Book Review: So Anyway..., By John Cleese

At this point, I should just make this blog into a book review one...

First of all, I would highly recommend So Anyway... for any John Cleese fans out there.  This book received some mixed reviews, but I found that I really enjoyed it for some of the same reasons that others were disappointed in it. If there is one thing that you should know going into this book is that there is very little on the Monty Python days and almost nothing after that, because Cleese focuses very heavily on the first 25-30 years of his life. So, if you’re expecting a behind-the-scenes look at Monty Python, I can understand how you might be disappointed; however, I still think that Python fans would love this book, as long as they come to it with their eyes open. Plus, I thought that it was very funny, often laugh-out-loud-ly so.

Chronologically, the book starts from before Cleese’s birth (with some information about his parents and their families) and ends after the first shoot for the very first Monty Python episode. The last chapter then jumps ahead to the O2 Monty Python reunion. The book itself is a retrospective of Cleese’s concept of humor and comedy - from awkward child to law student, from traditional actor to absurdist comic genius. Through Cleese’s experiences, the reader is also given a fascinating look into the British education system and the British and American theatrical, film, and television industries of the mid-twentieth century. It also gives insight into a Great Britain that was poised to produce and nurture the new, surreal approach to comedy that would eventually become synonymous with UK wit and humor.

The best way I can describe this book is by analogy: I love history. But when I study a particular time period, I don’t really care about the dates of major wars, and I don’t want a list of influential rulers. When I study history, I want to know about people - how they lived and how they thought. Historic moments don’t just pop out of the ground. So Anyway... provides that kind of history. Although Cleese doesn’t focus on what everyone else would consider the major points of his career, he gives a wonderful account of the life and experiences that led to and helped create those major points. I would not consider this book a comprehensive study of Monty Python or even of Cleese’s career, but I would consider it an essential part of any real, in-depth look into either. And it’s primed for a part II.

Are you new to Monty Python?  Watch the following video.  If you love it, you'll love MP.  If you don't, you're wrong.