Friday, Nov. 23, 1979
{Working on The Meaning of Life}
Up at 8.10. Leave the house at 9.15 to drive to JC’s for writing session.
A very angry, abusive letter to The Times from a man called Allott in Finchley, who clearly doesn’t like Life of Brian, but admits he hasn’t seen it. It is proposed to send a Python reply to The Times saying ‘We haven’t seen Mr Allott, but we don’t like him.’
Finally we start to read the first sketches of the new movie. Eric has a couple of quite tart monologues, then I read the first of our two blockbusters. It’s received with much nodding and the ‘Some good bits’ line. JC reads a long and rambling and not awfully funny piece about Kashmir and sex and male brothels, which doesn’t go down very well. It’s our second effort (mainly TJ’s), including the clock presentation, which is the one big hit of the session.
And for tomorrow:
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 1976
A good, workmanlike Python meeting. John and G have a good idea for a Brian storyline and their two new pieces, though short, are not just on the point, but very funny — writing ‘Go Home Romans’ on the wall is going to be a little classic. I wish I’d thought of such a neat idea.
From 22 Park Square East we all (except Gilliam) pile into John’s Rolls and purr down to Audley St, Mayfair, for a viewing of selected Biblical epics, which we feel we ought to see. We nearly run over Elton John in North Audley Street and muse on what a strange headline it would make — ‘Elton Run Over by Pythons.’
The viewing theatre at Hemdale is very comfortable, which is just as well as the films — Barabbas, King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Ben Hur (we see bits of each) — are extremely heavy and turgid. Best performances and best writing always centre on the baddies — Herod, Pilate, etc — and the nearer you get to Jesus the more oppressive becomes the cloying tone of reverence. Everyone talks slower and slower and Jesus generally comes out of it all as the world’s dullest man, with about as much charisma as a bollard.
We had a few good ideas during the viewing (midst much silly giggling and laughter). I suggested we should have four Wise Men — the fourth one being continually shut up by the others, who always refer to themselves as the Three Wise Men. ‘Four.’ ‘Ssh!’
— Michael Palin, Diaries 1969 – 1979: The Python Years