American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot »

Craig Ferguson was born in Glasgow and moved to the United States in 1995. He worked his way through the entertainment industry as a drummer, comedian, actor, and director, and has written three motion pictures, The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There. He lives in Los Angeles.

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 comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer. 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 glass of sherry.) But his story has a happy ending: in 1993, the washed-up Ferguson washed up in the United States. Finally sober, Ferguson landed a breakthrough part on the hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show, a success that eventually led to his 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...

The New York Times - Andy Borowitz

There's no one else like [Ferguson] on television, and he's achieved something unusual in late night: a sense of intimacy with his audience. In American on Purpose he establishes a similar bond with the reader. Like Steve Martin in his similarly engaging memoir, Born Standing Up, Ferguson tells the life story of a comedian without letting jokes get in the way.

Preface ix

1 A Seat at the Table 1

2 Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor 8

3 The Attic 14

4 Astronaut 19

5 James the First 25

6 Brick House 31

7 Satori in Long Island 35

8 Running the Gauntlet 43

9 Eldorado 52

10 The Filth and the Fury 59

11 The Real World 66

12 Love and Sex 72

13 Dreamboy 77

14 Art School 81

15 A Clever and Patient Monster 89

16 Tripping 94

17 Anne 101

18 New York 107

19 Adventures in the Big City 114

20 Setting the Tone 122

21 The Gong Show 129

22 The Rise of (Bing) Hitler 135

23 Edinburgh, 1986 140

24 On the Train 146

25 Jimmy's Wedding 154

26 The Aspirations of a Phony Englishman 158

27 The End of Daze 167

28 Rehab 173

29 Reboot 179

30 Buying a Knife 185

31 Providence 190

32 Scottish Women 195

33 Dudley and Jadis 202

34 The Aspirations of a Phony Frenchman 207

35 The Fat Man, the Gay Man, Vampires, and Marriage 213

36 America the Beautiful 219

37 Success and Failure 224

38 Father 229

39 Crash 233

40 Between the Bridge and the River 237

41 Latecomer 242

42 Riding the Pass 250

43 Feeding the Beast 254

44 Settling Down 260

45 American on Purpose 263