Interview with John Cleese and Terry Jones

[@FredrikLNielsen]

John is just a great great guy, the way he helps Terry through this interview. You can tell John knows something is very wrong with Terry, and helps him avoid looking stupid on stage. John often asks Terry Yes or No questions, which is easy for Terry to answer, in an effort to make him a part of the interview. What a great guy.

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

John Cleese has changed his personality a LOT over the years. It's well worth remembering that one can gradually do that.

[@petermaxwell4904]

yes! one can become 'less' of an arse-hole! it's hard work, but worth it.

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

Not a real asshole, but far more self-absorbed and difficult than he is today.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

Fredrik Nielsen knowing about his condition makes me sad whenever I see him in an interview or sketch, even if it is from 40 years ago. To see someone so active and vocal robbed of their speech is heartbreaking.

[@tinovanderzwanphonocave544]

maybe he had an asshole transplant but the asshole rejected him!.

[@OrchestrationOnline]

The fiercest and most bitter arguments between the Pythons were Jones vs. Cleese - but you can see that their respect and regard for one another survived their entire career.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

OrchestrationOnline in old age and sickness, they resolved their differences and egos calmed down

[@DangarooWriter]

Terry ended up being a mentor of mine, despite his advice only coming in the form of letters rather than in-person conversations. To see him here, as John helps him through the interview, it’s heartbreaking. Terry was a kind man, one that didn’t deserve to go out the way he did. I hope there is an afterlife, if for no other reason than to thank him for everything he’s done for me, both what he purposefully did, and what he did by simply being Terry.

[@archluke6099]

How did you come to meet him and what kind of advise did he give you?

[@respectfulgamer7232]

Also heart warming.

[@Applecompuser]

@Dana Langston - It is heartbreaking how he went out. What is your trade? Are you a writer? It would be interesting to learn how he mentored you.

[@esands8874]

Terry Jones was the most humble, educated and passionate Python of them all. So easily overlooked, but so utterly vital to their success. Thank you, Tel - Wherever you are. You will live forever.

[@lpsp442]

It's intensely moving to see a man as great as Terry Jones slightly struggling with his words and reasoning, and his long-time cohort John, a man who represented the opposite principle to him in so many creative processes, stepping in to aid him with all perceptiveness and care.

RIP Terry Jones. You will be missed.

[@27b4]

- So tragic that a fine mind should wither away like this, and yet so many do.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

Poor Terry. It breaks my heart that he, a performer and writer, was robbed of his speech

[@Mazeppa6]

'An egotistical organisation trying to preach a doctrine of reducing the ego' John Cleese, you are a true genius.

[@brucebaker810]

Just started watching, so haven't got there yet. Just watched a lovely chat between Eric and John (about 100 minutes). So will probably come back for this vid. But your comment sparked several thoughts. 1. The Church (whichever one; fill in the blank) wants YOU to be humble meek & mild. They don't claim to be humble themselves. 2. Have you met this guy? The Christian who says "well I'm just a humble sinner...but I know the Guy Who Invented Everything. And He agrees with me that..."

[@brucebaker810]

Joseph Scott I'll check out that Cleese bit. Thanks.

[@11matt11]

So many wonderful things happening in this video. Finally the Church realizes this is a positive movie about Jesus and his message. You can love Life of Brian and be a strong Christian. John and Terry getting along so well after all their troubles together, forgiving all the arguments of the past. And how patient and helpful John is, knowing Terry might not be able to do this much anymore. This is like the best of Christ's teachings in one video, no matter what you believe. RIP Terry. Thank you for making me laugh so much.

[@young321bookie]

You couldn't be anymore full of sh*t, you aren't a Christian.

[@francissera6837]

I agree with you completely. Thank you for articulating that so well.

[@GrilloTheFlightless]

It’s clear that the effects of dementia were taking its toll on Terry here, but I love the fact that when he is talking about his latest project he suddenly becomes passionate and coherent and very talkative. It’s like the passion he has bridges the gaps in his mind. Gonna miss Terry Jones.

[@Danimal77]

Had this been filmed only a year earlier, Terry would have been the one doing all the talking. He would have stuttered and mixed up/forgotten words, but he still would be very talkative. The decline was gradual (dating back since at least 2009, if not 2006), which can be seen through many youtube interviews of him, but it really became noticeable in 2013 and then it was a far more rapid decline, which is evident by this 2014 video. There are still videos of Terry being interviewed as late as August 2015 and he's still talking, but it was very difficult for him to verbally communicate his thoughts and by 2016, he was no longer able to speak.

[@danijelujcic8644]

@@Danimal77 I think I saw a video a few years ago of him getting an honorary award of some kind and sadly, he only managed to say two words (maybe his last words in public, IDK) - quieten down. Then his son did the speech.

[@dmann1115]

@@Danimal77 It's so cruel. My father also lost his speech within a few years of his diagnosis. Totally heartbreaking.

[@timmccarthy5353]

I feel so bad for Terry. God bless him!

[@jimondomungrus1879]

he is bad 2 god.

[@comanchio1976]

@jimondo mungrus When?

[@oldskoolfool141]

One of ailing mind, one of ailing hearing but both forever part of the healthiest examples of humour and self-reflection, god bless 'em

[@curlywurly4770]

I wonder if he'd been diagnosed at this point. But John seems very understanding and considerate. So sad

[@Danimal77]

No, he hadn't yet been diagnosed. That came in 2015, but in my opinion, he was gradually losing his words since at least 2009 (perhaps even 2006), but it only became very noticeable to the point that he would mix up words a lot and not finish sentences by 2011 and by 2013 it was a rapid decline and by 2014 and 2015 it was very difficult to watch him struggle to just formulate simple sentences and sadly in 2016, it was all but gone.

[@davidloconto6282]

Eric Idle said they knew for years something was wrong. If you watch or listen to interviews with Terry Jones over a period of years, you can see an erosion of his ability to communicate.

[@Danimal77]

@@davidloconto6282 Yes, absolutely. I saw it as early as 2009 or so (perhaps even 2006). He would stammer and stutter and have glitches and it only got worse from there.

[@NxDoyle]

I think the diagnosis came as a result of noticeable cognitive decline during the reunion, which they were preparing for at the time of this video.

[@Kaku_III]

Dan Maler as early as 2006? Really?

[@4fatherproductions]

It would be easier for the interviewer if he knew that John is interrupting Terry on purpose to protect him from more complicated questions - given his dementia. Wonderful to see the old Terry reappear when he describes his future project.

[@davidsanderson5918]

What John Cleese says about the important things in life being absent from the media is absolutely true and I'm so glad he's articulated it. This has only happened in the last twenty years. Fortunately if you dig enough on KZbin you can find what you need but what you have to ask is why or how on earth we've reached a point where digging for it is necessary.

[@charlesashurst997]

Terry suddenly comes to life when he's discussing a project though.

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

Cleese and Jones were driving each other nuts yelling at each other in about 1972. Nice that they're more friendly now.

[@HollyLFord]

Monty Python was my first look into adult humor. Heard friends on the school bus doing various skits and songs from the TV show, then started watching myself. In addition to MAD magazine, it was one of my first introductions into more adult humor. I've enjoyed all of their movies.

[@benjaminpont220]

I feel so sorry for terry, may he rest in peace

[@RetroGameStream]

Just want to chime in here with everyone else repeating the sentiment that I love how John is being very sweet here. I love all the Pythons and Terry Jones' later documentaries are favorites of mine. Being robbed of language must have been really tough for him and those that knew him. I know learning about it has been tough for me.

[@clintbronson5]

WHAT??! THE CURTAINS?? Love you Mr.Jones and thank you for sharing your wonderful talent

[@andypianoman2732]

could listen to John all day long!!

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

Poor Terry. Lots of love. Xxx

[@eliotmccann2589]

As an atheist, I found this thoroughly entertaining and informative. Great discussion!

[@bradmodd7856]

A believer that dumb dirt somehow knows how to become intelligent.....perhaps it isn't as dumb as you think

[@peterharrington8709]

In an almost infinite universe and given a very long time then almost anything that is possible will happen.

[@zenpaganwarrior]

Terry, you are greatly missed. John, you have a wonderful comedic sensibility, like your colleagues. Bless you all for granting us the godly grace of laughter!

[@TimelessProductions0]

Terry Jones you will be greatly missed!!

[@b0tterman]

Wow you can really see in retrospect, Terry Jone's trouble speaking. This is less than two years before he was officially diagnosed. So sad and touching the Cleese seems to be very protective of Terry. Tho, Cleese and Jones famously didn't get on.

[@punictunic]

Found this difficult to watch. Lovely Terry Jones.

[@martinsmith500]

The Pythons are like brothers

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Rip Terry Jones. 😭

[@rayryeridge3313]

There is no doubt that Terry Jones enriched my life in a mayor way,as did the whole Phyton group,Cleese is an extremly intelligent and articulate person,but it was Terry Jones who was the heart of the group,not only as the director bringing a visual dimension to the surralist gags,but also as a charming comedian of the absurd,and as an engine of the whole Phyton project,without his energy,vision and enthusiasm Phyton would have been more short lived,and that would have been sad.R.I.P Terry Jones and R.I.P Graham Chapman..thanks for making life wonderful!

[@kkakacek]

RIP, Terry Jones (aka Mandy, beloved mother of Brian).

[@WildBillCox13]

Very enjoyable reminiscing by extremely talented entertainers prodded into an occasional canter by a bright, well researched, host. Thanks for posting!

[@ifthousayestso]

John Cleese knows that "media" is plural ! Seriously though, my heart goes out to Terry Jones. I'm currenntly reading his book "Barbarians", and it's hard to believe the writer and he are the same person.

[@LaurelinB]

John is protecting Terry here.

[@DeafIaint]

Sorry Terry, I learned today that you have been diagnosed with a form of dementia . Sincere apologises x

[@Ratelzwatel]

Very sad news. I guess we can forget about a new reunion with him... :/

[@andrewgood4230]

Sadly, he may lose the ability to speak. Importantly he will still be able to write and think.A few years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer which is now in remission. That was more concerning to me. I still fully expect to see pictures of Terry in his beloved daily mail, giving his daughter Siri away on her wedding day.

[@han5234]

Unfortunately primary progressive aphasia affects the ability to understand written language as well as spoken language, so it's likely that he'll also be unable to write within a few years (sadly I've witnessed this happen to elderly family members of mine). Still, it's great to know that he has a supportive family and that, in Palin's words, the Pythons will "rally around" him.

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

"Why are you offering apologies for his dementia" Nice people sometimes say sorry about bad news.

[@EirikJohanSolheim]

I think the video shows that John is most emphatically trying to help Trevor, during the interview, in his short-comings answering questions, due to his illness, that is very obvious to the observant viewer...

[@NxDoyle]

I hope Terry J is ok. Comfortable and loved.

[@biggerthanacadillac]

"......you'll find no unity between us except for our love of food & our mutual DISTASTE for the Daily Mail........" Well said JMC, well said!! Men of taste.

[@lpsp442]

The term "dogma" perfectly captures the type of religion that Huxley and Cleese identify as crowd control. I would describe the engendering of glory, of aesthetic wonderment and captivation, as the former sort, and for that there needn't be a formal structure. Let nature and truth sort that out.

[@tyronewhitehead3123]

Terry miss you this was a great interview John and terry are so honest with each other great friendship

[@donhavard6525]

Love ya Mr Creosote!RIP Terry,thanks for the belly laughs.

[@felicitas2143]

My right ear loves this video

[@seanp8220]

So many quotes attributed to Jones in Python and Ripping Yarns. RIP

[@xnonsuchx]

18:58 - 22:00 John Cleese really hits some nails on the heads

[@jasonpatten4574]

I've watched Several of these panel discussions of late (most of them with John Cleese promoting his book) NONE of them less than an hour long and they positively fly by and leave you wanting more... The eclectic, informed, and sincere interest these brilliant people who became famous for absurdity and "being silly" have matured into and probably always had profound insight and a hunger to learn and explore...Sad that two or three elderly men cover more ground in an free, open, and totally unscripted discussion can hold everyone's attention. Largely I suspect this is because they were brilliant to begin with and as they've matured they've learned SO MUCH sharing a taste of what celebrity and success has given them the opportunity to meet & confer with so many people at the top of their game or well established in their field, small wonder they've arrived at such considered identities, freely offer things they've picked up along the way as well as celebrate anecdotes where "the truth is in the joke"... and CLEARLY take the GREATEST Pleasure when their host &/or hosts are the ones who are telling it.. So glad they were here and touched as many folks as they did. Lovely to see them easy enough in own their skins to freely admit that in their 70's they have A LOT more questions than they do answers! So SAD to know they will soon pass away. Particularly when (as THIS particular host pointed out) forty years later our society on the whole simply is NOT CULTURALLY OR HISTORICALLY LITERATE ENOUGH that IF by some miracle the likes of them WERE to come along AGAIN they'd NEVER realize the kind of success or popularity Monty Python did in it's own Era A pleasure to see wise, and yet understated and casual exchanges between well-read, broad minded, humble, and amusing people with an authentic interest in life, the arts, psychology, WHY DOGMATIC RELIGIONS and Politicians ETC. are more interested in being PROVEN "right" than they are in LEARNING what IS RIGHT. A vicarious and edifying pleasure to watch them treat these "authorities" with a healthy skepticism and then at the same time openly state that they DO believe there is "SOMETHING to all of this mess we're in" as in evidence of a higher power and the potential for true spiritual contact with said power. They are kind, gentle and self-deprecating mystics who are in equal parts bemused, amused and above all PROFOUNDLY concerned the human condition... Particularly the course we're taking now... Meanwhile The VIEW, Maurie Pauvich (SP? that "Who's the baby daddy!?" show OR Martha Stewart, OR (God help me I hate them) REALITY SHOWS (these even generate "celebrities" Naturally "Celebrities Bereft of any TALENT whatsoever) Popping up by the score which I've seen people get authentically caught up in and watch religiously... IT used to be "Where have all the flowers gone& when will they ever learn!? For those who don't know this song it's a timeless folk-song by Pete Seeger&being a folk song has A LOT of repetition in each verse) HOWEVER these eloquent simple lyrics ask and in the process demonstrate the human condition Alas I've gone entirely too far with that tangent... There was a time the United States had a virtual monopoly on popular music and entertainment... (NOW we merely have a monopoly on "Pop Culture" as in "the Brady Bunch" in German , Spanish and Portuguese etc.) It was my good fortune to travel widely during my formative years (several weeks in over 26 countries and vivid impressions that informed my overall sensibility or world view between the age of 5 thru 16) That's where I found the best American music and entertainment had to offer and REALIZED simultaneously just how fortunate and how SMUG our nation's culture was AND IS! We are indeed in a position to complain that something like 98% of the American population controls the wealth and resources IN the United States Never the Less: the poorest Americans are STILL in the top 80% or Better as far as overall standard of living on this planet. And WE STILL TAKE IT FOR GRANTED... and even now in debt, w/ foreclosures and a recession/depression, the rich getting richer and the poor having children BOTH at alarming rates we feel ENTITLED to it etc. BUT THEN WHAT CAN ONE DO? God Bless, John Cleese for reminding us that it's nothing new&there's not a damned thing we can do about it. The world is a Godawful mess hopeless all around. He explains that Greed is disease and the OUTRAGEOUS and DANGEROUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY it generates are MERELY a SYMPTOM... He manages to cover all of that and worse and somehow make it all engaging and get us to laugh in spite of ourselves.... BECAUSE HE IS A CONSUMMATE ENTERTAINER... Welll Now we have..."Britain's got Talent" and THAT Show spawned "American Idol" this is good... Although I don't watch much of it BUT Seasoned and ESTABLISHED AUTHENTIC ENTERTAINERS are fundamentally DEAD and the rest ARE DYING OUT we lost so many last year Maya Angelou, Mickey Rooney, Joan Rivers Damned depressing... and it doesn't look as if Terry will be with us much longer ... I hope he was just weary from the rehearsals for the sold out final Python reunion show they were rehearsing for at the time but I'm afraid to look him up on wikipedia just the same. I must sound old and bitter to mourn these folks but I was very close to my grandmother who was born in 1907 and passed in 2004 so she allowed for a lot of "time travel" while my parents took me around abroad. My generation and these days with folks becoming grandparents at the age of somewhere between 26 and 36 years of age Let's say "my Generation" encompasses those born between 1968 and 1996.MY sorry excuse for a generation drifting&alternately adrift, disenfranchised and then again somehow bereft of accountability and fundamentally APATHETIC generation has seen (or more likely failed to notice) virtually every SINCERE AND AUTHENTIC TALENT in the form of an ENTERTAINER has died off or WILL SOON and haunt us via syndication and be archived here on KZbin. For this, I am grateful indeed! Particularly this organically expanding archive here on KZbin Bless all of you who have taken the time to upload the best of and in some cases almost comprehensive access to what I consider "Authentic Entertainers". By true or authentic entertainers that I mean those with the capacity to take an audience into it's arms and lift them up ...using whatever they've got be it: music, humor, a persona they've created that allows them to rise above for a moment and take us with them together. True entertainers are humble enough they never "buy their own act" and driven to be good enough at their craft and sincere and generous enough with their capacity to recognize and build up others who share it. The capacity for making the personal universal and/or making the tragic comic long enough to unite us and make the problems of the world take a back seat for a few precious moments Or make their personal tragedies or image as a tragic figure so palpable their audience can appropriate it and allow themselves to be moved to tears. Entertainers who've been at it LONG ENOUGH to know what they do best and find vehicles that keep them relevant and recognizable enough that their name is enough to invoke their cumulative Cannon of work as AUTHENTIC ENTERTAINERS (some of them for as many as 90 YEARS like the late George Burns or Mickey Rooney) and in the process become "Living Legends". In the entertainment industry during the past 30 or more years and now to my melancholy dismay at the fact what's left of Monty Python who joined forces 40 years ago (but who I did not discover until I was a kid in the late 1980's) now these timeless absurdists are (and for me it seems quite suddenly) all of them are well into there 70's&well.. on their way to that great station break in the sky...tick tock. Why WAS IT it that During the "Great Depression" during 1930's of this past century (when folks weren't afraid to say right out loud we were overwhelmed by an appalling socioeconomic depression that would get worse before it got better and at that time even Americans didn't take indoor plumbing or even electricity for granted ... on the contrary) and ENTERTAINMENT&ENTERTAINERS brought our culture together at LEAST long enough for folks to enjoy songwriters, singers, actors on the radio, stage and in films with well written scripts& brilliant directors bring an audience together long enough to rise above get over themselves and share a laugh or even sing together....? With the above in mind I must ALSO ASK WHY NOW, with everything as BLEAK& GRIM everything IS for OUR Generation (to define terms as far as "generation" let's say those born between 1968 and 1998) WHY HASN'T OUR "GENERATION Produced many (if any) Authentic Entertainers to call our own? Do we really have ANY that have that've inspired or achieved that "Living LEGEND" kind of Entertainer status? There ARE Celebrities who were born in the late 60's and early 70's... but that just means Famous..kind of.. maybe even won an Oscar... But...who simply aren't...Legends Christ even as a mere spectacle Paris Hilton has become a "Celebrity" same with the Kardashians!? (SP?) so was that teen singing group "Menudo" or ????? Justin Beiber!? PLEASE! MAYBE that girl who does the voice for "Bart" on The SIMPSONS is pretty high up but then she's limited to a role and format someone else built for and handed over to her. Bear in mind the fact that The folks born in 1968 are about 46 now... Elvis was 44 when he Died in 1977 Shirley Temple faltered as she entered her teens and officially Retired from show business in her early twenties (the 1940's) and passed away sometime in 2014...Have Reality Shows, Talk Shows made entertainment that requires sincere charismatic and talented performers and/or personalities obsolete. Did the collapse of the Studio System that taught everyone under contract to be an all around entertainer with courses in everything from elocution to tap-dancing (MGM etc.) pave the way?...!? How did we loose our way? Was it the Beatnick 1960's notion that doing something "new" or rather REACTIVE and therefore "shocking" (and usually WOEFULLY SELF-INDULGENT) and above all "rebellious" was MORE important than doing something good and doing it so well it became timeless!? Was it when Andy Warhol co-opted this overall sentiment and knowing he didn't have what it took to be an artist came up with "Pop Art" and build up an entourage of folks who were generally either established Legends ALREADY as window dressing OR struggling potential artists who were too stoned on LSD and Heroine or adrift in this charismatic,intriguing all-consuming and ultimately self-defeating objective of tearing down and abandoning traditional forms of artistic expression in order to "CREATE" something new...again not necessarily BETTER but "never done before." As for music I suspect it's because once upon a time there were impresarios and the managers who sought cultivated and protected talent in EVERY aspect of the arts were already a dying breed by the 1960's and the ones left standing had their hands full of tried and true entertainers. Further, THEY ALL KNEW THAT...well ....the best singers are NOT necessarily the best song writers and vice versa and good songs are more important than good singers... because any good singer can "cover" a song and make it their own...arrangers were important TOO... AND they knew they could only afford a full orchestra for well established (or well connected) entertainers. Where would George Clooney be without his aunt Rosemary Clooney! As for Arrangers and lush accoustic orchestrations when the British Invasion came along & everyone wanted to do what the Beetles did: get rich off of their OWN songs a and latch on to the "youth culture" the fact "rock and roll" was the new pop was old news anyhow by then. The Beetles had paid their dues in Liverpool and along with having their own songs like most bands that hit the charts had AT LEAST AS MUCH BUSINESS SENSE AS THEY DID TALENT they came up with new lyrics for old public domain hymns and drinking songs set them to their new "style and sound" of there initial hits WRITING THEIR OWN SONGS with timeless sentiments like "I want to hold your ha-a-and" AND KEEPING ALL THE MONEY. Can't think of a better example of a brilliant songwriter with a wretched singing voice than Bob Dylan. Ironically around the time the Civil Rights movement finally got rid of Jim Crow etc. there's bitter irony in the fact that MUSIC... which had once gave America it's world famous "sound" was the fact it was a melting pot of all races and ethnicities collaborating toward a greater good was divided and now in terms of music the racial divide in America became exponentially worse WORSE than it was before the turn of the last century. BOTH Rap and Heavy Metal DID seem to share the sensibility that as long as their Mics and their "Music" was LOUD enough to make hard core fans begin attending wearing earplugs to protect what was left of their hearing STILL as long as as it WAS LOUD it seemed RAW AND INTENSE enough it didn't have to be particularly go good? Was it the thrill of the truly great new multi-textured beats coming out of hip-hop that made people forget how to write a song? Or even change chords once in a while after a few covers of OLD SCHOOL songs and/or SAMPLE from old songs it was soon all hook and no fish made (Ahem) brilliant sentiments like "Everybody dance now!" and 20 years or so later "You can have whatever you like..." PASS for a song? I'm NOT a big disco fan but "That's the way (Uh-huh Uh-huh) I LIKE IT "Uh huh Uh Huh) with a full orchestra etc. is POETRY compared to some chick screaching "Everybody dance now" with it's Retard having a tantrum baseline: "Duh! Duh! Duh duh, DUH! DUH!" While this was hitting the charts I was hitting the thrift stores and "Discovering" Nat King Cole, Motown, Mahaliah Jackson, Peggy Lee, Janis Joplin, Screaming Jay Hawkins etc. for 50 cents an album...Motown turned the blues into true R&B the last gasp as far as well written and beautifully arranged songs. The "NEW R&B" Great Voices but crappy songs and worse arrangements A Lot of gratuitous "Riffing",showboating and noodling around vocally as if to holler at the world "LISTEN FOLKS I HAVE a KICK-ASS VOICE and a SOULFUL&downright OPERATIC RANGE& I reallyCOULD SING MY ASS OFF IF ONLY I HAD A FUCKING SONG to SING for y'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllaaaaalllllllllllllah" NOT a big fan but damned if I'm not still in AWE of what Bob Hope accomplished in his long life. Bob Hope WAS an entertainer and an entertainer who had HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS when frail and feeble as he was he went on tour in a USO show to Iraq in his NINETIES to entertain the troops stationed in Iraq. STILL they WERE Glad to see him (or what was left of him) indeed and he STILL knew how to put on a show knowing his show was only as good as the weakest member of his troupe of entertainers... He knew THAT even when HE knew that HE WAS the weakest link! Perhaps things simply haven't got bad enough yet. Either THAT we're SO out of touch with reality we no longer crave Entertainers authentically talented, humble and sincere enough they gave their heart and soul to let us rise above and escape escape REALITY. I'm nobody special I doubt anyone is even still reading this rant. BUT CHRIST ON A STICK!? WHY THIS RASH of REALITY SHOWS where the cameras roll 24/7 all week on a bunch of no-talent nobodies and the post Production editing team can barely scrape together enough coherent "Oh no she didn't!" type fluff to fill the 18 or 19 minutes of "entertainment" so they resort to "teasers" before AND after commercials as filler that fundamentally gives away the "antics" the "cast" will engage in? AS John Cleese would say "So Anyway" and go on to say the title of his next book will be "Give Up Hope..." I've read that hope CAN&WILL kill a man perhaps I should... Follow his advice... Godbless John Cleese I forgot my troubles and got caught up in a lively exchange between brilliant minds who clearly appreciated each other and knew there's nothing lonelier than being the brightest person on a dais, a panel or at a dinner party and enjoyed challenging each other and themselves as well... as philosophers, intellects and ABOVE ALL ENTERTAINING SPEAKERS... Who's gonna fill their shoes!? THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS interview/discussion inspired by Monty Python's 2nd film Life of Brian!

[@jasonpatten4574]

Are YOU anyone in particular?

[@hyena131]

Jason Patten Just a friendly chap aghast as to why anyone would write a 334 post on KZbin unsolicited. In a bizarre way it's quite 'impressive.' I think.

[@bobriedinger5287]

Jason, I think you've hit a number of nails on the head with your extended response to this interview, so far as the interviews themselves are concerned. I can't say I fully agree with the degree to which you've elaborated some of your observations, but I can understand those sentiments. But as for the interviews. I've been following them as well, whether it's Cleese solo, or teamed up with Idle, Jones, or Palin, and have enjoyed them immensely. They do fly by. I think creators of TRULY good comedy have to be quite intelligent - although it might be arguable that what is "good" is a matter of taste. But clearly, John Cleese's interviews are different than most "celebrity" interviews. They are extremely thoughtful, reflective and insightful. And even as an interviewee, he still engages his hosts in a substantive discussion, a conversation. This is very rare in general and especially nowadays. I'm glad these interviews are available, and it's great to see that others appreciate them for the qualities they have to offer. BTW, I think referring to Cleese so categorically and confiningly as an "ENTERTAINER" - which he is - is still selling him short. That's just one of the things he does. Certainly his work with Python, Fawlty Towers and the rest, and his interviews, are entertaining. But I feel that he, and the interviews, are also more than that. Which is why I find I'm drawn to so many of these sessions. From the impression I get, I think you'd agree.

[@whatshisname3304]

he s a loony.

[@tonyduncan9852]

"Who's gonna fill their shoes!?" - It's up to ypu. Obviously. LOL. I enjoyed that.

[@voice_of_change]

Python's opened up a new world of thinking via lampooning social mores and historic events. Plus they gave us all some wonderful belly laughs.

[@lpsp442]

This video just keeps getting better! I've never encountered anything which involves both Woody Allen AND the Pythons, and I've been interested in the scenario for a while now since they're both brilliant sources of humour active around the same time. This video is the first and thus far only example of one such party even mentioning the other. Wonderful!

[@davidsanderson5918]

Poor Terry. The difficulty is palpable. You can feel it yourself as he speaks. I was there for the very last night at the 02. Sorry, blatantly blowing my own trumpet there.

[@bobbysands6923]

the greatest comedy troupe at the greatest college ever.

[@ownpetard8379]

At 53:20 John makes the point that Jesus should be valued for his teaching and not because he suffered. The priest is stymied for a reply. The Protestants share with the Roman Catholics the emphasis on the crucifixion. The Orthodox emphasize the resurrection. Paul says in effect that but for the resurrection their worship is in vain. So an Orthodox John would not have made that point, and an Orthodox priest would have known how to respond to doubting John. On another matter, I am surprised at the number of American references that John uses in this location. Not saying that a British audience would be totally unfamiliar with many of these, but not as many as John uses. Interesting.

[@2wayplebney]

Very interesting. John's tum should have its own show.

[@tjcassidy2694]

It just did.

[@CusterFlux]

It's the two most dissimilar Brit Pythons doing panel: I'm surprised they're giving it a go …

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

CusterFlux They always had different ideas about comedy, and each knew he was right, but Terry Jones' finest hour was this film, and so was Cleese's.

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

CusterFlux When was the last time Cleese and Jones were the only two Pythons to appear together? Erik The Viking?

[@rox290]

CusterFlux Didn't they get in a big fight at one point?

[@anonUK]

rox290 Cleese is extremely "old-style" English, while Jones has a more "Celtic" approach.

[@edwingonzalez9643]

rox290

[@BritishComedyUK69]

Love Monty Python

[@barbaraburbello9236]

Whenever I need a good laugh, I say thank God for the PYTHONS 🛼🛼🤡❤️🎶👍😎

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

That tomato just went out the window!

[@monolithgeometry3221]

Terry Jones, the least pompous Python, something charming about that

[@missbeauitful4696]

John clesse reminds me of my dad

[@qte5530]

@18:00 i never wanted to be the Messiah, Carpenter, Baker, or a Fisherman🙄 I alway wanted to be a Lumberjack😂

[@bobbythorman7421]

It appears that John is helping Terry and yet at the same time he is actually trying to make him part of the interview,which is something the interviewer seems to have overlooked.Many here seem to assume to much about Terrys' condition and fail to see that the questions are directed towards John and it would have been rude of Terry to answer them.This is a most appalling interviewer,definitely not a student of Parkie. RIP Terry and keep them laughing.

[@MymilanitalyBlogspot]

Though it’s difficult to choose just one, the scene of correcting the Latin in the graffiti is marvelous.

[@rbbonotto]

I wish I could share this with my father (we talk about such things), but with his hearing he wouldn't be able to understand a word of it, with the bad audio.

[@leighfoulkes7297]

+rbbonotto Not trying to be a jerk but you could put the captions on.

[@leighfoulkes7297]

+rbbonotto Not trying to be a jerk but you could put the captions on.

[@leighfoulkes7297]

+Leigh Foulkes It is on the bottom with a CC sign on it, next to the settings.

[@GirGir183]

It's Peter Purves. I hope John and Terry get a blue peter badge for this.

[@DrewSohl]

Good interview,but the sound and camera was terrible.

[@jumblyman]

John Cleese is always so intelligent, uncompromising and funny.

[@harryzero1566]

When Spike Milligan did his part, then wanders off at a tangent, was a micro bit of cinematic magic.

[@lpsp442]

Did anyole else pick up the joke about the broken gourd at around 27:00? I can't quite tell what John's saying, "the piece of the gourd that ....?"

[@elephantguy68]

It's a play on "the peace of God that passeth all understanding" (or surpasses all understanding)

[@lpsp442]

Oh very clever! Thank you

[@jeffknaus6853]

I believe that comedians are the auditors of popular culture.

[@lpsp442]

The interviewer is an interesting fella in his own right, a case study in a certain kind of character. Notice how his leg twitches almost constantly, and how restless he is when he isn't talking, how fullsomely he interjects. The interviewer is a jovial and good natured man but with some dysregulation going on, the sequence of events is throwing him off somehow and he's eager to sort-of "correct" a naturally interview process to set it back on a track he recognises.

[@magnificentfailure2390]

@18:10 someone sneezed and nobody said "Bless you!" These people can't be religious scholars. They've forgotten the book of Mooby.

[@davidb7511]

This is so beautifull!!! I wish someone would threat my like this when I should loose it...

[@nintendo9231889]

Rip Terry!

[@andypianoman2732]

great! apart from interviewer looking down and sound and lights not great, John is so intelligent

[@ndorphin2564]

Was life of Brian inspired by The Life of Jesus (1967, Marcello Craveri)??

[@tehspamgozehere]

I came here straight from watching the 1979 "debate" with Cleese, Palin, Muggeridge and Stockwood that took place right after Life of Brian was screened. Both Mug' and Stockwood were quite dismissive of the film at best, and downright insulting in several ways. Referring to it as "tenth rate" and so on, accusing Palin of lying when it was pointed out that LoB wasn't about Christ and was instead about the kind of people who follow unquestioningly or about the guy who turns up five minutes after the miracle was performed. A claim they repeated several times was that the film would quickly be forgotten and wouldn't have any lasting impact. Fourty years later, here we are, and people still quote scenes word for word. I know people who can drop a single reference into an otherwise sober conversation and suddenly everyone is in fits of laughter. Be it "I'm not" or "Wewease Weginawld!" or of course the ever popular "Biggus Dickus". I doubt either will read this, but.. Thankyou John, Terry and everyone else. You've had and are still having a lasting impact regardless of what the closed minded might try and say.

[@WalterLiddy]

"He dies living what he was teaching" is awfully close to "following his teaching will get you dead, and not much else." Thomas Paine wrote some very interesting stuff about how the Jesus narrative seems to be really a couple of totally unrelated stories that were spliced together in order to reinforce certain Church doctrines. I think Cleese is probably on the right track looking for lessons in the part of the story that isn't the death/resurrection portion.

[@artandculture5262]

I always picked that up about KW, too.

[@erniehudson1]

Shame that the sound is rather bad. I am struggling to follow the conversation, but anyway what is going on with Jones? He seems to get a bit old.

[@FunkMan53]

The sound can be improved by setting it to mono, reducing 250hz by at least 12db and using an expander to get rid of the room's ambience and last but not least a compressor to increase the overall volume but you'd need an external mixer for that :-) It would be GREAT if KZbin included these sound mixing options on their site, at least a compressor/limiter would be great to equalise the different levels of the different clips! This is my MAIN complaint with KZbin.

[@Birdieupon]

FunkMan53 Can these effects be done in post, on this video? If so I may well have a go, using your advice!

[@ericpmoss]

It sounds like he was getting over a cold.

[@marianainbar]

he was already suffering from dementia then :( i remember seeing them at the 02 and noticing he seemed like the oldest and most fragile of them all, but could never ever have thought about what he revealed yesterday....

[@sarahkinsey5434]

inbarmariana it breaks my heart to see him robbed of his speech

[@BuenosTARDIS]

RIP TWO SHEDS

[@bamaraiderable]

John says something at the end that is repeated by many modern people about Jesus teachings being "beautiful." Some of them definitely are, but he was also demanding about what it means to follow him which gets hard for our ears today to take. He also condemns people in harsh terms when they deserve it, believed hell is real and should be avoided at all costs by renouncing everything you think is important in this life and following Him. “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

[@McSynth]

Was the sound engineer pissed or just crap at the job ?

[@eleidal]

The first debate on TV (I believe) was the one with Malcolm Muggeridge, who is singlehandedly responsible for elevating a torture queen (Mother Teresa) to sainthood. He literally sat there and attacked the morality of John Cleese and Michael Palin, made them squirm with his twisted characterizations of The Life of Brian in front of the UK. The word hypocrite doesn't begin to describe it accurately.

[@qte5530]

🤔wonder if there is Spam in heaven😏 Love & miss you Terry😉

[@petermaxwell4904]

we need poeple LIKE this, to step up, other-wise people LIKE trump will..

[@stuartdunlop8834]

Peter Maxwell Don't stand up. That's a basic lesson in not being seen.

[@thetruthchannel349]

Yep. Trump is so terrible. Sure. Keep drinking the spiked kool-aid and giving advice as a wild drunk

[@motoquasi]

The audio please.

[@leemaples1806]

54:11 oh shit, poor John. Nobody reacted to his brilliant one-liner `tell that to Jesus` i`m stll lmao.

[@TheBartok44]

Doesn't change anything? Well, without wanting to be overly confident, it supported millions of people who had been thinking in similar lines and just needed these boys to give them emotional support. It changed alot, just hard to follow exactly how it worked.

[@lynnfisher3037]

Sound quality is poor

[@uuclmusic2711]

Great questions 52:50

[@thomashninan3825]

Basil Fawlty and Terry

[@Danimal77]

Had this been filmed only a year earlier, Terry would have been the one doing all the talking. He would have stuttered and mixed up/forgotten words, but he still would be very talkative. The decline was gradual (dating back since at least 2009, if not 2006), which can be seen through many youtube interviews of him, but it really became noticeable in 2013 and then it was a far more rapid decline, which is evident by this 2014 video. There are still videos of Terry being interviewed as late as August 2015 and he's still talking, but it was very difficult for him to verbally communicate his thoughts and by 2016, he was no longer able to speak.

[@Phangmaster]

It's embarrassing how often Jones is cut out of the shot.

[@romanramirez7847]

Phangmaster Terry was always disrespected by people in his later years. It was always because he was not as well known as the other surviving four. I personally think he was the most important Python in terms of writing and directing. May his beautiful soul Rest In Peace.

[@LeMisantrope]

terry :(

[@tobitoes1052]

I'm a minute in and am very disappointed with the audio. I can't listen to this

[@Juan-wo7zu]

Rest in peace terry

[@rgaleny]

TRY DUDLEY MOORE IN HOLY MOSES, TOO.

[@MrKarlMANno1]

Jesus teachings survived, contrary to what John Cleese seems to imply. If you read the Bible, it is clear that Jesus many times talked in parables and other ways that people did not fully understand and then explained it to his disciples afterwords. In Matthew 23, one disciple merely asks why it is so. Also, the teaching is forwarded in the letters, not word by word, but by practical application (particulary Paul was concerned with translating the teaching from a Jewish context to a Greek context).

[@CrappyCartoons]

Monty Python teaches us that Catholic chirldred learn to sing the song "every sperm is scared." Well, Protestant children, like MrKarl, learn to sing "Jesus loves me this I know, for the BIBLE tells me so." In other words, they hold their Book in higher esteem than Jesus Christ. It is strange, that a person who calls himself a Christian, is offended that Cleese is genuinely curious about the wonderful things that Jesus taught which didn't make it into the good book.

[@stuartdunlop8834]

If you want a serious discussion, why are you on KZbin? But I'm weird enough. So here's my interpretation: the preserved spiritual texts have been translated over multiple languages, eras and agendas. Cleese's point is that the interpretation of the texts has been warped and that this makes whatever religious intent was initially there lose all meaning.

[@thedukeofnuts]

+Stuart Dunlop, to expand on your discussion a little I would say the following: We can have no certainty of the exact meaning of anything that Jesus Christ may have said because we don't have him with us to confirm or clarify it in this moment (or anyone whom Jesus might have revealed the true meaning/intention to)... Perhaps it's the case that there was never meant to be a written record of his teachings but rather it was just meant to be passed on orally by those who did know what the truth was...

[@nasshoba]

Actually, none of teachings of Jesus survived because Jesus never left any written works on his teachings. What survived were writings of others from second and third hand sources as to what they believed the teachings of Jesus to be.

[@whodunnit3717]

John would tell you to, "Fuck Off"

[@blipblip88]

RIP Terry.

[@GottliebGoltz]

Now "There's a pair to draw to".

[@qte5530]

@20:42 "Skinner was interesting. But i find myself to be not interesting at all, mostly laugh at my follies because how can anyone screw my life up more the i🙄😂

[@gublengindonesia2855]

all you need is love...from muslim indonesia

[@thebrazilianatlantis165]

+Gubleng Indonesia Love you.

[@mikearchibald744]

and food water and air:)