I only read it whilst a member of a reading group - the premise of the group being that members were encouraged to read books they might ordinarily never consider reading - thanks reading group! Lily later became a regular on This Morning, took over the bed on The Big Breakfast and presented Blankety Blank, but has now retired. Biography: Paul O'Grady first came to fame in the guise of Lily Savage, and was nominated for a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1991. And the opening to Still Standing, his description of a Leeds pub, well, it's beyond belief the brewery allows that pub to be open. 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.

Likeable and occasionally entertaining though Mr O'Grady might be - this book is certainly not 'hilarious' and ultimately just. Job, chapter five, verse seven,' my mother had replied, completely knocking the wind out of his sails. Lily later became a regular on This Morning, took over the bed on The Big Breakfast and presented Blankety Blank. The young Liverpool entertainer, an altar boy from Irish Catholic Birkenhead, becomes the acid-tongued and outrageous drag queen Lily Savage, and moves from gay pubs to national television, creating something of a British comic institution en route (O'Grady's caustic drag character was a world away from safer predecessors such as Danny La Rue).But O'Grady (like other comic performers such as John Cleese) realised that comic creations can have a limited shelf life, and reinvented himself as ‘Paul O'Grady’, coming out from behind the false breasts and towering wigs as a toned-down (but still camp), more audience-friendly TV presenter (wisely, he retained the abrasive voice and a Scouse accent that could be cut with a knife). I have been a fan of Paul O'Grady for a long time, I think he's fantastic and funny without even trying to be.

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! O'Grady was variously a boxer, a civil servant, a conman and even a cat burglar - all of these failed careers are on display here, as is a surprisingly pungent picture of the Liverpool nightclub scene. When so many showbiz autobiographies these days are written by people who have a barely had a life outside of their fame, it's refreshing to encounter one by somebody whose story would be interesting even if he were not a major TV star. 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 found it interesting to find out about life in Birkenhead for Paul O'Grady, as it's an area I know. I found this to be an entertaining read, I knew he had a colourful background he is frank and honest and you can see where Lily came from, his family is interesting,the women are strong, powerful and compassionate stubborn creatures who are every bit as colourful as our Paul, the men hold a prehapes quieter place, but are none the less as inportant, it was interesting reading about his feelings and confusion about his sexuality,a recommend but possibly for fans only - cant wait for the sequel!