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 enlarge | Author: Michael Palin
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £16.63
Buy New: £1.43
You Save: £15.20 (91%)
New (27) Used (2) from £1.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 79881
Format: Audiobook, Cd
Media: Audio CD
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
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Sealed and New. In stock - Sent fast from British booksellers.
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| Customer Reviews:
Great Read! November 1, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found these diaries fascinating. Watching as Palin developed as an artist, a family man, a businessman and friend was a real pleasure. I enjoyed reading about his kindness and integrity, and appreciated his many observations of England's political and cultural developments. There was plenty of name-dropping as his fame grew, but it never seemed as if he got caught up in being a 'star'. I can't wait for the next installment!
Where's the sauce October 18, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've always been a fan of Michael Palin and have been reading this book with interest. But where are the scandles, dishing the dirt? he mentions Graeham Chapman been boozed up on more than a number of occasions and John Cleese's motivation of money, but not a lot else of the Python's rock and roll status they enjoyed in the UK and USA. Where are the groupies the amusing stories? not here I'm afraid.
Just factual accounts of Micheal's day to day life and details of what was a very productive and creative time for him and for the Python shows, live performances and films.
 Dull As Dishwater July 31, 2007
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
Why publish these? They are incredibly dull, read with little or no enthusiasm. Palin comes across as rather shallow, which I'm sure he's not. For diehard fans only I'd say.
 Interesting but not sensational June 20, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
With the exception of a number of entries written during a Barbados writing excusion for the Python team on Life of Brian, these diaries were never (according to Palin) intended for publication. Rather, they were an exercise in writing discipline that he was using to help get past his cigarette addiction. Perhaps because of this, there is nothing sensational within the diaries - they do not recount wild arguments, detail the writing process or provide startling revelations about the Pythons or Palin's home life. I think that this is why some of the reviews that I read in the papers were so disappointed.
Saying that, there are some interesting insights into the way in which the Pythons were operating as a group and some of the personalities involved. John Cleese, for example, is very much the elder statesman of the group - the one they all look up to and the one who carries the most weight with the BBC. Eric Idle is a loner and seems to be very changeable in his opinions and attitudes to the Python phenomena. Graham Chapman's alcohol addiction is sad to read and you can see Palin's (and the other Python's) frustration with its effects and yet it's interesting that not one of them is noted as talking to him about it. The two Terries both seem like nice blokes, keen to get on with things, although Gilliam has an incredible energy that leaps from the entries. Palin clearly saw himself as the peacemaker and at times a little put upon with the group - he would often take up the commitments that others had made and broken and he doesn't hide his frustration with it.
Palin comes across as something of an idealistic optimist in the entries - his observations on the politics at the time are interesting and he clearly saw the Labour government as infinitely preferable to the Conservatives. It made me wonder how he now feels about it as he looks back. He talks about the local politics within his own area of London, where residents were opposing plans to build vast tower blocks and it's frustrating that we never get told what happened with this campaign - presumably they lost but it's not explicitly noted.
Whilst he does talk about his home life (and clearly takes a lot of pride in his three children), he doesn't talk about his wife a great deal, which surprised me and I wondered whether there was any self-censorship going on. It is interesting that he describes taking breaks away from the family to remote regions to get his work done (something that I think is common to a lot of writers).
Whilst the jacket blurb makes a lot of the drama surrounding the Python court case and the Life of Brian, Palin's diaries don't dwell on these. It is clear that the Pythons were anticipating some form of backlash before making Life of Brian (in fact, the early meetings envisage a film far more closely associated with Jesus and the Gospels) and it's interesting that before that backlash happened, profits were expected to go through the roof. The Pythons clearly felt that they stood for something as a group and there is a certain commonality in terms of what they wanted to achieve - the differences came in the way to do it.
I found the entries about Palin's father to be quite moving. He steadily charts his father's decline from Parkinson's and notes the effects on his mother. There is however a certain standoffishness in his approach to the subject - an almost clinical detachment at times, which seems to be his coping mechanism.
It should be noted that Palin admits that he lost one set of diaries, which is why there is a large gap between entries in one year. But this does not detract from the experience as a whole. He also uses footnotes to explain or give background on certain people or situations, which I found to be useful.
Diaries June 4, 2007
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I feel I should start by saying I love Michael Palin's works, from film, TV to travel literature. That is why I feel slightly disappointed by his diaries. They were interesting for an insight into Python's workings and how Pailn worked during the seventies, but they did begin to drag awfully. There are only so many Python meetings, or film recordings one can read/hear about before getting a little bored by them. Saying that, there are some fascinating anecdotes, as well as touching moments with his family. I especially liked when they climb up inside the Statue of Liberty and look forward to reaching her underwear! It is good to hear the author reading his own diaries, to add that extra intonation to his own life events! Note that this is an abridged version of his diaries, some copies of this were stickered incorrectly as unabridged, so be aware that this is edited for audiobook. If you love Palin, or Python, then this cd is worth a go, otherwise I'd say you could give it a miss and not worry too much.
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