How satisfied you are in reading books about the history of Monty Python will be reflected in which order you read them in -- most of them regurgitate the same quotes over and over, with just a little bit more spin.This is the first of several history of Python books that I finished, and, most of the information being new, I enjoyed it. If you've listened to the Python Autobiography or read some of the other books about them, you may not have the same opinion.That said, one of the unique things about this book is that it is basically a series of interviews, all interwoven. Getting these guys in the same room is, at best, difficult, and, at worst, could cause a major land war in Asia, so the writer has split the difference and interviewed them all separately. The interviews were then sifted for commonalities, torn apart, and you get all of the Pythons discussing their own personal perspective on a whole range of topics -- which I found VERY insightful.One of the funniest things in the book is when John Cleese describes how he and Terry Jones went at it for two hours, screaming at each other, about whether or not the chandelier in the World War 1 scene should be a stuffed goat or a stuffed yak. These, my friends, are the types of creative battles they had that resulted in near murder.Really, the book is a great ride, and I could only wish there was more of it. It does, however, bear several strong similarities to the audio book of the Autobiography of Python -- so it may also bear similarities to the book.
There are plenty of Python books out there, but this is my favorite: A collection of interviews with individual Pythons, talking about the group, its origins, themselves, each other, their projects, and their legacy. The only missing member is Graham Chapman, but a surprisingly clear picture of him emerges through the comments of other people, including Douglas Adams, who worked briefly with Chapman in 1974. There are plenty of stories of the group's travails -- particularly in making Monty Python and the Holy Grail and in dealing with Chapman's alcoholism -- but what emerges overall is the members' consistent intelligence, good humor, and commitment to the integrity of their own peculiar vision. When David Morgan asks, "Was there EVER any consideration given during the writing process to how an audience would respond to the material?", Eric Idle answers in two words: "None whatsoever."
Do You like book Monty Python Speaks! (2005)?
Monty Python Speaks is a collection of interviews the author conducted with all of the surviving Python members, Graham's partner, the producers, friends, and other actors, directors, and many vaguely tangential people to the show and movies. Those interviews are then sliced and diced to form something of a timeline of the Python show and movies, from start to end.This style of piecing together a complex story falls short for me. I want more in-depth information and discussion than the interviewees are willing to provide. I'm not sure how much of this is the nature of the interviews or the editing.
—Tom Franklin
An extremely interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Pythons. Each of the main six were interviewed extensively, along with Carol Cleveland and various directors and other players in the TV show, movies, and extracurricular projects. There were some parts that dragged, but overall, this was a really interesting read. And it desparately makes me want to rewatch Holy Grail again. Also, huge bonus, I don't feel so bad for finding Meaning of Life so boring I couldn't get past the first 20 minutes or so. They hated it too! Sweet!
—Bunny
Great book for Python fans. The book was written after a series of interviews of all of the surviving Pythons. Graham Chapman was not left out as everyone recalls how they worked with him, and his life partner also weights in with information about Graham. This book really tells the story of Monty Python, from the Pythons themselves. They talk about how they got started, working on the tv show, later each movie is discussed, even their HBO reunion show by US Comedy Central is discussed. There are mostly fond recollections but a few juicy bickering details between pythons emerge but all-in-all they got along great and have managed to preserve what they did. Very informative. Most intriguing fact to me was that the get the £150,000 budget to make Monty Python and the Holy Grail... Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Island Records, Chrysalis Recoreds and Charisma Records each had £20,000 or £30,000 invested. (Michael White put up the rest.)
—ஐ Briansgirl (Book Sale Queen)ஐ
