Yesterday, as the evening
shades were falling, Andy brought a couple of packages over to me. They were my
orders from Amazon, which I did not really expect until the 28th. So
that was a pleasant end to a rather uncomfortable day. They were a couple of
items I had on the Wish List for a while, and which checking I found had fallen
to more comfortable prices.
The first was Gilliamesque:
A Pre-Posthumous Memoir, by Terry Gilliam (2015, Hardback, 352 pages,
Harper). When I first opened it, I thought someone had vandalized the page
edges all around by writing ‘ME’ in red marker, but that turned out only to be
Gilliam’s book design declaring his subject.
“The screenwriter,
innovative animator, highly acclaimed visionary film director, and only
non-British member of Monty Python offers an intimate glimpse into his world in
this fascinating memoir illustrated with hand-drawn sketches, notes, and
memorabilia from his personal archive.
“From his no-frills
childhood in the icy wastes of Minnesota, to some of the hottest water
Hollywood had to offer, via the cutting edge of 1960s and ’70s counter-culture
in New York, L.A. and London, Terry Gilliam’s life has been as vivid,
entertaining and unorthodox as one of his films.
“Telling his story for the
first time, the director of Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of
Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, and Fear &
Loathing in Las Vegas—not to mention co-founder of Monty Python’s
Flying Circus—recalls his life so far. Packed with never-before-seen
artwork, photographs and commentary, Gilliamesque blends the
visual and the verbal with scabrous wit and fascinating insight.
“Gilliam’s “pre-posthumous
memoir” also features a cast of amazing supporting characters—George Harrison,
Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Uma Thurman, Johnny
Depp, Heath Ledger and all of the fellow Pythons—as well as cameo appearances
from some of the heaviest cultural hitters of modern times, from Woody Allen to
Frank Zappa, Gloria Steinem to Robert Crumb, Richard Nixon to Hunter S.
Thompson. Gilliam’s encounters with the great and the not-so-good are
revealing, funny, and hugely entertaining.
“This book is an unrestrained look into a unique creative mind and an incomparable portrait of late twentieth-century popular culture.” – Amazon.
The second book was Ustinov:
Still at Large, by Peter Ustinov (1993, Hardback, 192 pages, Michael O’Mara
Books). For some reason (scatterbrained old me) I thought this was going to be a continuation of his autobiography. I find now that this book is a collection of essays, a sequel of sorts to a similar book, Ustinov
at Large (1991), which is not offered on Amazon but which I must now try to
get. Luckily, eBay has one for $4.50.
“It has been said that
reading Peter Ustinov is like listening to a good story told by an old friend.
Ustinov’s gifts as a raconteur have been widely demonstrated both in print and
on television so readers of this volume will not be surprised at the ample wit
and telling observation displayed in Still at Large.
“These essays, which first
appeared in The European, written during Ustinov’s regular
perambulations around our planet, take up every subject under the sun from
American politicians to Britain’s royals. The moods take in wry humor,
indignation, and outright anger. But whatever the mood, Ustinov is always
interesting, always caring, and always … well, friendly.” – From the Front Flap.
Opening it, I found to my
surprise and joy that Ustinov had autographed it, which is certainly an
unexpected bonus. “To Francia (?), Best Wishes, Peter Ustinov.” Of course, the ‘Peter
Ustinov’ is rather deduced from the stylized swirls of his handwriting. But it
does mean that, whatever the reading experience, it enters my small selection
of authors’ autographs.
But I’m not much worried
about the quality of the writing. I read the first chapters of both books
before going to bed last night, and I can see that I’m in for some engaging
hours ahead.
