AA Gill on Billy Connolly

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Abitrary

New Member
AA Gill putting the most overrated person in the world ever in his place about his latest TV travel program. Utter genius.

Past experiences of this pensioner who dresses like an infant haven’t been elevating. There was all that zipping round on a motorised tricycle, flicking his thinning roadie’s hair, shouting me, me, me, like a Glaswegian seagull.

But contrary to my happiest expectations, his latest trip round the top of Canada was, despite the Big yappy Yin, rather elegiac. Warm people in cold places is an eternally winning formula for travellers’ tales, and this vast but relatively unvisited part of the world, with its transplanted communities of French Arcadians and Highland crofters, was entertaining and eccentric.

The landscape was so big and hard that it even managed to subdue Connolly’s self-regard, and I warmed to him a little, something I haven’t done since he married Michael Parkinson.
 
I've been a fan since my (Glaswegian) Granddad bought me one of his concerts on Compact Cassette when I was ten, and still am in spite of him being an utter cock when I served him in a bike shop in Covent Garden in the eighties. Oh and being an utter cock when I served him in a bike shop in Hollywood a few years later. He has a 'thing' about shop assistants apparently.
 
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Abitrary

New Member
Mickle, I think we all know that fans of Billy Connolly can and do exist.

The beauty of the AA Gill piece is the modulation of the criticism. Most critics would have gone marmite on him but Gill somehow manages to let it enticingly waver around a 5 or 6 out of 10.
 
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Abitrary

New Member
Here come the late night scottish lot to defend their sappy braveheart.

No!!! Late night scottish lot, I'm not having a go at Billy.

I'm just saying that AA Gill could have destroyed him but chose not to.
 

Noodley

Guest
Abitrary said:
Here come the late night scottish lot to defend their sappy braveheart.

No!!! Late night scottish lot, I'm not having a go at Billy.

I'm just saying that AA Gill could have destroyed him but chose not to.

I'm not defending him. Just pointing out that Mr Gill may be a bit up his own arse. As may you be.
 
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Abitrary

New Member
Mr Pig said:
Pensioner who dresses like an infant, that's pretty good :0)

The whole piece is very well balanced. I can imagine a lot of other lesser TV critics tearing him apart.

I've just realised that you've only read the first line BTW. Read the rest.
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
I can't stand Billy Connolly. The missus thinks he's great, god help me.

I did enjoy Mr. Gill's critique though Arbitrary, I'm obliged to you for posting it.
 
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