Michael Palin on Monty Python, Bill Murray and Ken Dodd

um yeah well we've been we've been scurrying to get ready very excited um Michael Palin is is uh is a big deal and uh I'm thrilled that you're here thank you for doing [Music] this don't forget you can hear the fulllength longer version wherever you get your podcasts well thank you I've never been described as a big deal before I like that slightly dodgy course you have it's that's Chicago sort of slang for something what do you mean you you you're just being self effacing you've been described as a big deal many times throughout your career I know it's difficult to believe it though I just don't you know I'd rather just do the work and then people can describe me as a result of the work that's a good bit of work that's a bad bit of work but that that I should become somehow a figure of some admiration I've never been able to deal with that terribly well that must have changed though when you when you started the travel show because then you're saying this is me and prior to that you'd always been a character yeah know it was very good doing the travel shows because I could be I could be quite self a facing the idea of the travel show is you just go around the world making mistakes and nobody's going to edit it out and say take three yeah as was the case in documentaries at that time you know people went around the world it was Alan wicker and it was people who were authoritative reporters and they would do one another half minutes of uh you know spontaneous summing up to camera and they were very good at it and all that but I was just somebody trying to buy a ticket in an Egyptian railway station without knowing any Egyptian without even knowing where I was going you know that that was the that was the idea so a lot of what came out in the travel shows eventually was me yeah um and I rather enjoyed that because I I didn't have to put anything on I didn't have to pretend to be competent and that was all real then so that that that Journey really did there must have been a degree of planning but it just unfolded well there was a lot of planning you know I had to go into it and especially Around the World in 80 Days yeah that was going to be a oneoff no one knew whether it would work or not and I remember just thinking hey I'm going around the world being paid for by the BBC this is fantastic until the morning I woke up and we were leaving that day and I woke up about 4 in the morning you know my heart thumping um and it sort of cold sweats what am I going to do you know the camera's going to be there yeah in 3 hours time and it's going to follow me for the next 80 days what am I going to talk about so when you started doing um Around the World in 80 Days how quickly because you seemed incredibly relaxed on on camera of course and authoritative in your own way how quickly did you become comfortable with that um it took about three episodes for me to realize how to do the the the go through the process and what sort of Journey around the world this was going to be but then when we when I got onto the Dow which was the third episode of Around the World in 80 Days everything had gone wrong and this proved Our Savior the fact that things had gone wrong we had to improvise yes we had to take a dow from from Dubai to Bombay um which we hadn't we hadn't hadn't researched the one we had chosen we couldn't use because the ship couldn't get to Oman I mean it's all very complicated so we end up on a boat with 18 garati fishermen none of whom speak English going very slowly down the Persian Gulf where bits of flatsome from the recent War were floating and then you know I was on this for seven days and you know after a bit you realize just there's nothing you can do but be yourself talk about the situation there was no hiding place we we all slept out on deck and all that and gradually as we got through we just got to know the crew and although we didn't speak the language we we we were able to sort of um you know communicate through I had to blow up globe and things like that so I'd show them where I was coming when there was a you know a fish was spotted and we all go to the side of the deck and try and Pull It in so I'd help them out and and as to ROR happened between us and at the very end of the seven days and the eighth morning when we were we had come to to Bombay Mumbai is now um it was time to say goodbye and um we it was nice they just shook my hand and this old guy cim um to whom I'd played a Bruce Springsteen tape on my Walkman he just gave me a hug he just grabbed me and hugged me and I thought this is it this now this is the way I want to do this series yeah I remember that episode I remember you playing uh cassim the uh the clip you had a cassette of the wild the innocent and the East Shuffle yeah yeah yes that's right and CU um I'm a Bruce fan so I went oh Michael Palin likes Bruce that's good yeah I'm fascinated by Saturday Night Live In America tell me about your involvement with Saturday Night Live because you you're I mean Python's revered everywhere would you say that in America that's the peak of the kind of reverence for python yeah I think that was where the madness was most intense um because we we we never expected python to break in America we've been told by various people this kind of human just doesn't travel well you but but to be and to be fair to those people I think I would probably have said the same thing it seemed so well yeah yeah it was Universal in in in how surreal it was and yet it was a very British yes and all the Illusions very British and I mean there lots of things there you know that I mean nobody would understand unless you'd read sort of advanced French University something like that um but there were were there was a silliness to it which which sort of I think made it leavened the whole thing and made it acceptable but they said no you can't go in America because it's all commercials you just won't you won't make it but that's when um public broadcasting PBS in America came in and absolutely saved our bacon a guy in Dallas Texas was the first person to put montypython on in America and and he bought a few shows from New York uh a few tapes and put them on one night and they went very very well so he rang the BBC and said you got any more I've got about five or six and someone went down to the basement BBC New York and found 40 other python shows which he bought for Dallas and played them over the weekend one after the other right because that I mean that's the way things are done in America you know youve got something you really like wow go for it so from that moment on within a sort of of certain Circuit of college circuit um of America python really took off wasn't Elvis a huge python fan yeah this is two just don't go together they this is this is one of those things that I mean it's one of the proudest things of my life when I heard that Elvis um loved Python and particularly the Holy Grail I think he like the N Say ne and I just the thought of Elvis Elvis this man he would sat he would have talked to his buddies and gone those nights say I mean it just doesn't feel all right does it I wish I could be one of those nights cuz they're great they they say n you know is that is that is that so Elvis yeah they say ne um what else do they say oh come on guys say ne so I don't know how it went with them but it is lovely to think that this this hero of my lifetime really changed my whole attit um music and entertainment should have been a python F that's one of the great things isn't it about about the world of entertainment world of show business is that if if you if you do something these these like you you said about python spreading around America and and and you just never know and it's always amazing when someone that you love and they don't get bigger than Elvis yeah turns out they like your of course the great moment was Johnny Cash and Johnny Cash another hero who I was on a a TV show and he comes into the green room and S of ignores everybody comes straight across me and says John Cash big fan no John Cash big fan four words that have resounded through my life so however miserable I feel however low however bad things are happening to me I remember John Cash big fan oh that's glorious I started this bid off by talking about SNL so so so Saturday Night Live so um you hosted that once twice four times four times a lady that's very good isn't it wow but my most favorite memory was if you indulge me on this the last time I did it um I was in New York with my mother for and it was her 80th birthday trip and i' given her a trip to New York with my sister we gone on Concord we got to New York because I was I was hosting Saturday Night Live that week so um anyway but i'm we have the righteous meeting the first day up in you 30 Rock it's just you know rock of fell Center again you felt you were walking on sort of the air it's just incredible going in there anyway and the first thing I say what brought you to New York no they said you know you come to New York he you brought your your mother and I said well cuz she's 80 and she's never traveled really apart from one plane trip to Paris she's never been by plane and uh so they talked about and Laur said you know in the opening monologue you know you a monologue would your mother be prepared to come along and and be part of it and I said go she's 80 I mean it's not going to be on you know American National Television 45 million people watching so I said uh well nice nice try and I went back to the room and I was tell my mother this and she said yes yes oh yes that would be very nice I mean she thought it was just like walking down Fifth Avenue or something go to a Bookshop oh yes yeah I'll do that and she came along and in the opening monologue I was doing my piece and she was she was on a chair sitting on the set and then I came on and did my piece and occasionally she would just tug my coat and say straighten my clothing out and say you know your trouser to me why do you wear that pair and so that's how we did the opening monologue and she was so successful they gave her three or four more intros to do to some of the rock and roll bands this little 8y old lady down in the basement say you know this thing so that that was a great that was a great moment um yeah and that shows Laur Michaels you making quite risky decisions yeah and it paid off um he's he's a he's a remarkable remarkable man a fascinating man it's a very singular character isn't he very singular yeah kind of Canadian guy a lot of Canadians on the show of course there was Bill Murray I became quite good friends with Bill did because he was one of the first it was one of his first appearances on one of the shows I did it new Bill Bill Mar thing and and so you know you had the Belushi was kind of right kind kind of quite Starry and they would go off in a limousine somewhere and smash a place up or whatever but um bill bill being more Junior in the cast at that time he he sort of we got together and went and had sort of meals and drinks and all that and him and his brother we got very friendly and we go out and Lauren would organize evenings so you know come on we we'll just have dinner we're going to have a little dinner like Michael will you come along Paul will be there and uh Martha and the velas and Diana may drop in so there we are having a meal with with Diana Ross sitting next to and all that who yes I'm from Sheffield and but well you're from Sheffield but you're from Monty Python well but she was only interested in Sheffield was she really yeah yeah I remember once my wife made terrible Gaff well it wasn't a gaff just saved in time we were there in the restaurant Paul Simon wasn't at our table but he was at another table and he comes across these little figures there yeah and we were all s just about deciding what to eat and Helen sort of turns around and says I won't have the strip oh God realiz she talking to Paul Simon living legend here's Paul Simon calling now Paul I think I heard myself being disgusted I'll turn that off which it was him too oh my God was chances a you should have taken it well he'll probably ring tonight you know what he's having to listen he rings in the evening you know what he's having to listen to now don't you what The Sound of Silence yes yeah and that's this week's joke that's this week's joke that's I that's that's good the last time I saw you on stage was on the last night of those incredible montypython shows oh yeah at the O2 and and we we talked about this in Bristol but most of these people weren't there so let's indulge again yeah um these were the reunion python shows after many years of of not being together put on at the O2 and it was the most remarkable thing I described it rather cleverly I thought as a secular Church discuss oh well well what can be said after that well you could say yes or you could say what rubbish but that's not discussion I agree with you it was it was that is a very good description it was like a sort of religious yeah Mania there I mean the people the moment you stepped on stage you realized that you know whether you remember your words or not didn't matter whether you your trousers fell off it didn't matter it's just you were there and anything you did would just be would be met with enormous sort of the happiness in the room hands raised and all that the happiness in the room was incredible and I think that was the old thing because we've never we've never known that before we we've done a python stage show we did one in centry in 1972 I think it was the first one and the first two rows were all people gumbies they had not it anes on so there was something slightly sort of um religious about it even at that time time but 15,000 as there were each night at the O2 there was just was just a h because really you just had to be there and you had to get on stage and you just start the start the sketch and they they'd be with you I mean I I think there were there were s nights when sketches went better and went worse but there was always that fantastic feeling 15,000 people who all love python altoe so it's about an audience loving itself really and loving being that's looking at others and the way people were dressed and people come over from Norway dressed as carrots and all that sort of stuff there's also an element of the audience watching it and kind of celebrating their past celebrating the fact that they're still there now you know we I'm still alive still here these people that are part of my life how emotional was it for you say you stood on the stage and you're doing with John C you're doing the the dead parrot sketch just is when you're doing that is it emotional you look at John C and you go my God you've been a big part of my life we've known each other I mean I'm sure you've had your your ups and downs and differences but you're looking at somebody who's played a significant role in your life was it emotional or was it not I mean I didn't mean to be sort of bring it all down to level we're just trying not to sort of crack up because you know we've done that so often and we know the lines and we know no no he's resting resting I wake him up then you know you just know those lines and to know there we were with 15,000 people watching this and that's not the way it should be played I should say that this is not a sketch for 15,000 people this is for you know about 100 people in a room all or on T and yet it is though and yet it is because the way it was received so am I being a bit Welsh and a bit emotional in saying to you did you feel emotional and you said not really we just trying to remember the words I know I'm being very English saying just remember the words of course you it's a bit emotional but because when we laugh laugh when we were doing dead parrot you in front O2 and there were moments when we just couldn't stop laughing was just because we we we're enjoying a friendship we're enjoying our ability to to play this particular sketch yeah uh and for it still to be massively approved and knowing that if we just said an odd line or or ad libed or something like that that would that would go into the mix as well I mean very little of what we did on the O2 was as good as we probably done it before sketches and all that because it's it's sort of it's it's swollen in in a sort of setup like that um but there were certain there were certain things that that that did did work okay that was very indulgent the the Dead Parrot there were times when just remember there was a all the furniture on stage was on Wheels yes and so we're doing that and John would be doing one of his excuse me excuse me and he'd lean on the little trolley and and the counter would move off about 3 ft and so there was a lot of that moving the counter and that cracked me up um because I do laugh very easily on stage and John can make me laugh more than anybody else so just something about a moment of timing and he'll look and then our long relationship will make make me fall about because it's been a you know generally onage a very good relationship it's been about humor it's been about comedy why shouldn't we laugh at our own stuff yeah yeah but on the last night I was there and I left just a little before the end and went under the stage and encountered you as you were coming down you don't remember it was a far bigger deal to me Michael than it was to you let me say I do remember and we had a chat and you were drenched in sweat and I remember thinking well this is a bloody moment isn't it I'm talking to Michael Palin after he's come off after the last Monty Python SK standing underneath the stage and all those C and the others are all going by I thought this is pretty special well that's very nice really I that was part of of enjoyment CU people did come to see it your stature and and others would come along and you just could share your just share joy and relief at being 75 and still having you know got the audience on their feet in the O2 and then to meet somebody who came up of course you know I probably gave you a hug did I I think you did I think you did hug it was terrific yeah cuz you just feel fantastic and you meet people you admire and and that that's nice too you feel sort of one with them and and and people in The Green Room would would come along lots of Americans would would would come there lots of yeah people I think Mike Myers was there the night that I was there yes I think he was he did a sketch he came on didn't he he came on yeah cuz I think we were in a room yes yes we got we got we we we've we've mentioned names like John balushi uh Paul Simon has come up here's another name Ken Dodd you had an involvement with Ken DOD early on in your career yes yeah I mean um Terry I I was doing this pop show in Wales yes Terry Jones had joined the BBC and was uh sort of I mean he was kind of doing writing links comedy links for various people Terry very good English degree from oxman he ended up writing R for Russ Conway little sort of jokes about you know um you go a Costa Bravo Costa F all those terrible things and Ken do was again one of the BBC stars and and he had to write occasionally little links yeah um which was very presumptuous of us you know there was Eddie braan who was his great writer was just brilliant we'd have to put these little things together to get Ken from the I didn't know from one part of the set to the other and uh we were Ken liked to know who he was working with so we went to his the padium saw his show and went back afterwards yeah and um to meet him and it was extraordinary because Terry started humming as he does when he's a bit nervous in the dressing room you know out out out says Ken do you mustn't very bad luck as you know is a NP very bad luck to sing in the dressing room go outside and turn around three times and come in again and Terry just thought he was having a laugh you know and you saw in kend Do's eyes no absolutely meant it really this was the suspicion of the theater so it went he lived his life in theaters though didn't he cuz he was I mean and he was a genius but then he he Terry lived in South London I was going up to West London and K said you can come in come in a taxi with me again was a rather great moment so I go in the taxi and we get to um Kensington High Street where he drops me off and he said um oh that's uh £610 that's a66 10 Shillings um that's your share so I paid him6 10 Shillings that was it so another was a gag he really wanted he just played another sellout at the uh um at the Palladium but I thought that's great money went into a shoe box that went under the bed and remained Undeclared to this day yes well we know about all that yes if you're not aware of just Google it if you're if you're a lot of my young fans you see Michael my you know I bring in a lot of the the Young crowd younger than you you think really could you well there that's a lot of scope there's a lot of scope for them to be younger than me oh well you're you're very you're blessed with having good features and quite good skin no one's ever called my skin good before but I I'll take it for Michael he listen now before we got my glasses on before we leave that out of the quote um before we before we wrap up what what what more could you possibly want to do what do you you're you're in a new you are you know with with with Helen's passing sorry you you're at a new you're a very distinct Now new phase of your life are you already thinking or is it too soon to think about fortunately I had two sort of obligations to fulfill one is a book about my um uh great uncle Harry who died in the first world war and um I'd virally written that before Helen died but had to do I've got to do now the the final putting together of the book it's coming out in September there'll be all the publicity so so that that has to be done I'm also doing another uh travel Journey sometime and you you haven't mentioned comedy in in in these in these things going forward the the book about your great uncle Harry the the travel show what about comedy the last comedy thing I think of with you and correct me if I'm wrong was the brilliant death of staling oh yes yeah that was so good yeah yeah Armando fantastic team to be with also wonderful cast um yeah I mean I might might do that it's funny with comedy I I feel I've done so much and I've done it up to a certain standard you yeah you got a very high Benchmark it's quite difficult so where do I start writing comedy again I mean every day I could write comedy stuff I get ideas and I I still laugh a lot but it's actually the comedy success I suppose gave me the chance to do other things like traveling and the traveling led to learning more about the world and then that interest in my my relatives through this this um photo of my great uncle Harry which suddenly blossomed into a book that was because people said well you've done this that and the other try this so I'm very fortunate to be able to diversify so you just wait for in the hope that something as good as the death of Stalin because when something like that comes along I would have thought that was no BR you just go oh yeah I I want be part of that yeah well there's always a bit of acting I quite like acting but I don't quite know what sort of character to play now but anyway so there we are we could we could carry on like this Michael for another minute minute and a half but I know you're busy uh thanks for coming in yeah I've got a movie to shoot in the next minute yeah you've got that Avenue and you got that stage show Absolutely and that new cooking program of yours is uh yeah yeah that's on the hob I was kind of I got it I got it it's eight part series on the hob that's it's called on the hob oh was called on the job but you know we told not not doing that now now heing into life at the end of the interview now he starts to do stuff I was going to say to you before you go that one of the important things with podcasts I learn is to get those moments of something that can be clickbait so if you could just be angry with me for a second and we could use that as a trailer as if we fallen out um I mean a lot of your work has been quite poor hasn't it yeah yeah you're right no no don't agree with me you got you got you got to be angry with me we could use it as click you're saying what you feel and I I I think that's good to get it up because I know it's all bottled up in you but I've come here for an argument I wanted an argument no no no you ask me here today purely in in order to get out all the problems we've been having about my work in the past I understand that A syndrome you know it's I pretend I loveed him but there are one or two things I didn't like and actually there are more things I didn't like than I did like but how do I put them to him well I pretend I'll make up idea 50/50 it's about 5050 I mean you know and I've had to search hard to find the things I like so you're not going to get angry with me so that I can use it well I'll get angry with I'm what a dreadful guest there we are that'll be good we'll use that as a trailer oh shut up that's good we'll use that as well Michael thank you so much [Music] great

Channel: Rob Brydon

Views: 154,307

Keywords: rob brydon, brydon, podcast, comedy, british comedy, british comedian, gavin and stacey, michael palin, monty python

Id: fGizdcq2Vww

Length: 27min 6sec (1626 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 02 2023