Monty Python

[Stumbles in, eyes like the Morgendorffers after consuming the glitter berries in “The Teachings of Don Jake”]
It’s all Brittany’s fault. I never would have gotten hooked… It’s all her fault.

The first time I ever witnessed the awesomeness that is Monty Python was on one of those pathetic little televisions that charter busses come equipped with. It was someone’s much worn copy of The Holy Grail that had been smuggled on a marching band trip. Maggie fell asleep while I fell in love.

Brittany took advantage of this and inflicted another viewing on me the first chance she got, and simultaneously worked on converting Maggie to the Silly Side. We got together several months later for a sleepover with A Fish Called Wanda and And Now for Something Completely Different and had our first taste of what excessive amounts of MP can do to a young mind. It scared Maggie’s family and made us hungry for more.

Soon after, I subjected myself to the MP April Fool’s Weekend Marathon. This image sums up how I felt afterwards fairly well:

Yeah, it’s Brittany’s banner. But that’s an RW in the bottom left corner.

Flying Circus is one of the most inspired shows I have ever seen. It’s just so…weird. There’s no other word for it. It’s. Just. Weird. And that’s why I love it so much. Not a single sketch makes any sense, unless you happen to be doing some serious sugar. Too much of it produces the same effect as sleep deprivation, caffeine, and alcohol (or so I’ve been told…). My favorite skit is Déjà Vu, followed closely by the Parrot Sketch and the Argument Clinic.

Quest for the Holy Grail has been called the World’s Greatest Comedy. It actually kind of has a plot (::gasp!::), but aside from that, it is quite like a large group of exceptionally good Flying Circus sketches thrown together. With such endearing characters as King Arthur (Graham Chapman) , Sir Bedevere the Wise (Terry Jones) , Sir Launcelot the Brave (John Cleese) , Patsy (Terry Gilliam) , Dennis the Oppressed (Michael Palin), Concorde the Not Quite Dead (Eric Idle) , Zoot the Naughty (Carol Cleveland), Tim the Enchanter (JC), et al, how could you possibly not love it? While my favorites are certainly Sir Galahad the Pure (MP) and Sir Robin the Not So Brave as Sir Launcelot (EI), there isn’t a single character that I don’t adore. If you haven’t seen it yet, I command thee to go rent it NOW.

I've decided, after much speculation, why I'm so in love with this utter silliness. It's because watching any of their stuff is so much like voice chasing. In fact, it actually becomes voice chasing, at times. But really, you can sit there and just watch the show, or you can sit there and try to figure out who each of the characters is. Granted, it doesn't take nearly the refined talent that voice chasing does, but Python chasing is still great fun.