No Savage reviews for this book - just buy it. (At My Mother's Knee... - Paul O'Grady)

Member Name: jazzsue58

Product:	At My Mother's Knee... - Paul O'Grady
Date:	04/01/09 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written memoir of 1960's Wirral life, even if you're not an O'Grady fan.

Disadvantages: Don't open unless you are prepared to totally ignore the hoovering, the cleaning, the washing up ...

I love reading, which is why I usually avoid the biography section in book shops. All too often it's a choice between misery memoirs or celebrities with nothing to say except "Buy Me - I'm a biographer." Whilst I have every sympathy with the survivors of childhood tragedy, I've had enough of my own, thank you very much - the last thing I need is to be reminded of it. As for those celeb biographies - all too often they are rehashed old news cobbled together by some journalist with little interest in their subject. Besides, to me a celebrity is someone who's had more of a life than being thrown out of Big Brother.

Occasionally, of course, there is a real gem. A genuine set of memoirs written by a celebrity who has something worthwhile to say. Paul O'Grady's book is such a gem. Within its 340 pages he has plenty to say, and all of it is entertaining even if you are not an O'Grady fan.

"At my mother's knee ..." chronicles his early life in working class Birkenhead - before the days of Lily Savage and fame. Yes, it is a memoir, but even though it tells of a life full of hardship and poverty this is as far removed from misery as it is possible to get. There are poignant moments but there is plenty of sunshine among the tears, and Paul's unique gift for narrative brings it all vividly to life.

For those who are not in the know, Paul O'Grady first hit our screens as the outrageous drag queen Lily Savage, first as a guest on shows like Good Morning and Big Breakfast, and later as a star in his (or her) own right. From 2000 onwards he was increasingly seen as 'himself' in such series as The Paul O'Grady Show and Paul O'Grady's Orient. But it is Lily for whom he is best known and, even though she ditched the heels and boa for good in 2004 - going to a convent, of all things - she remains a firm favourite in the nation's hearts.

There are many conflicting accounts of how Lily's persona came to be created, most of them inaccurate. This is the first book written by Paul himself, and is the best place to start if you want to know the truth about his life; of the humble beginnings which shaped his stardom. (The pre-existing 'official' biography, penned by journalist Neil Simpson, is full of inaccuracies - many of which have found their way onto the pages of Wikipedia) This, though, is the real McCoy - or rather, O'Grady; a delicious read through his early life as a Catholic lad in Birkenhead, Wirral.

The book opens with a clever premise - that of sorting through a box full of family memorabilia, with a story to tell about each. In this way, Paul introduces us to the trials and tribulations of the O'Grady and Savage clans (Savage being his mother's maiden name) as well as his own exploits - both sexual and otherwise. Thus, as well as learning about his early years at a run-down inner city primary, and the short spell at an all-male private school which followed, we also hear about his mother's "posh voice" on the telephone, and her first - and only - experience with false teeth, something which gave Paul a phobia of dentists that has endured throughout his life.

As the book progresses, it is obvious that Lily's creation was not based on any one person, but rather a pastiche of many, so it is no surprise that so many of Paul's stories feature female relatives. Thus, as well as his devoutly Catholic, decidedly Lily-ish mother (who swore like a trooper, yet was a member of the devoutly religious Union of Catholic Mothers) we meet his beloved Auntie Chris. She had the looks of Marlene Dietrich and should have been bound for Hollywood stardom; instead she found a different fame - as a clippie on the Birkenhead buses. And then there is sister Sheila, who has a cockroach-like birthmark on her leg the exact copy of one which terrified her pregnant mother during an air raid. We meet members of his father's family, too - including Uncle James and Auntie Bridget, who live in a rural Irish farmhouse with no sanitation whatsoever - not even a toilet. You simply found a patch of ground and a handful of dock leaves, and made do.

Paul's sexuality is evident from an early stage in proceedings, yet "At my mother's knee ..." is never fey or self-effacing. He tells of his sexual encounters, both male and female, with the same mirth he uses when discussing his experiences with drugs (one hilarious sequence involves his mother and a wad of Cannabis, but Paul's first drug 'trip' was a terrified reaction to the effects of downing two ProPlus) Through it all, we feel the same confusion he must have felt, growing up in a family where - like many of that generation - homosexuality was a dirty word. He was forced to hide his true preferences in public, as well, as much to keep predacious "queens" at bay as anything. Unable to speak the truth either in his own home or outside of it, it is no wonder he felt so torn between the two worlds.

The book uses 'flashback sequences' a fair deal, with Paul frequently going off topic before returning to it some pages further on. But this is so skilfully done that it rarely gets confusing for the reader. Rather, it comes across as a conversation between friends would do, with an interweaving pastiche of independent events seamlessly anchored by Paul's steady eye for detail - and always cut with the delicious rasp of his native Wirral. His skilful and metaphorical grasp of narrative, and his unique phrasing of dialogue, bring his early years vividly to life, and introduce us to a Wirral peninsula that, sadly, has all but disappeared.

Through these pages we learn of his first brush with the law, his first fumbling sexual encounter - at the age of nine, with an invitation to have a feel down a local girl's top. We learn of dismissals and disasters (his short but eventful safari into London territory, in particular) We enter seedy bars and upper-class restaurants. We meet handsome but unavailable coppers and available but unwilling girlfriends (unwilling because they were toured around the gay quarter of Wirral, that is.) We meet engaging landlords, loveable rogues, - and malevolent and predatory 'queens' unable to take "No" for an answer. Oh - and we meet Diana Dors and Marlene Dietrich, as well - before he'd ever played his first gig. No wonder he developed such a thirst for show business.

Throughout it all, his patient but despairing parents hover in the background. The last two chapters see Paul embark on a new chapter in his life with - despite his criminal record -a new career as a clerk in the Liverpool magistrates courts. This introduces him to a very important character - a repeat offender called Marlene, who was undoubtedly the biggest influence yet on his future persona of Lily Savage. Despite a fling with a girl called Diane (the unwilling gay bar attendee) Paul has at last come to terms with his sexuality.

However, all this is overshadowed by his mother's near fatal heart attack. While she is still critical, Paul's father dies unexpectedly. This is heart wrenching stuff, and proof of what a skilful writer O'Grady is. His return to an empty home, the heartbreaking sight of his father's pipe and football coupon just as they were left, is not just a statement of loss - it makes us realise just how far we have travelled together. The book ends with a telephone call from his old girlfriend and the revelation that he is about to become a father.

Even if you are not a Paul O'Grady fan (and, truth be said, I used to place myself in that number) I would urge anyone to give this book a go. It is the perfect antidote to the sterile 'official' biography that preceded it, and perfect for anyone looking for nostalgia, humour and humanity in one package. The end chapter suggests there is more to come - I certainly hope so.

Summary: Forget his 'official' biography - the TRUE story of Lily Savage starts right here.