4 weeks ago
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Sir Billy Connolly has robustly declared he is "not dead or broken" as he joyfully embraces his retirement days in the sunny climes of the US.
The beloved Scottish comedian, affectionately known as The Big Yin, expressed gratitude for reaching 81 years old, considering his whirlwind life journey, and now finds solace in his hobbies of sketching and angling near his Florida Keys residence.
In his latest literary offering, The Accidental Artist, Connolly muses on his good fortune to be alive after a tumultuous upbringing, battles with alcohol, and a perilous stint as a welder.
Despite grappling with Parkinson's disease, he maintains a positive outlook, suggesting that his shipyard work could have exposed him to even graver dangers.
Connolly reveals in his memoir: "I got diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer the same week. I got treated for the cancer and now I seem to be OK. The Parkinson's just rumbles along, doing its thing. It bothered me for a while but when I think about it I suppose I'm lucky I didn't get something worse because I was a welder."
He recounts the ignorance of the era regarding occupational hazards: "The diseases they talk about now due to welding weren't known about when I was in the shipyards. They didn't know about the hazards of asbestos. And men were always dying in accidents too. I was in an accident myself. I fell off the ship into the Clyde, dropped 40 feet into three feet of water and broke my ankle", reports the Mirror.
Reflecting on his escapades and close shaves, he concludes: "I'm a lucky bugger. I survived a lot of s**t - much of it brought on by myself."
Recounting a daring escape from his past troubles, the artist expressed in stark terms: "I probably shouldn't have escaped but I did. Maybe what doesn't kill you f**ks you up for life but at least I'm still here. I'm fishing happily in Florida and I'm not yet dead or broken."
Reflecting on an amusing encounter with fame, he reminisced: "I once ran into the Geordie writer Ian La Frenais in Tramp nightclub in London. I was wearing my leather jodhpurs and a leather jacket, pink socks and mules. He said, 'You know what you look like? ' I said 'What? ' He said 'A welder who got away with it.'".
Billy Connolly has put his stand-up comedy days behind him and embraced his newfound passion for art, a hobby that began during a moment of boredom in a Montreal hotel room. In his recently released book, which came out on Thursday, the beloved Glaswegian showcases the artwork he's created in the last 12 years alongside anecdotes from his zestful life and illustrious career.
In the book's foreword, Connolly shares his astonishment at his unexpected success as an artist: "I can't quite handle it when I go to one of my exhibitions."
"I've met people who collect my stuff, which is a serious compliment, but I still can't get my head round it. Maybe you shouldn't dwell on that kind of thing. I find it extraordinarily wonderful that people want to buy my drawings. Biggest surprise of my life."
The narrative recounts how Connolly was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a dozen years prior, following a chance observation by a doctor who noticed his unusual walk in a Los Angeles hotel lobby.
He relocated to Florida from his former residence in New York following medical advice recommending a warmer climate.
English (US) ·