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.
Bruces
Monty Python Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who was very rarely stable
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table
David Hume could out consume
Schopenhauer and Hegel
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as sloshed as Schlegel
There's nothing nietzche couldn't teach ya
'Bout the raising of the wrist
Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed
John Stuart Mill, of his own free will
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill
Plato, they say, could stick it away
Half a crate of whiskey every day
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle
Hobbes was fond of his dram
And Ren Descartes was a drunken fart
"I drink, therefore I am"
Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed
A lovely little thinker
But a bugger when he's pissed
The lyrics to Monty Python's song "Bruces" is a humorous portrayal of famous philosophers from history and their relationships with alcohol. The first verse mentions Immanuel Kant, who is described as "rarely stable." This could refer to Kant's emphasis on reason and logic, which may have caused him to be rigid or inflexible in his personal life or views. The second verse mentions Martin Heidegger, who is described as a "boozy beggar" who could out-think his companions. This could be a reference to Heidegger's controversial political views and associations, as well as his complex and challenging philosophy.
The third verse mentions David Hume, who is described as being able to out-drink Schopenhauer and Hegel. Hume was known for his skepticism and empiricism, which challenged traditional philosophical ideas. The fourth verse mentions Ludwig Wittgenstein, who is described as a "beery swine" who was just as drunk as Schlegel. This could be a reference to Wittgenstein's own complex and challenging philosophy, as well as his struggles with personal relationships and mental health.
Line by Line Meaning
Immanuel Kant was a real puissant
Immanuel Kant was a powerful thinker in his time
Who was very rarely stable
But he was known for his unstable moods
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Heidegger was an alcoholic philosopher
Who could think you under the table
But he could drink you under the table while still remaining coherent
David Hume could out consume
David Hume was a heavy drinker
Schopenhauer and Hegel
And he could drink more than his contemporaries Schopenhauer and Hegel
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Wittgenstein was also a heavy drinker
Who was just as sloshed as Schlegel
And could get just as drunk as Schlegel
There's nothing nietzche couldn't teach ya
Nietzsche was an expert on drinking
'Bout the raising of the wrist
He knew all the tricks about how to drink more
Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed
Socrates was always drunk
John Stuart Mill, of his own free will
John Stuart Mill chose to drink
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill
But even half a pint of shandy would make him sick
Plato, they say, could stick it away
Plato had a high tolerance for alcohol
Half a crate of whiskey every day
He could drink half a crate of whiskey every day
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle
Aristotle loved to drink
Hobbes was fond of his dram
Hobbes enjoyed a good drink
And Ren Descartes was a drunken fart
Descartes was known for being drunk and foolish
'I drink, therefore I am'
He famously said 'I drink, therefore I exist'
Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed
Socrates is still celebrated today for his philosophical achievements
A lovely little thinker
He was a great thinker
But a bugger when he's pissed
But he was unpleasant to deal with when he was drunk
Contributed by Ryan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.