The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America [Paperback]

Eric Idle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

A stunningly witty exploration of the American landscape -- not to mention a brilliant comic's mind -- this diary is chock-full of everything you ever wanted to know about Eric Idle, Monty Python, America, and sleeping on a bus. In these pages, the sixth-nicest Python is cheeky, touching, and funny when recounting the riotous tales of his beginnings, his affectionate reminiscences of his fellow Pythons, traveling the world, and taking us backstage at the smash Broadway hit Spamalot.

Fascinating, moving, at times even amusing, this book will dramatically improve your sex life, will make you feel intelligent and charming within the first several pages, and after a few chapters, will permanently eliminate all your personal or health problems. So come experience eighty days, 15,750 miles, and forty-nine cities as you never have before!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Idle, versatile actor, writer, composer and director, is best known for his work in the groundbreaking comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus. He has appeared in numerous films and televisions series, and his voice work includes 102 Dalmations and Quest For Camelot.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1 edition (February 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060758651
• ISBN-13: 978-0060758653
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time Well Spent, February 11, 2010

By 

C. Ebeling "ctlpareader" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America (Paperback)

This is a shameful confession to make for someone of my generation but I somehow missed most of the Monty Python juggernaut in its prime. Aside from friends through the ages citing lines and jokes, and glimpses on American television, I've mostly come to MP through its members' other, unironic projects like Michael Palin's travelogues and Terry Jones' medieval histories. All of which is to say, I can't tell you if this book will disappoint a canonical MP fan or if it will enhance the love, but I enjoyed it for what it is: a genuine diary of a creative soul on the road and a record of a certain time.

By "genuine diary" I mean that while it was back in 2003 an early adaptor to what would later be called the "blog" phenomenon and thus a public document, it remains an extemporaneous, personal laboratory of observation, record of current events, travelogue, memory pieces and jokes, with a coda written in July of 2004 recounting how the soon to debut Spamalot! came into being. Most of it is very witty, with fine descriptive accounts of the terrain the bus passes through and the venues (lots of Moorish theaters), but there are also some somber memory passages--growing up without a dad (killed in WWII when Idle was a baby), the death of his mother, the death of a friend during the tour, the intruder attack on his pal George Harrison and the latter's passing. Despite some silly marriage and sexual jokes, he celebrates his marriage and parenthood, and provides a nuts and bolts account of how a show goes on the road and evolves during the course of the tour. He also reflects insightfully on the nature of writing, diary-keeping and the difference between being a comedian and a comic actor.

Idle is a life affirming guy and this diary is very pleasant company.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The back cover lies. Read this anyway., October 27, 2010

By 

Timothy Walker (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America (Paperback)

I grabbed this book from a local bargain table to get me through (somewhat ironically) a rather long bus ride. As the "professional" reviewer blurbs on the back cover called it "very funny", I figured why not. Several pages in, I began to wonder if we were talking about the same book.

There is much humor in this book, witty asides as well as lyrics to a few Monty Python songs... but it is much more than a book of jokes. Part travelogue and part autobiography, the author tells tales of his travels all the while musing on fame, aging, and death. Reading his account of Graham Chapman's funeral left me comforted; hearing the story of his mother's passing made me weep for my own. I finished the book in one sitting - a quick and captivating read.

While unlikely to be reread, this book is highly likely to be re-gifted. Four stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME, January 28, 2011

By 

livvysavard274 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America (Paperback)

I love Eric Idle's acting and wanted to read his book. It is really good! I don't laugh out loud very often and this book makes me do that on almost every page! I would suggest this book to people who are interested in learning more about Eric Idle and his life, also for people who read autobiographies. I LOVE this book... some bad language and other stuff but over all a GREAT read!