The book had been there confronting me for the last fortnight right at the entrance as I entered our local library here in Australia. Oor Morag had alerted me to Craig Ferguson some time ago. He's good - he's very good. I prefer him to Letterman any day - mind you, few if any here in Oz would know who Letterman was.
Craig Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark-as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.
To numb the pain of failure, Ferguson found comfort in drugs and alcohol, addictions that eventually led to an aborted suicide attempt. (He forgot to do it when someone offered him a glass of sherry.) But his story has a happy ending: in 1993 the washed-up Ferguson washed up in the United States. Finally sober, he landed a breakthrough part on the hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show, a success that eventually led to his role as the host of CBS's The Late Late Show. By far Ferguson's greatest triumph was his decision to become a U.S. citizen, a milestone he achieved in early 2008, just before his command performance for the president at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson talks a red, white, and blue streak about everything our Founding Fathers feared.
I hope you enjoy the book, Hughie, I did. Much like Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes, Tis), he manages to see the worst of times with humour. He jokes about it on his show but his studio really is tiny! I've yet to see him flummoxed by a guest. Funny man!
"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
C.S.Lewis
Loved the book and when I saw this clip and the accompanying comments I can't help but think what a great ambassador for Scotland. The sincerity of this guy shines through - a legend in my eyes.
Harry and I went to see Craig at the magnum in Irvine about 20 years or so, he was fantastic, the audience would not let him off the stage it was encore after encore, and he shouted heckle me or something, come on whits keepin yea. A great entainer.
Jean
We have a new free to air TV station started yesterday here in Oz (don't know if it's only in the Melbourne area). It's Channel eleven. Netta's Bobby rang me to tell me that Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show is on it week-nights at 10.30pm.
Missed the first night, watching the second night now. Started of with a few Charlie Sheen jokes. Oh he's actually just now acknowledged that Australia is now watching - he's waved a wee Aussie flag and said G'day and cracked a couple of Aussie Jokes. The audience seems to be in has hands or maybe they give them a wee hauf or two before the show - enjoying it better than that East coast late show. Mind you the hype of both shows doesnae seem exactly genuine to me.
That was the only thing I didn't like about going to the show, Hughie, they all have warm up people who interact with the audience, tell awful jokes tell when to applaud etc., when there was really no need, Craig was really funny and we'd have roared laughing without any help!
"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
C.S.Lewis
He was actually on at 11am on Tuesday Hughie I just happen to have a look
and he welcomed all his Aussie viewers with an Aussie accent he came on again
at 10 30 pm and he really is very funny, Im now gonna be a late late show covert.
