It looks like all of London is getting into the Python spirit. What else could explain this 50-foot dead parrot that’s turned up near the Tower Bridge? #montypythonlive
Tag Archives: Monty Python
John Cleese’s Next Gig..
…Is revealed here.
How are they ever going to fit him into one of those red swimsuits?#montypythonlive
Time Out for Terry!
In the midst of all of the hoopla over Monty Python Live, let us not forget that Terry Gilliam has a new film coming out in the U.S. in August. Here’s the latest trailer for The Zero Theorum:
The First Half of the Last Shows…
Here’s a tantalizingly brief clip from the first week of #montypythonlive
This will excite those who were there, and those who will be there for the second and final week. It will please those who will be seeing the Last Night of Monty Python at their local theatres on July 20. It will undoubtedly irritate those who haven’t gone, aren’t going, and live in remote areas inaccessible to theatres. Those poor sods will simply have to wait for the DVD.
Python Cosplay…
The Pythons have a week off, but I’ll be filling your heads with all sorts of shiny Monty Python Live (mostly) objects, so that those who saw the show last week can re-live it, and those who are waiting to see the show (either live, in movie theatres, or, eventually, on DVD) can quiver in anticipation.
This show is starting to look a little bit like Comic Con (or at least the way the media views Comic Con), with dressing up almost compulsory. This video will show you what I mean–and also show you a few British celebs looking forward to a few silly walks…
Cleese on Critics …
Here’s one of the better reviews of Monty Python Live (mostly) from London. There have been a few very good reviews, and a few from critics who didn’t seem to “get” Python at all, and probably were not the best choice to review it. No matter.
It reminds me of something that John Cleese once told me about critics. He said that there are some good, knowledgeable critics who know their subject well, and seem to write very honestly, whether you agree with them or not. There are some rather terrible critics–often with the British tabloids–whose reviews feel as though they are dictated by an editorial mandate, which is often to build someone or something up until they decide it is better press to then tear them down. And, there is a third group, inept in a different way, who are apparently afraid to take a position on what they are supposed to be reviewing, and whose reviews consist primarily of describing the show in much detail, and not much more.
This review from The Express is worth reading–not as much for its insights (how much insight do you need with a live Python show, anyway?), but because it also includes brief clips from the show. A show that, by the way, seems to be critic-proof.
Don’t Hate Me For This Next Post…
… Though I know some of you will be happy to see this, I know that others of you will despise me.
You see, Monty Python has opened up an American online store loaded with all sorts of Monty Python Live merchandise, including T-shirts and such that, not long ago, you could only find at the O2 Arena in London.
I’ve already spent way more than I can afford on all of this, so I thought I’d see if you folks reading this have more willpower than I do. I’m rationalizing it by telling myself that the posters, hats, totes and coffee cups that I buy online is something I won’t have to buy at the show next week and carry back from London. What’s your excuse?
Silly Walking for Your Phone
Quick! If you act fast, you can play the new Ministry of Silly Walks app before John Cleese!
Okay, that wasn’t really fair. You could probably wait for ages and still play the Ministry of Silly Walks app before John Cleese. But why would you want to wait?
You can sample a bit right here…
Monty Python Sings: Bow Down to Your British Remasters…
Just in time for the 25th anniversary of its initial release–and, coincidentally, the Monty Python Live (mostly) reunion show, which is under way this week in London–is the re-release of Monty Python Sings, the new re-mastered version of thew CD with bonus tracks. It’s even available with a bonus disc. Here’s a little taste…
The Reviews Are In…
Not that they’ll mean much anyway. The Pythons are back together, live, on stage. What’s more important than that?
But you can have a look here, and here, and here. (The latter review, from The Independent, seems noticeably flawed: the Michelangelo Sketch is not, as is described, new, but one of the show’s pre-Python sketches, and Four Yorkshiremen is described as “The Clubmen Sketch.” Buyer beware.)
But in general, it sounds like a real triumph. I’ll be reporting in person when I’m in London for the final shows. And I can’t wait.
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