Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, and composer of comedic songs, renowned for his work as a member of the internationally celebrated British comedy troupe Monty Python. His humor is characterized by its absurdist and witty wordplay, frequently challenging conventional thinking and societal norms. Idle's creative output, whether in written form or music, maintains a contagious optimism and playful intelligence that delights audiences and readers across generations.
The essential gags, sketches, and songs, handpicked and introduced by the surviving members of the Python team. The book features full-color pages of Monty Python classics in a brilliant paperback format and includes gems such as Spamalot, The Meaning of Life, and many more enduring classics.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Funny, wicked, naughty, eye-popping and compulsively, joyously brilliant' STEPHEN FRY From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot, comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candour. Best known for his unforgettable roles in Monty Python, from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this brilliantly entertaining memoir that takes us on an unforgettable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of The Pythons, and this laugh-out-loud memoir is the perfect celebration, chock-full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life that features everyone from Princess Leia to the Queen. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout that involve close friends and luminaries such as Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Steve Martin, Paul Simon and David Bowie - let alone the Pythons themselves - Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal hilarity and heart. Named after the song he wrote for Life of Brian that has since become the number-one song played at funerals in the UK, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life reflects on the highlights of his life and career with the off-beat humour that has delighted audiences for decades.
Despite its evergreen, cross-generational fan base, there hasn't been a new Monty Python book by all the surviving Pythons in 30 years. On their 40th anniversary, Monty Python Live! focuses primarily on their stage show and includes original material written for the book.
'I still feel somewhat nervous encroaching on the Palin territory of writing a travel diary based on a journey... thought it is true, I reason, that all the Pythons have been involved in documentaries. So this must be a Python thing. What is this urge to probe and examine by ex-comedians? Are they tired of dressing up as women? Surely not.' - Eric Idle The man who brought you the anthems 'Always look on the bright side of life' and 'Sit on my Face and Tell me That You Love Me' shows his naughty bits - and much more! As he crossed the US on The Greedy Bastard Tour, Eric Idle kept a diary on the Monty Python website updating fans with his experiences, insights and observations. Inspired by those blogs, THE GREEDY BASTARD DIARY is an honest, hysterical and moving book - part travelogue, part memoir - that chronicles those 80 days on the road, offering Idle's thoughts on his career, personal life and the country he now calls his home. Reflective, ironic, and stamped with his renowned wit, this illuminating work takes readers on a personal tour with the legendary star and offers an intimate, close-up look inside the man as never before.
Focusing on the creation of the Broadway musical Spamalot, this book offers an engaging and candid exploration of live theater. It captures the excitement and challenges faced during production, providing fans with an enticing behind-the-scenes look at the artistic process. With its lively narrative, it serves as both an homage to the craft and a celebration of the vibrant world of theater.
"Can Carlton prevent Alex and Lewis from losing their gigs, help them overcome the love thing, and finally understand the meaning of comedy in the universe?"--BOOK JACKET.
Includes Monty Python's Big Red Book (1971) and The Brand New Monty Python Bok [sic] (1973). This double volume first published in 1981.
***ALMOST CERTAINLY NOMINATED FOR SOMETHING SOMEWHERE***The complete scripts from the four Monty Python series, first shown on BBC television between 1969 and 1974, have been collected in two companion volumes.Characters' names, often not spoken, are given as in the original scripts, along with the names of the actual performer added on their first appearance in each sketch.This first volume contains twenty-three classic episodes, featuring some of the most entertaining writing to have gone into television anywhere. The minister of silly walks, the dead parrot, banter in a cheese shop - here is every silly, satirical skit, every snide insult, every saucy aside.
Eine Doktorarbeit über den Sinn und Zweck von Komik zu schreiben, ist an sich schon kein leichtes Unterfangen -- umso mehr, wenn man selbst kein Mensch, sondern ein Roboter ist. Der Held dieses Romans heißt Carlton und ist ein Bowie 4.5, ein Androide, erbaut nach dem Vorbild eines Rockstars aus dem späten 20. Jahrhundert. Seine Arbeitgeber sind die zwei Komiker Lewis und Alex, die versuchen zum Mars zu kommen, einem Paradies für Leute, die im Showbiz zu Hause sind. Als eines Tages plötzlich ihre gesamten Auftritte auf einen Schlag abgesagt werden, ist dies für sie und Carlton der Beginn eines spannenden Science-Fiction-Abenteuers. Der Autor dieses intelligenten und witzigen Romans versteht im Gegensatz zu dem Roboter Carlton einiges von Humor, handelt es sich bei ihm doch um ein Mitglied der britischen Monty Pythons, die mit ihrer Fernsehserie Flying Circus und etlichen Kinofilmen wie Das Leben des Brian oder Die Ritter der Kokosnuss zu Kultstatus gekommen sind. Der absurde Witz der Filme findet sich in Eric Idles Roman jedoch nur in Andeutungen wieder, der Autor scheint es hier eher darauf anzulegen, seine Leserinnen und Leser zum Schmunzeln zu bringen. An anderen Stellen erhöht er das Erzähltempo und unterhält durch Action und unerwartete Wendungen in der Handlung. Das Ergebnis ist eine gelungene Mischung aus Science-Fiction und Parodie auf das Comedy-Business. Lesenswert. --Albrecht Volk
