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Billy Connolly in front of Buckingham Palace during a visit to London in July 1974.Billy Connolly in front of Buckingham Palace during a visit to London in July 1974.
Billy Connolly in front of Buckingham Palace during a visit to London in July 1974.

The Wit and Wisdom of Billy Connolly: Here are 17 of the Big Yin's funniest and most interesting quotes - on art, marriage, fame and Scotland

Billy Connolly is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s favourite sons, and he’s always been an entertaining interviewee – as these quotes show.
By David Hepburn
Published 18th Oct 2022, 16:05 GMT
Updated 3rd Apr 2023, 17:21 GMT
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Born in Glasgow in 1942, Billy Connolly originally worked as a welder in the shipyards of his home city but in the late 1960s gave up his trade for a career as a folk singer.

He sang alongside Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey in The Humblebums before going solo in the 1970s and ultimately switching to comedy. His first theatrical performance was in 1972 at the Cottage Theatre in Cumbernauld, with a revue called Connolly's Glasgow Flourish that also played at that year’s Edinburgh Fringe. A solo album, featuring a mix of comedy songs and routines followed and within three years he was topping the UK singles chart with ‘D.I.V.O.R.C.E.’

Since then he has become one the UK’s most loved and critically-acclaimed comedians, actors, artists and television presenters – regularly topping lists of the greatest-ever standups. He retired from live comedy in 2018 but continues to work as an artist and recently appeared in ITV documentary ‘Billy Connolly: It's Been a Pleasure’, where he described how art had given him "a new lease of life".

Here are 17 memorable quotes from his many interviews over the years.

Since then he has become one the UK’s most loved and critically-acclaimed comedians, actors, artists and television presenters – regularly topping lists of the greatest-ever standups. He retired from live comedy in 2018 but continues to work as an artist and recently appeared in ITV documentary ‘Billy Connolly: It's Been a Pleasure’, where he described how art had given him "a new lease of life".

"I don't understand art-speak. My pictures are big doodles. I'm amazed what people come up with when they look at them. There's one of a figure with two heads that somebody thought must be a comment on the state of matrimony. None of it is a comment on anything."

5. Billy Connolly on...his art

"I don't understand art-speak. My pictures are big doodles. I'm amazed what people come up with when they look at them. There's one of a figure with two heads that somebody thought must be a comment on the state of matrimony. None of it is a comment on anything." Photo: Steve Finn

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"I've always been fascinated by the difference between the jokes you can tell your friends but you can't tell to an audience. There's a fine line you have to tread because you don't know who is out there in the auditorium. A lot of people are too easily offended."

6. Billy Connolly on...offensive jokes

"I've always been fascinated by the difference between the jokes you can tell your friends but you can't tell to an audience. There's a fine line you have to tread because you don't know who is out there in the auditorium. A lot of people are too easily offended." Photo: GRAHAM STUART

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"Once you become successful, people know where you live, the type of house you live in, the kind of car you drive, the clothes you wear, and so it would be patronising to go and talk like a welder. Welding's a mystery to me now. You can't go back, your life changes every day."

7. Billy Connolly on...success

"Once you become successful, people know where you live, the type of house you live in, the kind of car you drive, the clothes you wear, and so it would be patronising to go and talk like a welder. Welding's a mystery to me now. You can't go back, your life changes every day." Photo: Ben A. Pruchnie

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"I loathe hecklers. I haven't got a good syllable to say. When you come out of the club circuit and into the concert hall, they should be gone. There's an element of manners that should tell you that the ticket is dear and it's a different venue."

8. Billy Connolly on...hecklers

"I loathe hecklers. I haven't got a good syllable to say. When you come out of the club circuit and into the concert hall, they should be gone. There's an element of manners that should tell you that the ticket is dear and it's a different venue." Photo: Tim P. Whitby

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