Monty Python & Finding Humor in the Absurd

Last night I introduced my niece and nephew to Monty Python. I don't actually have any of the movies, but I do own four old cassettes of their skits. When I was young I use to listen to these (with many of you) , have them all memorized, and just crack up. It was "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" all over again last night as I was playing some of the old skits for them. I just kept cracking up. And now, as I think about it, I realize how totally absurd the Python humor is, and how my youthful Python indoctrination has influenced my adult sense of humor.

In "Spam", this lady at a cafeteria is listing menu choices to a customer, and they all have Spam in them. As she lists all the Spam on the menu, a group of Vikings behind her starts chanting "Spam spam spam spam!" and then breaks into song. Meanwhile the cafeteria lady is screaming "shut up! shut up! stupid vikings!"

It's just so surreal, but it cracks me up everytime I hear it. And I realize that I love that kind of surreal, slapstick humor, and don't particularly go in for the Jim Carey/Farelly brothers style of physical comedy, which is more about laughing at individuals than about laughing at the absurdity of life. I find so much of the Carey/Farelly brothers stuff distateful and cruel... even though both styles of comedy feature animal cruelty and extreme characters. That's probably why I like "Noises Off" so much... the humor comes in how people handle a crazy situation, rather than making the people crazy themselves. Well, maybe just a little bit :)

Thupt.

Show/Hide...