At My Mother's Knee . . .: and Other Low Joints
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- Create Date：2023-04-11 00:57:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Paul O'Grady
- ISBN：0553819488
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Summary
In his own uniquely acid tongue， Paul O'Grady traces the hilarious tales of life in Irish Catholic Birkenhead that took him from a virtuous altar-boy （"my first drag"） to Britain's best loved entertainer。 It's a life that includes， varyingly， stints in an abbatoir， as a social worker， in a high-class Mayfair brothel， and traipsing down to London to chase his dreams。 By 23， Paul O'Grady had been a father， husband， drag queen， gay lover， divorcee， and degenerate。 He did it all with a smile on his face， making a mental note to register the whip-smart one-liners that would later inform his star-studded path from the fringes of comedy to the heart of the British establishment， first as his own brilliant comic creation Lily Savage， then， triumphantly， as himself。 Paul's remarkable childhood and early life is littered with a dizzying cast-list of rogues， rascals， lovers， fighters， saints， and sinners。 Oh， and one iconic bus conductress。 Told with pathos， love， empathy， and naturally， biting humor， the story of Paul O'Grady is that of everyman， everywoman， and inevitably， every drag act ever。 He has been rich and poor， posh and common， straight and gay。 He has mixed with stars and whores and all that's in between， slyly spotting the similarity between them all。 His amazing and riveting life story reminds us that there is， when all is said and done， a bit of savage in all of us。
Reviews
Natasha
，
Brilliant！ I am from Birkenhead too so it is wonderful to read him talk about all the things and places that my family have talked about too throughout my life。 He and my Nan had the same netball teacher！ Really warm feeling reading this and always a good laugh wherever Paul is concerned。
Hannah
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Fantastic book， really enjoyed it。 Very sadly Paul O’Grady died unexpectedly on 28th March。 It was such sad news as he was only 67。 We have lost a very talented man。
Sarah
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I read this when it first came out when I was a lot younger because I loved him off the telly since I was a small child！ Drag icon， comedy legend， animal lover… There will never be another quite like Paul O’Grady 🥺I really want to dig out my copy if I still have it somewhere to re-read after the news yesterday of his untimely passing！I’ve always been a fan of Drag Queens， and long before there was my avid interest in RuPaul’s Drag Race， there was Lily Savage。 The quintessential example of the ol I read this when it first came out when I was a lot younger because I loved him off the telly since I was a small child！ Drag icon， comedy legend， animal lover… There will never be another quite like Paul O’Grady 🥺I really want to dig out my copy if I still have it somewhere to re-read after the news yesterday of his untimely passing！I’ve always been a fan of Drag Queens， and long before there was my avid interest in RuPaul’s Drag Race， there was Lily Savage。 The quintessential example of the old style of British Drag - end of Blackpool Pier humour， biting wit， sharp comedy… But she was a TV star！ And so was Paul out of drag， in his suit doing his chat show。 That was always on over tea time in our house。 His passing hit me because it’s like losing a staple of my childhood。It was lovely to see somebody unapologetically being themselves on mainstream/daytime television before it even was a thing。 As a pansexual， autistic， person。。 I have always felt different and alien to this world before I even knew of these labels， before I knew they applied to myself and how I identify。 You were an icon Paul， a hero to many humans and dogs alike！ You will be missed。 RIP 💖 。。。more
Sean Peters
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Paul O'Grady is one of Britain's very best loved entertainers。 He is known and adored by millions， whether as the creator of the acid-tongued Blonde Bombsite， Lily Savage， the presenter of the fantastically successful， award-winning Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 or the massive hit ITV show， For the Love of Dogs at Battersea Dogs and Cats home， also the great Animals Orphans filmed in Africa。Now， in his own unique voice， Paul O'Grady tells story of his "early" life in Irish Catholic Birkenhead t Paul O'Grady is one of Britain's very best loved entertainers。 He is known and adored by millions， whether as the creator of the acid-tongued Blonde Bombsite， Lily Savage， the presenter of the fantastically successful， award-winning Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 or the massive hit ITV show， For the Love of Dogs at Battersea Dogs and Cats home， also the great Animals Orphans filmed in Africa。Now， in his own unique voice， Paul O'Grady tells story of his "early" life in Irish Catholic Birkenhead that started him on the long and winding road from mischievous altar boy to national treasure。 It is a evoked， hilarious and often moving tale of gossip in the back yard， bragging in the corner shop and slanging matches on the front doorstep， populated by larger-than-life characters with hearts of gold and tongues as sharp as razors。At My Mother's Knee features a cast of rogues， rascals， lovers， fighters， saints and sinners - and one iconic bus conductress。 It's a book which really does have something for everyone and which reminds us that， when all's said and done， there's a bit of savage in all of us。。。Okay the story of his autobiography， now my thoughts。 I thought this was his life story， his autobiography， and was shocked when the book finished and he was only 18 years old ！！Now I release his autobiographies are four books， so far， a good money earning business， his first 18 years took 352 pages， yes agreed a busy young life， but I was let down after this first autobiography。I wanted to read his whole story， I admire and respect the important work he does now， especially with my love of animals， and the part of his life story I read was okay， but not his life story。Personally I do not want to read four books to catch up with his life story， too many books to read。 。。。more
Chloe
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Really enjoyed this！
Newfad
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Funny， sad and startling。。。。a touch ee by gum it were grim oop norf but well worth a read。
Shazzie Anne
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Great fun。 Written from the heart。 You can see the person develop throughout the book and the decisions he made。 Well worth reading。
Sunny Brooks
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As a much loved entertainer， Paul's unique voice and take on life can be heard all through this description of his early life。 There is no doubt that his quick witted， acidic humour stems from very tough times and needing to be one step ahead from his earliest childhood。 In this， his first of 4 autobiographies， he holds nothing back in terms of his language and his fluctuating sexuality， as he tries to discover what he wants out of life。 His humour is a mask to hide how troubled and dissatisfied As a much loved entertainer， Paul's unique voice and take on life can be heard all through this description of his early life。 There is no doubt that his quick witted， acidic humour stems from very tough times and needing to be one step ahead from his earliest childhood。 In this， his first of 4 autobiographies， he holds nothing back in terms of his language and his fluctuating sexuality， as he tries to discover what he wants out of life。 His humour is a mask to hide how troubled and dissatisfied he felt much of the time， even when in theory， he was enjoying his exploits！ The ending is a very abrupt bombshell， which leaves the reader wondering what happens next？ 。。。more
KatieLou1
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I really enjoyed this it really made me laugh
Terri
，
The first of his biography's， Paul O'Grady takes you on a tour of his younger years and early life growing up。 From the moment he was born to his parent's health and even his own surprise at the end， you're on a whirl wind tour， there's moments you can't help but laugh at and others which you can't help but feel sorry for Paul to the damn right sad parts。You can't help but hear Paul's voice in your head as you're reading。 I am looking forward to reading the other biographies of his and seeing wh The first of his biography's， Paul O'Grady takes you on a tour of his younger years and early life growing up。 From the moment he was born to his parent's health and even his own surprise at the end， you're on a whirl wind tour， there's moments you can't help but laugh at and others which you can't help but feel sorry for Paul to the damn right sad parts。You can't help but hear Paul's voice in your head as you're reading。 I am looking forward to reading the other biographies of his and seeing what else he has gotten up too during his years。 。。。more
William Reid
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On read
AtomicBiker
，
DNF
Deity World
，
Emotional read can’t wait for next book
Rosie
，
This book ended just as things were getting really interesting。 I hope there’s a sequel
Sandra Preston
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Good read， funny， emotional， looking forward to the follow up
Lauren
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I just didn't enjoy this book very much， I thought I'd love it as I think Paul on the television is very funny but I found it underwhelming which I was disappointed by as the reviews for this book are on the whole very positive。 The book focuses purely on his life from Birth to around the age of 18 and Paul's voice shines through in the writing， you can't help but read the book in his voice。I've tried to pinpoint why I didn't enjoy this book very much and I don't think it was one singular reason I just didn't enjoy this book very much， I thought I'd love it as I think Paul on the television is very funny but I found it underwhelming which I was disappointed by as the reviews for this book are on the whole very positive。 The book focuses purely on his life from Birth to around the age of 18 and Paul's voice shines through in the writing， you can't help but read the book in his voice。I've tried to pinpoint why I didn't enjoy this book very much and I don't think it was one singular reason， more a culmination of things making it underwhelming。 Firstly I never felt as though the reader got to know Paul， the first third of the book is focused on his family history and detailed description of each of his family members which was interesting but I kept wondering when Paul was going to talk about himself and his memories。 He did move on to his anecdotes but they stayed heavily rooted in his surrounding family and tended to focus on their reactions and feelings to things he had done rather than focusing on himself。 He rarely wrote about his own emotions and feelings but when he did so such as on the death of his Father he wrote beautifully with emotion。 It showed a softer side to him compared to the one portrayed throughout the rest of the book。 Secondly， there wasn't much of Paul's trademark wit in this book， there were funny moments but most of the humour came from the anecdotes featuring Paul's Mother Molly。 Additionally there were a few early anecdotes which I found quite upsetting involving animal cruelty （not involving Paul himself） and I really didn't like them。 Paul on the television comes across as really likeable but the Paul in this book doesn't， a lot of his actions are self-centred， potentially this is due to the book only covering his early years and most likely he matures as the books progress as there were signs of it towards the end of this book。 I had already bought the next book before I had read this one so I will be reading that soon。 I'm not sure i'd recommend this book， but many other people have so maybe give it a try for yourself。 。。。more
Sheffielder
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Fantastic！ Engaging throughout， looking forward to reading the next installment。
Alistair Candlin
，
I’ve read quite a few biographies and autobiographies ， and even more than usual in the last two years。 Paul O’Grady’s is one of the best I’ve read。 He’s a really， really good writer。 Funny， interesting， honest; he draws the characters really well。 In the later chapters where he’s drinking and working in Liverpool bars I thought of Charles Bukowski for some reason， although it’s ages since I read any。
Charlotte Smith
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What a read， I absolutely loved it and to see how hard it was growing up back in the 60's and 70's and being gay was so hard and it wasn't acceptable like nowadays What a read， I absolutely loved it and to see how hard it was growing up back in the 60's and 70's and being gay was so hard and it wasn't acceptable like nowadays 。。。more
Andy Cooper
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Brought back a lot of good memories from growing up in Liverpool， thoroughly enjoyed this
Jacqueline Carpenter
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Oh just love Paul O'Grady and really enjoyed this story of his life as a youngster！ Full of heartwarming tales growing up in Birkenhead， so honest， insightful， funny， sad and there was the odd occasion where I had to say "Oh no！"。 Loved it！ Oh just love Paul O'Grady and really enjoyed this story of his life as a youngster！ Full of heartwarming tales growing up in Birkenhead， so honest， insightful， funny， sad and there was the odd occasion where I had to say "Oh no！"。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Natasha Squirrell
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Very honest， funny and entertaining read
Lisa
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Entertaining， funny and moving。 A brilliant and witty knack for description。 I like Paul O'Grady but wouldn't say I'm a big fan， yet this book would probably entertain anyone with even a hint of interest in him。 I actually read the second autobiography first （The Devil Rides Out） when it was on offer and that's what prompted me to read more。 That was great too but this first installment is even better。 Entertaining， funny and moving。 A brilliant and witty knack for description。 I like Paul O'Grady but wouldn't say I'm a big fan， yet this book would probably entertain anyone with even a hint of interest in him。 I actually read the second autobiography first （The Devil Rides Out） when it was on offer and that's what prompted me to read more。 That was great too but this first installment is even better。 。。。more
James Tidd
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If I am being honest， which I am， I rarely don't read books twice。 I have only read a handful of books twice。 This book is one of those books。 I don't why， but I find Paul's life fascinating。 Like me he is an animal lover。Paul takes the reader through his first eighteen years of his life， from his birth in 1955 to his dad's passing in 1973。 Giving the reader an insight into how his family ended up in Birkenhead。 Born on the 14th June 1955 in St Catherine's Hospital in Tranmere， his father Patric If I am being honest， which I am， I rarely don't read books twice。 I have only read a handful of books twice。 This book is one of those books。 I don't why， but I find Paul's life fascinating。 Like me he is an animal lover。Paul takes the reader through his first eighteen years of his life， from his birth in 1955 to his dad's passing in 1973。 Giving the reader an insight into how his family ended up in Birkenhead。 Born on the 14th June 1955 in St Catherine's Hospital in Tranmere， his father Patrick Grady was born in Ireland， moved to England in 1936。 His surname was changed by mistake to O'Grady when he joined the RAF and he kept it。 He married Mary Savage （1916-88） who was born in England to Irish immigrants。 Both were devout Catholics and raised their children in the faith。 Paul was their third child， Sheila born in 1941 and Brendan in 1944， he was unplanned， his mother finding out about the pregnancy after visiting the doctor complaining about indigestion。 Paul spent his early life at 23 Holly Grove in Higher Tranmere。 Attending St Joseph's Catholic Primary School， he excelled in everything except Mathematics。 His parents sent him to Redcourt， where his grades dropped。 Failing his eleven plus， he couldn't go to a grammar school so was sent to the Blessed Edmund Campion Secondary Modern and the Corpus Christi High School。 A fan of the Avengers and Batman， he joined the cub scouts， leaving after a month。 An altar boy at a Catholic Church， he was dismissed after laughing during a funeral service。 He then joined the Marine Cadets， later commenting that he was following in the footsteps of his first hero， Popeye。 Enjoying the cadets， he joined the Boys Amateur Boxing Club， leading to a lifelong love of the sport。 His first job was a paper round that lasted the week。 Leaving school aged 16， he obtained a job in the DHSS as a clerical assistant at the Liverpool office。 He also worked part time in the bar at the RAFA club in Oxton。 Resigning from the DHSS， he managed to obtain a job at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Virginia Water in Surrey。 Appalled at the working conditions， the management accused him of stealing， which he denied。 Returning to Birkenhead， he returned to the RAFA club， increasingly socialising with within the Liverpudlian gay scene， attending meetings of the CHE and working at the Bear's Paw， a gay bar。 This he kept a secret from his parents。 With best friend， Tony， he regularly travelled to London to socialise with Tony's friend， John Pritchard， the classical music conductor， becoming very fond of him。 Experimenting， he had sex with friend Diane。 The book ends with Paul working at Liverpool Magistrates Court， finding out that Diane is pregnant in the same week as his parents have heart attacks， after having returned from a holiday， his mother later recovering but his father passing away。 。。。more
Debbie
，
What a warm lovey funny book。 Absolutely love Paul O’Grady and this just sealed the deal。 Such an evocative postcard from the past。 It’s a relief to hear it wast just us who used to have to pop some money in the meter to keep it going， I can’t imagine living in a house with no inside loo。 You read this book thinking how can that be a thing that happened in living memory。I love him， love his family especially al the outspoken no nonsense women。 So many of them to base Lilly Savage on。And it’s als What a warm lovey funny book。 Absolutely love Paul O’Grady and this just sealed the deal。 Such an evocative postcard from the past。 It’s a relief to hear it wast just us who used to have to pop some money in the meter to keep it going， I can’t imagine living in a house with no inside loo。 You read this book thinking how can that be a thing that happened in living memory。I love him， love his family especially al the outspoken no nonsense women。 So many of them to base Lilly Savage on。And it’s also a really important book about being gay in the 70s and 80s。 The olden days （I can’t believe I just said that） I can’t wait to read all his other books now because that was really fun 。。。more
Juliana Graham
，
A very humorous book， I really enjoyed this and will definitely read more of Paul's Autobiographies。 Covering Paul's life from birth to around 18 we learn about his family and neighbours， Paul's time at school， entering the world of work and also some adventures as he begins exploring the gay clubs where he lived。 It's all very wittily written， but with real heart。 I can definitely hear Paul's voice when reading this book and I think it gives readers a real insight into how he became the man he A very humorous book， I really enjoyed this and will definitely read more of Paul's Autobiographies。 Covering Paul's life from birth to around 18 we learn about his family and neighbours， Paul's time at school， entering the world of work and also some adventures as he begins exploring the gay clubs where he lived。 It's all very wittily written， but with real heart。 I can definitely hear Paul's voice when reading this book and I think it gives readers a real insight into how he became the man he is。 Incidentally， I have met Paul O'Grady in a work situation and he was charming - very polite， quietly spoken and keen to do what was required of his role at the event。 When he went on stage his comedy persona came to the fore and he had his audience in stitches。 A lovely man。 Also very， very tall！ 。。。more
Jo
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Exploring his family background and his early years in Liverpool。 Amusing and slightly shocking in places but you can hear him narrating all the way through。 You can see where he got his inspiration for Lilly Savage from。
Susanne Chatburn
，
Particularly enjoyed the first half of the book about his childhood。 Very evocative of the time’s。
Kim Yvette Patrick
，
A really enjoyable book。 So funny。 So emotional。
Steve
，
I would love to give this 10 stars if possible。 In parts laugh-out-loud funny but also at times very poignant， this is a marvellous evocation of a Catholic working class upbringing in the 1950s through to the mid-70s。 Highly recommended。
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion about a book。 However， "At My Mother's Knee 。 。 。: and Other Low Joints" is a memoir written by Paul O'Grady。 It describes his childhood and family life in Liverpool， England。 The book is a blend of humorous anecdotes and poignant stories about O'Grady's relationship with his mother and his own experiences growing up as a gay man in a working-class environment。 The book has received positive reviews from readers for its entertaining and relatable writing style， as well as its ability to capture the spirit of the rough-and-tumble culture of Liverpool。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I am not capable of having personal opinions about books or any other content。 However， based on the book description， "At My Mother's Knee。。。And Other Low Joints" is a memoir written by Paul O'Grady that features various childhood memories and experiences he had with his family and friends。 The book reflects on the author's upbringing and offers readers an insight into his personal life。 If you enjoy memoirs and are interested in the author's life experiences， you might find this book an interesting read。
tpg2
，
As an AI language model， I do not have personal preferences or opinions。 However， "At My Mother's Knee 。 。 。: and Other Low Joints" is a memoir written by Paul O'Grady， a British comedian and television personality。 The book talks about his childhood and relationship with his mother， who passed away when he was young， and also includes stories from his career as a drag queen performer。 It received positive reviews and was nominated for the British Book Awards in 2009。
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at my mother's knee ... and other low joints