The OG: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Another addition to the "Must See TV" collection, this time we go to England, and the definitive comedy troupe.

I have a really twisted sense of humor. It mostly has been fine, but at times it has caused me trouble, as people don’t get it.

I can trace this to a very specific childhood drama.

My parents divorced when I was ~ 6 years old, and before they split, we became early adopters of Cable TV¹. Thinking back on it, and how stingy my father was (he was born in the depths of the Depression, and the rural farm he grew up on had no running water and other hardships) it was surprising that we were “early adopters” of the technology.

But, what this pair of coaxial cables brought into our house was PBS, and with it came Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Yes, at the delicate age of 7 or so, I was unsupervised enough to actually watch Monty Python.

Naturally, I was far too young to get the nuanced comedy, but it definitely made an impression on me, one that has followed me throughout my life.

Revisiting the Circus

As I am continuing to built out my physical media collection, I had forgotten about the Monty Python episodes.

This week, I rectified it. A set of the DVD’s of all four series was about $40². Not a bad deal, so I mashed the “Buy” button.

They arrived, and were instantly ripped to my Plex server, and I was able to dive in the deep end.

All my favorite skits are captured, Dead Parrot, The Lumberjack Song, the Argument, and many more classics.

As I watch more and more, many of the zingers and one-liners I have peppered my presentations with, my human-human interactions with, and just general delivery of wittiness come back to me.

So, my parents lack of supervision instilled a lifelong relationship with the boys from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and 50+ years later I still am glad I was able to partake at an unsuitable age.

Coda

If you have Netflix, there is a recent documentary of the genesis and evolution of the Monty Python troupe, totally worth the time. My take away from that was that the members were surprised that it became such a cultural touchpoint.

“Monty Python: Almost the Truth”

1. We lived in Sunnyvale, California, and at the time this was the first wave of “Silicon Valley”.

2. It is also available as Blu-Ray Disc, but old standard definition TV really doesn’t get better and for nearly twice the price, it was not worthy. Also, the British call what we term a “Season” a “Series”.