Paul O’Grady, apart from being one of Britain’s best loved entertainers, is a classic example of reinvention, as At My Mother’s Knee demonstrates. The young Liverpool entertainer, an altar boy from Irish Catholic Birkenhead, becomes the acid-tongued and outrageous drag queen Lily Savage, and moves from gay pubs to national television, creating something of a British comic institution en route (O’Grady’s caustic drag character was a world away from safer predecessors such as Danny La Rue). But O’Grady (like other comic performers such as John Cleese) realised that comic creations can have a limited shelf life, and reinvented himself as ‘Paul O’Grady’, coming out from behind the false breasts and towering wigs as a toned-down (but still camp), more audience-friendly TV presenter (wisely, he retained the abrasive voice and a Scouse accent that could be cut with a knife).
At My Mother’s Knee and Other Low Joints is an entertaining autobiography from someone who really does have a life that is worth writing about. Gossipy, sharp and colourful, the cast of characters in Paul O’Grady’s life includes rogues and rascals galore, all of whom are evoked here with great comic skill. O’Grady was variously a boxer, a civil servant, a conman and even a cat burglar – all of these failed careers are on display here, as is a surprisingly pungent picture of the Liverpool nightclub scene. When so many showbiz autobiographies these days are written by people who have a barely had a life outside of their fame, it’s refreshing to encounter one by somebody whose story would be interesting even if he were not a major TV star. –Barry Forshaw
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Tears and laughter,
You can actually hear Paul dictating the words. There are heart tugging moments but there are also laugh out loud moments from a giggle to a hearty belly laugh. The characters who populated Paul’s world are larger than life and twice as funny. This is a book that is, to coin a word, unputdownable and one I shall keep. I can’t wait for the next one.
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|The Flame of Llandudno burns brightly,
What to say?? This book is intensely moving, ridiculously funny and, above all, is a very human tale of a working class, Northern family, complete with all the catholic guilt, scallywag shenanigans and rough love that can entail.
Its like a Birkenhead “Angela’s Ashes” …..only with more sequins.
Brilliant!
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|Worth The Wait!!,
This is it, the book we’ve all been waiting for!!
Paul O’ Grady is without a doubt the most entertaining man on the chatshow circuit today, a true superstar, a marvelous entertainer and quite rightly adored by legions of fans.
When I found out that Paul’s autobiography was finally out, I just had to get my copy and as soon as I sat down to read it, found that I simply just couldn’t put it down. Great stories, extremely honest and downright hilarious for the most part. You really feel that you know him so much better than before as well as his family and interesting friends that he met along the way, Paul’s story has certainly been dramatic and fascinating to say the least.
“At My Mother’s Knee … and Other Low Joints” didn’t disappoint this reader at all and I can only recommened that you yourself be sure to buy a copy of this guaranteed bestseller of a memoir.
The only bad side of it is that it only covers his childhood/teenage years therfore leaving the reader longing for more — can’t wait for the next one!!
Paul O’ Grady — a true legend and a very funny guy!
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