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Topic: JAM related auto/biographies

Message 1 / 5
MiriamMar 5, 2007
 

 
Pardon if this subject has already been dicussed but I love to read
auto/biographies. I just read Ian Messiters "My Life and Other Games"
in January and before that Wendy Richard's 'My Life Story'. Other JAM
related ones I have read are "Just Williams"/Kenneth Williams and The
Straight Man/ Nicholas Parsons- (a few yrs back) I also have Freud Ego
on Cassette. ( I warned you all that I was an Addicted Anglophile)
I found Ian's very interesting epecially about his 'war' job at the
BBC.
Any thoughts or recondmendations?( AmazonUK is a God send for me! I
also bought and read the ronnie corbett one one the 2 ronnies for
christmas) Miriam

 
<<<<   634   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM related auto/biographies

Message 2 / 5
BlackadderMar 5, 2007
 

 
Although it doesn't cover his JAM years, I highly recommend Moab Is My
Washpot by Stephen Fry, a fantastic biography of his first eighteen or
so years. I hope he decides to write a sequel some day.

On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:31:07 -0000, "Miriam" <delmelza@...> said:

> Pardon if this subject has already been dicussed but I love to read
> auto/biographies. I just read Ian Messiters "My Life and Other Games"
> in January and before that Wendy Richard's 'My Life Story'. Other JAM
> related ones I have read are "Just Williams"/Kenneth Williams and The
> Straight Man/ Nicholas Parsons- (a few yrs back) I also have Freud Ego
> on Cassette. ( I warned you all that I was an Addicted Anglophile)
> I found Ian's very interesting epecially about his 'war' job at the
> BBC.
> Any thoughts or recondmendations?( AmazonUK is a God send for me! I
> also bought and read the ronnie corbett one one the 2 ronnies for
> christmas) Miriam
>

--
Blackadder
blackadder1@...

--
http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
love email again

 
<<<<   637   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM related auto/biographies

Message 3 / 5
Dean BedfordMar 5, 2007
 

 
On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at 01:31 PM, Miriam wrote:

> Pardon if this subject has already been dicussed but I love to read
> auto/biographies. I just read Ian Messiters "My Life and Other Games"
> in January and before that Wendy Richard's 'My Life Story'. Other JAM
> related ones I have read are "Just Williams"/Kenneth Williams and The
> Straight Man/ Nicholas Parsons- (a few yrs back) I also have Freud Ego
> on Cassette. ( I warned you all that I was an Addicted Anglophile)
> I found Ian's very interesting epecially about his 'war' job at the
> BBC.
> Any thoughts or recondmendations?( AmazonUK is a God send for me! I
> also bought and read the ronnie corbett one one the 2 ronnies for
> christmas) Miriam

Hi Miriam

I posted on the blog a big chunk from Michael Palin's recently published
diaries, where he describes in detail his experiences at his one
recording. It's a page and a half in the book, and certainly worth
reading, although I don't know whether you'd buy the whole book for that
section (though someone I know who might have the initials DB did).

The Kenneth Williams Diaries contain many JAM references and are very
revealing as indeed is the whole book. The Williams Letters contain a
long reference to one particular show.

the biography of Kenneth Williams by Michael Freedland includes a
chapter on JAM and is probably the longest section on JAM in a book that
I've seen. It's not without factual errors but is full of insight into
the way Kenny played the game and includes comments from many of his
colleagues.

Sheila Hancock mentions JAM briefly in her memoirs - now 25 years old
( I'm not referring to her recent book about the death of her husband).

Graham Norton's book gives only the briefest of mentions to JAM but is a
fascinating read if you wonder about growing up gay in Ireland and how
he became a big name as a gay star while his parents still thought him
straight.

The recent tribute book to Linda Smith includes an excerpt from Linda on
JAM and brief chapters by Nicholas and Claire Jones which are quite good.

anyway some suggestions...

 
<<<<   639   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM related auto/biographies

Message 4 / 5
MiriamMar 5, 2007
 

 
--- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...>
wrote:

>
>
> On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at 01:31 PM, Miriam wrote:
>
> > Pardon if this subject has already been dicussed but I love to

read

> > auto/biographies. I just read Ian Messiters "My Life and Other

Games"

> > in January and before that Wendy Richard's 'My Life Story'. Other

JAM

> > related ones I have read are "Just Williams"/Kenneth Williams and

The

> > Straight Man/ Nicholas Parsons- (a few yrs back) I also have

Freud Ego

> > on Cassette. ( I warned you all that I was an Addicted Anglophile)
> > I found Ian's very interesting epecially about his 'war' job at

the

> > BBC.
> > Any thoughts or recondmendations?( AmazonUK is a God send for me!

I

> > also bought and read the ronnie corbett one one the 2 ronnies for
> > christmas) Miriam
>
> Hi Miriam
>
> I posted on the blog a big chunk from Michael Palin's recently

published

> diaries, where he describes in detail his experiences at his one
> recording. It's a page and a half in the book, and certainly worth
> reading, although I don't know whether you'd buy the whole book for

that

> section (though someone I know who might have the initials DB did).
>
> The Kenneth Williams Diaries contain many JAM references and are

very

> revealing as indeed is the whole book. The Williams Letters contain

a

> long reference to one particular show.
>
> the biography of Kenneth Williams by Michael Freedland includes a
> chapter on JAM and is probably the longest section on JAM in a book

that

> I've seen. It's not without factual errors but is full of insight

into

> the way Kenny played the game and includes comments from many of

his

> colleagues.
>
> Sheila Hancock mentions JAM briefly in her memoirs - now 25 years

old

> ( I'm not referring to her recent book about the death of her

husband).

>
> Graham Norton's book gives only the briefest of mentions to JAM but

is a

> fascinating read if you wonder about growing up gay in Ireland and

how

> he became a big name as a gay star while his parents still thought

him

> straight.
>
> The recent tribute book to Linda Smith includes an excerpt from

Linda on

> JAM and brief chapters by Nicholas and Claire Jones which are quite

good.

>
> anyway some suggestions...

Thanks Dean- been waiting for the Palin book to hit the USA-maybe i
should check and see if it has by now--BTW got to briefly meet Palin
at a booksigning here a few yrs ago- very nice and he stayed at least
30 minutes over the time scheduled for him so everyone could get a
book signed.
I had forgotten that I have Laid Bare by Graham norton and i have
read sheila's one about her and john thaw-so there is another one?--
another visit to amazonuk is beckening- i got the notices from them
about the recent linda smith one.
Paul Merton has a book about the Silent era clowns coming out soon
and I do have several of his including the one written with Juilan
Cleary.
Although not JAM related I found a Harry Secombe autobio on a trip
to Vancouver BC Canada and nearly fell over in the store when i saw
that it had been SIGNED by him! ( this was shortly before he died) to
have a Goon autograph was awesome.
boy i am really glad that I wandered over to your site the other
night and found this discussion group-you may never get rid of me now
LOL Miriam

>

 
<<<<   640   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM related auto/biographies

Message 5 / 5
Dean BedfordMar 5, 2007
 

 
On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at 05:37 PM, Miriam wrote:

> I had forgotten that I have Laid Bare by Graham norton and i have
> read sheila's one about her and john thaw-so there is another one?--

The Graham book I was referring to is called So Me. I can't now remember
the book Sheila wrote, but it was published in something like 1983. I'm
guessing you would only now get it in libraries.