It\u2019s been awhile since I blogged and I apologize for my temporary absence from the misinformation highway, but it has been a time of great busyness and great elation for all Idles.<\/p>\n
If I may share a little of a Father\u2019s pride, my daughter Lily graduated, cum laude, from Whitman College, Walla Walla, and should by now be safely in Sasquatch.\u00a0\u00a0 I had the great joy of handing her her diploma and receiving a daughter\u2019s hug of delight.\u00a0 I had earlier accepted an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities, and in my Commencement Address (it\u2019s on the web if you care) I said my wife was thrilled she was finally married to a Doctor, and I was also thrilled, as I could now prescribe my own medical marijuana.<\/p>\n
According to the College President a web site had ranked me Number Three in Commencement Speakers, behind Oprah and Obama.\u00a0 But neither of them sang Always Look On The Bright Side of Life<\/i> with a College Band, so an Oregon newspaper put me at Number One.\u00a0\u00a0 Sadly on The Huffington Post link you cannot hear the band or the crowd at all, only my voice and guitar. \u00a0Pity that as everyone was in splendid whistling form and the band arrangement was wonderful, written and conducted by a student (oh irony) by the name of Jesus.\u00a0 (Not Brian.)<\/p>\n
The day before I did an hour presentation talk with Q and A which went very well and is also on the web if you want.\u00a0\u00a0 I showed a clip of Philosophers Football including my goal as Socrates on the old Bayern Munchen Ground (!) and we sang The Philosophers Song and my kids presented a huge Holy Grail to Varsity Nordic<\/i>, the Whitman College comedy club, for having the worst name for a Comedy Group since Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus.<\/i>\u00a0 There was a huge audience, some Q and A, and then a long signing.<\/p>\n
I had a nice email from Doctor Cleese congratulating me on becoming a Doctor, and wondering what all the fuss was from that Doctor Chapman.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Actually I think I must certainly be the last Python to receive a Doctorate??<\/p>\n
My son very kindly flew in from Brisbane to be with the lovely Tania and me, and we wine tasted and partied with the best of them.\u00a0\u00a0 It has been very sad to see him return to Australia last night, and my daughter head off to her new home in another town.\u00a0\u00a0 Proud tears, but sad ones.\u00a0 The nest is empty.\u00a0 The kids have gone.\u00a0\u00a0 Actually the nest isn\u2019t entirely empty, as the dogs are here, and a bunch of rats seem determined to nest here too.\u00a0\u00a0 There are more rats in Hollywood\u2026.<\/p>\n
Actually there are<\/i> currently masses of the rodents here in LA since we are all namby pamby liberals and use humane traps, which means we simply release them elsewhere, and of course they multiply elsewhere and then come back.\u00a0 We found one nest in my wife\u2019s car.\u00a0 They apparently love Lexus wiring.\u00a0 Ah that Japanese wiring.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s like noodles to them.\u00a0 Perhaps we can use the rodents for recycling, or their gases to power our vehicles.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m ambivalent about rats, having learned to love them when I played the Pied Piper for Faerie Tale Theater, <\/i>and even had them crawl all over me.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve had worse.\u00a0\u00a0 Some of those producers\u2026.don\u2019t start me.\u00a0\u00a0 Actually they were specially trained Hollywood rats and were flown to Toronto for the filming, and when finished they were donated to the local zoo to feed the snakes.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0\u00a0 Some kind of metaphor for the film business there.\u00a0 Work with a Python and then eaten by one.<\/p>\n
And talking of rats, back in Camelot The Grail on Sunday<\/i>, (nudge nudge) has been preparing another gas attack. I don\u2019t know what they are preparing to publish but from experience I\u2019m guessing rubbish.\u00a0 Lest their vile bile and poisonous untruths should sully the public record let me state quite clearly that I don\u2019t recall a time when the Pythons have got along more harmoniously.\u00a0 Last month we all met up and reminisced happily for a couple of hours about The Meaning of Life.\u00a0\u00a0 No, the movie.\u00a0\u00a0 This was an hilarious two hour re-union and I joined them at 3 in the morning from California via Skype in my pajamas.\u00a0 I also had a cameraman filming me, and now it\u2019s all cut together and it looks great and will be released in the Autumn\/ Fall.\u00a0\u00a0 We also sensibly determined to undertake a review of all our holdings in the face of this never ending lawsuit by a greedy bastard.\u00a0 The case has been with the judge since January and it has cost us a small fortune to defend ourselves against some large lies.\u00a0 Happily the plaintiff is bankrupt so if he loses we are going to ask for the death penalty.\u00a0 (Warning:\u00a0 This is a Joke.\u00a0 Jokes should not be read by unaccompanied journalists and in any case are highly toxic and dangerous to handle. They should be used only in the hands of qualified experts.)<\/i><\/p>\n
So that\u2019s it.\u00a0 Jolliness and fun, and special thanks to Tasha, (I am her Dogfather), Alix and Katy, who came all the way with us, and made the Marcus Whitman Hotel a happy center of celebration.\u00a0 Now I must put on my opera shoes on and head for New York.\u00a0\u00a0 But first a little visit from Professor Brian Cox and his lovely wife Gia\u2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Gillian Frew: 17 Funniest Lines from Monty Python Star Eric Idle’s Commencement Speech 5\/22\/13 8:27 AM<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/gillian-frew\/17-funniest-lines-from-monty-python-star_b_3315378.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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