Nov 10 2016

How Monty Python Worked: SYSK Live from LA Podfest

53 min 20 movies discussed
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Things get awesome when Josh and Chuck do a live show on Monty Python at the LA Podcast Festival. Hang out as the duo dives into the "Beatles of Comedy," what made them tick, what made them so funny, the whole bit. Plus, Kevin Pollak crashes the stage.

AI Summary

# Summary

Josh and Chuck dive deep into the legendary world of Monty Python, tracing the group's chaotic origins from their 1968 television special through their groundbreaking Flying Circus series and iconic films like Holy Grail and Life of Brian. They explore how this unlikely ensemble of five British comedians and one American animator—with virtually no budget and minimal support from the BBC—created some of the most influential and irreverent comedy ever filmed, pioneering absurdist sketch comedy that would inspire generations of comedians to come. From their democratic creative process and battles with censorship to their reluctant reunion shows decades later, it's a fascinating look at how a bunch of Oxbridge-educated guys and Terry Gilliam changed comedy forever.


Movies Discussed

A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda
1988 R 1h 49m
★ 7.2
"Fish Called Wanda, we all saw and loved that. — Film featuring Monty Python members, mentioned as an example of their later work." — Chuck
And Now for Something Completely Different
And Now for Something Completely Different
1971 PG 1h 28m
★ 7.2
"They already had one movie under their belt. It was called, and now for something completely different. — Monty Python's first film, a sketch movie adaptation of Flying Circus material." — Josh
Blackadder
Blackadder
1983 TV-PG
★ 8.0
"I got into other things, like Faulty Towers and Blackadder. — British comedy series Chuck watched after discovering Monty Python." — Chuck
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
1974 1h 33m
★ 7.2
"joke for joke, like blazing saddles and Holy Grail are in an eternal race. — Compared to Holy Grail as one of the funniest movies of all time." — Chuck
Childrens Hospital
Childrens Hospital
2008
★ 7.1
"Children's Hospital would not be a TV show if it wasn't for Monty Python. — Discussed as influenced by Monty Python's absurdist comedy style." — Josh
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Do Not Adjust Your Set
1967
★ 7.8
"He was doing a show called Do Not Adjust Your Set. It was a kid show. — Michael Palin was performing in this show before joining Monty Python." — Josh
Fargo
Fargo
2014 TV-MA
★ 8.3
"Have you seen Fargo Season 2? Yes. Mwah. It's amazing. — Referenced as praise for Ted Danson's acting, mentioned in passing during the live show." — Chuck
How to Irritate People
How to Irritate People
1969 1h 8m
★ 6.6
"a little television show called How to Irritate People. And it was actually a television special. — The hosts discussed this as the precursor to Monty Python, hosted by John Cleese." — Josh
Life of Brian
Life of Brian
1979 R 1h 34m
★ 7.8
"did you finally watch it? I did. I watched it again this morning. — One of Monty Python's major narrative films, watched by Josh and discussed in detail." — Chuck
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1975 1h 31m
★ 7.8
"joke for joke, like blazing saddles and Holy Grail are in an eternal race for funniest movie. — One of Monty Python's most famous films, discussed extensively in the episode." — Chuck
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
1969
★ 8.3
"I've spent the past two weeks nonstop watching Flying Circus. It's been amazing. — The main subject of the episode, the groundbreaking sketch comedy series." — Josh
Monty Python's Spamalot
Monty Python's Spamalot
2009 1h 27m
★ 5.6
"They owed money for Spamalot, the great Broadway show. — The Broadway musical adaptation that led to Monty Python's reunion shows." — Josh
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
1983 1h 47m
★ 7.3
"In 1983, they released Monty Python's The Meeting of Life. — Monty Python's final feature film, won a jury prize at Cannes." — Josh
Mr. Show with Bob and David
Mr. Show with Bob and David
1995
★ 7.6
"you see the seeds of everything from Mr. Show to Tenacious D to Kids in the Hall. — Referenced as a show influenced by Monty Python's sketch comedy style." — Josh
Q...
Q...
1969
★ 7.3
"There was another show called Q5 that was done by a guy named Spike Milligan. — Discussed as a precursor to Monty Python's absurdist sketch comedy approach." — Josh
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
1975
★ 7.0
"Saturday Night Live is probably the standard in the United States for years. — Used as a comparison to show Monty Python's superior sketch quality and consistency." — Josh
Tenacious D
Tenacious D
1997 TV-MA
★ 7.2
"you see the seeds of everything from Mr. Show to Tenacious D to Kids in the Hall. — Referenced as influenced by Monty Python's absurdist comedy approach." — Josh
The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show
1969
★ 7.2
"I was exposed to British comedy by watching Benny Hill and Flying Circus. — Referenced as another British comedy show Chuck watched as a child." — Chuck
The Kentucky Fried Movie
The Kentucky Fried Movie
1977 R 1h 23m
★ 6.2
"It was like Kentucky Fried movie or something like that. — Compared to 'And Now for Something Completely Different' as a similar sketch movie format." — Josh
The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall
1989
★ 7.4
"you see the seeds of everything from Mr. Show to Tenacious D to Kids in the Hall. — Referenced as a sketch comedy show influenced by Monty Python." — Josh

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