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Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years (Palin Diaries #1)

by Michael Palin

3.95 · rating details · 459 ratings · 108 reviews

Michael Palin's diaries begin when he was newly married and struggling to make a name for himself in the world of television comedy. But Monty Python was just around the corner…

Enjoying an unlikely cult status early on, the Pythons then proceeded to tour in the United States and Canada, appearing at sold-out stadiums coast to coast. As their popularity grew, so...more

Paperback, 721 pages

Published 2007 by Phoenix (first published 2006)

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Nov 23, 2007

Lena rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humor, memoir

I was a big Monty Python fan as a teen-ager, so I was very excited when I learned founding member Michael Palin was publishing the diary he began keeping during the early days of the Monty Python show. The diary, however, is a tricky form in that it is rarely written with the interests of a reader in mind. Because of this, the book gets off to a surprisingly slow start. Palin’s early entries do contain some tidbits about the early days of Python, but, as he mentions, he had no idea at that ti...moreI was a big Monty Python fan as a teen-ager, so I was very excited when I learned founding member Michael Palin was publishing the diary he began keeping during the early days of the Monty Python show. The diary, however, is a tricky form in that it is rarely written with the interests of a reader in mind. Because of this, the book gets off to a surprisingly slow start. Palin’s early entries do contain some tidbits about the early days of Python, but, as he mentions, he had no idea at that time it would be anything more than a job he had on a BBC TV show, so many early seminal moments remain undocumented.

I kept reading, however, because Palin is a truly good-natured human being, and his commentary on the early days of his family, the decline of his father due to Parkinson’s, and various political events in Britain held my interest more than I expected. As the diaries progress, Python becomes bigger, his entries become lengthier, and I was rewarded with the kind of insider insight I was hoping to get when I started the book.

Palin records many truly fascinating moments as he recounts the troupe’s growing popularity in Britain and abroad. His shock at being fawned over by mega-star George Harrison at a chance meeting at the Apple Studios is one priceless example. Another is when he discusses the daily work of making comedy during an active IRA London bombing campaign.

Because Palin is writing about events as they happen from the perspective of someone for whom a life of writing outrageous comedy quite normal, there isn’t much meta-insight into the Python phenomenon. But I was more than content with his discussions of how the group dealt with various issues including creative contribution dynamics and political negotiations with BBC censors, as well as his entries on the evolution of his post-Python career and what it’s like to host Saturday Night Live with two live cats down your pants.

Though Palin’s diaries are ultimately about the mundane daily issues of his life, the circumstances around that life ensure his entries are rarely dull. As the following quote demonstrates, even his discussions of the weather take on a whole new twist: “A clear and sunny day. In the distance the sun picks out the snow on the mountains of the Austrian Alps. It’s a perfect day for throwing a dummy of John Cleese from the 100ft tower of the castle to the courtyard below.”
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Jan 25, 2009

Christine rated it

· review of another edition

OK, I updated this. I exaggerated, there are only 600 pages or so, and I felt guilty so I skimmed the rest of the book. There is a little more meat about the making of "Life of Brian", but not much more. Mostly we hear about Palin's trips to the dentist and the tax assessor....
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There is a big difference between reading an unedited diary and reading a memoir. Palin comes across as a very nice guy (and John Cleese not) but if you want to know how Mont...more

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Apr 17, 2011

Frank Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, biography, memoirs, sept6-sept6

What must it have been like to make "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? There are numerous tails and myths -- but in his wonderful first volume of diary entries, we find out: "John (Lancelot) and I (Galahad) driving up through Glencoe in a Budget Rent-a-Van full of chainmail." Not a line you will find in most books or memoirs. But you will in Michael Palin's first set of published diaries. Or how about this one? "A good day's filming at last... John Horton's rabbit ...more

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Nov 02, 2010

Kate rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

It's weird to be assigning a rating and reviewing works that were never originally intended to be published. There's also been entries removed, which I understand. There's stuff that you'd rather not the public see and most of it is with regard to family vacations, which don't fit so nicely into the narrative of Palin's career and the growing popularity of Monty Python. It's not as informative during the first bit of the book, quite honestly it drags quite a bit, but that's also not surprisin...more

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Mar 26, 2011

Don Myers added it · review of another edition

Shelves: z-bpl-completed-2007

“Michael Palin is not just one of Britain’s foremost comedy character actors, he also talks a lot. Yap, yap, yap he goes, all day long and through the night . . . then, some nights, when everyone else has gone to bed, he goes home and writes up a diary.” So writes John Cleese about Monty Python co-member Michael Palin, also known for acclaimed travel programs such as Around the World in 80 Days and Full Circle. With a lucid and witty style, Palin chronicles the early days of Python (from fringe ...more

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Sep 04, 2009

S.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Not since Pepys’ has a diary warranted such literary merit. And Palin’s is better, less a diary than a portrait of everyman’s artist. In crisp, witty prose Palin narrates and ruminates on the creative process, British politics, travel, television, sport, family, film, finances, fine dining, literature, public transportation, and, of course, the inner workings of Monty Python. But what’s unique in Palin’s process is his refined focus on a particular activity, event or thought in each entry. T...more

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Dec 21, 2008

Amy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Python fans, football-playing gynecologists

Recommended to Amy by: Jim

An endearing collection of Michael Palin's diaries from the earliest moments of Python through the premier of "Life of Brian." Fame hit just as his first child was born, and the diaries describe a man at his creative peak trying to be a good husband and father who can't quite believe his good fortune while money and acclaim come pouring in (spoiler alert: he succeeds).

The private Palin is as he seems: a decent guy, a disciplined writer (both of his diary and of his other w...more

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Apr 08, 2010

William rated it

· review of another edition

Great little book. Coming hard on the heels of the 6 part PBS documentary, these diary excerpts cover the Python Years (as the title suggests). The writing is remarkable, and if Palin writes this way in contemporary diary style, without the benefit of edits and rewrites (not suggesting anything, Michael), then the writing is even more remarkable. Fantastic behind the scenes look at the Pythons...especially surprised at how little Terry Jones is discussed, considering he and Palin wrote togethe...more

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May 09, 2008

Isabel Ferreira rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: all Monty Python & M. Palin fans

It was extremely interesting to learn how Monty Python formed, planned and carried out their projects. Also, I got to know more about that decade in terms of politics, arts, etc. A must for all Michael Palin and Monty Python fans!

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Mar 17, 2010

Tobie rated it

· review of another edition

Possibly the most enjoyable book I have ever read. Michael is so optimistic it can only rub off on the reader. I was very sad when I was finished. He shares books, movies and plays he's enoyed; I've started a list from his experiences. Also, if you're a huge Monty Python fan, as I am, the behind-the-scenes stories, personal impressions and emotions are priceless. Who knew John Cleese was so snooty, Idle such a hippy, Gilliam and Jones so emotional and Graham so depressed. It made me love and res...more

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Jun 22, 2009

Phil Huff rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, films-and-film-studies

Warning. This is not a scintillating tell-all of the Monty Python world...it is something far more entertaining and at times enlightening. Michael Palin (known as the 'nice' python) wrote diaries throughout his life, and he thoughtfully published ten years worth that start with life right before the creation of Monty Python, and end with the release of their most controversial work Life of Brian. This is a look into a successful balance of the creative process and domestic life. Palin is a de...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Annalie Hopcroft rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

I enjoyed this, partly because it covers a period just before I was born which I don't know much about, and partly because it sheds some light on the creation of Python and the relationships within it. I love Michael Palin, and this book does nothing to damage his "nice" reputation, but that is also unfortunately the main problem with it. He's too nice and pragmatic about EVERYTHING. And because it covers quite a long period of time, most things are dealt with in a paragraph when I wou...more

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Oct 09, 2010

Carin rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Michael Palin fans

Recommended to Carin by: I am a Michael Palin fan

You may have guessed by now that I’m quite a fan of Michael Palin’s travel documentaries. Well, I’m also a fan of Monty Python and couldn’t resist the opportunity to delve into his diaries, starting with the beginning of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and finishing with the Life of Brian.

Michael is himself apologetic at the beginning of the diaries, stating that he didn’t feel there was enough about Python in there, because he didn’t realise how big the whole thing would become. He con...more

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Nov 14, 2010

Jim rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography

An easy, relaxing read, with Palin recounting his Monty Python years running up to the Life of Brian, with Ripping Yarns inbetween. He was quite young at the time too, 36 when he was flying Concorde to New York to host Saturday Night Live for example. Lucky bastard. His journal reminds me of my own though, not making too many personal comments or observations, more notations on what he has been doing in a day. I bought his next diary for the Kindle too, which is ideal for that gadget, I think, a...more

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Apr 04, 2010

Sammy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: b-the-good

So this is going to be a tougher book to review because it's not really a book. It's someone's diary edited down and put into book form. How do you review someone's personal thoughts and daily life? Honestly, you don't.

This is something you read based on personal taste. If you are a Monty Python fan or a Michael Palin fan (in terms of his writings, career and travel books and documentaries) you should read this. He does write a lot about Monty Python because in the ten years his...moreSo this is going to be a tougher book to review because it's not really a book. It's someone's diary edited down and put into book form. How do you review someone's personal thoughts and daily life? Honestly, you don't.

This is something you read based on personal taste. If you are a Monty Python fan or a Michael Palin fan (in terms of his writings, career and travel books and documentaries) you should read this. He does write a lot about Monty Python because in the ten years his diary spans Monty Python takes up the bulk of his time, replaced only by family and writing really and even then those things tended to go hand in hand. It's fascinating to suddenly have this insiders perspective on something I'm absolutely in love with. Palin doesn't cover bits and sketches we look on now as genius and hilarious, and Holy Grail was only a fast couple of weeks in these pages literally spanning a decade. It shows how all of these things became important after the fact. It's also fascinating to watch fame creep up on him and the rest of the members of Python and how they all deal with it. For the most part Michael remains humble, something hard to cover up in your own diary.

The editing was very well done. Obviously in a personal diary things are going to be said that you don't want people seeing. There were a couple parts things were obviously edited out, marked by the classic "..." after certain points, but nothing was abruptly cut, allowing everything to continue on smoothly. It looks like most of the diary was kept intact, certain things popping up I'm sure Palin debated heavily on keeping or not.

At first I thought reading this (I don't really know what to call it: a book? Novel? Diary?) would make me feel extremely voyeuristic, but after the first couple of pages I didn't at all. Michael is often reflective, but keeps his words light and fun. It's not as silly as his sketch writing, and is much more flowing and detailed. It's clear why he is so good at writing travel books because his attention to detail is fascinating. His descriptions of the places he goes and the people he meets are so clear that it was those moments when I forgot I was reading about someone's actual day!

There are a couple parts where it gets heavy in British politics and sporting events that lost my interest just a little bit, but Palin tries his best with footnotes to help readers unfamiliar with those to follow along. Really it was a fascinating and really good read for me, a huge Monty Python fan. I feel like I have a completely new perspective on one of my favorite comedy groups ever, I think from now on the movies and TV show are going to be viewed a little differently by me. I think this could also be a very good read for non-Python fans or people not so familiar with Python. He speaks fondly and emotionally of his father, who we are introduced to in his older and failing years. I was brought to tears a couple of times when he spoke of his father, because I'm going through similar things Michael was going through, the fact that the age difference between him and his father is the same as me and my dad just drove it even closer to home. His relationship with his wife and kids and friends are all sweet and he tries to do his best to please everyone. And like I said before, just the way he writes with such detail, yet light and funny would keep you reading even if you aren't a Python fan.

I'm excited to read the latest diary set Palin has come out with, the ones chronicling the 80s. This has also given me a bit more of a drive to be more regular with my own diary. I highly doubt mine will ever be published though.

P.S. Keep your eye out for frequent cameo appearances by famous celebrities, especially George Harrison who at one point near the end starts being referred to as the 7th Python.(less)

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Mar 23, 2010

Samdenney rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Python fans, fans of diary writing in general.

At times I really had to slog through this book. Palin's diary style can be almost unbearably bone-dry. Lots of descriptions of restaurant meals, meetings, and car journeys to and fro. For me, not enough about his actual feelings and emotions. Palin is obviously not a particularly introspective character, which disappointed me as I had hoped for more of an insight into the man himself rather than just his work. At times I felt that the book could easily have been pared down from 600 pages to at ...moreAt times I really had to slog through this book. Palin's diary style can be almost unbearably bone-dry. Lots of descriptions of restaurant meals, meetings, and car journeys to and fro. For me, not enough about his actual feelings and emotions. Palin is obviously not a particularly introspective character, which disappointed me as I had hoped for more of an insight into the man himself rather than just his work. At times I felt that the book could easily have been pared down from 600 pages to at least half of that with no real dip in quality.

And yet, at all times there is a sense that you are reading an unerringly honest chronicle of an extremely turbulent 10-year period. The moon landings, IRA bomb attacks, miners, power workers and bin men all on strike, the Watergate scandal; Palin lives through a truly historic period, a time of political upheaval and uncertainty, and describes it all with honesty and insight. Despite my complaints about its length, there's still something interesting, voyeuristic even, about being able to own and explore the absolute minutiae of one man's life in the midst of it all.

The book is subtitled The Python Years, and rightly so. Over the course of the diary, the group makes 3 films, 3 TV series, tours America and England, and produces several books and records. Python is at the centre of the story. If this book teaches you anything about the process of creating comedy gold, it's that none of it is accomplished without lots of arguing, drinking, and agonising over decisions. It seems like the Pythons are constantly on the verge of disintegration, and sometimes I wanted to grab them all by the shoulders and shake them so they realised what an amazing gift they had.

In all, Palin's diary is a compelling insight into a creative life that tends to repeat itself too much. Life itself tends to repeat itself too much, so that's understandable, but once I'd read the fiftieth account of a Python script meeting I wished the editor had been a bit more ruthless.(less)

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Aug 07, 2010

Ken rated it

A publicity biography of Michael Palin, written by John Cleese, is included in the introduction for (Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years):

“Michael Palin is not just one of Britain’s foremost comedy character actors...he also talks a lot.

Michael chats, quips, fantasises, reminisces, commiserates, encourages, plans, discusses, and elaborates. Then, some nights, when everyone else has gone to bed, he goes home and writes up a diary.”

You can almost hea...more

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Aug 03, 2009

Jake added it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Hardcore Python nerds and probably nobody else.

A fascinating read for anyone interested in Michael or Monty Python - it collects Michael's diaries from a few months before Flying Circus began shooting to the year after the completion of Life of Brian.

I think diaries are more interesting than memoirs because you read about what the person thought was important at the time rather than what was more important in retrospect. Michael is instantly likable - probably the most fun parts are his frank discussions of the personalities i...more

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May 30, 2011

Kent rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: only the biggest MontyPython fans

Recommended to Kent by: Claire

from Claire for Christmas 2008 -
25 Jan 2009 - started and read 1969-70

This is a slow moving because it goes thru the minutiae of dinners and travel, but throughout Palin's overnight stardom with Python, we see how he copes three young children, a father becoming physically and mentally weak, the strong personalities of the other Python's, newfound wealth - all by the age of 32.

08 Aug 2009 - finished 1974, interesting because that is the year Python filmed Holy Grai...more

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May 04, 2008

Chris rated it

· review of another edition

I heartily enjoyed this book, but I think it has limited appeal to the general public.

First, I'm a raving Monty Python fan. I have a rough knowledge of the order of events in the Python history, and the members of the troupe.

Second, I'm a big fan of Michael Palin in general. I've seen many of his travelogues and I'm generally not disappointed by his output.

Third, I generally enjoy reading diaries.

Here are some items I found to be engaging reading i...more

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Apr 05, 2008

Jenn rated it

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I didn't buy the book when I saw him speak at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Sitting in the second row back from the stage and watching the Fan Circus was enough to write a short story. There is nothing like a room filled with old dorks. But even better, the new enthusiasm of a 20 something year old Chinese girl who had been recently introduced to the whole Python thing through her American boyfriend. Her gushing went from cute to hilarious as she exclaimed that more Python films and shows sh...more

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Apr 07, 2008

Genevieve rated it

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Recommends it for: Monty Python fans

I'm giving this book 5 stars because of the pure enjoyment I got from reading it. It's upwards of 600 pages, but I devoured it.

Deciding to publish his diary was a clever idea. Unlike an autobiography, which is inevitably tainted by current thoughts/feelings on what happened, a diary really charts the ups and downs as they unfolded. He's surprisingly candid and insightful about the good and the not-so-good within Monty Python, and he does it so in a witty and yet nice way. His diar...more

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Feb 24, 2008

Christopher rated it

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Recommends it for: Python fans, diary enthusiasts

I must begin by saying that this uplifting diary of Michael Palin, who commenced it in 1969 at age 25 (at the beginning of his time with Monty Python's Flying Circus), reveals him as mature beyond his years, shrewdly observant, and a very engaging writer. It's arguably the best book I've read in years. Along the way, MP writes frankly and openly about his relationships with the other Python members and their personalities as well as others he meets along the way over the course of ten years. My ...moreI must begin by saying that this uplifting diary of Michael Palin, who commenced it in 1969 at age 25 (at the beginning of his time with Monty Python's Flying Circus), reveals him as mature beyond his years, shrewdly observant, and a very engaging writer. It's arguably the best book I've read in years. Along the way, MP writes frankly and openly about his relationships with the other Python members and their personalities as well as others he meets along the way over the course of ten years. My first impression was that he's an unusually thoughtful, grounded and level-headed person in the often rudderless world of show business.

He often discusses politics in his entries, and seemingly progresses from his formative days with Python ... "Today I became a Socialist" to one of his late 1970s entries where he is attempting to minimize his income tax burden with the Inland Revenue.

Palin orginally was a writer for such successful comedy vehicles as "The Two Ronnies" Marty Feldman, and other comedy efforts and discusses in detail how Monty Python progresses, from doing routines in cramped, smoke-filled clubs to much larger venues. One interesting fact: he makes a point of saying that Monty Python's initial foray into American took place in Dallas and not New York. A man named Ron Devillier, a producer at the Dallas PBS station, saved Python from an almost certain demise on the rubbish heap, and turned it into a national sensation.

While acting in Python, Palin made additional money filming adverts and doing voiceovers for various products. His observations about these are both comical and touching. In numerous other entries, he discusses his parents, his wife Helen, the arrival of their children, and how content he was at being able to make a good home for them. And you feel for him as he regularly returns to his hometown of Southwold, England, where he cares for his father who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, and his mother, who was in constant anguish while caring for him.

As his career begins to take off, you feel the excitement of his first trip to America to promote "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in 1975; his initial meeting and lasting friendship with George Harrison; his first Concorde flight to America to host "Saturday Night Live" in 1978; publication (with Terry Jones) of the children's book "Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls" and his longtime collaboration with sculptor/publisher (and John Ruskin enthusiast) Chris Orr; several record albums, etc.

Palin is well read, compassionate, witty, savvy at business, a fast and loyal friend, a good son, husband and father, and a talented writer. I came away from this book inspired, happy, and well-satisfied. (less)

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Sep 02, 2007

Frederick rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anybody obsessed with either Monty Python, George Harrison or Comedy.

Shelves: biography, history, humor, palin-michael

I just bought this today. (It is, indeed, now available in the United States, but I can't find the American edition listed here. The Canadian will do.) I, of course, haven't finished it, but I've looked in the index for references to each Beatle (I being a Beatles fan) and read as much as I could in the space of a few hours about Michael Palin's friendship with George Harrison, and Palin's second, third and fourth-hand stories about the other Beatles. By the way, there are a lot more entires abo...moreI just bought this today. (It is, indeed, now available in the United States, but I can't find the American edition listed here. The Canadian will do.) I, of course, haven't finished it, but I've looked in the index for references to each Beatle (I being a Beatles fan) and read as much as I could in the space of a few hours about Michael Palin's friendship with George Harrison, and Palin's second, third and fourth-hand stories about the other Beatles. By the way, there are a lot more entires about George than the index indicates. George is usually referred to in the text as "George H," which is something the people who assembled the index seem not to have taken into account. But all for the better: George is present in many places in the book. As I read various hand-selected entries I also stumbled across things I never expected: Michael Palin has spent a fair amount of time in Sag Harbor, a Long Island town about an hour from where I live. I've seen it many times, and Palin's description of its marvelous, multitudinous plant odors is accurate. Of course, Michael Palin hosted SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE once or twice and his encounters with the SNL people are illuminating, adding to the already vast wealth of information about that endlessly fascinating series. (Its producer, Lorne Michaels, even gets a nod in the acknowledgements.) In short, this is a Transcontinental time capsule of the seventies. Palin and the other Pythons are hanging out in Malibu writing LIFE OF BRIAN, but what's interesting is Keith Moon is with them. He was going to be in the movie but died before this could happen. Palin shows his Wodehousian side when he says (long before getting to know Moon, by the way) something like "Keith Moon is in the habit of driving sports cars into swimming pools and leaving them there." Palin describes working with Stephen Frears, Tim Curry and Tom Stoppard on a film of THREE MEN AND A BOAT. All of this is before Frears became the prestigious director he is now; just as Tim Curry is hitting his stride and somewhat before Stoppard became the revered figure he is today. (And what he's done with THREE MEN IN A BOAT since then has been most interesting. He's put its author, Jerome K. Jerome, in an epic piece of theatre.) Palin, during the filming of THREE MEN IN A BOAT, writes in his diary about the fact that he's exhausted rowing the boat each day during filming. This is the mid-seventies. Cut to the nineties (which this book, of course, does not cover) and Palin has become one of the most intrepid makers of travelogues in history, visiting remote spots the world over.
MICHAEL PALIN DIARIES: THE PYTHON YEARS, 1969-1979, will prove to be a lasting source of information about the entertainment industry of the seventies, but it is also written in crystalline prose. It is often amusing and invariably perceptive. No, I haven't read much of it at all, but visiting parts of it at the front and back of the book and in the middle, I can say, this seems right. I was in high school when MONTY PYTHON was first shown on American TV, and I remember its increasing fame. Friends of mine went to see the Pythons at City Center in New York. I knew another who'd gone to the New York premiere of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and I remember him saying the members of Monty Python were handing out cocoanuts. Sure enough, Palin talks about handing out the cocoanuts.
This book is spot-on, as the Brits would say. (Or at least as an American watching British TV in America says.) (less)

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Aug 04, 2011

Ting added it · review of another edition

A great read, full of insight of the years when Monty Python's Flying Circus was the ground-breaking, iconoclastic comedy troupe. Michael Palin’s funny and witty diary documents the brain-storming meetings, personality clashes, the negotiations with film and television studios, cross-Atlantic publicity trips, family troubles, and tax havens. Hard to believe that all those seemingly effortless skits and films were agonizingly thought out and argued over. A must for any Python fan. Say no more...more

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Oct 28, 2011

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ rated it

Shelves: own, biography-memoir, author-palin-michael, british

This is a rather long book at 721 pages, but I found it very interesting all the same. It's really just a daily peek into the life of a writer/actor/performer who is also a husband/father/son. You get a glimpse of the end of his father's life, who had Parkinson's Disease. If you're a Monty Python fan, you get a very interesting inside look at the group as they made most of their tv series, and the first several movies. After reading this book, I have much more personal respect for Michael Palin,...more

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Dec 09, 2008

Sockmonkey rated it

Recommends it for: Python fans.

This book surprised me a lot. I knew that Python weren't the best of friends all the time but I couldn't believe how little they sometimes thought of each other. For a collection of diaries the writing is really entertaining at times. "Dawn only marginally lighter than the pitch darkness of an hour ago has rather resentfully broken as we move out of the station, as if God didn't really want today to happen." But due to what an undertaking it is I'd recommend it for serious fans only.

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Nov 25, 2009

Erin rated it

· review of another edition

In honor of Python's 40th anniversary (and because Cablevision is terrible and I no longer have IFC to watch the documentary) I'm cracking open this giant tome. Palin for President.

It's very interesting. Palin is an excellent writer, even when writing to and about himself. It is a little difficult to keep the 'characters' straight as they are not always introduced in the footnotes- but then I only discovered the extensive index about 2/3 of the way through. Most surprising was the br...more

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Apr 25, 2009

Lena rated it

· review of another edition

I gave this to Dad for Christmas and borrowed it back. It's interesting how such a famous guy who produced such crazy and creative stuff is really normal. At a time when Saturday Night Live was being produced and pretty much everyone was on drugs, Michael Palin was a family guy who worked very hard on his work. I have a crazing to see more Monty Python and see all the other movies and tv shows he worked on. Interesting read, but at times a bit boring.

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Sep 29, 2007

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

This is one of the most pleasurable reads I've ever enjoyed. Palin is a talented diarist. The diary is bookended by the first day of shooting for Flying Circus and the close of 1979 as Python was riding high on the success of Life of Brian and Palin was beginning his collaboration on Time Bandits with Gilliam. It's a real pleasure to read how Python evolved creatively and personally, without the perspective of history to color the recollections. The gossip and bits about Harrison, Jagger, th...more

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About Michael Palin

Michael Edward Palin, CBE, is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.

Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in...more

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Books by Michael Palin

Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the PBS Series

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“I am very cautious of people who are absolutely right, especially when they are vehemently so.” — 7 people liked it

“As I work in the afternoon on committing to paper some of my morning's thoughts, I find myself just about to close on the knotty question of whether or not I believe in God. In fact I am about to type, 'I do not believe in God', when the sky goes black as ink, there is a thunderclap and a huge crash of thunder and a downpour of epic proportions. I never do complete the sentence.” — 5 people liked it

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title link	preview: Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
avg rating	preview: Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years Goodreads rating: 3.95 (459 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1467270.Diaries_1969_1979?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183902130m/1467270.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1467270.Diaries_1969_1979?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Michael Palin[/url]

Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years (Palin Diaries #1)

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