Did anyone see Monty Python on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night?
I thought it was great! Hell, even Cleese was there, despite the rumors of Cleese and Idle not getting along. I laughed so hard. I even forced myself to stay up just to watch it. I was cranky with my fiance during the commercials, but I was riveted to the show. Part of me wonders how much of that was planned and how much was spur of the moment… like the chair thing.
The “musical guest” was even Eric Idle singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” with The Roots backing him up.
I saw it on hulu. It was great! They completely took over the show and Fallon went along with it fantastically. 40 minutes of Python, minus Michael Palin. Wonderful.
In just a few hours I will have the pleasure of being in their immediate physical vicinity! I’ll be there live, but you can stream the event online live tonight.
Before watching that clip (thanks for the link, btw) I never realized just exactly how unfunny Jimmy Fallon really is without Tina Fey to support him. His opening monologue was painful.
I was totally afraid of my brain imploding when that cataclysmic event occurred. Alas, it didn’t. It was actually really good! (Excluding his monologue.) Jimmy Fallon is good at supporting comedy. I mean, he can be funny when he’s working with other funny people.
I had some memory of rumors like this (or at least something where Idle was dismissive of Cleese’s disappointing association with all that woo-woo Esalen institute stuff) and tried to look up information on it a little while ago, but my Google-fu skills failed me. Anyone have any idea where I could find more information on any of this?
And I will have the same honor (mostly) next week when Idle and (I believe) Jones and Gilliam (and me, in the chorus) are performing Idle’s oratorio Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) at the Royal Albert Hall.
Performing the Lumberjack Song and various other bits onstage at the RAH with some of the original Pythons is like the realization of a childhood dream I never knew I had. I may spontaneously combust at the awesomeness of it all.
It’s got to be weird for these guys, as smart and as talented as they are, to be revered for stuff they did FORTY YEARS AGO. I just hope they’re still having fun with it.
Jimmy Fallon grows on me- only because I feel like when he’s saying that X guest is the one of the greatest- I ACTUALLY believe him.
He’s like the everyman fanboy for us all getting to interview the big stars and I think it’s kind of endearing. And his monologue though it still needs alot of work, has gotten slightly better.
I now just follow him on twitter and try to catch the good sketches when I can- like the Housewives of Late Night. That’s good stuff, monologues? Not so much yet. But I’m willing to give him time as long as he keeps up his FanBoyishness Charm.