Monty Python – 40 Gloriously Funny Years This October

Where has the time gone?

The Independent reports that Monty Python will celebrate their 40th anniversary this October. As part of the festivities, Royal Albert Hall will host a one-night-only performance on the 23rd of Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy). You may have heard of this — it’s Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s wildly funny 1-hour oratorio based on Monty Python’s Life of Brian. But this one-night-only deal is even more irresistible than usual — Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam will perform in it. Unfortunately, John Cleese can’t make it, which is a damned shame.

Nevertheless, here I thought that I was lucky that Idle’s first cousin is Toronto Symphony Conductor Peter Oundjian, which led the world premiere to happen right in the T-Dot.

As Idle describes the oratorio: "It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.’" (How could Dylan and Python possibly come together? You can see Idle’s spin after the jump.)

For those of us who won’t be there, The Independent reports that a documentary called Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut) is on the way, while Variety reports that there will be anniversary events in Hollywood and New York called "An Evening With Without Monty Python."

What’s your favorite Monty moment?

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Monty Python Launches YouTube Channel

Can’t get enough of the Knights Who Say Ni?  Or are you in the mood to hear the Lumberjack Song?  Or to see the Upper Class Twit of the Year Competition?

These and many, many more of your favorite Monty Python sketches and moments from their movies are now available on their own YouTube channel.  And now, they’re completely and totally legal to view.

“For 3 years you YouTubers have been ripping us off, taking tens of thousands of our videos and putting them on YouTube. Now the tables are turned. It’s time for us to take matters into our own hands,” the Python say in their You Tube statement.  “We know who you are, we know where you live and we could come after you in ways too horrible to tell. But being the extraordinarily nice chaps we are, we’ve figured a better way to get our own back: We’ve launched our own Monty Python channel on YouTube.”

Fans will no longer have to put up with lower grade fan clips.  The Pythons are offerings high quality clips for their fans to view and enjoy.

“But we want something in return,” they warn.  “None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.”

Once again, Monty Python has proved to be on the cutting edge.  First it was comedy.  Now it’s in how to take advantage of the Internet to reach long-time fans and create new ones. Read more