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Spike Milligan Kt CBE (April 16, 1918–February 27, 2002) was a comedian, novelist, poet, jazz musician (trumpet and guitar - also played the piano - and was a dab hand at raspberry blowing) and member of the Goons. He was born Terence Alan Milligan in Ahmed Nagar or Ahmadnagar, India to an Irish-born officer in the British army. Though he lived most of his life in Britain and served in the British army, he was declared stateless in 1960, and took Irish citizenship.
Biography
Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder for most of his life, having at least ten breakdowns. He was a strident campaigner on environmental matters, particularly arguing against unnecessary noise. He served in the Royal Artillery in World War 2 in North Africa and also Italy, where he was hospitalized for shell shock. During most of the 30s and early 40s he performed as a jazz trumpeter but even then he did comedy sketches. After his hospitalisation he played guitar with a jazz/comedy group called The Bill Hall Trio, at first in concert parties for the troops and, after the War, for a short time on stage. While he was with the Central Pool of Artists (a group, in his own words, "of bomb-happy squaddies") he began to write parodies of their mainstream plays, that displayed many of the key elements of what would become The Goon Show.
He was the primary author of the Goon Show scripts as well as a performer, and is considered the father of modern British comedy, having inspired many performers, notably Monty Python's Flying Circus. Writing a show a week affected his health greatly and caused him to have a series of nervous breakdowns. On one occasion Peter Sellers had to lock his door against a knife-wielding Milligan; on another, Sellers and Harry Secombe broke into Milligan's dressing room, fearing he was suicidal. Eventually lithium was found to be the most effective treatment.
He also had a number of acting parts in theatre, film and television series such as Gormenghast, and was (almost inevitably) noted as an ad-libber. He wrote nonsense verse for children, the best of which is comparable with that of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, and (while depressed) serious poetry.
The Prince of Wales was a noted fan, and Milligan caused a stir by calling him a "little grovelling bastard" on television in 1994. He later faxed the prince, saying "I suppose a knighthood is out of the question now?" The knighthood (honorary because of his Irish citizenship) was finally awarded in 2000.
Even late in life Milligan's black humour had not deserted him. After the death of friend Harry Secombe he said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." A recording of Secombe singing was played at Milligan's memorial service. In a BBC poll in August 1999, Spike Milligan was voted the "funniest person of the last 1000 years".
The film of Puckoon was released after Spike's death and starred one of his daughters, Jane Milligan.
His headstone bears the Gaelic words, "Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite". Translated to English, these form a classic Milligan line, "I told you I was ill".
A new feature-length documentary, DVD and web site called Goon but Not Forgotten: The Life and Legacy of Spike Millgan is currently in production by Australian company Hatchling Productions Pty Ltd. Goon but not Forgotten will be an intimate and deeply personal portrait of Spike Milligan – not only as a comedian but also as a father, a big brother, a deeply troubled and difficult husband and a man who trod the thin line between genius and debilitating depression.
It will tell Spike’s story through the eyes of his brother Desmond, his daughters, his third wife, the people of Woy Woy (on the NSW central coast, where Spike spent a big part of his life after his parents moved to Australia) and his professional colleagues (including Eric Sykes, John Cleese and Michael Parkinson).
Radio Comedy shows
TV Comedy shows
- A Show Called Fred
- Son of Fred
- The World of Beachcomber
- Q5, Q6, Q7, Kuwait (Q8) Q9 and There's A Lot of It About
Theatre
It was based on the Russian classic by Ivan Goncharov, and gave Milligan the opportunity to play most of the title role in bed.
Unsure of his material, on the opening night he improvised a great deal, treating the audience as part of the plot almost, and he continued in this diverting manner for the rest of the run, and on tour as Son Of Oblomov.
Movies
- The Bed-Sitting Room (1969), post-nuclear-war comedy with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and also Arthur Lowe; based on the Milligan/Antrobus play.
- The Great McGonagall, untalented Scottish poet (based on the real William Topaz McGonagall) angles to become laureate, with Peter Sellers as Queen Victoria.
- The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn, a Goon-like 2-reel comedy ("Mukkinese" = "mucky knees").
- The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film, a silent comedy, Richard Lester's debut film.
- Monsieur Bonacieux, husband of Madame Bonacieux (Raquel Welch) in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers (1973).
- The prophet abandoned by his flock in Life of Brian.
- The meter reader who eats the ticket in The Magic Christian.
- The Last Remake of Beau Geste, with Marty Feldman.
- A jailed French aristocrat with a thing for songbirds in History of the World, Part I.
Books
- Silly Verse for Kids (1959); the 1968 paperback edition omits one poem and adds some from the next two books
- A Dustbin of Milligan (1961)
- The Little Pot Boiler (1963)
- Puckoon (1963)
- A Book of Bits, or A Bit of a Book (1965)
- The Looney: An Irish Fantasy (1987)
- The Bedside Milligan
- "The War (and Peace) Memoirs"
- Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall (1971; Jim Dale played Milligan and Milligan played his own father in the film version of this book.)
- Rommel? Gunner Who? A Confrontation in the Desert
- Monty: His Part in My Victory
- Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall
- Where Have All the Bullets Gone? (1985)
- Goodbye Soldier
- Peace Work
- Hidden Words: Collected Poems
- Startling Verse for All the Family
- A Mad Medley of Milligan
- Transports of Delight
- More Transports of Delight
- Peace Work
- Depression and How to Survive It (with Professor Anthony Clare), medical biography.
- It Ends with Magic
Quotations
- "When I look back, the fondest memory I have is not really of the Goons. It is of a girl called Julia with enormous breasts."
- "I can't see the sense in it [his honorary CBE] really. It makes me a Commander of the British Empire. They might as well make me a Commander of Milton Keynes – at least that exists."
- "I told you I was ill" – his epitaph. Spike's grave remained unmarked for two years, as the church authorities would not let the family put Spike's chosen epitaph on his grave, claiming that it might offend some people. Eventually, it was decided that it should be written in Gaelic, to prevent any offence.
- On his bouts of depression – "It's the nature of who you are. You will see sunsets in a special way, you will see life in a special way. The Milligans are like Arab racehorses. We'll kick the stable to pieces, but we'll always win the race."
- Wikiquote – Quotes by Spike Milligan (http://wikiquote.org/wiki/Spike_Milligan)
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