Scottish humour? No such thing... says Billy Connolly
HE is best known for his scathing working-class Scots wit and hilarious tales of growing up in Glasgow.
So it may come as a surprise that Sir Billy Connolly insists there is no such thing as a distinct Scottish humour.
Scotland’s most famous comic said the idea that his homeland has its own unique brand of humour is a myth.
The Big Yin dismissed the concept of regional comedy and said jokes which are considered Scottish could be transported to anywhere in the world.
Sir Billy, 76, brought up in the city’s Anderston and Partick areas, said his comments may get him in trouble with fellow Scots.
He made the suggestions in an interview by Two Road Books, which is publishing a book of his stand-up routines called Tall Tales and Wee Stories.
He said: ‘I will get in trouble for this but I don’t think there is such a thing as Scottish humour.
‘I have bought books of Scottish jokes and then I go through them and there is nothing Scottish about them. It’s just the same old Irish jokes and the geographical position of them is different.
‘There’s funny and there’s not funny and that’s the beginning, the middle and the end of it.’
Despite his comments about Scottish humour, Sir Billy has regularly used his home nation as the butt of his jokes.
Laughing at his compatriots became part of his stock and trade. In one comedy routine, he said: ‘There are two seasons in Scotland: June and winter.’
Sir Billy, who has Parkinson’s disease, announced his retirement last year and told how he missed the thrill of live performing.
He said: ‘The one thing I do miss is the invention side of it and that comes with the original applause when they say “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Billy Connolly” and the big roar goes up.
‘That launches you from one thinking mode into another. It’s like being a tightrope walker.’
Sir Billy has switched his principal home from New York to Florida after his doctors advised him to live in a warmer climate. Wish you weren’t here –
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