Won't You Come Home, Billy Bob Bailey?

by Lewis Grizzard

The columnist-author sheds light on some of the important matters of life, such as the care of Willie Nelson albums and the problems of finding clean underwear when you live alone

Genres: Humor, Southern, Nonfiction

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

American writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the American South. Although he spent his early career as a newspaper sports writer and editor, becoming the sports editor of the Atlanta Journal at age 23, he is much better known for his humorous newspaper columns in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a popular stand-up comedian & lecturer.

Grizzard also published a total of twenty-five books, including collections of his columns (e.g. Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night), expanded versions of his stand-up comedy routines (I Haven't Understood Anything Since 1962), and the autobiographical If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground. Although much of his comedy discussed the South and Grizzard’s personal and professional lives, it was also a commentary on issues prevalent throughout America, including relationships between men and women (e.g. If Love Were Oil, I'd Be About a Quart Low), politics, and health, especially heart health.

He made us laugh and think at the same time. Indeed, during his lifetime, Lewis Grizzard heard himself described as "this generation's Mark Twain," "one of the foremost humorists in the country" and "a Faulkner for plain folks" by the national press. What he was, without a doubt, was a masterful storyteller, stand-up comedian, syndicated columnist and best selling author.

Lewis Grizzard Museum: http://newnan.com/lg/

New Georgia Encyclopedia entry:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/ng...

Reviews

[EuroHackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis Grizzard's second book is a collection of his columns from the late 1970s. Some of them are funny, yes, but some of them are poignant, and the hell if an entire section - #7: Violence - Five Victims - isn't absolutely prescient. How little some things have changed in the last 40 years!

There is a smattering of political chat about the 1980 presidential election, which is interesting from a historical perspective. It's hard not to feel a little sorry for President Carter.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nostalgia read for me. Dated in a lot of places. I think the thing I miss the most is regional columnists with a sense of humor. Grizzard had it. Royko had it. I had a great time re-reading this

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous - yes, but I've read columnists that I thought were much more amusing.
Commentaries about some events and people were enlightening and could make you think. Still wouldn't rate him as high as the book did.

[Jane Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are a couple of portions of this book that make me chuckle, I think that the times have come and gone on this book. It is a collection of columns and I did appreciate some of the sentiment behind a lot of the columns. But overall, I found it just OK.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Lewis Grizzard column connection -- it's the late 70s, so the dated material can feel like a time warp. And Lewis also has dated views about many things -- but I still appreciate the humor and good stories. I laugh out loud reading this in the evening before going to bed. The columns about people -- old and young -- who died always bring a human element to the stories. And the talk of sweet tea, dogs, grits, church, etc. does capture some of the Southern culture I'm used to. To include sometimes backward views, heh. But it's vintage Grizzard -- good storytelling.

[John Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

These newspaper columns from 1979 don't hold up, but weren't really meant to. There is some interesting insight to life in Atlanta back then, and attitudes of the day, but that's all I got out of it. Grizzard was a big deal in the 1980s, every southern newspaper seemed required to carry his column and I worked in a bookstore that kept stacks of his work available. Seems forgotten today. Do newspapers still have humor columnists?

[Luis Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction. An assortment of columns drenched in the grizzled newspaperman’s Southern humor.

Reading this now, it's a little dated, but his passion and humor come through. On the downside, this probably has only regional, nostalgic appeal. But if you like down-home humor and old-fashioned common sense, it's a good read.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won't You Come Home, Billy Bob Bailey?: An Assortment of Home-Cooked Journalism for People Who Wonder Why Clean Underwear Doesn't Grow on Trees by Lewis Grizzard (Peachtree Publishers 1980) (081). This is another collection of columns from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's funniest columnist. My rating: 7/10, finished 1983.

[Melissa Mc Lees]

This book is a comical one. I liked it.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smiling

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlanta in 1980 - A trip down memory lane!

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1991