Python Wars

[famethrowa]

[Maureen Brontë]

[I still find it hard to believe that they didn't know Jones was sick in 2014. I went to one of the shows and it seemed obvious to me.]

Seems highly unlikely that they absolutely knew he was sick then. Yes, he was obviously struggling with his lines and had a teleprompter and cue cards (which Cleese 'jokingly' threw away from him as part of the onstage schtick), but they couldn't have known how serious it was. (Even Cleese wouldn't have belittled him if he'd known he was ill.) More a case of a man in his 70s who was always the least confident performer and actor in Python getting rusty with age and lack of practice. It wasn't until 14 months after the shows that Jones was diagnosed with dementia.

[lauraxsynthesis]

[bgmnts]

More a case of a man in his 70s who was always the least confident performer and actor in Python getting rusty with age and lack of practice. 

Not sure about this, as he was performing for just as long as everyone else I believe, and I think I did see or read that it was unlike Jones to forget lines, as he was clearly quite passionate and wanted to get everything absolutely right (probably to the annoyance of Cleese and that).

But yeah a man well in his 70s having not performed for a long time is bound to forget a few things, I can definitely see why they didn't immediately cop to him degenerating, as bad as it looks in hindsight.

[Jake Thingray]

this all honestly reminds me of the Syd Little thing "those repeats were [my] pension pot" in terms of being out of touch

who on earth would think Monty Python would be a big money spinning machine on the 2020s? Idle seems to think "the Beatles of comedy" was more literal than anyone ever intended it to be. does he think zoomers are going around saying "shrubbery" and singing Always Look On the Bright Side of Life. might as well complain that Man about the House is never repeated on Tiktok

just be happy to have made something weird and good that acquires a few new hardcore fans every year

Honestly, agree with every word of this, and Video Game Fan 2000 has expressed the sentiments much better than I could. As have said in less restrained terms before, Idle is, and has been for some time, an artist whose audience is American, not British. Though, regarding the sketch just posted from History of the 2's, bet Enfield, a Milligan defender like the Private Eye lot and the Tory press, would never dare attempt a sketch pointing out the silly old racist going tee-hee-nicky-nacky-noo's stuff is mystifyingly outdated, and barring Australia has, again unlike Python, had nil influence outside Britain.

[13 schoolyards]

Slightly surprised one or more of the clearly poverty-striken Pythons hasn't turned up in Australia trying to cash in with a "speaking tour" lately. There's no money left in television even here, but "A Night With..." tours used to be decent money-spinners for has-been celebs looking to wring the final few (Australian) cents out of their fame

[TheMonk]

I don't think the released film of the final Monty Python Live (Mostly) O2 show has done them any favours at all. To be there must have been special, but on film I'm afraid it just looks a bit sad. I was excited to watch it when it came out but realised after an hour I hadn't even so much as chuckled once. The timing was off, they looked a bit past it and there were Vegas style dancers and the like without obvious irony. Some sketches had aged badly. It just seemed off from the moment that poor animation of the "Retardis" phone booth appeared and they all got out with a man dressed as a kangaroo. It just felt forced and a bit... lame. And I haven't watched any Python since. Kind of put a lid on it for me and it seems many. I loved them but that will do.

I have no complaint with them having done it, it must have been a great experience to see them in person doing their stuff all these years later. I envy those that were there. But it shouldn't have been captured and released as a film without new material or ... something to make it worthwhile. It just doesn't translate to viewing later.

I saw Phil Collins a  couple of years ago and his deterioration as a performer was clear but it was great to be there and hear his songs live again. But would I want to see a film of the tour (or the recent Genesis tour)? Absolutely not. Phil knows better and hasn't released any footage since he came back. No one wants to remember him that way. He knows.

Python should have just let those who saw the show let it live on in their minds as a joyous memory. And other than Palin they should all just shuttup now.

[markburgle]

Yeah it was like if one of these big West End musical productions had the original, aged, not-match-fit stars in amongst all the fresh faced young thesps, doing all the main parts badly. Mamma Mia with wheezing, doddery actual-ABBA hobbling about the stage

[madhair60]

i had a really funny post ready to go making mild fun of The Mollusk for his post above in relation to another of his recent posts, but it turns out that it's TheMonk not The Mollusk and now i can't do my funny joke :( pure gold slips away

[druss]

Post it anyway.

[madhair60]

Post it anyway.

i feel like i've now built it up to the extent that the contrarians of CaB would see fit to take it (and, by extension, me) to pieces as a matter of principle for "the grumpiest forum"

[TheMonk]

Oh dear.

[SteveDave]

I was there for Innes at the Rutles screening, which was great, but we lost him that Christmas. I saw Tim Brooke-Taylor discuss The 1948 Show and he died a few months later. I saw Nancy Lewis introduce And Now For Something Completely Different and *she* died a few months later. 

Well...you fed them those berries.

[madhair60]

Oh dear.

i know. i've really fucked up here.

[druss]

i know. i've really fucked up here.

Ruined my day.

[BritishHobo]

Idle has tweeted to say Cleese bullied Terry Jones, and "I always felt ashamed we did nothing". Somebody replied to ask if Cleese really was a bully, and Idle said "Totally. Still is."

https://twitter.com/EricIdle/status/1756842696847827298

[pigamus]

"We"

[superthunderstingcar]

i know. i've really fucked up here.

Stop that. It's silly. His hair is too mad for a vicar too.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

This cunt admitted any wrongdoing in their treatment of Neil Innes yet?

[neveragain]

Christ, it seems wants to burn all remaining Python bridges. I can't even work out what set him off. Because Holly Gilliam's management of the brand hasn't earned him enough money? It's just sad, isn't it? How little they all seem to care for each other. (Except Palin and Jones obviously, who were close friends to the end.)

For what it's worth, I love the O2 show. Yes, I was there but the filmed version is still fun, particularly the second half which is less dancey.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Here's my impression of Eric Idle:

Ooh please like me, Americans

[BritishHobo]

Christ, it seems wants to burn all remaining Python bridges. I can't even work out what set him off. Because Holly Gilliam's management of the brand hasn't earned him enough money?

For what it's worth, I love the O2 show. Yes, I was there but the filmed version is still fun, particularly the second half which is less dancey.

It seems like it:

This is awful to hear. I had no idea you guys disliked each other. Very sad.

I saw you together in that movie a ways back, Splitting Heirs. I thought you were friends IRL ☹️

I don't mind but once they put Gilliams daughter in as Manager and Cleese fires Jim Beach, well it's over.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Ooh look at me I'm Eric Idle. I can't afford expensive holidays anymore

[DrGreggles]

Here's my impression of Eric Idle:

Ooh please like me, Americans

That's pretty good actually

[DigForVictory]

Here's my impression of Eric Idle:

Ooh please like me, Americans

Whoa, that's eerily accurate. 

[Pavlov`s Dog`s Dad`s Dead]

Here's my impression of Eric Idle:

Ooh please like me, Americans

Uncanny! Mind you, there are a couple that the grasping old cunt doesn't exactly seem to be going out of his way to keep onside.

[Senior Baiano]

Easy to imagine Cleese as a bully, less easy to imagine Jones as a, uh, bull-ee

[jobotic]

You're bullies, mocking Eric Idle just because he cries himself to sleep every night knowing that his house isn't as big as Jerry Seinfeld's. As if you haven't.

[Senior Baiano]

Maybe he should take his own advice, and, you know, "look on the bright side of life" 😂

[pigamus]

He's a lot like Tony Blair, utterly obsessed with rich people