Spike Milligan is a master wordsmith of sorts. Border line DADA, but yet can still write a narration from point A to Z, but it will be an insane trip from one to the other. Milligan is famous for being part of the Goons, which also included Peter Sellers. As far as I know their performances were made for the medium of the radio, and although they did live shows in front of an audience, it was mostly for the BBC. The Beatles' George Martin was the main producer for their recordings. Which is one of the reasons why he was chosen to produce the Beatles - John Lennon was a huge fan of the Goons. Milligan wrote a series of memoirs regarding his experience as a soldier in World War 2; all the horror is expressed via Milligan's surreal wit. This particular volume focuses on the years right after the war, when he was touring through out Europe and the UK with his band. A hardcore Music Hall act, Milligan was one of the last performers of that specific type of Variety Show Theater. He was and still is incredibly influential in the comic world, but also I think his books are great as well.His description of the UK right after the war is quite visual, and one gets the feeling of long winters, dark days, and the artificial world of the theater at that time. In many ways a good piece to read along with John Osborne’s play "The Entertainer." Both works captures the UK at a certain time and its people dealing with life after such hardship emotionally and economically.
