Before you look at my generous rating of this book and surf over to Chapters to order your copy, I will confess that I have been a Monty Python fan for over half my life, have seen all the movies, and own the two-volume set of scripts for the original television show as well as several of their audio recordings. I am also, despite being born in Canada, from a predominantly English household and therefore feel, rightly or wrongly, that I have some connection with the culture that gave birth to the Python troupe. So, take my limitless praise with a grain of salt.

This is a fascinating book, but if all you're looking for is hilarious one-liners or bizarre illustrations, keep looking. This is actually a serious (well, relatively serious) look at the history of Python, as told by the members themselves and a few hangers-on. David Morgan has culled material from many hours of interviews conducted with the five surviving members of Monty Python and arranged it so as to let them tell their own story. The combination of all these subjective viewpoints results in a wonderful objectivity, giving a very clear picture of the shifting dynamics of the group.

Two things that come through loud and clear in Monty Python Speaks are that all the Pythons consider themselves writers first and actors very much second, and that all of them take their work with Monty Python extremely seriously. We discover that all of their shows were totally scripted, with no improvisation allowed, and that there was almost no wrangling about who would play what part, just a mature consensus based on who was right for a given role. We learn how shocked Eric Idle was to hear that most of their American audience thought the Pythons were on drugs when they wrote the shows ("...as if anyone could successfully write stoned."). We see how Graham Chapman's drinking became a greater and greater problem for the troupe, until he went cold turkey in order to play Brian in Life of Brian, an act of utter professionalism.

For the Python connoisseur interested in how it all happened, this book is everything you've ever wanted to know. The text is enhanced by a number of photographs showing members of Python both on and off camera, and also showing how much they have changed in the thirty years since their first BBC broadcast. I have no doubt that David Morgan laboured long over the selection and ordering of the pieces, because the result is an absolutely seamless chronology of the development of Monty Python and, in the end, a well-rounded portrait of the Python phenomenon and its creators.

Not long before I wrote this review, the remaining members of Python (with the exception of Terry Gilliam) announced that they were planning to do a thirtieth anniversary special for the BBC, with all new material. Given the enormous imagination and energy of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle, this should be something to watch for. I hope it won't be too long before the latest installment in the Python saga makes it across the pond. Until then, Monty Python Speaks is a great way to whet your appetite for the latest from these ground-breaking performers.-Jarrod Chambers

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