Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
by Michael Palin
A Glimpse Into The Eye Of The Hurricane
“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.” —John Cleese
“For Palin it has been one hell of a ride, but he seems to have maintained
equilibrium all along the way. . . . In sum, it’s tempting to call him a
Renaissance Man. But that, as any Pythonite would be quick to tell you,
would be silly.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World

Michael Palin has kept a diary since he was newly married in the late
1960s, when he was beginning to make a name for himself as a TV
scriptwriter, and Monty Python was just around the corner.
This volume of his diaries reveals how Python emerged and
triumphed, how he, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, the two Terrys—
Jones and Gilliam—and Eric Idle came together and changed the face of
British comedy. But this is but only part of Palin’s story. Here too is his
growing family, his home in a north London Victorian terrace, his solo effort
as an actor, and his writing endeavours (often in partnership with Terry
Jones) that produce Ripping Yarns and even a pantomime.
Meanwhile, Monty Python refuses to go away: his account of the
making of both The Holy Grail and the Life of Brian movies are page-
turners, and the sometimes extraordinary goings-on of the many powerful
personalities who coalesced to form the Python team makes for funny and
riveting reading.
A perceptive and witty chronicle, the diaries are a rich portrait of a
fascinating period.
“[C]harming and at times revelatory . . . A voice of (relative sanity) in the
eye of a comedic storm, Palin paints so vivid a picture that the reader
becomes a Python by proxy.” —The New York Times Book Review
“It is terrifically good: funny, astute, and wonderfully written. . . . ”—The
Boston Globe
“This combination of niceness, with his natural volubility, creates Palin’s
expansiveness.” ---David Baddiel, The Times
“A real delight to read.” ---Saga Magazine (UK)
“His showbiz observations are so absorbing. . . . Palin is an elegant and
engaging writer.” ---William Cook, The Guardian (UK)

“A wealth of fascinating stuff about Monty Python.” ---The Independent
(UK)
“Our favourite TV explorer shows us the workings of an unstoppable
machine.” ---Daily Express (UK)
“A riveting commentary to a remarkably creative decade.” ---Academy (UK)
Personal Review: Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by
Michael Palin
Michael Palin writes as he speaks, without pretension, and with a great
deal of humor. These are his diaries, not initially meant for publication and
thus full of honest, blunt observations regarding films, books, his own
performances and the foibles of his fellow Pythons. Nobody escapes
unscathed here, though I doubt anyone that Mr. Palin wrote about would
dispute his conclusions.
The years 1969-1979 are some of the most amazing in Python history;
they begin as the Monty Python starts filming its first television series, and
concludes as Life of Brian is released and there is backlash from the
religious folks who don't understand the premise (and many of whom
proudly state that they haven't even bothered to see the film they're
condemning). Between these two seminal events are discussions of
filming on other projects, the need and the attempt to write, and a man's
deep and abiding love for his wife, children and parents. Reading the
passages about Palin's father weakening was moving in the extreme, and
his pain was palpable as the roles between father and son slowly reverse
themselves.
This is a hernia farm of a book at over 600 pages hardcover, exclusive of
introductions and index, but you soon forget your aching arms as the
pages fly. The life that Michael Palin has built for himself and his family is
so layered, rich and interesting (while still being fairly "normal") that you
only want the best for him and can't wait to read what happens next. I
understand that the next segment of diaries will be released in September
2009, and I'm very excited to read about that next decade in my favorite
Python's life.
Despite copious footnotes explaining the backgrounds of the people
mentioned, those who are not familiar with British comedy and culture may
find the narrative a little hard to follow, at least initially. Because I've been
living in London for a year or so, the people that Palin encounters (and
then writes about) have become more familiar to me. Even more

interesting were his mentions of favorite bookshops, restaurants and
London haunts which he enjoyed with his children (and, in some cases,
continues to enjoy to this day). In that respect, the Diaries became a bit of
a travelogue for my future travels around my new hometown.
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