Off Topic Autobiographies

In reply to Watameire's post on the RIP thread, I like reading them. In recent months I've read 4 crackers- Al Pacino, Hamish McInnes (the Fox of Glencoe), Denis Law and Pat Nevin. All very interesting with fascinating insights into the workings of Hollywood, Mountain rescue, and football as it used to be played. Law was the only one of those who enlisted the help of a journo.

 

Not really an autobiography as such, but Watford Forever is a fizzingly superb read.

I recently read Paul Merson's tome, Hooked, which is gritty and emotive. He deserves much praise for his searing honesty.

Paul McGrath and Gazza have also produced excellent reads.

 

Again not an autobiography but I recommend Norman Mailers “The Fight” - it’s about the Rumble in the Jungle - Foreman vs Ali

 

Not a biography but the 1974 Beano annual is worth a read - wasn’t Christmas if I didn’t get one !

 

My favourite football book is The Bromley Boys. Better than the film.

 

David Niven has 2 cracking autobiographies

as does Errol Flynn.

Sporting wise I still think Gary Nelson is superb.

 

Must admit I have never been a great reader of autobiographies, or biographies for that matter.

I really should read more about the lives of a couple of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived (in my humble opinion);
Admiral Lord Nelson.
Winston Churchill.

For sporting biographies, I should like to learn more about Sam Bartram, Jimmy Seed, Sir Alf Ramsey and Pele.
Just for starters...

 

Don’t bother with the Pele autobiography. A very boring read - I’m a lovely guy who scored a lot of goals the end…

 

Badly written?
Difficult to believe he had a dull life story.

I should have included Muhammad Ali in my previous post.

 

Charlton related I found Sir Lennie's and Curbs' to be disappointing, almost to the point of being bland and non controversial.

 

You can write what you like in an autobiography. You can as pele did for instance not write anything that put himself in a bad light.

 

Agreed, but you like to read something and think wow!

 

I personally find flawed genius’s more interesting than genius’s

 

Agreed, Keith Peacock's was more interesting.

 

El Diego is superb. For me, the greatest ever player... after Mark Kinsella, of course.

As mentioned earlier, Nelse's diaries are cracking reads.

There was never going to be a grittiness (excuse the pun) about Curbs' tome.

Away from football, I greatly enjoyed George Cole's memoir, The World Was My Lobster. Anything Minder-related gets my seal of approval.

 

James Cagney’ a official autobiography a great read and if you like horse racing armless life story well worth reading.

 

Should have been arkle bleeding predictive text

 

Larry Adler's autobiography was a good read. Left home at 15 to earn a living playing mouth organ, met some characters including Al Capone who told him off for not writing to his mother often enough, and not going to church often enough.

 

I enjoyed Roy Keanes book. Very insightful

 

Politicians memoirs are boring as a rule. The exceptions are Tony Benn's and Alan Clark's diaries, both maverick Politicians.