Three Seconds of Dead Air

Intermission November 28, 2009

Another reason why YouTube is occasionally magnificent.  Here, John Cleese delivers the eulogy at Graham Chapman’s funeral.  For those who don’t know how the Pythons did their writing, Michael Palin and Terry Jones were a team, Cleese and Chapman were a team, and Eric Idle wrote his stuff individually.  For this reason, no matter how long the troupe had been together, Cleese clearly knew Chapman best, and his farewell to his friend is both touching and brilliant.

Thanks, Graham.

As I watch this Python documentary on the Independent Film Channel, the sight of these aging geniuses is undeniably exciting, and it only reinforces why, collectively, they’ve been one of the biggest influences on my life, my sensibility, my personal philosophy of life, etc.  And even though the sight of them now reminds me too much of the passage of time – and that they won’t always be with us – it’s gratifying to hear Michel Palin talk about how, against all odds, he never really grew up; whatever it is that causes most people to become staid and boring as they reach and exceed middle age never happened to him.  And, watching the rest of the troupe in their interview segments (including Eric Idle singing a newly-penned song titled “Fuck Christmas”), it’s clear that Palin’s in good company.  We should all be so lucky.

Regularly scheduled programming should resume in a day or two.

*****

Current listening:

The Trash Can Sinatras – In the Music (2009)

Last movie seen:

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009; Wes Anderson, dir.)