The Unpublished Spike Milligan Box 18

by Spike Milligan, Norma Farnes (Editor)

Box 18: The Unpublished Spike Milligan Milligan, Spike and Farnes, Norma

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Comedy

Hardcover

First published October 16, 2006

About the author

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan, known as Spike, was a comedian, writer and musician. He was of Irish descent, but spent most of his childhood in India and lived most of his later life in England, moving to Australia after retirement. He is famous for his work in The Goon Show, children's poetry and a series of comical autobiographical novels about his experiences serving in the British Army in WWII. Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to depression and frequent breakdowns, but he will be remembered as a comic genius. His tombstone reads 'I told you I was ill' in Gaelic.

Reviews

[Jon Nikrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am certain that there is a wonderful Spike Milligan book, but this is not it.

[Lewis Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief yet fascinating insight into the way Milligan organised his work and life. A vein of humour runs through everything he does; even his most genuine correspondence sounds like a man taking the piss. The real achievement of this book is showing his humanity. He worked and worried and moaned like the best of us.

[Steve Marley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The unpublished Spike Milligan. Unpublished for a reason. A couple of the letters were amusing hence the extra star.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, although some pieces are tedious enough that you fully understand why they were abandoned in a box on a shelf somewhere.

[Gaurav · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a *real* Spike Milligan fan, you'll probably love this book to pieces - insights on his personal life, private letters, postcards to friends and family, and early drafts of later stories; it's all here.

For me, as a Goon Show fan, I was a little disappointed - only one incomplete draft gives you any insights into the creative process that brought that show to life. There are lovely sketches of most of the Goon Show characters though! Many of the short poems were very nice as well. However, a good third of the book is dedicated to Spike's life as an activist - for animal rights in particular, but fights with Harrods and the local municipality over street lights feature prominently.

Apart from that, the book was pretty forgettable - an interesting insight into the life of a fascinating figure of his times, and British viewpoints in the middle of the century in general. If you want a bit of Spike "in his own words", go for it. If you'd like to know about Spike or the Goons, a biography would be better.

[Ita C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it's such an insight into Spike, through his good days and his bad. There's some rather wonderful about seeing his handwriting, and seeing where the ideas came from, from the days where he felt he couldn't face the world, to the doodles and notes on the days he felt on top of it all.

[Stephen Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious peak under the bonnet of Spike's brain just enough to make you laugh out loud, but not enough to make you doubt his obsessions.

[Jon Eggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful view into a passionate mind.