The group includes Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle (the trio from Cambridge, who are all taller than all the other members of the group, and known as the more "aggressive" half of the group), Terry Jones (from Wales), Michael Palin (from Oxford) and Terry Gilliam (Minnesota in the United States). Chapman wrote the sketches with Cleese, Jones wrote with Palin, Idle wrote alone and Gilliam did the animations. Neil Innes and Carol Cleveland have both on occasion been mentioned as the "7th Python".
Graham Chapman, widely known as "The Dead One", died of cancer on October 4, 1989, the day before Python's 20th anniversary (thus being called "the greatest party pooper of all time" by Terry Jones), is tagged as the greatest actor among the group by his fellow Pythons. He had problems with alcohol and was a dedicated smoker of the pipe (he appears with a pipe in his hand in most of the Python sketches). He was known for his outstanding and abstract sense of humour; Cleese states that during their sketch-writing partnership Chapman did not say much, but when he said something it was often brilliant. The term "pepperpot" which is used to describe middle-aged ladies was found by Chapman.
John Cleese, probably the most famous Python on the other side of the Atlantic, is most widely known for his silly walk - the famous walk that he invented for Monty Python's Flying Circus, and repeated in one episode of Fawlty Towers, where he tries very hard not to remind his German visitors of the World War II by doing impersonations of Hitler. He lives in the USA. He played the lead as Basil Fawlty in "Fawlty Towers". He has been reported to be the first man to say "shit" on British TV and the first man to say "fuck" at a British memorial service.
Eric Idle is the composer of most Python songs (along with Neil Innes) such as the Python anthem "Always Look on the Bright Side Of Life" (which is also played after Iron Maiden's shows). His outstanding linguistic abilities have earned him the name "Master of the One-Liner". He created the Beatles parody "The Rutles" along with Neil Innes, and recently adapted the Python movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as a Broadway musical called "Monty Python's Spamalot". His most famous Python role is the character he plays in the "Nudge Nudge" sketch. He is the self-acclaimed third tallest and sixth nicest Python.
Terry Gilliam was the only American in the group and has one of the most successful post-Python careers among the six, as he is the director of hugely popular movies like Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Fisher King. His part was instrumental in helping Python gain their reputation as a unique comedy group, his animations helping them link sketches (which, of course, don't have punch lines) in an unprecedented manner. He has become a British citizen in early 2006 and renounced his American citizenship shortly afterwards. He acknowledges The Goon Show, a radio show aired in the 1950s on BBC radio, written by Spike Milligan and performed by Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers, as the main reason he chose Britain as his homeland.
Terry Jones is the most successful actor of the woman role (as demonstrated in the Spam sketch, which is only one of numerous occasions in which he has voiced the trademark of a high-pitched female impersonation). He is the director (or co-director) of all Python movies. He has also written, directed and appeared in a few more movies which featured some of his Python mates; despite the fact that these movies aren't quite a match for his work in the Flying Circus, they include some hilarious scenes, such as the singing scene in Erik the Viking. He is the writer of such excellent songs as "I'm So Worried" and "Traffic Lights". He has done a few historical documentaries, and in one of them he briefly acts the part of King Richard III (called "Ring Kichard the Thrid" by the Eric Idle character "the man who speaks entirely in anagrams", which prompts Michael Palin the interviewer to suggest that "Ring Kichard is surely a spoonerism and not an anagram", which results in Eric Idle's character leaving the studio, saying "If you are going to split hairs, I'm going to piss off" (which can serve as a pointer to the Eric Idle-John Cleese movie "Splitting Heirs")).
Michael Palin, known as the nicest python, and the favorite Python to work with for John Cleese, has done numerous travel documentaries during his post-Python career. His amazing sense of humour has inevitably permeated into what would otherwise be just ordinary documentaries (occasions like the Polushka Pole incident and thanking the goddess for her "nice mountain", to name a couple). This nice man, who finds it very difficult to say "no", is the only one who said "no" to a reunion in their 30th year. He is the inventor of the threat "If you don't cooperate, I will get nasty and start using some Dutch words".
As admitted on several occasions, the group likes to dress up as women.
Having said all that, Terry Jones is actually Welsh.
Albatross
Monty Python Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Getting rid of the albatross
Sowing the seeds of discontent
I know you very well, you are unbearable
I've seen you up far too close
Getting rid of the albatross
Frying rear blinds
Should I really
If I run away, run away
Riding along on the crest of the wave
Getting rid of the albatross
Another will not forget
I know you very well
Run away, run away
Should I
I run away
Getting rid of the albatross
I know you very well, you are unbearable
I see you far too close
If I wanted to, if
Run away, run away
I ran away, I ran away
The lyrics of the song Albatross by Monty Python are enigmatic and abstract. The chorus of the song constantly repeats the phrase "getting rid of the albatross," which can be interpreted as a metaphor for removing a heavy burden or responsibility. The line "sowing the seeds of discontent" suggests that the singer is trying to create chaos or confusion, while the line "I know you very well, you are unbearable" could indicate that the singer is referring to an unpleasant person or situation that they are trying to distance themselves from.
The verses of the song are more cryptic, with lines like "frying rear blinds" and "riding along on the crest of the wave" that are difficult to interpret. However, the general theme of trying to escape or break free from something seems to persist throughout the song.
Overall, the song Albatross is a complex and mysterious piece of music that lends itself to multiple interpretations. It could be seen as a commentary on the human experience of trying to shed emotional or psychological baggage, or it could be read as a more specific critique of a certain person or situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Slow motion, slow motion
Things are moving slowly and taking a lot of time
Getting rid of the albatross
Removing the burden or problem that is holding me back
Sowing the seeds of discontent
Planting the ideas of anger and dissatisfaction
I know you very well, you are unbearable
I am very familiar with you and cannot stand you
I've seen you up far too close
I have been too close and seen too much of you
Frying rear blinds
Doing something pointless and useless
If I wanted
If I desired or chose to
Should I really
Do I truly need to or want to?
If I run away, run away
Escaping from my problems
Riding along on the crest of the wave
Going along with the current trend or popular opinion
Another will not forget
Someone else will remember what is happening or has happened
Run away, run away
Escaping from my problems
Should I
Do I need to or want to?
I run away
I am escaping my problems
Getting rid of the albatross
Removing the burden or problem that is holding me back
I know you very well, you are unbearable
I am very familiar with you and cannot stand you
I see you far too close
I have been too close and seen too much of you
If I wanted to, if
If I chose or desired to
Run away, run away
Escaping from my problems
I ran away, I ran away
I have escaped my problems
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DANIEL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@adammwalch
Not that anyone cares, but I was there, and Eric Idle climbed through my box. Greatest thrill of my life haha
@JPnielsen
"Eric Idle climbed through my box" I sure hope that's not a sexual euphemism
@adammwalch
@@JPnielsen :)
@fredklein3829
So that was YOU!
@ihrable438
We sat behind Eric Idle and Robin Williams (❤) at a John Denver concert in Reno back in the late 90's. 😃. It was a great concert🎉
@626akastitch8
You know what makes this sketch even better? Is that John sounds genuinely unhappy the entire time he's doing the skit 😂😂😂
@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113
Deep down, he was pining, for the Fiords.
@626akastitch8
@@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113 🤣🤣🤣 YES!!!
@cynicallefty
Cleese's rage-filled reaction to "do you get wafers with it?" might be the funniest thing in all of Python...
@RatelHBadger
Course you don't get fffffffking wafers with it.
Absolute disdain for the question and for the asker.