American on Purpose

by Ferguson, Craig

• ISBN13: 9780061998492
• ISBN10: 0061998494
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-01
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the entertainment capital of the world. Along the way he stumbled through several attempts to make his mark-as a punk rock musician, a modern dancer, a bouncer, a construction worker and a stand-up comedian. To numb the pain of failure, Ferguson found comfort in drugs and alcohol, addictions that eventually led to an aborted suicide attempt. (He forgot to do it when someone offered him a beer.) But his story has a happy ending: in 1993, the washed up Ferguson washed up in the United States-which, from the age of seven, he had always seen as a beacon of goodness and possibility. Finally sober, Ferguson landed a breakthrough role on the hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show, a success that eventually led to his current starring role as the host of CBS's The Late Late Show. By far Ferguson's greatest triumph was his decision to become a U.S. citizen, a milestone he achieved in early 2008, just before his command performance...

Author Biography

Craig Ferguson is the host of The Late Late Show. He is the author of the novel Between the Bridge and the River and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
A Seat at the Table	p. 1
Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor	p. 8
The Attic	p. 14
Astronaut	p. 19
James the First	p. 25
Brick House	p. 31
Satori in Long Island	p. 35
Running the Gauntlet	p. 43
Eldorado	p. 52
The Filth and the Fury	p. 59
The Real World	p. 66
Love and Sex	p. 72
Dreamboy	p. 77
Art School	p. 81
A Clever and Patient Monster	p. 89
Tripping	p. 94
Anne	p. 101
New York	p. 107
Adventures in the Big City	p. 114
Setting the Tone	p. 122
The Gong Show	p. 129
The Rise of (Bing) Hitler	p. 135
Edinburgh, 1986	p. 140
On the Train	p. 146
Jimmy's Wedding	p. 154
The Aspirations of a Phony Englishman	p. 158
The End of Daze	p. 167
Rehab	p. 173
Reboot	p. 179
Buying a Knife	p. 185
Providence	p. 190
Scottish Women	p. 195
Dudley and Jadis	p. 202
The Aspirations of a Phony Frenchman	p. 207
The Fat Man, the Gay Man, Vampires, and Marriage	p. 213
America the Beautiful	p. 219
Success and Failure	p. 224
Father	p. 229
Crash	p. 233
Between the Bridge and the River	p. 237
Latecomer	p. 242
Riding the Pass	p. 250
Feeding the Beast	p. 254
Settling Down	p. 260
American on Purpose	p. 263
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