Milligan's Meaning of Life

Author: Spike Milligan
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0670920789
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies. With his lightning-quick wit, unbridled creativity and his ear for the absurd, Milligan revolutionised British comedy, leaving a legacy of influence that stretches from Monty Python's Flying Circus to the work of self-confessed acolytes such as Eddie Izzard and Stephen Fry today. Throughout his life, Milligan wrote prolifically - scripts, poetry, fiction, as well as several volumes of memoir, in which he took an entirely idiosyncratic approach to the truth. In this ground-breaking work, Norma Farnes, his long-time manager, companion, counsellor and confidante, gathers together the loose threads, reads between the lines and draws on the full breadth of his writing to present his life in his own words: an autobiography - of sorts. From his childhood in India, through his early career as a jazz musician and sketch-show entertainer, his spells in North Africa and Italy with the Royal Artillery, to that fateful first broadcast of The Goon Show and beyond into the annals of comedy history, this is the autobiography Milligan never wrote.

Spike Milligan: Man of Letters

Author: Spike Milligan
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241966930
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 425

Book Description
Spike Milligan's letters contain some of the best material he ever wrote . . . Collected here for the first time are the funniest, rudest and most revealing of them - most of which have never been seen before - from one of the greatest comics of the twentieth century to some of its most famous politicians, actors, celebrities and rock stars (as well as a host of unlikely individuals on some surprising subjects): - rounded teabags ('what did you do with the corners?') - backless hospital gowns ('beyond my comprehension') - heartfelt apologies ('pardon me for being alive') and the imbalance of male and female ducks in London's parks. Here, then, is the real Spike Miligan: obsessive, rude, generous and relentlessly witty. 'Milligan's zaniness shines through' Telegraph 'The godfather of alternative comedy' Eddie Izzard Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

The Real Peter Sellers

Author: Andrew Norman
Publisher: White Owl
ISBN: 1526786842
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Book Description
Throughout the world, people regard Peter Sellers purely as a comedic genius: surely, one of the greatest ever to have lived. But, the astute observer will notice that he always appeared to be acting, even when being interviewed. So, who was Peter Sellers? Sellers once said, ‘I could never be myself you see. There is no “Me”. I do not exist. There used to be me, but I had it surgically removed’. Clearly, this was not intended to be taken literally. Instead, the inference is that somehow, he had lost his sense of identity. To discover the real Peter Sellers is no easy task, and when we do, what we encounter is a totally different persona from the comedic characters that he portrayed on the screen. Sellers had celebrity status: a succession of beautiful wives; immense wealth; magnificent motor cars; expensive yachts; a house in Mayfair, and various palatial residences. But far from being happy, he was plagued by self-doubt; ambitious, but never satisfied. And so, he resorted to superstition, clairvoyance, and drugs to get himself through the day. For all Sellers’ worldwide fame as ‘Inspector Clouseau’, many regard the film Being There, in which he played the character ‘Chance’, a gardener, as his masterpiece. In fact, the film was a damning indictment of the false god of materialism. Sellers’ obsession with the character of ‘Chance’, makes it seem likely that this was the kind of person he aspired to be, and wished that he had been.

Enigma

Author: Peter Milligan
Publisher: Vertigo
ISBN: 9781401251314
Category : COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
ENIGMA is a thought-provoking post-modern tale of self-discovery and sexual identity told against the backdrop of improbable super-heroes and villains. Michael Smith lives a meaningless life of routine and boredom. But when Enigma, his favorite childhood comic book hero, inexplicably comes to life, Smith finds himself on an obsessive crusade to uncover the secret behind his improbable existence. Teaming with Enigma's comic creator, Smith encounters an insanity-inducing psychopath, a brain-eating serial killer, and a suicide-inciting clown posse as his quest uncovers hidden truths about both his idol and himself. This new edition of the Vertigo classic is written by Peter Milligan (JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, RED LANTERNS) with kinetic art by Duncan Fegredo (SHADE THE CHANGING MAN). Collects ENIGMA #1-8.

Those Spikes of Spike Milligan

Author: Natasha Tristan
Publisher: UB Tech
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 61

Book Description
Terence Alan Sean Milligan was born on April 16, 1918. He was an actor-comedian writer and also a very talented poet. He was famous for his work on ‘’The Goon Show", which turned out to be the greatest hit of that time. Spike Milligan tried to hide his pain with his sense of humour. Most of his works were based on comedy, but he also wrote a book about his memories of wartime. Milligan had a great sense of humor, which became a handful when he started writing. He turned his emotions in a funny way and liked to be entertained. His creativity and crazy sense of humor dominated the Goons. Throughout his life, Milligan wrote a great deal, including multiple volumes of memoir in which he adopted a wholly unique perspective on the truth, as well as screenplays, poetry, cartoon drawings, parodies, and fiction. He was one of the most unconventional and consistently humorous performers on the British comedy circuit from the conclusion of the Second World War until his death. Spike Milligan will be remembered for his humorous style forever. Spike Milligan was a jokester, even when discussing death. Let's have a short flash of his razor-sharp humor, unrestrained invention, and how he transformed British comedy by flipping everything he came across.

Badjelly the Witch

Author: Alannah O'Sullivan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780908607655
Category : Children's plays, New Zealand
Languages : en
Pages : 71

Book Description
"Badjelly is the baddest witch there is. Tim and Rose have lost their cow Lucy and are going on a trek to find her. They are captured in an enchanted forest by Badjelly. Will Badjelly make them into boy girl soup?"--Back cover.

The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament

Author: James Hope Moulton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Greek language, Biblical
Languages : en
Pages : 124

Book Description

The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)

Author: Caroll Spinney
Publisher: Villard
ISBN: 0307417549
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 171

Book Description
An inspiring message for all ages: Find your inner bird. If you’re looking for wisdom and joy in your life, go straight to Sesame Street and heed the words of its most beloved and profound resident, Caroll Spinney, who has spent the past thirty-four years in a bird costume (and a trash can) as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Three decades inside a giant puppet have taught Spinney a valuable and surprising lesson: Being a bird can make you a better person. In The Wisdom of Big Bird, the living legend of Sesame Street describes how we can all find our inner bird (or grouch). Each chapter illustrates a piece of useful wisdom Spinney has gleaned from a career in feathers. The lessons Big Bird teaches children every day on Sesame Street are the same ones that have brought Spinney success and satisfaction in his own life. Warm, witty, and affirming, Caroll Spinney’s memoir proves that being a bird can make you a better and happier person. “Every day on Sesame Street, we strive to give our innocent young audience the basis of a lifelong education. It is no accident that spending the past thirty-four years in the Bird suit teaching these lessons to others has taught me a few things, too.”—from The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)

The Minds of Billy Milligan

Author: Daniel Keyes
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 9781409163909
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE HIT SERIES THE CROWDED ROOM STARRING TOM HOLLAND From the author of million-copy bestseller Flowers for Algernon, the shocking true story of the first person in US history to be found not guilty due to multiple personality disorder. 'Fascinating' LA Times 'Absorbing' Cosmopolitan Billy Milligan was a man tormented by twenty-four distinct personalities battling for supremacy - a battle that culminated when he awoke in jail, arrested for the kidnap and rape of three women. In a landmark trial, Billy was acquitted of his crimes by reason of insanity caused by multiple personality disorder - the first such court decision in history. Among the twenty-four are: Philip, a petty criminal; Kevin, who dealt drugs; April, whose only ambition was to kill Billy's stepfather; Adalana, the shy, affection-starved lesbian who 'used' Billy's body in the rapes that led to his arrest; David, the eight-year-old 'keeper of the pain'; and the Teacher, the sum of all Billy's alter egos fused into one. In The Minds of Billy Milligan, Daniel Keyes brings to light the most remarkable and harrowing case of multiple personality ever recorded.

Dust If You Must

Author: Rose Milligan
Publisher: Souvenir Press
ISBN: 1800814879
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 20

Book Description
A classic poem with a timeless message, presented in a small and beautiful gift book. Rose Milligan never intended to publicly share her poem 'Dust If You Must', but a series of events led her to publish it in The Lady magazine in 1998. Her charming message about what we value in life resonated with audiences, and it has since been read on BBC radio, posted on Instagram, printed on tea towels, read at funerals and put to music. Now appearing as a book for the first time, beautifully illustrated throughout by illustrator Hayley Wells, Dust If You Must is a timeless reminder to focus on the things we can enjoy in the world, rather than the things we think we need to do.