Book review: “Billy Connolly’s Route 66”

“Billy Connolly’s Route 66” was a highly rated, four-episode television program that aired on ITV1 in the United Kingdom this fall. It earned a lot of praise from roadies who saw it, and its popularity very likely will spur a new wave of Britons traveling Route 66 in 2012.

This entertaining but flawed book of the same name shouldn’t be regarded as a substitute for the program, but as a companion until the DVD finally makes it to American shores (or if you can find the episodes on YouTube).

“Billy Connolly’s Route 66” (320 pages, hardback, $29.95, Kindle version available) winds up with many of the program’s charms — namely, the Scottish comedian’s personality — but also shows a few the problems that were apparently excised from the TV version.

What turned up in the book turned out to be mostly fascinating. You’ll read about segments that were left on the cutting-room floor and a lot of behind-the-scenes material. The former included a trip to the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Mo. (which horrified Connolly) and chatting with Blaine Davis at the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla. (both which delighted him).

Connolly’s breezy prose — and his initial approach to exploring Route 66 — mostly won me over:

I had made it clear to Nicky Taylor, the show’s producer, that although I would obviously have a documentary crew in tow, I was determined to travel with no preconceptions about what was lying ahead of me. I told Nicky I wanted to keep the experience as pure as possible. Even if it drove the crew doolally, I wouldn’t allow myself to be barracked into visiting places that didn’t interest me. There was no way I was going to take part in stunts or make detours simply because they’d look good on television. I didn’t want set-up meetings with weirdos and professional eccentrics, the kind of people whose entire existence depended on promoting Route 66.

I wanted this to be a personal journey of discovery. I wanted to experience every mile as it came upon me. When I woke each morning, I didn’t want to know what I would be doing that afternoon, let alone the next day. What would happen would happen. The serendipitous nature of the trip was everything to me. Planning ahead would kill the adventure and the excitement. If that happened, there would be no point leaving home.

So, obviously, the trip — and book — became of a more personal journey for Connolly. Because of this first-person approach, Connolly speaks his mind freely. His comments about politics, war, road food, religion, and rodeos might offend or irk some readers. He’s not above sprinkling occasional profanity into the text. But that candidness provides immediacy to his observations and storytelling — an asset to any travel book.

The book works best when you imagine Connelly’s Scottish accent while reading (he uses the word “wee” liberally throughout).

However, sometimes the brogue disappears when the text delves into the history of various Route 66 sites, like the material was shoe-horned into place. I’m not certain who’s to blame for the abrupt changes in the book’s tone. Maybe it’s co-author Robert Uhlig; maybe it was the tight time frame in which the book was written. Regardless, the book could have used a little more TLC in its editing.

Another significant problem turned out to be the book’s lopsided content. “Billy Connolly’s Route 66” reaches the midpoint of the Mother Road — Adrian, Texas — on Page 213. That leaves fewer than 100 pages to cover the remaining 1,100 miles of Route 66. A motorcycle accident in eastern Arizona left Connolly hospitalized for several days and in significant pain for the remainder of the trip. One wonders whether Connolly’s convalescence left the film crew with too little time — or whether Connolly had too little energy — to see all the sights. This lack of material about Route 66’s western half wasn’t apparent during  the television program, but it sticks out glaringly in the book.

Despite its shortcomings, “Billy Connolly’s Route 66” turned out to be an often-enjoyable book. But it simply can’t compare to the wonderful cinematography and crisp editing of the ITV production. “Billy Connolly’s Route 66” proves to be a rarity — the television program being better than the book.

Recommended.

One thought on “Book review: “Billy Connolly’s Route 66”

  1. Good stuff, if anyone is interested in another Route 66 travel-documentary. Amazon shows at least a dozen of them and many more in text only version. The book which came out a couple of years ago with reference to places that are neat ‘off of Route 66’ was an example of marketing compliments of the Route gone extreme. It used the Route as a reference point, much like a Chamber of Commerce promotion.

    This package picks into not American but British images of our country. For many there, Route 66 and its associated myths have replaced the prior images of cowboys, Indians and wide-open space lacking in their country. Each time I travel the Route I run into travelers from Europe. A favorite stop for me is Joseph’s in Santa Rosa, NM. Talking with them you do get the impression Route 66 is sort of a long road into vague American space and lore. It does not seem their thinking is based in reality but myth, which is why they’re there in Santa Rosa, NM, and Shamrock, TX and Flagstaff. And, this work is mostly for those folks. It serves that demand for myth and more than likely is spur more to make the trip.

    Maybe some Route 66 business types should commission a new study like this for promotion.

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