JC

John Cleese turns 79 today.

I've spent the week watching tours he's done, sitting down and answering questions for an hour or so.  There's some repetition, but they're fairly entertaining. (He talks about a lot of things, though I'm most interested in his take on writing and performing comedy--I'm annoyed at all the audience questions about other stuff.)

I also reread his memoir, So, Anyway.... It's quite good, but only takes us up to the start of Monty Python.  I look forward to Volume 2--and 3--since that would be the stuff I want to know most about.

Cleese, from the start, was my favorite member of Python, even before I knew their names.  I grew up in Detroit and some episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus were broadcast on the CBC well before they made it to American television, so at first it was just this mysterious, bizarre show to me. (And as it didn't feature normal credits where you were shown who was who, you didn't really get to know them individually.). A bit later--still before they appeared on PBS in America--a Canadian radio station played some of their records, which were hilarious, but now the group was even more inscrutable to me as disembodied voices.  I had no idea how many there were, or what they looked like. On visits to Canada, I bought their records and books--once again, before they were even known in America. (I'm not bragging, and a poor brag it would be if I were.  Just trying to explain my long and involved history as a devotee of the troupe.)

Eventually they made it to PBS, where Monty Python became my favorite show.  There didn't seem to be that many fans at first--at least not that I was aware of.  But their popularity, and their legend, kept growing. Then they did their movies, such as Holy Grail and Life Of Brian, and some starting calling them the Beatles of comedy.  I can see that, though it's worth noting the Beatles, when they were a going concern, were the biggest act around, while Python took some time to attain their worldwide renown.

Cleese already had a reputation in Britain before Monty Python was formed--he was the best known performer in the group, and was the one the BBC wanted to be in business with (along with his partner Graham Chapman, though it's clear Cleese pulled most of the weight in that writing team). Cleese was the one who decided to bring the others along.

Though they're all fine writers and performers, I'd have to say Cleese was the best at both.  I admit I waver on this--how can I say he's a better actor than Palin, or Idle, or Chapman, etc.--but overall, he's the guy.

And I'd say Cleese has had the most successful and interesting career outside Python.  I understand you can make a case for some of the others, like Terry Gilliam, who became a major director, or Michael Palin and Eric Idle, who were involved in fascinating projects of their own.  But for Fawlty Towers alone you've got to give it to Cleese.  Not to mention A Fish Called Wanda.

So happy birthday, John Cleese.  One of the true giants of comedy in the past 50 years.