MADE IN SCOTLAND BY BILLY CONNOLLY

One thing that can be said about Billy Connolly is he is a fiercely staunch Scot.

This comes through in the great stories he tells at his live shows, as well as making appearances in Made in Scotland.

I think my favourite quote from this autobiography is his reply to a BBC journalist, who asked him “how it felt to finally be someone, who came from nothing” after receiving his knighthood.

Connolly’s response was classic — “I didn’t come from nothing; I came from Scotland.”

He didn’t have an easy childhood.

With his mother leaving the children to be raised by his father, it was a home filled with violence.

He managed to survive by joining the local folk scene — he wanted to be the best banjo player the world had ever seen.

Playing with the likes of Gerry Rafferty, he did the gigs and backed up on banjo, but he soon realised he gathered more applause for his storytelling.

This book reveals the true character behind what is means to be a Scot, warts and all.

Connolly covers the food, drinking, even his health after being diagnosed with both Parkinson’s and prostrate cancer at the same time.

Thankfully his cancer is in remission and I hope his genius is around for quite a few more years to come.

Made in Scotland by Billy Connolly is published by BBC Books. Available now. RRP $35.