"So Anyway..." by John Cleese

Before reading this review, be forewarned I am an ardent Monty Python fan. While this should, in no way, influence my opinion of John Cleese's autobiography, I make no promises.

If "So, Anyway..." suffers from anything, it is the fact Cleese did not write this book earlier in his life so a younger Cleese could have performed the material for the audio book. While the wit and comic timing so many of us have come to adore remain pitch perfect, as ever, the consistency of his delivery sometimes wavers as he begins passages with gusto only for the energy to slowly fade. It even seems he occasionally struggles to catch his breath, particularly during longer chapters.

And that is my only complaint. The rest of the experience was thoroughly enjoyable, surprisingly enlightening and just plain funny. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when, telling about how the German air force bombed his insignificant country village several times during WWII, his father eventually concluded the only reason the Germans wasted the ammunition was to prove they really did have a sense of humor. Stories like that one are what make "So, Anyway..." so memorable. Cleese doesn't spend the entire book reliving the Parrot Sketch. Instead, the majority of the stories he relates are new (at least to me) and touch on his early personal development as a person and comedic star.

At nearly 80 years of age (actually 74 when the autobiography was published) Cleese is a byproduct of British radio comedy and early BBC television programming that influenced him. His eventual rise to stardom as one-sixth of Monty Python might be a mystery to the millions of Americans who enjoyed the show when PBS imported it in the 1970s, but for anyone living in England it must have seemed a foregone conclusion. From his early days at Cambridge Footlights, through writing for and acting in multiple David Frost vehicles, Cleese's ascendance was inevitable.

To his credit, Cleese details his early life and subsequent success as a young writer/performer with tremendous humility and self-deprecation. Even in his autobiography, he seems not only willing but eager to share the spotlight with people he clearly considers deserving. I highly recommend "So, Anyway..." to anyone who ever loved Monty Python or A Fish Called Wanda, or really just to anyone who has a funny bone in need of tickling.

Book Rating: 5 out of 5
Audio Rating: 4 out of 5