Bill Bryson on The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

[willbirful]

good work here

[jensww22]

I read all his books and I enjoyed them. Nevertheless, the man is a racist. He believes in a supposed anglo-superiority and he sucks up to his British host audience.

[Vot63]

@jensww22 This "racist" thing has really jumped the shark. Are you not allowed to like British people now?

[jv8999]

woahh american/ english accent hybrid!

[jacobskelton]

I have read all his books, some many times, full of fascination and humourous observation, i'd reccomend any of his books, although i feel he could have given south west England a bit more credit.

[sirdoodlebug219]

This is so weird hearing the man himself speak! He has such a distinctive voice in his writing, I find it pretty disconcerting to hear and see him talking...

[MrMadmardin]

@sirdoodlebug219

Really? This is more or less how I envisioned he would look and sound. When I read "A walk in the woods" I pictured a man just like this for the most part.

[robsargent4]

I quite like this quy & his books. That's all I have to say.

[polina1123]

Have you guys read "A Walk in the Woods?" It's fantastic stuff! It's one of the funniest, and one of the most inspiring as well! Hiking the Appalachian Trail is now on my Bucket List. :)

[TheLizardFish]

He looks and sounds exactly like I thought he would. Ha!

[blaster1985]

Read Bill's stuff; you'll laugh you're friggin' head off.

[boilermaker98]

he is just brilliant....his writing is side-splitting hilarious :)

[trudyandgeorge]

infamous Bill Bryson? (description)

[johndhaan]

Currently reading "down under". Simply brilliant.

[skillzdatkillz900]

reading "A Walk In the Woods" for the second time. hilarious book! BIG UP KATZ! best line: "well here's an idea for you to try and get a hold of Bob, i don't remotely give a shit"

[EddieKat]

My older brother, Mike, high-fived Bill at his graduation ceremony from Durham University! He was going to hug him but he foolishly told one of his mates about his plan and his mate hugged Bill instead! Michael then had to quickly come up with another idea and high-fived him when he got on the stage! hE just can't let his name be forgotten at Durham Uni!

[rcaken]

THIS BOOK IS SO FUNNY. MY WIFE WOULD HEAR ME LAUGHING SO LOUD,EVEN FROM THE LITTLE BOYS ROOM !YOU MUST READ IT. THANKS BILL. RCAKEN. 

[doitatit]

Bill your the best ! Infamous? Get real !

[Twitchy40]

his grandparents are from my town!

[hotelmario510]

It's clever, he has an Anglo-American accent.

[lauryn151]

Bonjour nous sommes français et nous devons effectuer un travail sur bill bryson.If you have some informations for us we will be very happy!!! =)

[Toastwithmarmelade]

@lauryn151 Have a look at my criticism below.

[Kopper08]

A Short History of Nearly Everything is an excellent book.

[twistedballs1]

@Kopper08 dude your so right. ive read it 3times and learn so much from it.

[flashlightbug]

I love that book!

[2TWISTEDBALLS]

@Kopper08 i just fin it and yes it blew my mind. it was great. Ill read it again soon

[hollymarg]

@Kopper08 I found it more enlightening and comforting than Richard Dawkins God Delusion...

[iliketoparty46]

@Kopper08 I am 25 pages in and loving it , a walk in the woods is also great

[Toastwithmarmelade]

I do not want to dispell anybody's enthusiasm for Bill Bryson, but I read his book Mother Tongue and I agree with quite alot of reviewers that it is the worst book ever written on linguistics. As Bryson did not care to clear any of the glaring and embarrassing mistakes in many years this book has been on the market I have a rather low opinion of him as a man of letters. The fact that he is the honourary chancellor of Durham University beats me. It doesn't do that University any credit .

[tb4911]

Kind of a transatlantic accent

[modestlace]

yes, he lived in england for some time

[lawofa]

Bill Bryson has a British accent? lol

[vaudevilleUK]

He has an accent influenced by an English accent yes, but he still has notable American features to his accent like his Rs and As

[peterpkr]

i think you mean pseudonym

[hippietoadable]

i love bill bryson! one of my favorite authors. i didn't read this one yet, i'm still working through "a walk in the woods"

[jigo121]

does anyone else think of stepen katz as being like Ed Frost?

ive never seen a pic of him so i have no idea lol

[morny93]

Why is Bill Bryson described as being "infamous"?

[ComputerMaven]

He wrote a lot of books. A Walk in The Woods is one, its about how he set about to walk the Appalachian Trail. Go to Amazon and check it out!

[thrice3muses]

That's my favorite one of his books!! It turned me into a serious lover of hiking & nature.

He's awesome :)

[tiger7372]

Bill Bryson is a hero! He is the reason I decided to take on my life long dream of writing my own book. It is released in Jan 2010 and I have to say it was worth every mammoth and seemingly endless struggle to get chapters in on time. The life and times of the Thunderbolt Kid is, by the way, both superlative and ground breaking in terms of autobiography writing.

[cocktailsforsatan]

I know it sounds typical but honestly, this man has been a real inspiration to me over the years.Not to write or anything, but to travel all over the world and to do it alone and that there is nothing bad at all in that.also just to see the world in certain ways and be interested in the why's and how's of things. i never really read books as a teen but when i was about 20, i read the Lost Continent-due to a real fascination with america and jeez,it blew me away. He is truly HILARIOUS!!

[mwjb1980]

Bryson is a top writer, you gimps can all go fuck yourselves.

[goretimonteiro]

gostei

[jimhiker]

I became a big fan of hiking ever since I read A Walk in the Wods.

[barnescantona]

Why be so disrespectful to Stephen Katz?

He clearly didn't want everyone knowing his real identity.

Bet Bill Brysons a bit pissed off,his friend allowed him to use him in his books as long as his real identity was not revealed now everyone knows.

Big shame

[roberthansen57]

Bill did'nt have a British accent until he went to England in the early 70's. It was curious to me because when I saw him again in 1975 when I was at Drake he came back with a very pronounced accent after being in England for a short time. Bill, give your oldest friend buddy an e-mail. By the way, thank you for my new name. I've even registered it with the credit card companies. cheers, Bob (erh, Buddy)

[lesterfontaine]

i thought that the story of that "milton miltons" dad taking a dive of that big platform in some lake. I was in tears reading that

[evilsanta4]

I LOVE Bill Bryson!

[eribalsch]

To everyone that's curious, Stephen Katz' real name is Matt Angerer. He's not Jewish as his pseudonym might indicate.

[smalltalentforwar]

Even if you respond that Katz's true identity is now widely known because of the internet's far reaching intrusive ability- I still think its a betrayal to Bryson to go throwing it around on Utube.

[liverpoolishgirl]

I'm jealous of his "dear wife" Cynthia!

[cymrubahaus78]

mid atlantic accent?? sort of a iowa-british mixture???

[smalltalentforwar]

Yeah I noticed that his speech sort of swerves between english and american affectation- he did live in europe awhile i know that

[Steammerr]

i've enjoyed his books, the accent kinda threw me

[noodles1fan]

just who is Katz?

[Jaktemor]

Steven Katz was Brysons childhood friend. he is mentioned in thunderbolt kid. but he also is wiv byrson in europe, neither here nor there and hikes thee appalachian trail with him in walk in the woods. BIll Bryson is one of the funnist writers i can think of and i luv readin his books! read em all cept for made in america and im half way through short history of nearly everything

[oceandwell]

Stephen Katz isn't really his name.. Whoever Katz is, didn't want his real name used in the books.

I've always wanted to know more about the guy though. Hilarious in Neither Here Nor There and A Walk In the Woods.

[blackadderthe4]

His name is out there on the intenet somewhere. I've seen it but I've forgot it!

[omsrswt]

When I saw the name Stephen Katz as one of the directors or producers, I can't remember which, of the movie Blues Brothers I was convinced that was him for quite a while. But no.

[Slapbass13]

The name 'Stephen Katz' is in fact a synonym.

[omsrswt]

Yes, thank you but if you had actually read my comment carefully you would have noticed that I am aware of that fact. And I assume you meant a pseudonym, and not a synonym.

[Slapbass13]

Yes I did. I noticed that a short while after making that reply. Sorry about that. And of course I did me a pseudonym. Anyway, great book, and a great film; The Blues Brothers.

[madcapopel]

I really enjoy Bryson's work as long as he sticks to five themes, the first being books on travel which is (in my opinion) his forte, and also books on language, science, memoirs, and biographies. Whenever there's a passage in one of Bill's works concerning politics, the government etc. I skip it because (in my opinion) that's one of the few subjects about which the man is utterly ignorant. He has an impeccable sense of humor and I still read him, but I always keep an eye out for the politics.

[ragenut2112]

what's his political stance?

[walshamsupporter]

Left wing. He hates Thatcher and Rupert

Murdoch.

[ragenut2112]

Sounds good to me. Why are you anti-American?

[ragenut2112]

walshamsupporter, I take that back, I assumed you were madcapopel before I read the screenname.

[maplasia]

Just remember: every time you skip a part of a book you are losing something. But I agree with you in that travel books are his best.

[RoseWestxxx]

He has the perfect balance of American and English accents.

[Hartman4Guiness]

Man, I've always wanted to know what he sounds like... he sounds nothing like I thought he would. I love him even more now, I can now read his books with this accent.

[Wyndrell]

Doesn't Bryson currently live in New Hampshire with his wife and four children? That doesn't seem particulary anti-american...

[james96hellview]

lol bill bryson isn't anti America at all he is simply pointing out contrasts between the british and u.s culture. in notes from a small island he seems to generally be pretty proud of bin american im pretty sure he wud lose his american accent a bit when he'd lift in britain for so long, specially as he was still young when he moved here.

[burdivad]

@james96hellview He didn't lose his American accent by living in UK between 20-40, too late by that age , u modify it a bit with his time in UK,but not lose it. He didn't ,just a touch of Brit upper class accent.

[james96hellview]

@burdivad I can't believe it was two years ago I commented on this, yer I know what you mean I have alot of family from the north of england and since living in the south there accents have changed alot but when we go back to visit family their northen dialect always creeps back, and I genuinly don't think that it is them trying to sound that way they just slip back to familiar surroundings.

[Skylab1977]

Well let me predict this: Bryson will write a book on Canada and the theme will be, Canada great, America sucks.

I'm reading my 3rd Bryson book and it's great, but when it comes to politics he is very predictable

[27106204]

Bryson has spent his entire life asskissing the British. It says something about a man that he would abandon his own country and culture, down to the accent: though not quite. he still sounds like a Terry Gilliam fraud to me. Don't be ashamed of being a yank, Bill. There's nothing at all wrong with your country. Much.

[boycew02]

I was lucky enough to meet Bill once and it's amazing how much more english his accent sounds now. i love his books but the Thunderbolt Kid was especially good. =]

[bencawley1]

He writes exactly the kind of books i like to read. Brilliantly written, not to heavy, and funny.

[gothicxromancex]

We're back, with more insults for Bill Bryson. HE'S FAT. Fat as a frog

[thinlizzy14]

I nealy got reccomended for psychological observation in my school because i was laughing so much while reading it in my school library. Its too funny to be in a school.

[Grashergoodpvp]

He has a beard and hes American! so not cool

[AlexShorrock]

ever even touched one of his books?

[Lansola]

Thank you, Bill for the books. Lovely, lovely.

[112OceanAvenue]

Thanks for your books, Bill.

[willappleton]

he sounds so english, is it an iowan accent?

[onepiecemachine]

I believe he's spent a large part of his adult life in the UK. 18 years or so.

Personally (as a Brit) I love his accent. It combines the best of both worlds; British-English precision (without sounding excessively clipped or posh) and American-English warmth (without a drawl). Easy on the ear.

[oidfghfsd]

Why don't you read his books? He lived in England for over 20 years.

[teenonator]

Has anybody else that Bryson reeeely likes to fantasize about letting people know he can look down on their heads? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but he talks about it in Thunderbolt Kid, Small Island, and Here Nor There. Could be worse, though, he could like Cagney & Lacey

[jfsmim]

Reading Thunderbold Kid reminded me of when I used to listen to Sky King on the radio. I remember that he had a plane called the Songbird, but a jet named the Golden Arrow. When Sky King migrated to television, the Golden Arrow was never mentioned. That bothered me for a long time. Did he sell it? Did it crash? Did he trade it in? Can anyone help?

[GrizzlyKat]

Hes amazing writer, everything he does amazes me, I love his accent, I didnt realise there was so much British in it. This guy is legendary!

[DemonRat368]

bill bryson is very cool, lol

[treywarren]

I love that Bill still has a midwestern accent but with a touch of a British accent as well.  You don't hear that too often.

[jubrok]

i have read everyone of bill brysons books, even his biography on shakespere shaksper or shkspr haha, (read the book to get that last part) and everytime i get to the last page i always get this melancholy feeling that i used to get when i would leave my grandpa's house. he manages to make me laugh and want to better myself in the same sentence. my hats off to him. best author ever. you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it dostoyevsky!

[MGGublerFanatic]

I can not read his books anywhere in public because I keep laughing out loud every two minutes:-) I just finished "The Life and Times of the thunderbolt kid" and it is simply hilarious and wonderful

[zoejokelly]

bills books are the best!! a short history of nearly everything is proberly the best book i have ever read, he is well travelled and writes in such a fashion he makes him self well understood, i have read nearly every book by him, he is very interesting, would have loved to have walked the appelation trail with cats and your good self, i hope to trvel like you.

[kanga888]

his books are the best!

[Slapbass13]

He really has a marvellous sense of ironic humour which tends to be found primarily in British people. To get a full sense of both his humour in relation to both countries, read Notes from a small Island (his experiances of entering Britain in the 70s) immediatly followed by Notes from a Big Country (experiances from coming back to live in America after years building up like in Britain.

[gothicxromancex]

okay hunz watever u say x

[gothicxromancex]

arh bill my good mate bill he makes my mate giorgi eat cheesy wiggles she luvs him hes books are the coooolist x

[DemonRat368]

Hello, Nic. It's me, Giorgi. I do not "Love" Bill Bryson, his face just cracks me up coz he's sooooo ugly!!!

[Kevo216666]

piss off

[PhilK22]

He may have been born a yank, but he's one of we Brits now....

[SCE2AUX]

"He may have been born a yank, but he's one of we Brits now...."

One of us Brits (plural object). Not we Brits. Though to be accurate, he's one of YOU Brits.

[PhilK22]

Petty Semantics.

What is right to a yank in english is rarely so.

And no exception here.

"Get your kicks on ROWT 66 ?"

Nah, not really. But its "Rowt" you use...

I'd bet you also believe that it was the US Navy who got the enigma decoding device in WW2, too eh ?

Hollywood history - and Hollywood grammar....

[SCE2AUX]

Proper grammar.

"Get your kicks on ROWT 66 ?"

In that context, the only pronunciation we use is "root." We do say ROWT exclusively when we talk about the paths a receiver takes in American football e.g. "he runs good routes." And while I have no illusions over the capture of ENIGMA, if two Spitfires had slammed into each other while it was taking place, we would have referred to it as an ALUMINUM shower, not an aluMINium shower.

Cultural differences, learn to live with them.

[MessyRohrergasm]

Ah, Bill Bryson. Never stop.

[iyeqwrtu]

yeah, your right. His writing personality doesn't match this video, not at all.

[WeAreBullets]

he sounds funny. not like i thought he'd sound. ugh! that ruined it. lol.grr

[antics55]

he's so awesome. im thinking he probably got his sense of humour after living in britain

[Slapbass13]

Oh no. He's always been like that. With a marvellous sense of ironic humour :D To get a full sense of both his humour in relation to both countries, read Notes from a small Island (his experiances of entering Britain in the 70s) immediatly followed by Notes from a Big Country (experiances from coming back to live in America after years building up like in Britain.

[Sue71]

Really interesting. I'd love to see him write a book on Canada. I'll wager he'd capture quite a bit of the Canadians' spirit and eccentricities. This is the first time I've heard him speak. Quite interesting. I'd love to meet him! Thanks for posting!

[jayakathryn17]

he's hilarious

love his travel writing

[iyeqwrtu]

this guy's is hilarious. read one of his travel books and you'll probably agree

[RJWooller]

I have read this book and it was brilliant, really funny and insightful like all the books of his I have read.

[phenixwryter]

I heard an him reading an exerpt from AWITW on NPR. I'm a hiker and I've done a small bit of the AT myself, so I went out and bought my first book of his and its still my fav. The parts about Katz were freaking hilarious-esp when he stole that biotch's boot laces. Thanks for sharing the vid!

[misscimmi]

ASHNE is a GREAT book yet the same guy that laments global warming/acid rain was (in WITW) too wimpy to finish the AT and so ended up driving a car from trail head to trail head, buddy flying around on a jet, condescending to locals and weekend hikers, etc. Even complained about a natural buffer zone when it didnt suit him. Some men camp in the wilds of Africa for months without making half as many claims of peril as this poor chap does in WITW.

[keefykeyz]

Read this and notes from a small island and yes a short history of nearly everything is an amazing achievement

[kalikula2]

Interesting accent.. Sort of half and half, isn't it? I find his sense of humor (I've read his book on Australia and throughout Europe) .. weird.

[jayakathryn17]

yeah half British and American.

it's cool don't you think?

he's American but lived in England for years

[saunallezellite]

get and read this book!! - blows Harry Potter out of the water!!!!!!!!!!.

[petemolloy250]

I have never read books from any other author that keeps me laughing, and immensely interested at the same time. He is hugely intelligent, and when you dont want to read about his travels, read A short history about everything.. a masterpiece!

[JustOneEarth]

I love his writing and I've tried to get my hands on all of his books I come across. He's so entertaining and clever, it's hard to put them down.

[ukgolfa]

My wife, an American, get's upset with me whenever I read one of Mr. Bryson's books in bed at night, as it usually results in me laughing so hard she can't get to sleep. As an ex-pat Brit living in America, 'Notes From A Small Island' is the best memoir of the old country anyone from Britain could ever wish to read.

Thanks for this.

[schrodingascat]

love all his work. (the only one I found hard going was the one about Australia...not sure what it was about it but I couldnt get on with it and didnt finish it.

[NOIslam08]

Great Writer

[WorldChallenge]

I love his work! I've read A Walk In the Woods, In A Sunburned Country, Notes From A Small Island, I'm A Stranger Here Myself, and am currently reading Mother Tongue. My favorite author.

[mikem1027]

A great writer. Clever and funny.

[Dazzlerdeej]

Bill Bryson is a real inspiration to me. I love all his books. This is the first time I have ever heard him speak though. Strange accent...but I'd still vote for him ;)

[saipanrick]

why do you find his accent strange? yes, he grew up in iowa but has lived in england for 30+ years... should he still talk like an iowa farm boy?

[Brazdolph]

I´m a BIG FAN of this man..he´s hilarious, witty and I´ve read most of his books!I´ll surely get this one too! LOVE YA BILL! and yes..if you ever run for presidency, you´ll have my vote ( even though I´m not an american )

[bmackall]

I think his accent is fantastic. Through it you can almost hear his many years both in Britain and in the US. It's a wonderful blend. I love Bill, and I would love to meet him. He is a simply incredible writer, and he makes writing funny look like the easiest thing in the world.

[numetalgirl]

I'm reading the book right now and it's just awesome so far, real entertaining like all of his books, and you always get to learn something.

That man is a genius, can't wait till his next book!

[KARLPILKINGTON001]

My favourite book is 'A Walk In The Woods'.

[andyinqatar]

Me too. In a more enlightened age, he'd be president wouldn't he? Imagine!

[SCE2AUX]

I submit that he's too smart to want the job.

[ianfromwallasey]

i wonder if the geeky women he met on the trail near the front of the book has ever read it or recognised herself??? i live at port sunlight which he visited in his book , notes from a small island .

[JustinSandercoe]

i so wanna have lunch with Bill. And I second the motion - Bill Bryson for president.

[clever2283]

Bill bryson for president!