MontyPython.net Holiday Shopping Guide



'Tis the Season to be Looney...

Fa La La La La, La La La La

Let's face it, there's a dizzying array of Monty Python merchandise out there. While that's normally a good thing as it's impossible to have too much silliness in your life, it can make it a real hassle to shop for the Dead Parrots and Cheese Shop owners on your list. Who can tell which box set is the one to get? Who knows which book is the one most likely to make your special someones nipples explode with delight? Who can point you towards a CD that will get your loved ones walking around the Christmas tree in a particularly silly manner? I know! Or at least I can guess. With that in mind I've created the official MontyPython.net holiday shopping guide. I've seen most of the DVDs, read most of the books and listened to most of the CDs, so I have an idea of which ones are the best, which should be avoided and which offer the most bang for your Python-Bucks. And I've narrowed it down so that you don't have to because you have enough to keep you busy what with your argument lessons and learning the newest fish slapping dance for the office Christmas Party. These are for my tips to make your holidays happy. Or at least less stressful.




DVDs
Why This?

Because this is the granddaddy of the Monty Python's Flying Circus DVD sets. It's 14 discs and contains EVERY single episode of the MPFC television series. All 45 episodes and all your favorite sketches, it's the one boxed set that no Monty Python fan should ever be without. And it's cheap!! Be warned, there is another giant box set out there, but it only includes a couple of extra discs and it costs $50 more. Avoid it, save the money and buy tickets to Spamalot or some more DVDs. This is the one to get.
Why This?

Because it's a comprehensive documentary about who the Pythons were, how the guys met, how the show became a reality and how they produced such brilliant material without driving each other completely insane. Well, ummm, more completely insane. This came out in 2009 and spans a glorious six hours over the 3-disc set and includes old archive footage and brand new interviews with the Python cast. It's not to be missed.
Why This?

Because it's the funniest movie ever made. Ever. Did I mention ever? Nobody can call themselves a Monty Python fan if they do not own a copy of this film and a real fan has seen it so many times that he/she/it (hey, I'm not here to judge) can recite almost all the lines. There are a bunch of different DVD packages of this movie, it's included in box sets and other compilations as well as in various special editions, each a little different from the others. Skip the others, you want this one because it includes all the essentials as well as the best collection of extras. It's also dirt cheap, so you can afford to buy extra copies to wallpaper your very own Scottish castle. Seriously, don't buy the more expensive special editions, they don't contain anything special enough to be worth the jacked up price.
Why This?

Because this is a new extravaganza, a one-night only special with Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Carol Cleveland doing Pythons songs and favorite comedy bits in a completely new way. Filmed live at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, this is Monty Python as you've never heard Monty Python before and as you'll never hear it again.
Why This?

Because this two disc set takes the Monty Python live on stage experience to whole new levels. It builds on the 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl' experience by taking the best moments from that historical four night performance and adds in the 'Monty Python Live at Aspen' performance hosted by Robert Klein. Disc two is a Monty Python tribute hosted by Steve Martin that includes many of the Pythons best sketches, some lost classics and the rarely seen 'Fliegender Zirkus' German episode.
Why This?

Because Fawlty Towers is one of the funniest sitcoms in the history of television. Because I've yet to meet a single person that was a Monty Python fan that did not fall over laughing at Fawlty Towers. Because it stars John Cleese at his pompous best. Because this is the best box set of the complete Fawlty Towers series, remastered for best possible audio and video quality. Because a Python fan is a Fawlty Towers fan.
Books
Why This?

Because this is considered to be the definitive written guide to Monty Python's Flying Circus. Part homage, part encyclopedia, it says everything you want to know about each sketch from each episode, the movies and the cast members. And it's insiders perspective tells many things you'd never find out without reading the book.
Why This?

Because this is the best written oral history of the Pythons ever done. This is a personal favorite, I've read it many times. Think of this as "Python in Python's Own Words", a huge collection of quotes and insights from everyone involved in the group, many humorous, all informative as a glimpse of what they were thinking as they were working.
Why This?

Because it's Michael Palin being Michael Palin and that should be enough for anyone. This book is Michael's own personal account of Monty Python from the first episode of MPFC to the making of the movies it's the ultimate insiders guide to Monty Python from inside the mind of Michael Palin. This is a BIG, important book and insightful book that will not appeal to the casual fan, but will quickly become the favorite of every Gumby, silly-walker and Knight of Ni on the planet. An absolute must!
Why This?

Because "Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian" is the closest you or I will ever come to being on the set of a Monty Python film. This book comes from the fertile mind of Kim "Howard" Johnson who is famous for "The First 200 Years of Monty Python" and other works on the group and is a day-by-day account of the shooting of 'Life of Brian' in Tunisia. Interviews with the guys, interviews with the supporting cast and crew, a one-of-a-kind insiders perspective from a guy who was on the set, in the movie and had the ear of everyone involved. This is another brilliantly insightful book filled with all the details both big and small and as such it is a must read for the real Monty Python fan. Not for the casual wannabe fan.
Why This?

Because it's an excellent account of life on the road with the Monty Python troupe during their touring years and for that alone it's worth reading. What makes this book extra important and earns it a spot on my reccommended reading list is that it's the first book to be a collaboration of the cast members in 30 years!. Between 1979 and 2009 everything written about the Pythons was either the work of someone else or the work of the single cast member. This was the first time since the '70s that the guys worked together and that makes this one a little more important than other books that came before it.
CDs
Why This?

Because if you saw Spamalot on Broadway you'll want to relive the magic and if you have not had the pleasure you owe it to yourself. This is the original Broadway cast starring Tim Curry, David Hyde-Pierce and Hank Azaria. They were the first lineup and they were the best lineup and as they've all moved on to other projects this is the only place to hear them in their glory. The play won a Tony Award for Best Musical and played to a sold out theater every night. Hear why.
Why This?

Because even a casual Monty Python fan knows these songs and a real Monty Python fan knows them by heart. And because no matter how often you've heard them you want to hear them again and again. And because when you're stuck in traffic and you're ready to go postal on the woman on her cellphone on the minivan in front of you there's only one way to get some relief. Pop in some Monty Python Sings, crank up the volume and sing along to 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' at the top of your lungs. It won't get you out of the traffic jam any faster, but it will make the other people around you fear you and they'll get out of your way extra quick. That can't be a bad thing.
Why This?

Because this is a new extravaganza, a one-night only special with Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Carol Cleveland doing Pythons songs and favorite comedy bits in a completely new way. Filmed live at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, this is Monty Python as you've never heard Monty Python before and as you'll never hear it again.
Posters
                                  
Why These?

Because they're the best Monty Python posters available short of the original theater lobby issued posters which sell for hundreds of dollars. They're all in the 27" x 40" range and look like they could be the real thing and any Python fan would be proud to hang them on their dorm room wall or their office cubicle. Or in their padded cell, whatever. The point is that whether you're incarcerated at work or in maximum security, these will brighten the place right up.