Most Popular Books by Eric Idle

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candor—now featuring a new afterword. “A hilarious, charming book by this incredible, i̶n̶s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ interesting genius.”—Steve Martin We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python—from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theater, and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie, and Robin Williams, all of whom became dear lifelong friends. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout involving other close friends and luminaries such as Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, and many more, as well as John Cleese and the Pythons themselves, Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal parts hilarity and heart. In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named for the song he wrote for Life of Brian and which has since become the number one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the kind of offbeat humor that has delighted audiences for five decades. 2019 marked the fiftieth anniversary of The Pythons, and Eric commemorated the occasion with this hilarious memoir chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life featuring everyone from Princess Leia to Queen Elizabeth.

“A rollicking account of the making of [the] Broadway musical Spamalot [and] an irresistible and unfiltered ode to the art of live theater. Fans will love this tantalizing glimpse behind the curtain.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) From comedy legend Eric Idle, the fascinating inside story of bringing Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Broadway as the unlikely theatrical hit Spamalot On March 17, 2005, Spamalot debuted on Broadway to rapturous reviews for its star-studded creative team, including creators Eric Idle and John du Prez, director Mike Nichols, and stars Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Sara Ramirez, Tim Curry, and more. But long before the show was the toast of Broadway and the winner of three Tony Awards, it was an idea threatening to fizzle out before it could find its way into existence. Now, in The Spamalot Diaries, Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges—all featuring his whip-smart wit—that reveal the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining path to the show’s unforgettable run. In the months leading up to that opening night, financial anxieties were high with a low-ceiling budget and expectations that it would take two years to break even. Collaborative disputes put decades-long friendships to the test. And the endless process of rewriting was a task as passionate as it was painstaking. Still, there’s nothing Idle would change about that year. Except for the broken ankle. He could do without the broken ankle. Chronicling every minor mishap and triumph along the way, as well as the creative tension that drove the show to new heights, The Spamalot Diaries is an unforgettable look behind the curtain of a beloved musical and inside the wickedly entertaining mind of one of our most treasured comic performers.

From the beloved Python and New York Times-bestselling author, an “insightful and enjoyable” memoir/travelogue from his money-grubbing tour (The AV Club). A stunningly witty exploration of the American landscape—not to mention a brilliant comic’s mind—this diary is chock-full of everything you ever wanted to know about Eric Idle, Monty Python, the United States, and sleeping on a bus. In these pages, the sixth-nicest Python is cheeky, touching, and funny as he travels the highways and byways and takes us backstage at the Broadway smash Spamalot. Fascinating, moving, at times even amusing, this book may dramatically improve your sex life, make you feel intelligent and charming within the first several pages, and after a few chapters, permanently eliminate all your personal or health problems. So come experience eighty days, 15,750 miles, and forty-nine cities as you never have before! “Taking readers from Vermont to Vegas as he attempts standup for the first time, and writing with wit and honesty, Idle mixes memoir and tales from his tour bus [and] offers a Pythonesque pastiche of goofy observations as he analyzes audiences, dissects his nightly performances and recalls showbiz friendships.” —Publishers Weekly “Idle is warm and witty . . . reminiscing about the Pythons’ glory days, meditating on the aesthetics of comedy (his philosophy of comedy is fascinating and elaborate), and recounting many odd happenings on the road.” —Booklist “Talking about the Pythons’ casual cruelty to each other, or the difficulty of living up to a decades-old reputation, Idle is hilarious . . . his diary touches on topics as diverse as his first meeting with his wife, his long friendship with George Harrison, and his mother’s death, and his stories are both revealing and touching.” —The AV Club

From Monty Python legend Eric Idle comes this wicked and enthralling comedy Set during the glorious days of the Bush Empire before they finally invaded and killed irony, The Writer’s Cut follows Stanley Hay, a joke writer. He has a girlfriend, a writing partner and a career going nowhere in particular. Wisecracking, ambitious and horny, Stanley decides that he is going to change that by writing a novel. This is where things start to spiral out of control. Caught up in the excitement Stanley falsely confesses that the novel will be a kiss-and-tell (a kiss and sell?) featuring Hollywood’s most famous and glamorous actresses. Before long expectations are going through the roof, Stanley is a celebrity in his own right and he’s living the LA highlife. There’s only one little problem... Funny and pointed, The Writer’s Cut is a manic satirical ride through the booze and sex fuelled world of Tinseltown from our one of the world’s best loved comedians.

Personal ancedotes, humorous reminiscences, and more than 1,000 photographs and illustrations celebrate the comedy troupe''s thirty-fourth anniversary.

With Monty Python''s Flying Circus, Eric Idle proved he was one of the funniest people in the world. And with The Road to Mars he reaffirms this with a raucously sidesplitting vengence. Muscroft and Ashby are a comedy team on "The Road to Mars," an interplanetary vaudeville circuit of the future. Accompanied by Carlton, a robot incapable of understanding irony but driven to learn the essence of humor, Alex and Lewis bumble their way into an intergalactic terrorist plot. Supported by a delicious cast, including a micropaleontologist narrator (he studies the evolutionary impact of the last ten minutes) and the ultra-diva Brenda Woolley, The Road to Mars is a fabulous trip through Eric Idle''s inimitable world, a "universe expanding at the speed of laughter."

***ALMOST CERTAINLY NOMINATED FOR SOMETHING SOMEWHERE*** The complete scripts from the four Monty Python series, first shown on BBC television between 1969 and 1974, have been collected in two companion volumes. Characters'' names, often not spoken, are given as in the original scripts, along with the names of the actual performer added on their first appearance in each sketch. This first volume contains twenty-three classic episodes, featuring some of the most entertaining writing to have gone into television anywhere. The minister of silly walks, the dead parrot, banter in a cheese shop - here is every silly, satirical skit, every snide insult, every saucy aside.

Owl and Pussycat journey to save the famed walking, talking Bong Tree.

This is the definitive, the official, the most lavish, the completely-different-to-anything-done-before Pythons'' autobiography, reissued to coincide with the eagerly-anticipated live shows. Over forty years ago, a group of five Englishmen - and one wayward American - rewrote the rules of comedy. MONTY PYTHON''S FLYING CIRCUS, an unheralded, previously unseen half-hour show of sketches, hilarities, inanities and animations, first appeared on the BBC late one night in 1969. Its impact has been felt on the world ever since. From its humble beginnings, it blossomed into the most influential movement in modern comedy. THE PYTHONS'' AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY THE PYTHONS is a unique look at arguably the most important comic team of the modern age, with 64 pages of photographs, many culled from the team''s own personal collections, many more seen for the first time. This is the definitive word on all things Pythonesque.

Mr Wonka''s inventions are out of this world. He''s thought up every kind of sweet imaginable in his amazing chocolate factory, but no one has ever seen inside, or met Mr Wonka. Charlie Bucket can''t believe his luck when he finds a golden ticket and wins the trip of a lifetime around the famous chocolate factory. He still could never have dreamed what surprises were in store.

Hier kommt die irrwitzige, wahre, surreale, traurige, saukomische, teils erstunken und erlogene Lebensgeschichte des früh verstorbenen Monty Python-Gründungsmitglieds Graham Chapman, dem Brian aus Das Leben des Brian. Aufgeschrieben von ihm selbst, mit Unterstützung von Douglas Adams. Grahams Autobiografie hat alles, was die Bezeichnung pythonesk ausmacht: Schrägen, schwarzen, krassen Humor, absurde Szenen ohne Pointe, grafische Elemente, fantastische Einschübe und gleichzeitig etwas sehr Gebildetes und Britisches. Die Autobiografie eines Lügners erzählt von Chapmans Jugend in der Provinz als Sohn eines einfachen Polizisten, von seinen Jahren in Eton und Cambridge, von seiner Liebe zu den Bergen und seiner fatalen Beziehung zum Alkohol. Von der Arbeit der Pythons auf Tourneen und bei Dreharbeiten. Und von seiner recht spät entdeckten Liebe zum gleichen Geschlecht. Hier treten sie alle auf: Die schrägen Lehrer und verrückten Polizisten, die John Cleeses und Michael Palins, die Oscar Wildes und G.K. Chestertons, die den Python-Kosmos bevölkern. Ein in Deutschland bisher unbekanntes Stück Monty Python eine großartige, längst überfällige Entdeckung. Aufgrund der unzähligen Anspielungen und scheinbar nicht übertragbaren Witze, hat sich seit dem Erscheinen des Buchs in England 1980 ein Jahr, nachdem Das Leben des Brian in die Kinos kam kein deutscher Übersetzer an das Buch gewagt. Harry Rowohlt beweist nun, dass eine Übersetzung sehr wohl möglich ist (wenn man es kann) und damit auch wieder einmal, dass er der beste und komischste Übersetzer und Nachdichter ist und bleibt. Die Autobiografie eines Lügners wird gerade von den restlichen Monty Pythons und mit Hilfe von 15 Trickfilmstudios verfilmt - der erste Film aus dem Umfeld der Pythons seit Ein Fisch namens Wanda. Kinostart: 2012.

Monty Pythoner Idle selects his favorite moments from the world-famous Monty Python films and TV series.

Rutles Forever, The Official Rutles Fanzine featured exclusive interviews with Eric Idle, musician and songwriter Neil Innes, and of course Neil''s close friend Ron Nasty. Reprinted here, for the first time ever in a glorious facsimile edition. Extremely rare, with an original run of one hundred copies each. Presented as originally seen, four issues, 1978 to 1980. Making this collection more than compleat is Archeology, selections from what would have been Rutles Forever Issue 5 and choice tidbits from the official RutleManiacs International fan archive. Digitally remastered for your enjoyment.