Best Autobiography you ever read.

chalkie 501

Broken music by Sting
Bellies and bullseyes by Sid Waddell is a good second

Da Shins Kelly

I keep hearing really good things about Andre Agassi's autobiography. I'm definitely gonna stick it on the list.

Latchy

Tommy Smith ,Anfield Iron .

It's well known that he and Emylyn Hughes never got on at the club but his revelation in the book about Hughes asking him to throw a match , just minutes before going onto the field , was a shock .

pragmatic1

Havent read many but found scar tissue by Anthony Kiedis a very absorbing read.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

I dont know if this counts as the author speaks about 3 generations of her Family but Wild Swans by Jung Chang is one of the most interesting books I have ever read

DEFTLEFTHAND

retalivity wrote: »

Keith Moon's Biography 'Dear Boy'.....500+ pages, ive read it about 4 times.

very detailed about his entire life and how he was a complete and utter nutter, but is also very sad. deeply troubled man and it was very apparent early on that he was on a downward spiral.

Fantastic read, Its a book I keep coming back to again and again. Hilarious, elating, disturbing and ultimately tragic. Moon the loon packed alot in to his short life.

boblong

Not sure if it quite qualifies, but this is just a brilliant book.

http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041

barakus

lenny mclean 'the guvnor'

Just finished Barry mCGuigans there as well, good read

stick girl

Patti Smith's Just Kids
Beautiful story about she and Robert Mapplethorpe's friendship

4leto

shantaram was excellent and now been made into a movie,

desertcircus

The Dirt by Motley Crue and The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell by Marilyn Manson are both cracking reads, and it's not a coincidence that they were co-written by Neil Strauss, whose own autobiography The Game is also excellent.

take everything

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I haven't read many but Andre Agassi's would have to be my favourite. It was interesting to get his perspective on how tough the ATP circuit is for a professional tennis player and the painful childhood he had to endure from his Father pushing him to be a better player. Also the wig he wore was quite funny.

I'd say he's an interesting character.
I seem to remember him expressing a real ambivalence (hatred even?) about tennis in an interview i saw of him.

Capt'n Midnight

thebigbiffo wrote: »

Ok ok it's not an auto-biography, but i can't let it pass!

Anyone ever read Adrian Goldsworthy's biography of Ceasar?

On that note
I, Claudius
Claudius the God
Both by Richard Graves
He also did Count Belisarius which I haven't finished reading yet.


Gilgamesh the King by Robert Silverberg

Which reminds me Sin-liqe-unninni narrated at the start of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

steelcityblues

johnnycnandy wrote: »

Have a Nice Day, Mick Foley. Fantastic read.

I was going to post this, if nobody before me mentioned it.

The fact that he wrote it himself, and has a scary memory for matches from years ago, along with the bit of humour, makes it a terrific read.

phasers

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is a brilliant book, as is Russell Brand's My Booky Wook. I'm reading Europa Europa by Solomon Perel at the moment and it's fantastic as well.

Scanlas The 2nd

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I think you're referring to "edginess".

I think you're confusing edginess with saying the most vulgar thing possible very loudly.



Bruce Campbell's - If Chins Could Kill is a fantastic read. Informative, funny as hell and written with the mans trademark with and love for his fans.

Any of Lloyd Kaufman's books are well worth checking out. The man is as funny as they come and anyone with an interest in cinema will find them fascinating.

mikemac

Roald Dahl

3rdDegree

Leonard Nimoy's two autobiographies and also Alan Alda. The first is good if you're a trekie, the second if you are on a long flight with nothing else to read.

marienbad

Biography - James Joyce by Richard Ellmann , a great book that is by turns tragic, inspirational, hilariously funny and shows what an extraordinary genius Joyce really was.

Autobiography- Memoirs by Hector Berlioz , as well as being a brilliant composer Berlioz was a gifted writer and indeed made more money from his journalism than he ever did from his music . His autobiography is just as wonderful as his music and tells of his relentless struggle to get his music recognised and performed and made so much more readable by his sly ability to laugh at himself as he looks back over his life.

Scar Tissue - It was good up to the first 120 pages then he became a bit too "Oh everything is wonderful, they have all beautiful souls, etc etc" And I've heard that IRL he is a complete and utter d!ck before I read it and his book solidified my opinion on him.

Crashed and Byrned - My dad gave it to me as he was friends with Tommy years ago on the motorsport circuit. He just came off as a lad with a HUGE chip on his shoulder about the F1 culture. Which in fairness he has a point but he came across as a bit bitter when he was talking about some of his run-ins with Ayrton.

The Dirt - Fantastic read, truly shocking in some parts. (The Ozzy snorting stuff, story) Recommended.

Jonah Lomu - Pretty good read, he came across as being a bit cocky though, although I wouldn't blame him to be I suppose, he was the best rugby player for a generation.

Trevor Brennan - Fairly good. And the song he always sang when he was drunk was Wonderwall!!! Not "Today is gonna be the day" as he called it haha, it really irritated me :P

Russell Brand's my Booky Wook - I really enjoyed this book, I picked it up in the library as I kind of liked his radio show and I loved it!! Again, heavy going at times but his humour always punctures the downer so its very readable.

Paul Mc'Grath - Easily the best sporting autobiography I've ever read. I gave it to an American friend of mine who had never heard of him or has any interest in soccer and he said the same. One of the best sports books around.

George Best - Sad tale of wanton self destruction.

Come As You Are from Nirvana - I loved this, not only it is regarded as the definitive insight to one of my favourite bands, it is also an insight into the Seattle post punk scene which I love. If you are interested in it in the slightest and don't want to read the myriad number of books then this is the one.

There are way more but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

irelandspurs

My grandad wrote one meant to be a good read but i havent got round to reading it http://www.amazon.com/Dartmoor-Cambridge-Autobiography-Prison-Graduate/dp/0340164816

Colonel_McCoy

Man's Search for Meaning: The Classic Tribute to Hope from the Holocaust - Viktor E. Frankl

If This is a Man - Primo Levi

ToddyDoody

Larry Flynt of Larry Flynt publications, "An Unseemly Man: My Life as a Pornographer"

bnt

summerskin wrote: »

all of Spike Milligan's autobiographies are excellent, the most fascinating life I've read about.

Beat me to it - though I would single out his war diaries for particular praise, starting with Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall. The enemy plays little part in these books, and I don't think Spike ever sees one in person; they're always miles away at the other end of artillery.

keithm1

I've read a lot of autobiographys but these are the ones that stood out for me
Anthony keddis
Paul McGrath
Ricky tomlinson
Tony Adams
Shoron ozzbourne
Lance Armstrong
Brian clough

Corruptedmorals

Martha Long's- there are 5 I think. 'Ma, He Sold me For a Pack of Ciggarettes', 'Ma I'm Gettin Myself a New Mammy', 'Ma It's a Cold Aul Night and I'm Lookin for a Bed', 'Ma Now I'm Goin Up in the World' and 'Ma I've got Meself Locked up in the Madhouse'. This isn't typical 'misery lit' at all. She has an unbelievable spirit and the books are hilarious in so many places, but very sad as well.

phoenix833

I thought Mickey Hartes book "Presence is the only thing" was a great read. Very well written. Tough to read the parts where he speaks about his daughter in the present though. It was written in 2009 I think.

I thought George Bests wasn't bad either. Didn't think it was well written, just a basic narration of his sessions (the ones he could remember),the stories he tells seem a little surreal.

joe stodge

bear grylls. mud, swet and tears
ric flair. to be the man
motley crue. the dirt
terry funk. more than just hardcore

dr gonzo

From the ones already said i completely concur with Papillon and the Dirt, both amazing.

As for one that hasnt been said (i dont think), a personal favourite of mine has to be Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Its a warts and all look at the rough and tumble and generally pretty tough life in the kitchen of some of the best restaurants in New York and around the world. Couldnt recommend it enough. Besides an expose of a chefs life with all its secrets and traditions, its also a cracking story about how he came to want to be a chef in the first place. Also surprisingly well written.

AgileMyth

hidinginthebush wrote: »

I thought Anthony Kiedis' was pretty poor. He comes across as a very contradictory character who claims to love everything, but is just a deadbeat junkie. Not much entertaining stories take place. I though Slash's was much more enjoyable, it's pretty much the same format as Scar Tissue, but much more interesting and entertaining (and I hate gnr).

Slash had better stories but I thought Kiedis' was better written, a much better storyteller.

Mat the trasher

Marching Powder - Rusty Young
Mr Nice - Howard Marks
Time added on - George Hook

The Mulk

Not generally a big fan of autobiogs, but found this one excellent

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch - An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly

Typical teenage boy decides to become smart(college degree) and strong(karate expert) after being bullied. Leaves america to find a Shaolin temple. Very witty and a good insight into the shaolin life including drinking, women and fighting.

Stop Lad!

'Inside Man; life as an Irish Prison Officer' by Philip Bray is brilliant, couldnt put it down. Some shocking stories and insights into prison life.

John Hartson's 'Please don't go' is worth a read too... all about his battle with cancer, fightening at times to read what he went through.

Also, as others mentioned before, Paul McGrath and Roy Keane's books were quality
Have heard people say golfer John Dalys's book is excellent too, apparently along the same lines as Paul McGraths

Captain Darling

Ozzy Osbournes. Very funny read.

Scanlas The 2nd

Just read Alan Sugar's, thought it was an interesting and funny read. 7/10

FoxT

I really enjoyed Anthony Burgess' 2-volume autobiography,

'Little Wilson & Big God'
and
'You've had your time'

Here's a slice :

" Our new shop, which was to end up as a caribbean shebeen, was very well patronised by Moss Siders who preferred to do their drinking at home. Their respectability was sometimes suspect: one old man came every evening with a jug for the supper ale and could be seen going down an entry, where he would drink off a portion and make up the volume by urinating in the jug. When he was too old for this regular errand, his family complained about a loss of strength in the beer"

"Little Wilson & Big God"

Anthony Burgess, Heinemann, London, 1987.

BillyMitchel

Malcolm X

Just finished thought it was a very interesting read

Somnus

Have only read a couple of autobiographies, the most recent was Ozzy Osbourne's and it was frequently hilarious, interesting and sad in parts too.

Great read for any rock fan

NWPat

Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado

Rented Mule

Slash's auto-biography was brilliant.
Roy Keane's auto-biography was an excellent read as well.

I'll also mention Des Bishops' My Dad was Nearly James Bond as an absolutely brilliant read.

I am looking forward to reading Neil Peart's Ghost Rider this week. I purchased it ages ago and misplaced in the garage. It has been cleaned up and ready to be torn into.

dirtyden

Paul McGrath's is very good, very honest.

Favourite Autobiography is Wild Swans, Jung Chang. Story of one lady's life which spans the Chinese civil war and then cultural revolution, very interesting.

thunderdog

"Don't Hassle the Hoff" by David Hasslehoff. An uplifting autobiography from 2006. Both insightful and inspiring.

Sleepy

I read *way* too many autobiographies:

Nick Mason's "Inside Out". Particularly enjoyed the "this is my version of the story, Sid's, David's and Rogers would all be different"/

Bob Geldof's "Is This It?" was a good look at Ireland of the time

George Best's "Best" should be compulsory reading for anyone thinking about a career as a professional sportsman. Done with a sense of class too: liked that he left his first marriage out of it at his ex-wife's request and just said something along the lines of "suffice to say I treated her very badly"

"I'm With the Band" by Pamela Des Barres is a great look at the LA scene in the 60's/70's. The first half of Belinda Carlisle's "Lips Unsealed" is good for this too but she's quite irritating with her whole "yoga saved my life" and refusal to accept any real blame for the horrible things she did to people during her coke addiction.

Despatches by Michael Herr, not quite an autobiography but the best description of the Vietnam War I've read.

Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson is well worth a read.

Boy by Roald Dahl remains possibly the best written autobiography for me. And I wasn't even a big fan of his books as a kid.

"MOAB is my Washpot" & "The Fry Chronicles" by Steven Fry are both excellent reads.

For the biography of a band, I loved "Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles" byTony Bramwell (believe it's ghost-written though).

Ron Jeremy's The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz is a passable read and a good insight into the porn world but he's an awful name dropper.

Alice Schroeder's "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" is a great book. Show's quite well that there was no mystery behind his success: just hard work and an almost miser-like attitude to money until he had billions.

Jimmy McDonough's "Shakey - Neil Young's Biography" is probably my favourite biography of the last couple of years though.

Biggins

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated

Absolute class.

Laughed.
Cried.
Stunned and shocked at times.
Informed at times.

Brilliant read.

WARNING: This a book not for children. It deals with some very serious issues at times including

rape

.

For seven years, Alison Arngrim played a wretched, scheming, selfish, lying, manipulative brat on one of TV history's most beloved series. Though millions of Little House on the Prairie viewers hated Nellie Oleson and her evil antics, Arngrim grew to love her character—and the freedom and confidence Nellie inspired in her.

In Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, Arngrim describes growing up in Hollywood with her eccentric parents: Thor Arngrim, a talent manager to Liberace and others, whose appetite for publicity was insatiable, and legendary voice actress Norma MacMillan, who played both Gumby and Casper the Friendly Ghost. She recalls her most cherished and often wickedly funny moments behind the scenes of Little House: Michael Landon's "unsaintly" habit of not wearing underwear; how she and Melissa Gilbert (who played her TV nemesis, Laura Ingalls) became best friends and accidentally got drunk on rum cakes at 7-Eleven; and the only time she and Katherine MacGregor (who played Nellie's mom) appeared in public in costume, provoking a posse of elementary schoolgirls to attack them.

Arngrim relays all this and more with biting wit, but she also bravely recounts her life's challenges: her struggle to survive a history of traumatic abuse, depression, and paralyzing shyness; the "secret" her father kept from her for twenty years; and the devastating loss of her "Little House husband" and best friend, Steve Tracy, to AIDS, which inspired her second career in social and political activism. Arngrim describes how Nellie Oleson taught her to be bold, daring, and determined, and how she is eternally grateful to have had the biggest little bitch on the prairie to show her the way.

http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Prairie-Bitch-Survived-Learned/dp/0061962147

woof im a dog

the elephant man

Reiketsu

'The Dirt'- Motley Crue. Fantastic read. Cried so hard at the part about Vince's daughter.
Also really like Marilyn Manson's one too.

BillyMitchel

Dr.Poca wrote: »

Have only read a couple of autobiographies, the most recent was Ozzy Osbourne's and it was frequently hilarious, interesting and sad in parts too.

Great read for any rock fan

Have you read the slash one?? I hear that's pretty amazing.

demanufactured

Ozzy osbourne - good reading.

JohnMearsheimer

I really liked This Boy's Life and In Pharoah's Army by Tobias Wolf, one of my favourite writers. One book was an account of growing up in 1950s America and the other was about his time as a soldier in Vietnam. He's written some great short stories as well.

mattjack

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Have you read the slash one?? I hear that's pretty amazing.

I've read it, its a good read.