About 6 months ago, I read a book of interviews with the Oxbridge boys, in which they recounted the making of the movies. "Holy Grail", according to them, was a fiasco, because the two Terrys co-directed and because they were on location in some remote part of Scotland from which they just couldn't wait to escape.
They were all most proud of "Brian", which Terry Jones directed solo. They thought it was their most even effort. To a man, they pretty much agreed that they just went through the motions in "Meaning of Life". In the latter, though, they probably were their most creative musically, or at least Eric was ("Every Sperm is Sacred", "The Penis Song", "The Galaxy Song", and the title song). Also, the Mister Creosote sketch was voted the 2nd greatest vomiting scene in movie history (behind "The Exorcist").
Incredibly, "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" actually became something of a solo hit for Idle a good 10 years after "Brian"; it also became something of an anthem during soccer matches. My favorite song, though, has got to be "Medical Love Song" (all about venereal disease), with "Sit On My Face" a close second. Funny stuff. From TV, there was "I'm A Lumberjack", an absolutely perfect distillation of the life of a British Columbia woodsman, which segued (in at least one variation) out of your beloved "Dead Parrot" sketch. |
