My buddy Kim "Howard" Johnson knows the Monty Python guys about as well as anyone could, having worked for them and served as a historian of the enterprise. Here, he addresses some of my remarks here from the other day.
I believe him when he says the July shows in Great Britain will be the absolute last Python Reunion ever. I also believe him when he admits that anything can happen.
I also believe him when he tells me the Python Boys get along better than it may sometimes seem in print. I don't doubt that at all. I'm just kinda mystified why they allow the negative comments to get into the public record.
I have arguments and difficulties with people in my job…not many, as I've been fortunate to work with good people. Sergio Aragonés and I have been collaborating since around 1982 and I think we've had around three strong disagreements in that time, each of which was settled and forgotten in under five minutes. As mentioned a moment ago here, I've worked with Jim Davis since '87 and I don't recall any problems — disagreements, sure but nothing that would ever yield an angry remark, even in jest.
In other relationships, yeah, there have been spats. But the thing is that once you say something in public, especially in the Age of the Internet, it lives on forever, long after you've kissed and made up. So if you want to bury ill feelings, you keep them from strangers. Then the remarks don't get read and requoted long after the matter is history.
The men who are Monty Python are very, very smart people — all of them. I don't understand why they (and other smart people) let this stuff get into print and pixels. They're also guys who are really expert at being funny so when a nasty remark doesn't come off as humorous, I guess I assume it wasn't meant to be.