The Pythons in 2014.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/16/monty-python-terry-jones-learning-to-live-with-dementia
As Eric Idle's ((My fave python, by the way.)) autobiography comes out, I read this in a very recent interview with the man:
Yes, the first Q&A is non sequietur, but the later one jostled me; Terry Jones has dementia.
Apparently, Michael Palin meets up with him fairly often. It's weird to see Idle state that he misses Palin and haven't seen him for a year - but then I thought, wait, even if somebody is with them night and day, they could still be in completely different worlds, if one's got dementia.
https://twitter.com/davidclewis/status/1042480538324529152?s=20
I didn't even know Jones suffered from dementia when I saw the picture of him and Michael Palin above.
I have to say I adore the last two bits in this Guardian article:
Certainly, it is hard to believe that Jones is unaware of his condition. However, he is clearly consoled by the support of his family, who help to keep his life enriched.
It is also obvious he gets strength from the presence of Palin. Towards the end of our interview, Jones reaches out to grasp his hand, giving it a good squeeze. The pair hold hands for a couple of minutes, a gesture that perfectly reflects their 50 years of friendship – and its importance in sustaining Jones through his tribulations.
Terry Jones: ‘I’ve got dementia. My frontal lobe has absconded’
Robin McKie
I hope that I never am affected by dementia, nor anyone near to me. I know, that's truly egoistic, and at the same time altruistic; I don't want anybody to have to care for me if I'm that gone. Please, if I'm too far out of it, just put me on a big sheaf of ice in an ocean which is populated by endangered animals and snipe my brains away, so that I can be eaten and serve some kind of purpose; perhaps my vital organs could be taken away to begin with, so that people in need can have those. And also, take my blood. Still, what's left of me then for the endangereds? Just take what's left of me and throw it in the woods between a mound of extremely aggressive parasites and Jimmy Åkesson's house.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/01/tv-comedy-monty-python-hannah-gadsby
There's been a lot of writings about Monty Python premiering half a century ago; much of the comedy is out-of-date today, which I think was even expected by the pythons themselves: it's sexist, men dressing up as women while shouting in shrill voices is just pathetic; that is partially true, but we have to remember it was created half a century ago by men who actually challenged great parts of the comedy status quo that reigned at the time. Without the python bunch, I don't know where we'd be at. Still, that doesn't excuse their using actual females mainly as props.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2018/01/04/TELEMMGLPICT000033501640_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq4lB4GFcd2ffyksCJoOxtkU3FLar9-NbgRNEoFPugGC0.jpeg?imwidth=1240
In the aforementioned article with Eric Idle, he somewhat confuses me in his words about Hannah Gadsby's comedy, stating that he felt excluded by being a man. If you haven't seen her comedy special named "Nanette", I firmly urge you to; it's a blow to all senses. Indeed, if Idle would have reflected on male comedians who have also been a danger to the patriarchy, he may have changed his words somewhat. Who knows?
I'm glad the pythons are questioned beyond reverence. Idle actually says so himself. That's partly what I fear the most - not being able to take the piss out of myself.
Isn't that one of the key qualities of people, being able to laugh at their own ways, good and bad, and every way inbetween? For me, it's like "if you can joke at your own expense, I kind of automatically dig you." That I just quoted my own thought is laughable in itself...
I used to think people who loved The Smiths automatically were, to at least a small extent, good ones. However, as Morrissey has horrendously delved into becoming a nazi trope onto himself, even the most staunch haters probably cannot force themselves to not luxuriously sing "The Queen Is Dead" while doing the dishes from time to time.
There's a lot of nuance in people. Nobody's entirely vile.
I firmly believe that the more we delve from nuance into polarity, the further we distance ourself from being open. And the less open we are, the less likely it is, that we can get fresh and different ideas from elsewhere; the less likely we are to do that, the more we're prisoners in our own heads. Prisoners with Internet access. And Twitter. Yuck.
That'd truly be like dementia to me, although it's a totally different sickness: we can (at least to a big extent, I hope) bar ourselves from becoming bitter, closed-minded and altogether silly people, but dementia is something we cannot prevent, so far.
I hope Terry Jones is in a good place in his head. He'll always have a special place in my heart for having made me laugh and think away for so many times. I remember the philosopher football sketch:
https://youtu.be/-2gJamguN04
God, I remember seeing it for the first time. It still gets me.
Also, the Confuse-A-Cat sketch:
https://youtu.be/yzi3k7K0lFA
That sketch puzzled the fuck out of me. It made me laugh so much, and I remember not realising why I was laughing, only that it was intensely fun that all of those male authority figures tried to confuse a cat away from depression.
I'm guessing that's where we all are in the end: people trying to have a laugh. The best is yet to come, loves.