Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens

Author(s): Eddie Izzard

Biography/Memoir

Critically acclaimed, award-winning British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard details his childhood, his first performances on the streets of London, his ascent to worldwide success on stage and screen, and his comedy shows which have won over audiences around the world. Over the course of a thirty-year career, Eddie Izzard has proven himself to be a creative chameleon, inhabiting the stage and film and television screen with an unbelievable fervor. Born in Yemen, and raised in Ireland, Wales and post-war England, he lost his mother at the age of six. In his teens, he dropped out of university and took to the streets of London as part of a two-man escape act; when his partner went on vacation, Izzard kept busy by inventing a one-man act, and thus a career was ignited. As a stand-up comedian, Izzard has captivated audiences with his surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy--lines such as "Cake or Death?" "Death Star Canteen," and "Do You Have a Flag?" have the status of great rock lyrics. As a self-proclaimed "Executive Transvestite," Izzard broke the mold performing in full make-up and heels, and has become as famous for his advocacy for LGBT rights as he has for his art. In Believe Me, he recounts the dizzying rise he made from street busking to London's West End, to Wembley Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden. Still performing more than 100 shows a year--thus far in a record-breaking twenty-eight countries worldwide--Izzard is arguably one of today's top Kings of Comedy. With his brand of keenly intelligent humor, that ranges from world history to pop culture, politics and philosophy, he has built an extraordinary fan base that transcends age, gender, and race. Writing with the same candor and razor-sharp insight evident in his comedy, he reflects on a childhood marked by unutterable loss, sexuality and coming out, as well as a life in show business, politics, and philanthropy. Honest and generous, Izzard's Believe Me is an inspired account of a very singular life thus far.

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King of the Universe ... Comic genius ... Entertainment incarnate Telegraph Izzard is Wikipedia in heels. He's made his career out of hilarious, dizzying, surreal routines held up by their own daft logic ... A force of nature Radio Times Sheer Comic Genius. His humour reflects the scattershot lunacy of Monty Python, but with a sophisticated silliness that is entirely his own. He is the most brilliant stand-up comedian of his generation New York Times A comedy gem Guardian Izzard has a knack for reducing centuries' worth of history to just a few exquisite words (the Romans were just 'fascist plumbers', for example) Time Out The funniest man in England John Cleese The funniest man in, well, pretty much all of the known universe Los Angeles Times Izzard is fleet of foot - even in Cuban heels Independent Had the Pythons stuck it out, they'd certainly be doing Izzard-like gags Chicago Tribune A consistent intelligence underpins Izzard's whimsy Chortle True Izzardians are every bit as committed in their fandom as Star Trek or Dr Who fans Guardian Eddie Izzard is my favorite stand-up chameleon -- Eric Idle I had never heard of Eddie Izzard before, but judging by this delightful memoir, he has a glittering career ahead of him. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of working in a Vatican slaughterhouse, acting as Deputy Foreign Minister in Gladstone's first administration, his whacky exploits at his uncle's Taxidermy Cafe, and his tragic death at the age of only eight at the Morris Dancing Finals in Bruges -- John Cleese

Best-known for his cross-dressing stand-up comedy routines, Eddie Izzard was born in Yemen. After working as a street performer throughout the 1980s, he received his big break in 1993. He is the recipient of two Emmy Awards, two British Comedy Awards, a Webby and a Tony nomination. A committed activist, he received the 6th Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism. He may or may not run for Mayor of London in 2020.

General Fields

  • : 9781405922029
  • : Penguin Books Ltd
  • : Michael Joseph Ltd
  • : 0.368
  • : March 2017
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : July 2017
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Eddie Izzard
  • : Paperback
  • : 717
  • : English
  • : 920
  • : very good
  • : 400