eYE Marty: The Newly Discovered Autobiography of a Comic Genius

by Marty Feldman

Completed before he died, thirty years ago, this is the newly discovered autobiography of one of the most influential comedians of recent times, Marty Feldman. Marty Feldman was one of the most essential creative forces in British comedy embodied also by his close friends and creative partners from Beyond the Fringe (especially Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) and Monty Python (especially John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle).Marty played the fool, often very happily and with tremendous talent and volcanic, anarchic energy, for his entire life. Marty finished, and set aside eYE Marty soon before travelling to Mexico to shoot his final film. He did not know that he would die there, although he certainly felt he might die soon, and was haunted by the notion. The book is exactly as Feldman wrote it, with even the photos inserted where Feldman had noted they should go. Hilarious, deeply charming, aphoristic, ironic, charged throughout with lust for life and filled with scenes of great vanished eras and and portraits of other performers and friends, eYE Marty is the amazing discovery of the story of a man who was at the heart of the British comedy revolution.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2012

About the author

Marty Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor, easily identified by his bulbous and crooked eyes.

Reviews

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tragedy

When I was a kid, I used to think Monty Python, The Goon Show, Marty Feldman and even the Benny Hill Show was funny. In their time, they were geniuses - I guess. Now, after reading this book, I thought I'd have a look at Feldman's best work on YouTube. I hardly even raised a smile.

I'm afraid this book isn't funny. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. The description of Marty's early life made me sad in fact. Maybe we've all just grown out of this sort of humor. Mind you, I still find Fawlty Towers funny. I guess some people might find reading about Marty's life interesting, but this disjointed autobiography just didn't do it for me. It did successfully cure my insomnia for a few days.

[Benedict Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A particularly good autobiography, I think largely because it was an early draft, finished days before the author's death... and then not published for decades. This allows many of Marty's more explicit stories, and opinions of others, to survive the editor. It also means Marty talks of his two films (as writer/director) as failures, but is hopeful he will have the opportunity to make something worthwhile in the future. The dramatic irony of his hopes for the future add a pathos to the final chapters.
Some of the faults of an early draft autobiography are also apparent. Often a chapter will begin discussing something, then jump forward 2 years, and back again without any strong sense of time. More so than other books of UK comedians of the time, Marty's book makes it clear that UK comedy was a boys club. He talks openly of taking BBC producers to strip clubs to try and find females willing to be on Comedy sketch shows (the implication that no serious actress at the time would be willing to do these jobs). As he writes in the early 80s, he mentions the drugs of LA parties in the 70s, and the impact of the sexual revolution, but feminism doesn't seem to have touched him.
As with all human memory, his teenage years are the most vivid. And Marty's teenage years were extraordinary, as he discusses being homeless for almost a decade, drift from job to job while often sleeping in parks.
As with all good books, I found myself both wanting to read all night, and also wanting to delay finishing it. Marty was after all a writer for years before he became and actor, and it shows.

[Alex Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My mind is an attic full of crazy dreams that never quit or disappoint me, and I have been blessed with these eyEs to see things differently and have people see me in a different way."

Loved loved loved this book. I've always been a fan of Marty's, and to read bits of his sketch writing and poetry scattered throughout an autobiography of fearless, comedy genius and scrappy bohemian bliss.. Yeah, I'll be a fan forever.

One more bit of his that I love:

"The function of my comedy is not to provide answers, but to postulate questions, impertinent questions and therefore finally, pertinent questions. Not to open doors, merely to unlock them. To not invade the boundaries of probability but stand a cool guard this side of the boundaries. Somewhere between there's a thesis. To pump up the muscle of dialectic (or in my case Di-Eclectic!) against the brawn of surrealistic solution.

I play not Hamlet, but the second gravedigger, not Lear but the fool."

[Neal Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started sadly, ended sadly and is generally sad. This is an odd book as it really does seem to be the unedited notes from Marty, as if he was preparing an autobiography. Clearly he only wanted to write but was bullied into becoming a performer.
One of the nicest things, underlying the whole book, is Marty's love for his wife, Lauretta, and hers for him. Everything he did was for her, it's a truly delightful message.
This is not a great book, nor a funny book, but it was honest and from the heart about an often overlooked genius.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures were great but not enough of an effort was made to cobble together Marty's notes to create a coherent narrative. I found things out of order or things repeated over and over with different phrasing to detract from the overall attempt at "autobiography".

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess one must be a Brit to really appreciate British humor. For instance, I can't stand the whole Monty Python Flying Circus thing, with the exception of the Holy Grail movie. But Mr. Feldman was a part of that. This book has plenty of British humor in spades, and I didn't find it, or Mr. Feldman, funny at all. He was a genius in Young Frankenstein, but it was an American script he was performing to. I did enjoy reading about his life, though. He really went through some hard times. He found an angel in Lauretta. Most of us won't ever be that lucky.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a life. Well written, shame he didn't live long enough to get it to an editor. Some stretches are tantalizingly thin with detail that could have easily been fleshed out into fuller stories and doubled the length of the book.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Marty Feldman (Igor from Young Frankenstein) in his own words.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange, funny and interesting book.

[Robert Nardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How odd to publish an autobiography — and it is an autobiography, not a ghosted effort — 33 years after your death. He was. Oh, that eye. He changed my entire view of what Abbie Normal is. One of the true kings. Love Marty Feldman!! Miss him. He was disillusioned by Hollywood but was comfortable in his own skin. Like another genius before him Buster Keaton he was chewed up by a medium that didn’t know what to do with him. it is difficult not to read it without a degree of sadness now that Marty Feldman is no longer with us. Towards the end of the book he gets more reflective about politics, religion and the absurdities of life. But the overriding features of his story are twofold; he was happy in his own skin as a clown and he loved his wife Lauretta to bits.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems harsh to criticize this book because it was unfinished as a result of Marty Feldman's death and remained gathering dust until his wife, Lauretta died. It's the first draft with notes, poems, and photographs. A polished final product might have been a different thing.

Also, this is a book intended to raise money for charity.

It has its moments. Feldman is generous to his friends. And, perhaps most effecting, is how much he loved his wife Lauretta and how much she loved him.

I have issues with the book, but not enough to one star it. It might have been better to let another writer use it as the centre of a biography.

[Mrs V J Kotziamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and gripping read

Those of.my generation who loved Marty Feldman will be enthralled by this honest self appraisal of a life which began with so many disadvantages. His talent and persistence, aided by the warmth of the love he so clearly feels for Loretta Sullivan, his wife, and the respect and support of his close friends see him through the ups and downs inevitable in a creative's life. Some of his poetry is inspired; my favourite 'Travelling Light' which begins 'Recently I moved into my own head | It's not a pretty neighbourhood.... ' which just resonated with how a lot of us have been feeling in lockdown.

[Andrew Tattersall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things you never knew

The things Marty Feldman did before he got to be a writer and actor are quite astounding but he kept on going. Funny and interesting about the times he lived through. He knows how to tell a story and keep it interesting with jokes thrown in.

[Disha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest description of life as it is. I enjoyed reading the poems scattered throughout the book, as well as description of the insecurities, the failures, the disappointments, the love, the fun, the need for comedy described by the author.

[Dave Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compiled after his death, this autobiography is in parts funny, touching, self depreciating and crude, and for me at least has helped flesh out a character I only knew as Igor before …

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant, obviously, but quite disjointed in places. Still brilliant though.

[Andy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening, fun, and well written.

[Steve Gillway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent autobiography. Honest account of an anarchic life in comedy

[Mike Tomano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marty Feldman's autobiography eYE Marty offers insight into this underrated brilliant comic, from his Dickensian childhood to finding his way into the arts...first as a musician, on to his pioneering work writing radio comedy with partner Barry Took, to his foray into television with future Monty Python members up to his Hollywood success. Recommended.

[Dan Lalande · Rating 3 out of 5]

The much-loved Marty Feldman, TV and cinema's self-proclaimed "happy fool," died at the age of 48 in 1982; forty years later, this slim, amusing autobiography was uncovered. Feldman attempts to tell the tale of his hungry years as a trumpet-playing vagabond until his rise to international celebrity, predicated on his googly eyes (the result of suspect thyroid medication), wiry stature, and an irrepressible bent for the bizarre. The book runs amok quite often, as did, admittedly, its author, a prolific comedy writer dependent on collaborators to keep him on the straight and narrow. Still, its mix of surrealism and sweetness truly reflects the soul of its author.

[Vader · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish