The Pythons

December 1, 2003
This production gives listeners a backstage pass to the interviews McCabe conducted with the Pythons prior to collaborating with them on their coffee-table autobiography. Echoing sound quality, overlapping voices and verbal nods from the interviewer highlight the raw nature of the material and give it a documentary feel, but these aspects also make for some indecipherable moments. The first disc tracks the histories of the troupe members (the deceased Graham Chapman's story is told by his partner and by his brother) and disc two describes how they got together and changed the face of comedy. McCabe uses narration sparingly and well, introducing each new theme and always noting who's talking. The interviews themselves lack drama and, surprisingly, humor. Occasional sparks of Python wit brighten up the presentation—such as when the Pythons shout down McCabe's introduction—but these moments are brief and randomly inserted, as are the clips from the group's various sketches. Anyone looking for a good laugh should pass on this audio, but ardent fans will enjoy hearing the Pythons' tale straight from their own mouths. Based on the St. Martin's/Dunne hardcover. (Forecasts, Oct. 20).

October 20, 2003
This massive autobiography/oral history offers a full literary meal about the irreverent Python troupe and an equally satisfying wealth of photos covering childhoods, weddings, film and TV appearances. It opens with members Michael Palin, Eric Idle, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam supplying witty commentaries about their collaborators, then follows with the foursome—plus Terry Young—profiling themselves. Graham Chapman, who died in 1989, comes alive through sparkling reminiscences by his longtime partner, David Sherlock. The groundbreaking sextet first captured attention through David Frost's The Frost Report
in 1966 and became comedy cult kings with the BBC series Monty Python's Flying Circus
. The accounts and accompanying photographs regarding their experiences and conflicts on Circus
and the subsequent motion pictures The Life of Brian
, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
and The Meaning of Life
are captivatingly honest closeups of the creative process; the reprinted postcards the gang sent Terry Jones from Amsterdam are priceless. "Dear Terry," reads one, "Graham is sitting on my right. On my left is an empty chair. Opposite sits John Goldstone & to his left (not mine) is Little John. To his left & slightly in front of him i.e. at the head of the table sits a silly little man who is in charge of us." Despite inevitable skirmishes, an open attitude prevailed that allowed everyone to express themselves freely: says Idle, "You could say anything— 'I think that's crap'—and nobody would punch you and get upset." By book's end, readers will feel they know each Python intimately and marvel that six such different personalities could collaborate to produce such hilarious, scathingly subversive comedy. 1,000 color and b&w photos.