# When did Monty Python become geeky? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105 "2002-12-11T21:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/1 "2002-12-11T21:50:57Z")
I was just reading [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=149605) discussion of why geeky people supposedly never seem to get tired of the same jokes, and Monty Python figured prominently. Well, I was in college when _The Holy Grail_ came out, and I don’t remember that anyone associated it with geeks more than with anyone else. Was it always geeky and I just didn’t realize it, or has it only acquired it’s geek value sometime since then? Incidentally, I was introduced to it by my brother, who was definitely not a geek. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/2 "2002-12-11T21:56:43Z")
I think it was when the news came out that there were some Lost Episodes of MPFC, and only the true Python fans had seen them. Those were the first of the Python Geeks. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/3 "2002-12-11T22:01:40Z")
I remember posting to BBS’s in the 80’s (running on C64’s & Apple ]['s,) where python and star trek dominated. Hell, one of the big three boards I called was _The Crunchy Frog_, and the Sysop was _Bicycle Repair Man_. When we’d get together for cheap movies on tuesdays, we’d end up in Denny’s afterwards, indulging in a few choruses of _The Philosopher Song_. Yup, we were geeks. ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/4 "2002-12-11T22:31:19Z")
In my experience, Monty Python is not just popular among geeks. It’s pure comedic brilliance, and you’ll find tons of people who like them. _However_, I know some people who’ve memorized entire sections and if you as much as _mention_ any of the words “shrubbery”, “Norwegian”, “cheese” or “spanish” and THEY’LL GO ON AND ON AND ON AND RECITE THE SAME STUPID SKITS THEY KNOW BY HEART WHILE GIGGLING LIKE THEY’RE ON DRUGS, JUST LIKE WE’VE HEARD THEM DO A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE. Morons. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/5 "2002-12-11T22:35:18Z")
A contributing factor might have been that in the US, _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ was shown primarily (only?) on PBS, where it was more likely to be both seen by geeks and shunned by non-geeks. I think it had some lasting appeal with geeks (if geeks = higher average intelligence) due to having a fair amount of rather intelligent humor. In addition to all the silly walking, knocks on the head and men in drag, you had educational elements like the medieval farmers’ commune and the above-mentioned Philosophers Song, and light political satire in _Life of Brian_ or “Britain’s great pre-war joke”. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/6 "2002-12-11T23:12:18Z")
I think part of it is the devotion to _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Whenerver a movie or show gets such ‘cult’ status that people know all the lines from memory (Like “Rocky Horror”, “Star Trek”), the charge of geekiness follows. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/7 "2002-12-12T00:33:45Z")
‘Star Wars’ isn’t for geeks, but anybody who has seen it more than 10 times is one. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/8 "2002-12-12T00:43:34Z")
**Badtz** beat me to the Star Wars argument. A lot of people like Star Wars. Millions of people have seen Star Trek. I’ve never met a person who didn’t think Monty Python was funny. However, there are people who’ve seen _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ once or twice and enjoyed it, and there are people who watch it daily and recite dialogue from it in their sleep. And that’s not just confined to sci-fi TV shows or surrealist British sketch comedy. Look at sports: most people like baseball. They watch it on TV, they go to the occasional game, they follow their favorite team. That’s normal. Then there are the guys who know the batting averages of every major league player since 1902. That, too, is geeky. Sports geeky, but geeky none the less. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/9 "2002-12-12T00:54:56Z")
It’s worth noting that the convention of calling junk e-mail “spam” is due to the influence of Python-loving usenet geeks. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/10 "2002-12-12T01:00:45Z")
It’s only “geeky” if’n youse uses it wrong. “Please fondle my bum.” “My nipples explode with delight.” Aren’t so geeky in the right circumstances. Like when it’s time for your yearly performance evaluation. Or introducing yourself to your new girlfriend’s parents. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/11 "2002-12-12T02:11:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **I’ve never met a person who didn’t think Monty Python was funny.** Lemme introduce you to my wife sometime. She doesn’t like Python, the Marx Brothers, Tom Lehrer, Firesign…don’t ask me how this happened. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![krazy\_kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@krazy\_kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krazy_kat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/12 "2002-12-12T02:13:11Z")
People who quote extensively from things that they didn’t write (Python, hotel prices, scripture) are going to be labeled geeks to some degree or another. Everything in moderation, including moderation. - Lou Reed See, now wasn’t that nice? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/13 "2002-12-12T02:25:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*Lemme introduce you to my wife sometime. She doesn’t like Python, the Marx Brothers, Tom Lehrer, Firesign…don’t ask me how this happened. 😉 \*\* Have you considered having her put down? It’s the only merciful thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/14 "2002-12-12T02:27:45Z")
One of my best friends is a Kevin Smith geek. It’s truly terrible. I love KS’s work, but he _lives_ his work. He has everything memorized, but I still can consistently put Clerks references by him. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/15 "2002-12-12T02:40:25Z")
The geek factor with Monty Python stems from the fact that their comedy was often very intricate and detailed. Anything that has a vast amount of minutia and structure that can be memorized & recited ad nauseum will be. Often be geeks (like me!). \*“The purpose of this year’s expedition is to try and find any sign of last year’s expedition.” “Last year’s expedition, sir?” “Yes, they were lead by my twin brother. They were going to try and build a bridge between the two peaks…”\* ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/16 "2002-12-12T04:03:10Z")
Monty Python and the Holy Grail was Elvis’ favorite movie, IIRC. He used to rent an entire theater to watch it when it was showing. Where I picked that bit of triva up, I’m not sure. Possibly Roadside America. ---
**Author:** ![lothos2002](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df788c/32.png) [@lothos2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lothos2002)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/17 "2002-12-12T04:10:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cuate \* > \*\*I think part of it is the devotion to _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Whenerver a movie or show gets such ‘cult’ status that people know all the lines from memory (Like “Rocky Horror”, “Star Trek”), the charge of geekiness follows. \*\* So Rocky Horror Picture Show is geeky? This is a new one for me. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/18 "2002-12-12T04:38:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lothos2002 \* > \*\*So Rocky Horror Picture Show is geeky? > This is a new one for me. \*\* Maybe, maybe not, but dressing up like the characters and acting it out, or knowing the right things to shout out at the right times sure is. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/19 "2002-12-12T05:42:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Monty Python and the Holy Grail was Elvis’ favorite movie, IIRC. He used to rent an entire theater to watch it when it was showing. NO.FARKING.WAY. If this is true I’ll have to completely re-evaluate my opinion of the King. Next thing you’ll be telling us that Elvis thought he was being stalked by an enormous hedgehog… …of course, he did know how to treat a female impersonator. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105/20 "2002-12-12T06:09:54Z")
Wow, MP catchphrases take on brilliant new colours when you say them in a bad Elvis voice: “I banged me gavel. Uh huh.” “I only ate three tins.” I have to stop now because I’ve had to correct two “typos”– “a bad elvis _boys_” and “only ate three _teens_” I’m not sure I want to push that any further… :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-monty-python-become-geeky/142105.md?page=2)