and noble attitude with those who gave him the back. That's very noble. I feel that his life and his way of taking it on is very inspiring. I'm really going to look for him to know more about him. Thank you, @honey
Yeah, I like that about him, too :) I remember crying when I read about his childhood because he is just such a genuinely fun and good person, you know? Glad this post introduced you to him!
@adsactly Hey such a nice and informative post!!!! Really interesting!!!!
Keep up the good work!!!!
Wish you luck =)
Keep going✌
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@honeydue, Some people travel journey which holds lot of issues and questions but one thing is for sure, Comedy is great tool of expression of truth with the essence of humour. If anyone wants to express big issues without any conflict then in my opinion best way is comedy. Stay blessed.
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I agree :) Comedy is very therapeutic.
👍👍
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This is hilarious
I knew little about this comedian. Thanks for sharing him with us.
I think that it is always a good thing to include bio details. They provide a useful backgorund to undertand the artist or where his work may come from.
This is really funny. And that's the magic of humor. It brings to our attention things we may not even think about, but which once we start thinking about because of a joke we can't get out of our heads easily
I agree, though I don't like to focus on the biographical details too much, particularly when they're less than pleasant, you know? I don't want it to sound mean or gossipy in any way, I don't want it to even seem that's what Billy is about, as he is so much more.
I'm glad you learned more about Billy through this post!