Always look on the bright side of life

44 Comments

In my limited pool of knowledge, I have found that there are two types of people in the world – those who love Monty Python, and those who don’t.  That may be a very broad assumption, and one that has been purely based on my personal experience and nothing else.  The people I have encountered have very distinct opinions on the subject and sway very heavily to one side when it comes to the British comedy.  You may be perched on the fence, or have no opinion at all, but this post is based on the myriad of people who have shared their strong opinion with me.

It is not a subject I bring up haphazardly in conversation, but there comes the inevitable moment when I unwittingly kick a reference to Monty Python into a conversation.  It either completely misses  the uprights and lands uselessly in a blank faced crowd, or it sails right down the middle, scores and the crowd jumps to its feet.  It can be the most innocent of comments but Monty Python fans recognize it immediately and a look of happiness glazes their face when they identify with one of their own.  In mere seconds, they have responded with another piece of Python repartee and an entirely new conversation spins in a warped direction.

silly walk

(photo credit: tumblr.com)

I wasn’t introduced to the genius of Monty Python until much later in my life, but I certainly made up for lost time by watching those comedic geniuses incessantly.  Python fans seem to have an undefinable bond.  Without even beginning a conversation, I have had friends walk past me in public places doing their best impression of the Minister of Silly Walks and I can’t contain my laughter.  When I lived in Halifax, we would have Monty Python nights and the group of friends who were as fixated as we were would gather around our television set.  We were all able to quote 90% of the lines in each movie (sad, but true) and we even used small wooden salad bowls to emulate the coconut horse hooves in the Holy Grail.  Obsessed?  Perhaps.  But those are some of my fondest memories.

There are nights when I am feeling less than my usual exuberant self and Monty Python seems to be the only thing that can bring me out of my funk.  The Meaning of Life finds its way into my DVD player, the machine that goes “PING” pings and all is right in my world once again.

Time to weigh in friends – what is your quest?  What is your favorite color?  Which side of Python are you on?

44 thoughts on “Always look on the bright side of life”

  2. 6 years ago I was not a “fan” of Monty Python, but to be honest I never gave it a chance, then a friend of mine gave me the Flying Circus and I learned to like them.
    I like British comedy over all, some new shows are great.

    Reply

  3. ALL OF IT IS MY FAVORITE! I remember seeing my first Monty Python at age 12 – Holy Grail and I didn’t understand it at all (my brother was watching)…it made me feel a little disconcerted…then I turned 16…I can’t get enough Monthy Python. I also love Fawlty Towers, Terry Jones’ Crusades & Medieval documentaries, Terry Gilliam’s movies (BRAZIL!) and pretty much ANYTHING those remaining Pythons are in.

    I knew I liked you…

    Let’s have an argument. Just a 5 minute one.

    Reply

  4. I grew up watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus. My mother was addicted. My husband had never seen it so we’re now watching them on Amazon. Timeless humor. 🙂

    Reply

  5. I wanted to be a lumberjack! But we all know how that turned out for me. Something about high heels and a bra.

    The bit about “I am your King!” and “I didn’t vote for you” is pure brilliance.

    “Old woman!”

    “Man!”

    “Man. I’m sorry. Old man.”

    Reply

  6. I know a lot of people who love those movies. I tried to watch one once. i wasn’t impressed… In fact, I think I only made it a few minutes into the movie before I had had enough.

    Reply

  13. I love Monty Python! So does the husband, luckily, because you’re right– the divide between the Python lovers and everyone else is a wide one! 🙂 Loved this post.

    Reply

  14. Here’s a nod to Carol Cleveland! She’s the yank who appeared in 30 of the 45 episodes. She’s “the seventh Python” or “The Female Python”. She played the blonde bombshell and I always admired her for putting up with the lot of them. I hope to someday see “Spamalot”. I’ve learned most of the songs… Thanks for spotlighting my favorite comedy troupe!

    Reply

Leave a reply to Polysyllabic Profundities Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.