{"id":9185,"date":"2018-07-05T17:00:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T16:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=9185"},"modified":"2020-06-11T16:49:52","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T15:49:52","slug":"6-of-the-best-comedy-autobiographies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/07\/05\/6-of-the-best-comedy-autobiographies\/","title":{"rendered":"6 of the best comedy autobiographies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You would be hard-pressed to find someone who isn&#8217;t even a little bit obsessed with comedy. We have our favourite actors, performers or shows so why wouldn&#8217;t you want to dig a little deeper into how a renowned comic came to be? We looked at six brilliant biographies by six brilliant comedy performers!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9186 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Steve-Martin-189x300.jpg\" alt=\"steve-martin\" width=\"189\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Steve-Martin-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Steve-Martin.jpg 324w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Born Standing Up: A Comic\u2019s Life \u201d\u201c Steve Martin<\/h3>\n<p>American comedian Steve Martin carved out a successful stand-up career before moving into an equally successful acting career. But before the dizzying heights of Hollywood, Martin has a tough rise to the top. He details his strained relationship with his father, working in Disneyland at a young age and the awkward audiences he first spoke in front of. Martin discusses his days as a student in college, studying philosophy. <em>Standing Up<\/em> offers a deep insight into the man himself before he became the world\u2019s most famous comic.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9187 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/John-Cleese-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"john-cleese\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/John-Cleese-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/John-Cleese.jpg 323w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">So, Anyway\u201d\u00a6 &#8211; John Cleese<\/h3>\n<p>He\u2019s one part of the incredibly <em>Monty Python<\/em> gang and the mastermind behind the brilliant <em>Fawlty Towers<\/em> so of course, you would want to learn more about comedy royalty John Cleese. <em>So, Anyway\u201d\u00a6<\/em> shares some of the difficult parts of Cleese\u2019s childhood before moving into his deep interest in British comedy. Writing comedy was difficult for him, but luckily Cleese met a few others with similar interests whilst studying at Cambridge \u201d\u201c most notably was Graham Chapman, his writing partner for more than two decades. <em>So, Anyway\u201d\u00a6<\/em> offers a lot of insight into the beginnings of <em>Monty Python<\/em> and onto <em>Fawlty Towers<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9188 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Eddie-Izzard-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"eddie-izzard\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Eddie-Izzard-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Eddie-Izzard-768x1182.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Eddie-Izzard-666x1024.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Eddie-Izzard.jpg 1664w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Believe Me: a memoir of love, death and jazz chickens \u201d\u201c Eddie Izzard<\/h3>\n<p>Eddie Izzard is one of the most interesting comics the British Isles has ever produced. Whilst his memoir only scratches the surface, it gives you a look into his path into performing. Having lost his mother at just six years of age, it drove him to work harder and harder in an attempt to bring her back to life. As is a right of passage, Izzard performed at Edinburgh Fringe way back in 1981 and would also try to test his comedic prowess by taking unwanted slots at stand-up shows. He\u2019s open about his struggles with his gender identity and sexuality.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9189 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dawn-French-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"dawn-french\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dawn-French-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dawn-French.jpg 324w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Dear Fatty \u201d\u201c Dawn French<\/h3>\n<p>Dawn French is one half of the epic comedy duo <em>French and Saunders<\/em>, alongside the equally brilliant Jennifer Saunders. Dawn French also branched out into her own show, starring as Reverend Geraldine Granger in <em>The Vicar of Dibley<\/em>, one of Britain&#8217;s best-loved sitcoms. In her autobiography, <em>Dear Fatty<\/em>, she discusses the various people in her life and the impact they have had on her. French\u2019s father committed suicide when she was 19, which left her with a heap of unanswered questions.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9190 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Moab-is-my-Washpot-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"moab-is-my-washpot\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Moab-is-my-Washpot-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Moab-is-my-Washpot-768x1172.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Moab-is-my-Washpot-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Moab-is-my-Washpot.jpg 1520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Moab is my Washpot \u201d\u201c Stephen Fry<\/h3>\n<p>Stephen Fry is often deemed as a national treasure; a well-rounded, witty person with plenty to say. He\u2019s knowledgeable, endearing and above all, likeable. In <em>Moab is my Washpot<\/em>, Fry details the youth and young manhood, before he finishes his degree at Cambridge University. It details Fry\u2019s realisation that he is gay, his imprisonment, the bullying he suffered and his attempted suicide. Much of what is explained is a far cry from the man we know today but it is all a part of the journey. Fry leaves no stone unturned and you\u2019ll gain a greater perspective into one of the brilliant minds of British comedy.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9191 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Bossypants-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"bossypants\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Bossypants-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Bossypants.jpg 330w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bossypants \u201d\u201c Tina Fey<\/h3>\n<p>Making her name across the water, Tina Fey is one of the best-known comedians working today. She earned her craft through the impeccable <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em>, going on to be the first female Head Writer for the show. She discusses her younger years, through to the <em>SNL<\/em> stint that helped to make her a household name. Her stance in comedy is huge, as she details her critically-acclaimed show <em>30 Rock<\/em>, of which she starred, wrote for and produced. Whilst she attributes much of the success of the show to Alec Baldwin, that\u2019s simply diluting the truth. Despite the hurdles surrounding female comics, Fey has become one of the most successful and she tells her struggle of being taken seriously in a male-dominated industry.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Has this whetted your comedic appetite? Pick up these books &#8211; and many more! &#8211; at the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/category\/entertainment\/books\/#prm_creative=shop-all&amp;prm_name=shop-all-BP&amp;prm_position=A1&amp;prm_id=BPA1\">musicMapgie Store<\/a>. Postage is absolutely free for your order!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/books\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=books\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/SHOP-NOW.png\" alt=\"SHOP NOW\" width=\"299\" height=\"50\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Here are 6 of the best comedy autobiographies:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Born Standing Up: A Comic&#8217;s Life &#8211; Steve Martin<\/li>\n<li>So, Anyway&#8230; &#8211; John Cleese<\/li>\n<li>Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens &#8211; Eddie Izzard<\/li>\n<li>Dear Fatty &#8211; Dawn French<\/li>\n<li>Moab is my Washpot &#8211; Stephen Fry<\/li>\n<li>Bossypants &#8211; Tina Fey<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You would be hard-pressed to find someone who isn&#8217;t even a little bit obsessed with comedy. We have our favourite actors, performers or shows so why wouldn&#8217;t you want to dig a little deeper into how a renowned comic came to be? We looked at six brilliant biographies by six &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1796],"tags":[2008,1797,1758],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9185"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10330,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185\/revisions\/10330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}