Eric Idle’s Daughter Helped Him Decide Which Monty Python Jokes Are Too Offensive Now
John Cleese just loves to complain about how many decades-old jokes don’t fly with modern audiences. He moaned about having to cut racial slurs from the stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers, refused to delete a scene from his Life of Brian play (even though no one actually asked him to) and once suggested that Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a victim of cancel culture after seemingly forgetting that it had been sold to Netflix.
But Cleese’s former collaborator and current social media nemesis Eric Idle has been way more chill when it comes to the subject of politically correct comedy. “You can’t be hip and cool and all that at 81. But you can’t be unthoughtful. You must be mindful of what people are thinking,” Idle explained during an appearance on The Daily Show. “My job is to make them laugh. And I like to hear them laugh — I think it’s a sickness.”
Per The Times, during a new interview with BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life, Idle revealed that his upcoming tour, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live! (his “first solo UK tour since 1973”) won’t feature some famous Python tracks. Why? Because he “now checks his material with the younger generation.”
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Audiences can still look forward to hearing the tour’s namesake song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. And Idle noted that he’s especially gratified to hear that the tune has become a staple for English funerals. “I find that very moving,” the comedian said. “It really pleases me that people choose it at a very solemn and sad moment in their lives.”
But not every song made the cut, due to evolving cultural standards. “Sometimes I’ll ask my daughter (35-year-old Lily Idle) or my goddaughter,” Idle explained. “I’ll say, ‘Can I say these things?’ And they’ll say, ‘Yeah, that’s okay,’ or not.”
And unlike Cleese, Idle doesn’t seem terribly concerned that the amorphous threat of cancel culture is out to get him. “I don’t worry about (being cancelled),” Idle admitted. “I’m not saying terribly controversial things; I’m trying to make them laugh. You can’t sing some of my songs (now)... so I write new ones.”
Idle listed the song “I Like Chinese,” from Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album, as one that he “can no longer perform,” for what should be obvious reasons. Idle actually did include the song in the Pythons’ 2014 reunion show, although he changed some of the more offensive lyrics. Now he’s sensibly decided to leave it off of the setlist entirely.
Had Cleese written “I Like Chinese,” he’d probably be in the process of turning the song into a stage show and rage-posting in response to any criticisms.
