Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography

Title:  Always Look on the Bright Side of Life:  A Sortabiography

Author:  Eric Idle

Publication Information:  Crown Archetype. 2018. 304 pages.

ISBN:  978-1984822581

Book Source:  I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Graham Chapman once said:  'Life is rather like a yacht in the Caribbean. It's alright if you've got one.'"

Favorite Quote:  "If this isn't exactly what went down, it's certainly how it should have happened."

For those of you who don't know, Eric Idle was a member of Monty Python. Then again, if you don't know who Eric Idle is, why would you read his memoir? As for me, I did not know much about Eric Idle the individual, but I do know Monty Python. If a participant in the Monty Python The Meaning of Life is choosing to reflect on his life, I wanted to see what he thought. So, I was intrigued to know more. Even more so, I was ready to be entertained in a Monty Python-esque manner.

Note that 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first airing of the Flying Circus on BBC. I suppose this is Eric Idle's contribution to the celebration.

The title of the book, of course refers to the now iconic song written by Eric Idle and first featured in the movie Monty Python's Life of Brian.

This book defines itself as a sortabiography. The author further defines that particularly in light of the idea of always looking on the bright side...

• "Of course I have faults, but you won't read about them here. I've glossed over all my shortcomings. This is after the point of Autobiography. It is the case for the Defense."
• "Writing about yourself is an odd mix of therapy and lap dancing; exciting and yet a little shameful."
• "On the advice of my lawyer I am leaving out the shameful bits, and on the advice of my wife the filthy bits, and as usual in my career, I will leave you wanting less."

The book description features a lot of famous names ... George Harrison, David Bowie, Robin Williams, Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, John Cleese and the Pythons, Princess Leia, Queen Elizabeth, and many more. That descriptions should have been a clue as to how the book was going to go. The entire book unfortunately is a lot of name dropping. The book reads much like a collection of stories that act as vehicles to name names. After a while, I find myself skimming through, waiting for greater substance. This unfortunately never comes.

I expected to learn about the person Eric Idle is. A little biography is there, but it does not seem to go beyond the surface. The fact that the book is not chronologically written also contributes to that feeling. Perhaps, conveying a life is not the objective here, but growing with a character and taking a journey with them is part of the appeal of memoirs and biographies.

I also expected to learn about Monty Python and the dynamics of the group that led to their creations. Again, a little bit is there, but I don't feel like I know or understand more than I did before reading the book. The fact that the book is a narration of people, places and events without much reflection or introspection contributes to that feeling.

Sadly, in a sortabiography self-written, the author does not come across as the most positive character. That perhaps is the most unexpected thought of this book.

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