Gilliamesque: A Pre-posthumous Memoir

Terry Gilliam is not only a brilliant director but a superb writer and illustrator on top of it. His winding narrative is at once hilarious, mesmerizing and a case study for how to write in an ironic style (perhaps in the tradition of the likes of people Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut). I expect this "pre-posthumous" memoir to be inspiring anyone who has ever considered jumping off the conventional path (i.e. most people).

This book was just WONDERFUL. I've been a fan of Monty Python since I was a kid, and I've loved many of Terry Gilliam's movies--"Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", "Time Bandits", "The Fisher King"...oh, let's just say that any of his movies that I've seen I've just adored. What attracted me to this book initially (since I saw it in a store) was that it was so incredibly colorful. Much in the same way that Gilliam's artwork is multi-dimensional and incredibly tactile, even on a screen, this book is really meant to be consumed in printed form (or at least on a Kindle Fire/Kindle app, where the color can be viewed properly). Kindle/app viewers will miss out on the humorous "MEMEMEMEMEME" scrawling on the edges of the book."Gilliamesque" covers his life to date, beginning with his early years in Minnesota, through his time in California and New York, and then his auspicious move to England that ultimately led to his joining the Pythons and spending decades behind the camera making bizarre, luscious art. Interspersed throughout the book, you see pictures, drawings, and other memorabilia that help further illustrate his life (no pun intended). Little drips of paint are all over the place, giving the impression of the book as a canvas--which, really, it is, when you think about his life as having been colored in by his experiences and reactions to the various challenges and opportunities he's had over the course of his nearly 76 years on Planet Earth.As someone who's only ever really seen Gilliam's work from the outside, having this inside view of his thought patterns, the events that formed and shaped his ideas, and the challenges that he's encountered really gave me a far better sense of why I have enjoyed his work. Gilliam is unapologetically creative, to the point where he makes it perfectly clear that he's not afraid to push buttons (regardless of whether that was the intent). I am so glad I bought this book, and now I can't wait to re-watch his films with an all-new perspective on the mad genius that created them.

An overview of Terry Gilliam's extraordinary career packed with rare photographs and about six decade's worth of Gilliam's amazing artwork. I hear he's working on another book which will plunge more deeply into his career. Don't expect to learn anything new or groundbreaking about Gilliam but an absolute joy nonetheless. Plenty of show business anecdotes about the likes of Marlon Brando, too.

How do you become one of the most creative director's of all time? This book details just that with the most entertaining writing style. I will buy it again as a gift for my friends, cinefiles, and average humans alike!

A fun read from one of the geniuses of Monty Python. If you like Monty Python, you'll like this.

Looks like it'll be a good & fun read ! Definitly different ! More FUN waking up my brain too !

The recipient of this tome loves it!

Great book. Fun look into the mind of a creative author and movie director.

If, like all right-thinking folk, Gilliam is your favourite Python, you should enjoy this. It reads in 'his' voice, as many of the most engaging autobiographies do. Far from the most detailed book of its kind, but it does give an insight into how he thinks, formative influences etc, as well as a personal take on the Python years and his films as director. Visually, it could be no-one else's work. A genuinely nice guy as well as a great talent, it seems.

The book is an easy read, but the main thing is that Terry Gilliam has had a more interesting life than you may expect. I'm only halfway through, and usually you expect the "early years" to be a bit dull. Far from it.I'm not even into the directing part yet, and he is obviously a superb and original director, but there is more to him than that, or Python. Well worth buying, the layout is interesting and the character is building as you go. Really good job!

I presumed that this book might have a few images at the expense of text or vice-versa but actually it's a full on auto-biography that is lavishly illustrated with very VERY interesting work by Mr Gilliam. I enjoyed reading it, found it profound in places and loved the entertaining illustrations. If you have any interest in Terry Gilliam then GET THIS!

I enjoyed parts of this book,certainly some of the stuff about films is interesting. The stuff on Brazil is good but there are better books about this film already. If anything it felt a bit rushed. The munchausen process is barely mentioned, although there are some good pictures and storyboards. Gilliam's childhood,by his own admission is relatively uninteresting but he looks at why he did what he did later. Python is spoken of but the prose style is pretty ordinary and unexciting. Worth it for the range of material but wish it could have delved deeper.

I have from a far , always liked Gilliams style. Though i was too young(and not born) to have truly understood the impact the Pythons had on its peers while doing their Circus, i can understand their greatness. Dont get me wrong, ive enjoyed many of their sketches and films, but this in the early 90s. Gilliam is an artist and he writes like a funny one at that. His suprising upbringing is a jawdropper for someone who only know hom from his films and sketches , with no backgroundinfo. The book is a great size and love the little sketches and designs. You like Gilliams stuff, buy this!