The Ballad of Terry Jones & Monty Python

It's cliche to say that we've lost many talented people in 2016 (both famous and common), but this is the first news that totally and completely guts me.

Yesterday, I was taking care of Mom's cat (another hospital visit....too many nowadays), when I read that Terry Jones of Monty Python was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia.

News like that is never easy to take - trust me, I've been living in the shadow of another's illness for awhile. With death, there's the sudden shock, followed by grief; with illness like this, it's a more hollow, almost overwhelming sense of loss, as if the person's presence serves as a reminder of what we've lost.

And we've lost a lot.

I've mentioned before that Terry Jones was the only other member of Python that I've met in person; like John Cleese, he was one of the intellectuals of the group. With Michael Palin, he developed a surreal, visually-oriented sense of comedy that took the absurd...and then took it further with Monty Python. (If you want to see what Terry Jones was like onstage, watch the YouTube videos in the above link; they were taken at a 2009 screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail; for his pre-Python work, check out the two-DVD Do Not Adjust Your Set)

Even in his non-Python life, Jones had a sense of history, hosting documentaries on everything from Chaucer to the Crusades. He's directed many films, wrote and lectured....this wasn't a man whose last name was "Kardashian". The fact that a man so articulate is striken with the inability to remember words....is sad and demoralizing.

Now, however, Jones is in a unique position, allowing us to bask in his work. And there's plenty of work for casual fans - or even the curious - to find out what they missed.

Or how right they were in their assessment of Terry Jones.

If Anyone's Gonna Bring Sexy Back, It's Graham Chapman

Watch....and learn.

Your Terry Jones Video Moments of Zen

Taken back in 2009 - Terry Jones discussing aspects of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

It's True - I Like Spam!

If you read comments directed at me via social media like Twitter (my user ID is @gordondym), you'll find a group of random people claiming that I "love" spam.

And I do! It's my favorite Monty Python sketch - here it is:


And it's funny how people claim that I don't have any YouTube followers....especially since these videos I uploaded continue to be popular:






And one of the sketches Terry Jones wrote....was the Spam sketch. So I have no idea why people are bothered about liking spam, much less posting about it on Twitter. Perhaps I missed that particular memo.

Things Like This Are Why I Love YouTube

Caught in the middle of planning for a variety of events, as well as school, job seeking, etc. For your entertainment, Monty Python & the Holy Grail

Happy Halloween!

In honor of this year's Halloween, my often-posted screencap of Monty Python's Terry Jones as Superman:

Because I never get tired of posting that.

How NOT to Argue

From the sublime to the ridiculous:

First, Bill Nye makes a heartfelt, valid point about his beliefs:


And this gentleman, in rebuttal, decides to mix up the issue:


And as a public service to Mr. Ham, a polite education in how one <b>should</b> argue. (Yes, I know what I'm talking about - I do this kind of thing for a living).

Messing Up the Messiah: A Look at HOLY FLYING CIRCUS

I have to admit, I often love the occasional "docu-drama". You know, the kind of TV movie that takes elements of the truth, whips them up into a nice, frothy fictional fondue, and entertains and educates?

Recently, I caught the soon-to-be-released-in-September version of Holy Flying Circus, a 2011 BBC television movie that dramatizes the controversy around their 1979 movie Life of Brian....and I have to say, this is a must-watch, on every level.

One of the best things about this movie is the acting - all of the actors (aside from Phil Nichols as Terry Gilliam) are dead-on in their portrayals. Thankfully, the movie uses Michael Palin (Charles Edwards) as the "audience identification" character, providing the movie a solid emotional core.

In fact, one of the nice things about the movie is that it takes a very Pythonesque approach to the material - it knows it's a dramatization, and plays with it. Please allow me to post two clips to demonstrate much better than I can describe:



In short, a masterpiece. It's supposed to come to Blu-Ray in September; hopefully, a DVD release will also be immanent. But quite easily, this is one of the best pieces of television ever made.

Track this down. You'll thank me later.

Cheapskate Film Festival: NOT THE MESSIAH

Welcome to the Blog This, Pal! Cheapskate Film Festival, in which I feature a variety of movies purchased at a particular closeout chain (which I will not name for legal reasons, but whose mascot is a large, orange exclamation point) for $10 or under, to provide some entertainment as well as some viewing guidance over the next few weeks. (If any breaking news occurs, I'll be sure to double post that day - gotta drive that SEO).

In that spirit, I would like to start with a review of Monty Python's Not the Messiah....or more accurately, Eric Idle's Not the Messiah:





There's been a lot of talk about the feuding amongst the Pythons, especially between Eric Idle and John Cleese over money. Of course, this isn't that kind of post.

In a weirdly ironic way, Not the Messiah - a classical oratorio based on Life of Brian - proves John Cleese's points, because it's the worst, most blatantly obvious cash-in on Python's reputation. And I'm not saying that because it's an "Oratorio".


It would be easy to suggest, "Well, what would you consider Spamalot?" My answer is that Spamalot is just one of another variety of Broadway adaptations, driven by media content being controlled by a handful of corporations. (As well as, I imagine, a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Pythons to develop new and original material for the Broadway stage). But Not the Messiah shows a real lack of originality - the jokes (both musical and text) are obvious, and really comes across as less a celebration of Python's 40th anniversary and more of a "Look at us! We're still wacky!" cry for help.

It's....not worth watching. And I rarely, if ever, say that.

Now that we've gotten the negative review out of the way, come back tomorrow for a more positive one.

But if you go through life never seeing this particular piece of Python, you're not missing anything.

And Now, For a Complete Change of Pace

after the sturm und drang of yesterday - some Monty Python videos you'll like.

Enjoy!

Learn About Learnapalooza

As many of you fine blog readers know, I love to argue. Maybe it's because I'm half lawyer on my father's side, but for me, there's nothing like the free exchange of ideas....but sometimes, it can be a little tough.



You also know that I have a strong professional background in community engagement and organizing. So I'm more than happy to say that I will be a presenter at Learnapalooza, presenting - for the first time in five years - "Argument Clinic", a presentation about how to argue your case. For example, it is probably not wise to counter someone's argument at a meeting with "I call you on your b******t - you're being vague." Publicly. In front of people.

(Yes, it happened. I was there. I witnessed it)

But what is Learnapalooza, you may ask? It's a day long learning festival held in Wicker Park, where people share their experience with others. It's not just dull, boring stuff either - it's making sandwiches. And digital photography. And learning community organizing from a pro like Tom Tresser.

(I've actually attended a session of his before, and he knows his stuff. I want to be like him when I finally grow up)

But if you're in town on Saturday, June 25th, please feel free to sign up for one of the fine classes available. Or, if you want to sign up for mine, here's the direct link (but really, sign up for more than one. I did it last year, and had a blast. You will, too). Follow them on Twitter at learnapalooza or the hashtag #lapchi.

And while you're waiting, please feel free to check out my most recent post on Baker Street Blog, as well as an upcoming TV Party for Comic Related. (I'll be writing that later today, and spoiler alert - there will be frequent mentions of the words "green" and "lantern" in it.)

Presenting Python: Meeting John Cleese

John Cleese @ Wisdom Bridge
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

You know, in looking back over the blog, I've noticed that I've mentioned that I would blog about this in three separate posts. Consider this my way of making an amends to you, dear reader)

Imagine, if you will, those heady days of 1990 (I thought it happened later, but the Chicago Tribune proves me wrong): The Simpsons was known as "that animated show that looks really crappy on channel 32"; we were in the early years of the George HW Bush presidency, long before "Dan Quayle" was a punchline; and Bell Biv Devoe was the closest thing my generation had to the O'Jays. I was in college, studying psychology, working a series of part time jobs, and still at home.

However, through a coworker of my mother's, we were invited to a fundraiser for the Wisdom Bridge Theater, the highlight being a presentation by John Cleese of "The Importance of Making Mistakes". Yes, that John Cleese.

So in the span of two years, I go from being an extra in a movie with Robert DeNiro...to meeting John Cleese. And I still couldn't get a date.

So with Mom in tow, we went to see John Cleese at the Palmer House, and he gave a lecture on "The Importance of Making Mistakes", citing the plucky example of Gordon, the Guided Missile, who continually adjusted his target in order to be more accurate.

(Yes, he was doing industrial films at the time. But he was still John Cleese. Of Monty Python. That put him on an almost divine level)

But after the presentation came the ever popular line-up for autographs. As we eagerly approached Mr. Cleese, my mother handed me her program, and asked if I would have Mr. Cleese sign it.

My mother told me specifically to have him sign it for "your old, decrepit mother." She now denies this.

Taking her at her word, I handed Mr. Cleese two programs, and the following exchange took place:

ME: Would you please sign this program to me, and the other to my old, decrepit old mother?
CLEESE: (Pauses, then smiles): Ah, decrepit, what a wonderful word...

With that, Mr. Cleese asked where my mother was, and sheepishly, she said, "Here I am." Of course, the autographed program (which, upon inspection, really was a catalog for the company whose films featured Mr. Cleese) contained liberal use of the word "decrepit"...and which I have stored in a nice long box buried deep in a closet.

But at the time, it made me realize something - perhaps it was the fact that I was in the fruit of my young adulthood, but I began realizing that the very people whose work I enjoyed....were actually people. People who did amazingly cool things: DeNiro drank a beer at 5 am and asked me to watch it while he worked; John Cleese joined in a liberal insulting of my mother.

And had the blogosphere been around at that point, would have driven content on this blog for months afterwords, as I would have been fannishly declaring, "I met John Cleese, and am therefore better than you!"


Like I don't do that already.

My Last Two Amazon Purchases

My Last Two Amazon Purchases
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

Ladies and gentlemen,

This is what happens when I spend way too much time on Amazon.com.

Granted, these are appropriately geeky, but what the heck was I thinking?

Stuff Like This is Why I Like Twitter

Found via my Twitter Stream. Enjoy.

After This Photo Was Taken....

John Cleese called my mother "old & decrepit".

(Actually, I did, but he only followed suit, claiming decrepit was a "wonderful word")

Taken at a late 80s Wisdom Bridge Theater fund raiser, and I'll tell you the story some time.....

RIP Lakeshore Theater

As many of you are aware, the Lakeshore Theater will close its doors this weekend. In tribute, please feel free to view this slideshow of events I attended there...and where I got to meet several of my favorite performers.

Yes, it will be missed. And I'm glad I made it before it closed.

The Complete & Utter History of Monty Python

For most of you, you may be tempted to avoid purchasing the DVD - in fact, you may wish to acquire the hour-long version of this documentary via dubiously legal means.

Trust me, the hour-long version is a little truncated, and the six hour version of Monty Python: Almost The Truth - The Lawyer's Cut is nothing more than a revelation. Covering pretty much the entirety of Python history (including the 70s record albums, all three movies, and current Python activities like Spamalot and...well, more will be revealed), this six hour documentary (seven if you count the third disc of outtakes, sketches, and other information) glides by effortlessly.

There are some pieces of the documentary that seem quite annoying - the lawyer-based introduction, the repeated pastiches of the Life of Brian theme, but getting past those, the documentary is surprisingly extremely informative. In fact, one of the qualities that others have cited as unnecessary - contemporary comedians discussing the impact of Python - I found absolutely necessary. (Catch Steve Coogan in the bonus features reenacting a Python sketch). That, plus the first episode's focus on the "precursors" of Python (such as The Goon Show helps really build a thorough portrait of the factors that brought Pythons together. (The seemingly vidFIREd clips from two early Python-manned programs are also a great revelation).

And in watching the former Python troupe (and Graham Chapman in footage from previous television issues), there seems to be a begrudging acceptance of each other, if not personal warmth. (Scenes with Michael Palin and Terry Jones are priceless - Idle seems to have some personal acrimony towards Palin, and even Cleese admits that they weren't "friends", but professional collaborators). There is even greater acrimony towards Graham Chapman two decades after his passing, citing his alcoholism, his "coming out" (with an interesting he said/he said between David Sherlock, Chapman's former partner, and Cleese, Chapman's former co-writer). It is a little awkward to watch, admittedly, but there seems to be an acceptance amongst the Pythons that life goes on.

But the end of the documentary speaks volumes - shots of Cleese recording dialogue for Shrek 4 and Idle singing a profanity-laden Christmas song are slightly disheartening. Having met Terry Jones earlier this year (and Cleese years earlier - remind me to blog about that), I found him to have a healthy attitude about his work with Python. (It also helped that I have been Netflixing his documentaries, and found them really entertaining and informative). Monty Python have often been compared to the Beatles, and I think it may be safe to say that if this documentary proves anything...as much as people loved Python, it was probably hard to be in Monty Python.

But put this on your Christmas list - easily, Monty Python: Almost the Truth is one of the better documentaries released this year.

A Double Kinda Anniversary

Almost forgot - forty years this month Monty Python debuted on television, and twenty years ago this month Graham Chapman passed.

So, in that spirit, I am posting this silly yet sexy video. Enjoy!

More Jones-A-Palooza Madness!

Things are kinda crazy busy for me this week, so here's another YouTube video from Saturday night.

(Note - I used a little Canon digital camera, so please be gentle in comments)

Jones-A-Palooza

I've only met two members of Monty Python - John Cleese, years ago, at a fundraiser for the Wisdom Bridge theater...and last night, Terry Jones, at a screening of Monty Python & the Holy Grail.

Since a picture's worth a thousand words, here's some video - and pictures - of last night's event. Enjoy!







(Note - yes, I gave this page an edit; some of the embeds didn't work previously. Now, they should. In light of 2016 events, it was warranted)