I just happend to be wandering aimlessly around the 'net and stumbled across the following article Bring Me A Shrubbery in Scientific American, specifically in November 1996 issue.
Now maybe it’s me, but I just don’t expect to see a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference in Scientific American (and to be honest, in looking through their web page, the magazine has changed since I used to get it, a lot longer back than I care to admit).
Anyways, I was wondering if any of the Teeming Millions found other Monty Python references in places that you wouldn’t expect.
Last night I was watching the PowerPuff Girls on Cartoon Network (no snickering), and Mojo Jojo used some lines from the Holy Handgrenade of Antioch skit, also from the Holy Grail movie.
It went something like, “One shall be the counting of the people who are taking over the world, and the one shall be me. Two will not be counted, and three is right out!”
I don’t know how close I am on that quote, because I was laughing so hard that I forgot the specifics of it.
The Conservative political party over here is known for it’s middle England (read: middle America) views and philosophy - the very stuff that one certain Margaret Hilda Thatcher (please may I be the first to dance on her grave) espoused so elequently in the recent past.
It came as something of a shock when at the annual politial rally (and during the main speech) the Witch started quoting Python to an audience one would not automatically assume were familiar with the dead parrot sketch. And they weren’t, hence an uncomfortable stony silence from the floor.
Python and Thatcher - it doesn’t get much more surreal.
Years ago, some time after MPATHG came out, I was channel-surfing and noticed a cartoon on Sesame Street. A wizard is standing by a bridge and says something like “Stop! Whoever crosses this bridge by me must first answer my questions three.” It continued with typical Sesame Street questions and nobody was thrown into the chasm.
The computer game Fallout 2 has several Holy Grail references in it. For example, they had parody appearances of The Knights of the Round Table, the Knights Who Say “Ni!”, and the bridge keeper (The old man from scene 24).
Methinks that dancing on the grave of Thatcher is likely to prove so popular that it will have to be turned into a theme park. It’s guarunteed to be more popular than the dome, but then almost everything is.
I think we could easily have regional grave dancing arenas, probably funded by the European commission who will be very willing to supply the readies.
Then there is the possibility of turning it into a national sport with teams of representatives from the Liverpool dockworkers, Sheffield steelers(wait isn’t that name already used), Barnsley miners, the Scots in general, and plenty more.
Someone should throw a bucket of water over her to see what happens. Freedom for the munchkins!!!
Casdave – I’m reminded now of an Elvis Costello album track from about ten years ago about That Woman (something like ‘Trample the earth down’) in which he almost spits the words out.
Like Elvis, who I’ve always imagined to be particularly sane, fair minded and rational, I’m one of a generation of people for whom the very mention of the name enrages the kind of emotions I didn’t otherwise knew I was capable of. Absolute blind rage – can’t even bear to hear that voice.
I wish no one ill but the woman - and everything she stands for - completely disgust’s me. The scary thing is, Hague is also drifting that way.
When the spin doctors decided that Margret Thatcher should try doing a few jokes, in order to try to soften her rather fearsom reputation, Mrs Thatcher, not one known for her sense of humor was shown the Dead Parrot sketch.
Aparently after it finish there was a brief silence after which came Mrs Thatcher said, “This Monty Python, is he one of us?”
London_Calling/casdave, since I’ve been charged with the task of looking after auntie Maggie’s grave should such a situation arise, you should watch out for me. I’ll be the one in camouflage gear, Heseltine-esque, watch out for the glint of my scope as the crosshairs settle on your dancing heathens torsoes;).
if you go to the web site http://www.ask.com (ask jeves I believe) and ask him the airspeed velocity of an unladened swallow you will get the correct answer
I’m puzzled by the essence of the question- it seems to suggest that Monty Python is so esoteric, and its fans such a tiny cult, that it’s SHOCKING to see a scientific journal… or even… (HORRORS) a conservative quoting it!
Folks, Monty Python’s routines have been around for 30 years! I’m 39, and EVERYBODY my age was watching Monty Python religiously in high school. The idea that Python fans were a small band of like-minded people is absurd. The ONLY thing Python fans have in common is that they’re (generally) quire intelligent, quite literate, and extremely silly (I plead guilty to all three).
The pastor of my (Catholic) parish can recite every line from “The Life of Brian.” My most conservative friends (many of whom are WAAAY to the right of yours truly- scary thought, no?) can sing the Australian Philosophers Song. I’m afraid there’s no such thing as an Unlikely Python Fan.
I have a four year old niece who is receiving a bit of a religious upbringing. I mention this because she likes to watch a religiously themed cartoon show called veggietales. The show features a host of computer animated vegetables doing a series of religiously themed sketches.
Specifically, one episope titled “Josh and the big wall” I believe, contained the story of The battle of Jericho. In one scene, Joshoa (portrayed by a cucumber) is taunted by the french accented evil tomatoes of Jericho. I just about died laughing at the reference. Noone else in my family got the joke.
Anyhow, I think it is odd that you would find Holy Grail references in religious propaganda.
IRRC there was a game called Battlechess where the pieces actually fought it out. When a knight took another knight it sure looked like King Arthur fighting the Black Knight
