One Saturday afternoon during this phase with me, I was sitting with my brother in the living room bored out of our wits. As we were flipping through the tv channels trying to find something interesting to watch, we came upon the local public broadcasting channel, WQED. There on the stage was a knight for lack of a better term addressing another knight dressed entirely in black. We both agreed that this looked to be interesting to watch and we sat back not at all expecting what was to unfold before our eyes.
The first knight identified himself as King Arthur and asked the other knight to join him in his quest for the Holy Grail. After no response, Arthur then went to leave, but the black knight would not allow him to pass. Nope, not without a duel to best the black knight. We became instantly glued to everything happening on the screen. Suddenly, from out of the blue, Arthur cuts off one of the black knight's arms and blood spurts freely. The black knight doesnt even flinch. My brother and I did a double take at each other not quite knowing how to react to such violence, let alone on PBS. At the same time, the lack of reaction on the black knight's part seemed strange. Then this following dialogue took place:
Arthur: "Now Stand Aside worthy adversary."
Knight: "'Tis but a scratch!"
Arthur: "A Scratch?! You're arm is off!!"
Knight: "No, it isnt!"
Arthur: "What's that then?" (pointing to the arm on the ground)
Knight: "I've had worse."
We starting laughing trying to keep a straight face, but the absurdity of the situation and the responses made it nearly impossible. That was our introduction to Monty Python. We sat there entranced throughout the remainder of the movie, often times laughing so loudly that large sections of dialogue went completely unheard. I became a convert to the complete absurdity that was the world in which Monty Python existed, but because it was my first exposure to them, Holy Grail has always held a very soft spot for me.
From that movie, I found when the Flying Circus was airing and began watching that as well. Yes, many of the bits and sketches didnt make a lot of sense, but there were always those few moments each show that could elicit riotous laughter from me. There was always something that seemed as if they were looking at the world through a warped fun house mirror and what they saw was much more interesting then reality could ever be.
I've always believed in the healing power of laughter. Still to this day, if I am ever feeing particularly down or unhappy, all I have to do is put on any of their movies, tv shows or recordings and through their humor, the world seems a much brighter place. Granted, knowing whats often coming in advance, I dont laugh quite as loudly anymore, but I still get a genuine grin at the inspired lunacy and legacy that those guys created for us all. Those of you who know Python dont need any prodding to enjoy them. Those of you who really arent familiar with them, suspend your belief of the 'real world' and give them a try. You might just find something to laugh about as well and the world can always use a little more laughter.