International Monty Python Status Day is an annual event intended to raise awareness of how delightfully silly Monty Python is!

Invite your friends to spread the good cheer and delightful humour. Participating is easy; simply think of one of your favorite Monty Python quotes, and – on May 10 – post it as your status! It can be from the TV show, the movies, the musical, the live shows, Graham’s funeral, etc… or you can make it up yourself if you’re feeling particularly witty (a good way to figure out which of your friends are also Python fanatics). Have fun! Keep changing your status all day! Keep your friends guessing! And tag it #InternationalMontyPythonStatusDay so we can all share! Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British surreal comedy group who created their sketch comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series. The Python phenomenon developed from the television series into something larger in scope and impact, including touring stage shows, films, numerous albums, several books, and musicals. The Pythons’ influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles’ influence on music. Their sketch show has been referred to as “not only one of the more enduring icons of 1970s British popular culture, but also an important moment in the evolution of television comedy”.

Broadcast by the BBC between 1969 and 1974, Monty Python’s Flying Circus was conceived, written, and performed by its members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Loosely structured as a sketch show, but with an innovative stream-of-consciousness approach, aided by Gilliam’s animation, it pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content. A self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing and performing their work, the Pythons had creative control which allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. Following their television work, they began making films, which include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while in North America, it has coloured the work of cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television comedy. “Pythonesque” has entered the English lexicon as a result.

Links:
International Monty Python Status Day

Monty Python – Official Site

Quantifying the benefits of inefficient walking: Monty Python inspired laboratory based experimental study – publication / Onderzoek: Monty Pythons ‘silly walks’ zijn een goede training