Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian [Hardcover]

Kim Howard Johnson (Author), Michael Palin (Foreword), John Cleese (Foreword), Eric Idle (Foreword), Terry Jones (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008

“One of the finest and most accurate records of the making of the film that I have ever read. I just wished I could remember what actually went on then.”
--Terry Jones

“If anyone can remember more about making the Life of Brian than me, it’s Kim ‘Howard’ Johnson. He came, he saw, he got into costume. While the rest of us were fighting to upstage each other, Howard had a notebook hidden in his toga.”
--Michael Palin

“Since I’ve forgotten everything, it will be great to read what was actually going on in Tunisia. Just as long as I’m the most quoted, the most vital to the shooting, and the most interesting. You don’t have to mention my stunning good looks if you don’t want to.”
--Terry Gilliam

“Of all the books that I am planning to read in my dotage, there is none I am more looking forward to than Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday. . . . Not only does ‘Howard’ Johnson know more about Python than anyone outside of the IRS, he was in Tunisia for most of the filming of Life of Brian, and is the only person who captured every thoughtless remark, heated exchange, embarrassing detail, petty insult, and spiteful act of indifference.”
--John Cleese

“Kim ‘Howard’ Johnson was invented by Graham Chapman during an idle moment on the set of The Life of Brian. ‘Let’s invent a person,’ he said. ‘An American fan from the Midwest,’ chimed in Michael Palin, ‘who keeps a daily diary of Python filming. And then doesn’t publish it for years and years.’ How we laughed, and each day we’d make up stuff this ‘person’ would write about us.”
--Eric Idle

     In 1978, Kim “Howard” Johnson ran away to join the circus---Monty Python’s Flying Circus, that is. The Pythons converged on Tunisia to film their timeless classic, Life of Brian, and Howard found himself in the thick of it, doubling for nearly all the Pythons, playing more roles in the film than John Cleese, and managing to ruin only one shot. He became the unit journalist, substitute still photographer, Roman soldier, peasant, Biggus Dickus’s double, near-stalker, and, ultimately, friend and confidant of the comedy legends. He also kept a detailed journal of what he saw and heard, on set and off, throughout those six weeks.
     The result is a unique eyewitness account that reveals the Pythons at work and at play in a way that nothing else written about them could do. Now, for the first time ever, the inside story of the making of the film is revealed through the fly-on-the-castle-wall perspective. Even the most diehard fans will get a fresh take on the comedy greats through some never-before-revealed nuggets of Python brilliance: what John Cleese offered to exchange for suntan lotion; Terry Jones directing in drag; Michael Palin’s secret to playing revolutionaries and peasants; Graham Chapman gets naked; Terry Gilliam gets filthy; Eric Idle haggles; the secret of the Thespo-Squat; Mrs. Pilate; talk of George Harrison; the cake-flinging that jeopardized the production; badminton, impromptu cricket, and erotic frescoes; and the first-ever presentation of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”
     Here, uncensored, are the legendary Pythons in their prime. It was a period of comedy history that will never be duplicated, and Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday captures the wit, the genius, and the sheer silliness of the six men that comprised Python.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The farcical comedy troupe returns in this hilarious memoir by Johnson, Monty Python expert and former assistant to John Cleese. In recounting days traveling with the gang as a photographer, journalist, peasant and Roman soldier (during the filming of Life of Brian), Johnny Heller's delivery is so smooth and seamless it sounds as if he were there himself. And the prodigiously gifted Simon Vance is on hand, showcasing his remarkable impressions. The stories come to life and will enlighten even the most diehard of fans while offering newcomers an inside glimpse. Surviving Pythons John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle provide forewords. A Thomas Dunne hardcover. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From School Library Journal

Python confidant and author Johnson (The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close) chronicles the five-week Tunisian shoot for the Monty Python classic Life of Brian, with day-by-day reminiscences from September and October 1978. A fan and fanzine writer, Johnson eventually met members of the British comedy troupe and was invited to join them and record his observations during the filming of the movie. Johnson's accounts—of, e.g., the ingenuities of set creation, changeable North African weather, late-night gatherings in hotel bars and restaurants, and even a cameo from former Beatle (and film producer) George Harrison—are presented in a workmanlike yet easygoing and readable style. Including interviews he conducted on set, Johnson conveys the excitement of being a fan who gets to witness his heroes creating art. Indispensable for Python fans, this book should also appeal to film buffs in general; those less fanatical or not familiar with the film would do better to start with general histories like The Pythons: Autobiography. Recommended for larger public libraries and academic libraries with film collections.—Jim Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312533799
• ISBN-13: 978-0312533793
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > History > Africa > Tunisia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must for "Life of Brian" Fans, October 31, 2008

By 

William D. Freeman "wdavidfreeman" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian (Hardcover)

Kim "Howard" Johnson has written much about the Pythons, but it has taken him 30 years to publish the journal that he kept while working as an extra during the filming of "Monty Python's Life of Brian".

This is a day-by-day account of his time on the set in Tunisia interviewing the Pythons and the supporting cast as well as reporting on the progress of the filming.

Johnson gives the rest of us the closest thing we will ever have to spending time in the company of the Pythons both at work and at play. Despite the African heat, the long, hard hours and the tedium that went with making the film, no true Python fan will read this book without envying Johnson his unique opportunity.

This is a great gift for yourself or anyone you know who is a Python fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally...Something Completely Different From Mr.Johnson!, January 4, 2010

By 

Harvey J.Satan "Harvey J.Satan" (Among The Garden Gnome,Friar Park) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian (Hardcover)

I'll be the first to admit , when it comes to throwing stones at Kim Johnson , I'm the first one to put on my false beard! This comes not from jealousy , but from a sense of overkill. How many more books of the same redundant information can one man write to cash in on Monty Python? ( And it's even more irritating when I find things missing or incomplete in said books...he's NOT the messiah , he's just got a bigger toe in the door! ). That said. I REALLY did enjoy this book! Why? Because it's from a first person perspective! No cheats. This is from the heart , and memory , the dull bits , the nerdy bits , the thoughtful bits & the tourist bits!
( Okay and some naughty bits! ). The Pythons grant him interviews through out the filming of "Life Of Brian" , and Kim even finds himself as a film extra , assistant lighting guy , photographer , and oddjobs man.( This is also , probably , one of the only books to discuss George Harrison's time on set in Tunesia. ). It's a good read ,because Kim Johnson doesn't seem to be seeking anyone's approval or be catering to any sort of fan , he tells it the way it happened , good luck ,bad luck ,and the wierdness of being a tourist in a different land and a fanboy amongst his heroes. You really do feel the excitement he feels , and the "what a lucky guy I am" -ness of the whole adventure. Well done Mr.Johnson!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great View Into The Making Of "Brian", June 15, 2009

By 

A. B. Crain ""SydCrainBop"" (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian (Hardcover)

Kim Howard Johnson took his written, audio recorded, and photographic diaries from the set of "Brian" and put it in the form of an interesting book. He was on the set for most of the shooting of "Monty Python's Life Of Brian", as well as sometimes in front of the camera as an "extra". He presents loads of behind the scenes photos and quotes by the six Pythons themselves throughout the fun, wet, hot, and sometimes dull days of filming. The Pythons also wrote forwards for this book in which they thank him for printing this since they are all too old to remember much of 1978. It's also a testament (no pun intended) to how sober, hard-working, and clear-thinking Graham Chapman was for this film. This is a must for die-hard Monty Python fans, as are all of Johnson's other Python books!