Grow Up
Published on 3. April 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-09-191071-6 (ISBN)
Description
'He'll either win the Victoria Cross or go to prison,' said Keith Allen's headmaster, 1966.
Born a Navy baby, Keith Allen learnt young that when things get too settled you move on. That's the way he has lived his life ever since - always leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
He might have been a professional footballer if his criminal behaviour hadn't got in the way. He spent time in prison, went on the run, drifted through squats and festivals, survived marriages, relationships and parenthood. He has loitered with intent in the worlds of comedy, music art, theatre and film, but never long enough to ever fully conform to expectations. He's become renowned for his extrovert and contentious behaviour, his radical opinions and his acting pedigree. But at 54-years-old ... has he finally grown up?
Revelatory and unapologetically honest, Grow Up takes you on a break-neck journey through the chaotic life of someone who's broken all the rules.
Born a Navy baby, Keith Allen learnt young that when things get too settled you move on. That's the way he has lived his life ever since - always leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
He might have been a professional footballer if his criminal behaviour hadn't got in the way. He spent time in prison, went on the run, drifted through squats and festivals, survived marriages, relationships and parenthood. He has loitered with intent in the worlds of comedy, music art, theatre and film, but never long enough to ever fully conform to expectations. He's become renowned for his extrovert and contentious behaviour, his radical opinions and his acting pedigree. But at 54-years-old ... has he finally grown up?
Revelatory and unapologetically honest, Grow Up takes you on a break-neck journey through the chaotic life of someone who's broken all the rules.
Reviews / Votes
This is one of the most extraordinary, funny and revealingly frank books I've read -- Michael Parkinson Hugely entertaining ... heartfelt and authentic ... You end up rather loving him -- India Knight * Sunday Times * A cheerfully offensive mix of agitprop and luvvie, vaudeville and quest, insult, recidivism, heaps of drugs and more introspection than you would expect from someone so full-on * Guardian * Unmissable * Stephen Fry * The memoirs of Lily's dad, choc-a-block with appalling anecdotes * Sunday Times Culture, Summer Reads *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
466 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-191071-6 (9780091910716)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Keith Allen was born in 1953. A versatile comedian, actor, singer and writer, he was a breakthrough act from the Comedy Store in 1979. He went on to star in a number of films made by the Comic Strip Presents, played a dead lodger in Shallow Grave, is in the band Fat Les with Damien Hirst and Alex James from Blur and appeared as the Sheriff of Nottingham in prime-time BBC series, Robin Hood.