Customer Reviews

Pythons Autobiography By the Pythons

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...but that's not a bad thing (explanation below).

I got this book for Christmas and was concerned that because of it's size I would probably end up just thumbing through and reading select parts. Not the case. I started reading it and couldn't stop.

It covers the group and individuals from their pre-Python lives through discussions of working together again after The Live at Aspen event - though I won't tell you what conclusion they came to. In between is chock full of every detail about their influences, TV show, the movies, the stage shows and more. And because each member contributes (hence...autobiography) you get a great insider's perspective on the dynamics of the group. You learn first hand who doesn't like who, what they enjoyed and how, at times, they really struggled, and a bunch more behind the scenes insights into their personalities.

I found the book to be fascinating. It is formatted such that each event is discussed by multiple members of the troop. So you get a 360 degree view of their writing sessions, their fights, their good times, their movie productions, their business and artistic relationships.

The only downside (and here is why I titled this as such) is that it was rarely funny. That is by no means a fault, but could come as a surprise (as it did me) to the reader who expects it to be silly and funny like their performances. As a result this book is probably only going to be of interest to a true Python fan. And a true Python fan will find it indispensible.

The Pythons were like the British Marx Brothers, Anti-authority,
subversive, surreal, and very very funny. Particularly interesting are the Python's accounts of their childhood and pre-fame days.

It seems "A Careful Reader" wasn't so careful after all. The picture of Dudley Moore (and it is most assuredly him) is on page 68 NOT 88. Here's a clue for ACR...he's about 30 years younger than he was when he appeared in the movie "10." Thank you and good night!

On page 88 it says that one of the four men in the photo is Dudley Moore. The fellow in the picture doesn't look at all like Dudley Moore. Furthermore, it says, on another page, that Ian MacNaughton is beseeching Terry Jones. But the man MacNaughton is begging seems to actually be Michael Palin. On a different note, in his autobiography part of the book Eric Idle seems too proud of his anti-authority stances. The 60's are very long gone now. Idle should grow up and not be so flaunting of his anti-societial ways. Being part of society is back in fashion.