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Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years |  | Author: Michael Palin
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £3.28
as of 3/9/2010 21:40 MDT details
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New (23) Used (5) from £2.29
Seller: sun-shine
Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 149934
Format: Abridged, Audiobook, CD
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged edition
Number Of Items: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.4 x 5.5 x 0.4
ISBN: 0752875612
EAN: 9780752875613
ASIN: 0752875612
Publication Date: October 3, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Michael Palin's diaries of his life before, during and after Monty Python.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
 Monty Pooter's Flying Circus September 2, 2010
Paul T Horgan (UK)
First - I'm a Python fan.
So this intimate look at 'the making of' is highly interesting to me.
But this is also a look at a comfortable middle-class life in a highly turbulent decade.
We see the sociology of the Pythons. Interesting fact - they were, at one point, split between the rich and poor. Palin, Cleese and Gilliam were the ones making or holding on to money, Idle, Chapman and Jones weren't.
Palin achieved his affluence by living apparently comparatively frugally. He drives a Mini and has a domestic life in Gospel Oak with his wife and increasing family. Children are born. His father, already suffering from Parkinson's dies.
Palin is also very busy. He does not have a regular job, so has to build on his success. He is constantly writing and performing - for Python and also special projects with Jones. We see here the gestation of the Python series and also the films Grail and Brian as well as Ripping Yarns and the less well-known Dr Fegg book.
The characteristic of the Pythons was the high level of control they had over their product, whether it was books, records, programmes or films.
The Pythons were arguably the first global comedy supergroup performing their own material. An like a supergroup, their centre of gravity moves westward as the flit between London, New York and Los Angeles.
Palin makes in George Harrison a good friend.
He is also a bit of a champagne socialist. He does like the bubbly as mentions of its consumption frequent the pages up to the middle of the book. The socialism fades away as his career progresses. he feels no guilt when one of the first acts of Margaret Thatcher's government is to give him back more of his money when they lower the top rate of tax. There is nary a protest when some of his compadres leave the country to avoid tax.
This is contrast with the early writings when he is almost up in arms over Heath snatching the election from Wilson in 1970. His praise of strikers in the early '70s is not there during the 'Winter of Discontent', which is documented but not commented on. Thatcher's election in 1979 passes by with no mention.
But then this is a book about a young adult moving to creative maturity with an unbroken string of success. His time stops being his own as he is increasingly in demand. But there is no complaint or soul searching. This is a man who can cope with success without reaching for questionable comforts. he does not have the financial issues bedevilling Idle, the relationship problems of Cleese, the alcholism of Chapman or the in-fighting of Jones. This diary reinforces the image of Palin as the 'nice Python'.
Cleese does not come off too well in these diaries. He is the Rowan Atkinson of the group (that is, he sees himself as the Alpha Dog) and is not too shy about showing it. this does somewhat jar with the otherwise democratic nature of the group. Perhaps all ensembles by accident, design or deliberate media fixing will have one individual that personifies the group. But this is just an impression from the writings as Palin does not (or it has been edited out) explicitly point the finger at Cleese with a denunciation. he is too nice for that and leaves it to posterity to make up its mind.
Diaries, in my opinion, should not be read in isolation by perhaps relative to the content of other diarists. I have read the diaries of The Fringes of Power: Downing Street Diaries: Volume One, 1939 - October 1941 Jock Colville, Alan ClarkAlan Clark: The Diaries 1972 - 1999: The Edited Diaries 1972 - 1999: The Complete Diaries 1972 - 1999, and Tony Benn The Benn Diaries, ( New single volume edition). Colville, Churchill's secretary covers a decisive era of British history and is fascinating for that. Clarke is a downbeat writer (too moch about watery bodily functions), a philanderer who does not detail his conquests (unless these snippets are reserved for after his wife passes away). Benn is quietly righteous as everything he writes is filtered by his politics. Palin is a must read for serious pythonists. It is not a seriously humorous tome but is useful background material to understanding the irresistible rise of what is by now comedy royalty. It is the best diary I have read of the four and not just for Python.
Fun and informative, with a lot of food August 16, 2010
Jimternet (West Midlands, UK)
I've been intending to read this for some time but was intimidated by its size, however I now forced myself to give it a go and found it to be quite enjoyable.
As it says on the cover, this edition covers the period roughly from the days when Monty Python was the first inkling of an idea up until just after the release of Life of Brian. The format is literally Palin's daily diary entries, and most of the time they appear to be unedited. Footnotes abound however to explain brief bits of background or to explain who various people are.
It's a really interesting insight not only into Palin but the whole python team, especially having be written at the time rather than from hazy, rose-tinted hindsight. There is also a lot of coverage of his other activities which has prompted me to consider looking them up on DVD.
There's no way of escaping the fact though that it is a very long book, and not something that can be quickly read. My usual problem with reading diaries is that I skip over the subheadings that are the entry dates, and this is again the case here, which in places leads me to lose track of the passage of time.
A lot of the entries make mention of food. Palin takes great pains to mention what he has eaten, where and with whom. Fairly typical content for a diary I suppose but it becomes a bit like a joke to me as I read about more and more meals
A good read and well deserving of four stars. I will probably read the sequel, though this volume does end at a convenient point, but most likely not for a while, as I have lots of other books to read too.
A must for Python fans March 9, 2010
Friend of Dorothy (Hampshire, England)
I loved this book (although see my much longer review of Palin's next volume of diaries).
Took Me Ages but I Did It! March 1, 2009
Emma Peel (London, England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a long, long, long book. Took ten years to create and took me approximately seven months to read.
I think it's great to be given this insight into how Michael Palin's mind works and what he really thinks of the other Pythons. It's interesting to read that the Python ventures are not the fun you'd think they'd be. And that Michael Palin isn't the man you think he is.....
On television he comes across as friendly, non-judmental, could get along with anyone but in his diaries he seems much more hard and resilient than you'd expect. And could I even say he seems quite selfish?
He doesn't take much interest in the concerns of his mother and sister and doesn't really seem to have cared less when his father died. He'll also quite happily traipse off to some far-flung place and leave his wife Helen to bring up their children as a single mother for nine months of a year. His daughter seems to have been quite scared of him upon his return, not having any idea who he was.
And of course you only have his opinion on the other Pythons and their behaviour. It would be interesting to see what their opinion was of him at the time!
Having said that, it was very interesting to see what these famous people get up to on their days off TV. It's interesting that all the people he chooses to socialise with seem to come from a very similar background to him. He doesn't have any dustman friends or really mix with anyone who doesn't live in Hampstead.
I look forward to the the imminent publishing of the next lot of diaries. I was left there on New Years Eve 1979, wondering what happened the next morning. One thing you couldn't accuse him of is being boring. He always puts stuff in an intelligent and original way.
I'll miss not having him in my life every day.
I Can't Wait To Read About the Next 10 Years August 19, 2008
Graceann Macleod (London, UK)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Michael Palin writes as he speaks, without pretension, and with a great deal of humor. These are his diaries - not initially meant for publication and thus full of honest, blunt observations regarding films, books, his own performances and the foibles of his fellow Pythons. Nobody escapes unscathed here, though I doubt anyone who Mr. Palin wrote about would dispute his conclusions.
The years 1969-1979 are some of the most amazing in Python history; they begin as Monty Python starts filming its first television series, and concludes as Life of Brian is released and there is backlash from the religious folks who don't understand the premise (and many of whom proudly state that they haven't even bothered to see the film they're condemning). Between these two seminal events are discussions of filming on other projects, the need and the attempt to write, and a man's deep and abiding love for his wife, children and parents. Reading the passages about Palin's father weakening was moving in the extreme, and his pain was palpable as the roles between father and son slowly reversed themselves.
This is a hernia farm of a book at over 600 pages hardcover, exclusive of introductions and index, but you soon forget your aching arms as the pages fly. The life that Michael Palin has built for himself and his family is so layered, rich and interesting (while still being fairly "normal") that you only want the best for him and can't wait to read what happens next. I understand that the next segment of diaries will be released in September 2009, and I'm very excited to read about that next decade in my favorite Python's life.
Despite copious footnotes explaining the backgrounds of the people mentioned, those who are not familiar with British comedy and culture may find the narrative a little hard to follow, at least initially. Because I've been living in London for a year or so, the people that Palin encounters (and then writes about) have become more familiar to me. Even more interesting were his mentions of favorite bookshops, restaurants and London haunts which he enjoyed with his children (and, in some cases, continues to enjoy to this day). In that respect, the Diaries became a bit of a travelogue for my future travels around my adopted hometown.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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