How is Billy Connolly doing?

[kalowski]

Connolly was just pushing the boundaries with his joke which was actually very clever, intimating the way we become hardened to shocking news as it is repeatedly aired. See also Paul Calf and "Some blokes been murdered," "Poor bloke" - 12 hours later, "Fuck him, I didn't do it."

The real shocking response was, of course, by our friend Boris

The extreme reaction to Mr Bigley's murder is fed by the fact that he was a Liverpudlian. Liverpool is a handsome city with a tribal sense of community. A combination of economic misfortune — its docks were, fundamentally, on the wrong side of England when Britain entered what is now the European Union — and an excessive predilection for welfarism have created a peculiar, and deeply unattractive, psyche among many Liverpudlians. They see themselves whenever possible as victims, and resent their victim status; yet at the same time they wallow in it. Part of this flawed psychological state is that they cannot accept that they might have made any contribution to their misfortunes, but seek rather to blame someone else for it, thereby deepening their sense of shared tribal grievance against the rest of society. The deaths of more than 50 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989 was undeniably a greater tragedy than the single death, however horrible, of Mr Bigley; but that is no excuse for Liverpool's failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon. The police became a convenient scapegoat, and the Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident

[Shaky]

The Bigley joke seemed entirely in keeping with something Connolly would say off the cuff. Always struck me as odd that some fans suddenly took offense at that, but then by that stage many of them had become comfortably middle-aged and dull I suppose.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

That Bigley comment from the Big Yin really isn 't much of a joke. Didn't he also say something about yer man's young, Asian missus, something like " what 's all that about ? ". That's not much of a joke either, just offensive sneering. I've never found Billy Connoly the least bit funny, and I'm not particularly bothered about his illness. In fact, I'm happy to go the full Jeremy Hardy on him. " pushing the boundaries ", indeed. Bollocks.

[Brundle-Fly]

http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/written-for-money/billy-connolly-ken-bigley/

[Kelvin]

That Bigley comment from the Big Yin really isn 't much of a joke. Didn't he also say something about yer man's young, Asian missus, something like " what 's all that about ? ". That's not much of a joke either, just offensive sneering. I've never found Billy Connoly the least bit funny, and I'm not particularly bothered about his illness. In fact, I'm happy to go the full Jeremy Hardy on him. " pushing the boundaries ", indeed. Bollocks.

Bit odd to suggest he's a cunt for making an edgy, callous joke about beheading, but then make an edgy, callous comment about not giving a shit he has Parkinson's.

[TheMonk]

Maybe he just real hates Parkinson so was snubbing him in the hope he'd never have to have dinner with him again.

I think I recall in Connolly biography by Pamela Anderson they were good drinking buddies in the 70's. But that is 40 years ago. And he probably can't remember a lot of it. Surely many catchup dinners with old mates you've lost touch with can be awkward for anyone. Poor form on Parky's part.

[Brundle-Fly]

Poor form on Parky's part.

I thought that but Parkinson is not getting any younger. People around that age often lose tact. Or maybe as an old chat show host he still has that "giving the people what they want to hear...the truth" gene?

[Satchmo Distel]

http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/written-for-money/billy-connolly-ken-bigley/

Fucking awful font

[Replies From View]

Elizabeth Taylor.

[Bennett Brauer]

The aforementioned subject of Parky saying Connolly was on his last legs was raised in an interview with Connolly in today's Times.

' So what was Parkinson on about? "I don't know. You'd better ask him." It was a bizarre thing to say. "It was two years since I'd seen him and that occasion was the GQ dinner and I did really well, so what he was talking about I'll never know. He's been selling funerals [funeral plans] too long."

It's obviously not true. "But the thing that got me about it was what if it was true? It's still a shitty thing to do. What do you think of Billy Connolly? 'Oh, he's f***ed.' " He has not talked to him since? "No. I don't speak to him normally anyway." '

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/times2/billy-connolly-dont-surrender-to-old-age-cr7nc97v8

[Enrico Palazzo]

The aforementioned subject of Parky saying Connolly was on his last legs was raised in an interview with Connolly in today's Times.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/times2/billy-connolly-dont-surrender-to-old-age-cr7nc97v8

Saw him on Queen Street in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago and he looked great/healthy.

[Bazooka]

If he does die, Parkinson will be up in the dock.

[Malcy]

Recent interview

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zOr7c1Kdi-k

[hedgehog90]

Here's a challenge - try listening to the interview while watching the insane visuals for that video.
I made it about 30 seconds before focusing on a new tab.

[Isnt Anything]

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/dec/03/billy-connolly-announces-retirement-from-live-performance

[TheMonk]

Re: that YouTube interview.
Well he sounds fine but f@ck me that is the most boring interview I can remember.
Who gives a shit about his drawings?

[JesusAndYourBush]

He's being interviewed on 5Live right now (pre-recorded very recently, not broadcast live), for those who want to tune in right now or catch it later on iplayer.

[Malcy]

5 Live interview

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B9J2ouZDWqo&t=3s