Search results for ""Author Cleese John"

'A wonderful book. If you come across it, you must read it.' - John CleeseWhat does it mean for someone to be an a**hole? The answer is not obvious, despite the fact that we are often personally stuck dealing with people for whom there is no better name. Try as we might to avoid them, a**holes are found everywhere at work, at home, on the road, and in the public sphere. Encountering one causes great difficulty and personal strain, especially because we often cannot understand why exactly someone should be acting like that.A**hole management begins with a**hole understanding. In the spirit of the bestselling On Bullshit, James gives us the concepts to think or say why a**holes disturb us so, and explains why such people seem part of the human social condition, especially in an age of raging narcissism and unbridled capitalism. These concepts are also practically useful, as understanding the a**hole we are stuck with helps us think constructively about how to handle problems they present. We get a better sense of when the a**hole is best resisted, and when he is best ignored a better sense of what is, and what is not, worth fighting for.

Read more less

And now for something completely different. Professor at Large features beloved English comedian and actor John Cleese in the role of Ivy League professor at Cornell University. His almost twenty years as professor-at-large has led to many talks, essays, and lectures on campus. This collection of the very best moments from Cleese under his mortarboard provides a unique view of his endless pursuit of intellectual discovery across a range of topics. Since 1999, Cleese has provided Cornell students and local citizens with his ideas on everything from scriptwriting to psychology, religion to hotel management, and wine to medicine. His incredibly popular events and classes—including talks, workshops, and an analysis of A Fish Called Wanda and The Life of Brian—draw hundreds of people. He has given a sermon at Sage Chapel, narrated Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf with the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, conducted a class on script writing, and lectured on psychology and human development. Each time Cleese has visited the campus in Ithaca, NY, he held a public presentation, attended and or lectured in classes, and met privately with researchers. From the archives of these visits, Professor at Large includes an interview with screenwriter William Goldman, a lecture about creativity entitled, "Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind," talks about Professor at Large and The Life of Brian, a discussion of facial recognition, and Cleese's musings on group dynamics with business students and faculty. Professor at Large provides a window into the workings of John Cleese's scholarly mind, showcasing the wit and intelligence that have driven his career as a comedian, while demonstrating his knack of pinpointing the essence of humans and human problems. His genius on the screen has long been lauded; now his academic chops get their moment in the spotlight, too.

Read more less

John Cleese’s special introductions to each episode are included in this collection of all 12 TV soundtrack episodes.Welcome to Fawlty Towers, where attentive hotelier Basil Fawlty and his charming wife Sybil will attend to your every need - in your worst nightmare. With hapless waiter Manuel and long-suffering waitress Polly on hand to help, anything could happen during your stay - and probably will.Every episode of both TV series is included in this soundtrack collection: A Touch of Class; The Builders; The Wedding Party; The Hotel Inspectors; Gourmet Night; The Germans; Communication Problems; The Psychiatrist; Waldorf Salad; The Kipper and the Corpse; The Anniversary; Basil the Rat. Co-starring with John Cleese as Basil are Prunella Scales (Sybil), Andrew Sachs (Manuel), Connie Booth (Polly) with a supporting cast including Ballard Berkeley, Bernard Cribbins, Joan Sanderson, Geoffrey Palmer, Nicky Henson and Ken Campbell.Also included are special introductions to each episode by John Cleese.

Read more less

____________________________We can all be more creative. John Cleese shows us how.Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it's a skill that anyone can acquire. Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing.____________________________'Humorous and practical ... Whether you're hoping to write a novel or paint a masterpiece, you're sure to feel inspired' OK Magazine'His candor is endearing ... An upbeat guide to the creative process' Kirkus'A jovial romp ... Cleese fans will enjoy, and writers and other artists will breeze through, picking up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way' The Festival Review'A sincere and thoughtful guide to creativity, and a very useful book' Graham Norton'Wise words on the serious business of being silly' Sunday Business Post

Read more less

Brilliantly entertaining, enlightening and inspiring, Robin Skynner and John Cleese take on the big issue: life, and the challenge of living, in all its myriad forms. This book is an essential guide to surviving life's ups and downs - at home or in the workplace, as a member of a family or society. Presented in the same lively style as the best-selling Families and How to Survive Them, Life extends Skynner's and Cleese's study beyond the family to relationships and group interaction in life outside it. The book deals with such pithy issues as: -Why life gives you all the lessons you need-How grief can be good for you-Why work is essential to our psychological health-What mid-life crisis means for youWe are all searching for healthier, happier, more satisfying lives, but it's the journey that matters, not the destination. Skynner and Cleese are the perfect travelling companions.

Read more less

A candid and brilliantly funny memoir......of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a self-confessed comedy legend.En route, John Cleese describes his nerve-wracking first public appearance at St Peter’s Preparatory School at the age of eight and five-sixths; his endlessly peripatetic home life with parents who seemed incapable of staying in any house for longer than six months; his first experiences in the world of work as a teacher who knew nothing about the subjects he was expected to teach; his hamster-owning days at Cambridge; and his first encounter with the man who would be his writing partner for over two decades, Graham Chapman.And so on to his dizzying ascent via scriptwriting for Peter Sellers, David Frost, Marty Feldman and others to the heights of Monty Python.Punctuated from time to time with John Cleese’s thoughts on topics as diverse as the nature of comedy, the relative merits of cricket and waterskiing, and the importance of knowing the dates of all the kings and queens of England, this is a masterly performance by a former schoolmaster.

Read more less

Fawlty Towers was only on our screens for 12 half-hour episodes, but it has stayed in our lives ever since. The Major; 'Don't mention the war!'; 'He's from Barcelona'; Basil the Rat - everyone has a favourite line, moment or character. In this, the first biography of the show, Graham McCann holds up to the light each of the unpredictable elements - the demented brilliance of John Cleese, his creative partnership with Connie Booth - that added up to an immortal sitcom, beloved all over the world, even in Barcelona.

Read more less

'You'll never look at people in quite the same way again. EMOTIONS REVEALED is a tour de force' Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of BLINK'A fascinating and enormously helpful picture of our emotional lives' John Cleese'A charming, sound, sane map to the world of emotions, the perfect guide' Daniel Goleman, author of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.Using 40 years of groundbreaking research, Paul Ekman explores why and when we become emotional and what happens when we do - the external signs and facial expressions. So much of what we communicate is non-verbal. In this very practical book, Paul Ekman helps the reader to observe the underlying, concealed emotions that we can observe in those around us, and understand why our bodies react in the ways they do. EMOTIONS REVEALED also helps the reader to identify why they might feel 'overly' emotional in some situations, and why some people wear their heart on their sleeve whilst others manage to conceal their feelings, even from those close to them. Chapters include 'When do we get emotional?', 'Changing what we become emotional about' as well as 'Anger', 'Fear', 'Surprise' and 'Happiness'.Most importantly, it shows how we can apply this understanding to everyday situations to improve our quality of life.

Read more less

Being Sherlock shares the best collection of Sherlock Holmes stories fans have never had, until now. Shared by Sherlockian Ashley D. Polasek, she nimbly sets the stage for each story and shares interesting Sherlockian tidbits about the incredible evolution of this iconic character. Famous former and current Sherlocks include: William Gillette, Basil Rathbone, Christopher Lee, John Cleese, Robert Downey Jr., Sir Ian McKellen, and Benedict Cumberbatch among others. Featuring lesser-known photography and behind the scene shots, this book is for every Sherlock Holmes fan bookshelf. Unlike other Sherlockian guides, this book attempts to answer why the Sherlock narrative is so popular and decree the best and worst representations.

Read more less

In this book my father dies. I almost die.*** My showbiz career winds down. And yet everyone keeps telling me it's the funniest book I've ever written. If I'd known that's what the public wanted, I'd have cancelled Pets Win Prizes and just got sick sooner. Along the way this time we encounter, among others, David Bowie, Kanye West (I think), John Cleese, Peter O'Toole, and have several adventures in the Fourth Dimension. Oh, and I can reveal the Man With The Foulest Mouth In All Show Business. Plus assorted high-kicking hoopla and a whole lot of rather stark stuff about what it's like to be told you could be On The Way Out. *** (SPOILER ALERT: I don't actually die.)

Read more less

'Can books conduct electricity?''My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?' A John Cleese Twitter question ['What is your pet peeve?'], first sparked the "Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops" blog, which grew over three years into one bookseller's collection of ridiculous conversations on the shop floor. From 'Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about dinosaurs?' to the hunt for a paperback which could forecast the next year's weather; and from 'I've forgotten my glasses, please read me the first chapter' to 'Excuse me... is this book edible?' This full-length collection illustrated by the Brothers McLeod also includes top 'Weird Things' from bookshops around the world.

Read more less

A journalist, columnist, humorist and musician, Miles Kington began his writing career at Punch, where he created Franglais, a hugely popular fictional language, before going on to write a daily column for The Times, followed by the Independent. He wrote over thirty thousand newspaper columns in his lifetime, as well as contributing to countless magazines and other publications. When he died in 2008, he left behind an enormous archive of correspondence. Effortlessly funny and entertaining, this collection is full of Kington's inimitable style. He had kept copies of every letter he had sent or received for the best part of fifty years, letters to and from the great and the good of the arts - Terry Jones, Melvyn Bragg, Joanna Lumley, John Cleese, Andre Previn, Philip Larkin, Alan Coren, Kenneth Williams, and many more. My Mother, The Bearded Lady is a selection of these captivating letters, chosen and edited by his wife, Caroline Kington.

Read more less

The first feature film by the Monty Python team is a mock heroic tale set in medieval Britain with lots of silly things going on besides. In a series of sketches and animations, the Pythons recount scenes from the Grail legend in which the knights forsake their chorus line can-can dancing in Camelot for a higher aim. Typically, the Pythons set-up a 'historical' tale which is really a take on the modern world. Memorable scenes, like Graham Chapman's King Arthur battling with John Cleese's Black Knight until the latter is reduced limb by limb down to a speaking stump of a torso, capture both the hilarity and grotesque nature of brutality. In scene after scene King Arthur's men are led a merry chase through the countryside, encountering life on many different social levels. This screenplay edition contains just the script and is supplemented by stills from the film.

Read more less

The Bible According to Spike Milligan is an irreverent but very funny spoof of The Old Testament in which, in his own inimitable fashion, Spike Milligan gives his version of the best known biblical stories.In the Bible, according to Spike Milligan: "In the beginning God created the Heaven and Earth and darkness was upon the face of the deep; this was due to a malfunction at Lots Road Power Station...And God said 'Let there be light'."'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Read more less

''Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold'' JOHN CLEESE Viciously funny an exhilarating satire' THE TIMESWhat if calling someone stupid was illegal?In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is ''stupid''.Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is ''the last great civil rights fight''.Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don''t need a qualification to be a doctor.Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous.As

Read more less

'A lovely writer and performer. A very sweet man, much too nice for his own good...' - John Cleese'He wasn't so much the Seventh Python as the First Neil Innes... We were very lucky to have him on board. He was a great writer and he was eccentric and he was clever without being pretentious. And he was the warmest of people to be with... he was a most lovely friend' - Sir Michael PalinFew individuals have had such an impact on British culture over the past fifty years as the comedy and music icon Neil Innes.He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Beatles muse and collaborator. Injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Instigator of a revolution that led directly to Monty Python, the group he repeatedly joined on screen and stage. He was Ron Nasty, co-founder of the much-loved Rutles, the 'pre-fab four'. Accidental inventor of the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Much-loved child

Read more less

''Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold'' JOHN CLEESE Viciously funny an exhilarating satire' THE TIMESWhat if calling someone stupid was illegal?In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is ''stupid''.Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is ''the last great civil rights fight''.Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don''t need a qualification to be a doctor.Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous.As

Read more less

VOLUME FIVE OF SPIKE MILLIGAN'S LEGENDARY MEMOIRS IS A HILARIOUS, SUBVERSIVE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WW2'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard______________ 'Back to those haunting days in Italy in 1944, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, with lava running in great red rivulets down the slope towards us, and Jock taking a drag on his cigarette and saying, "I think we've got grounds for a rent rebate."' Where Have All the Bullets Gone? sees our hero dispatched from the front line to psychiatric hospital and from there to a rehabilitation camp. Considered loony (and 'unfit to be killed in combat by either side'), he becomes embroiled in his own private battle with melancholy. But it is music, wit and a little help from his friends - including one Gunner Harry Secombe - that help carry him through to his first stage appearances . . . ______________'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry

Read more less

Milligan's Meaning of Life is a glorious celebration of the legendary Spike Milligan. Here you will find his most intimate and hilarious reflections on life.With his lightning-quick wit, unbridled creativity and his ear for the absurd, Milligan revolutionised British comedy. Throughout his life, Milligan also wrote prolifically - scripts, poetry, fiction, as well as several volumes of memoir, in which he took an entirely idiosyncratic approach to the truth. In this ground-breaking work, Norma Farnes, his long-time manager, companion, counsellor and confidante, gathers together the loose threads, reads between the lines and draws on the full breadth of his writing to present his life in his own words: an autobiography - of sorts.From his childhood in India, through his early career as a jazz musician and sketch-show entertainer, his spells in North Africa and Italy with the Royal Artillery, to that fateful first broadcast of The Goon Show and beyond into the annals of comedy history, this is the autobiography Milligan never wrote.'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie IzzardSpike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Read more less

Monty Python rides again. Those malicious rumours that they were washed up, pooped out, time expired (usually started by them) simply aren't true. With the launch of the sell-out show 'Monty Python Live (mostly)’, the great, hugely influential comedy group geared up anew, surprising even more generations. This revised and updated edition charts the course of a revolution in British comedy and will appeal to die-hard fans and new recruits alike. The world of Python, its ear finely tuned to the absurd, was that rare beast: absolute originality. This tribute to the inspired collective genius of John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman, is based on personal reminiscences and exclusive interviews with each of them. It recounts, with many illustrations from the archives, their pre-Pythonic lives, their meeting, it's impact and the aftermath. They have come a long way over the years since then. Today, Gwen Dibley would hardly know them (were she still alive). The book is a faithful chronicle of the people and events who engendered a revolution in comedy.

Read more less

VOLUME TWO OF SPIKE MILLIGAN'S LEGENDARY MEMOIRS IS A OUTRAGEOUS, HILARIOUS WW2 MEMOIRS'Brilliant verbal pyrotechnics, throwaway lines and marvelous anecdotes' Daily Mail'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times______________'Keep talking, Milligan. I think I can get you out on Mental Grounds.''That's how I got in, sir.''Didn't we all.'The second volume of Spike Milligan's legendary recollections of life as a gunner in World War Two sees our hero into battle in North Africa - eventually. First, there is important preparation to be done: extensive periods of loitering ('We had been standing by vehicles for an hour and nothing had happened, but it happened frequently'), psychological toughening ('If a man dies when you hang him, keep hanging him until he gets used to it') and living dangerously ('no underwear!'). At last the battle for Tunis is upon them . . .______________'The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard'A totally original comedy writer' Michael Palin'Close in stature to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in his command of the profound art of nonsense' Guardian

Read more less

Goodbye Soldier is volume six of Spike Milligan's outrageous, hilarious, legendary War Memoirs.'My namer is Maria Antonoinetta Fontana, but everyone call me Toni.''I'm Spike,' sometimes known as stop thief or hey you.'Yeser, I know.'The sixth volume of Spike Milligan's off-the-wall account of his part in World War Two sees our hero doing very little soldiering. Because it's 1946. Rather, he is now part of the Bill Hall Trio - a 'Combined Services Entertainment' inflicted on unsuspecting soldiers across Italy and Austria - and is largely preoccupied with the unbearably beautiful ballerina, Ms Toni Fontana ('Arghhhhhhhhh!). But he must enjoy it while he can before he is demobbed and sent home to Catford - so he does ...'The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express 'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Read more less

Monty: His Part in My Victory is volume three of Spike Milligan's outrageous, hilarious, legendary War Memoirs.'It's all over, Von Arnheim has surrendered and he's very angry.''This could mean war...'The third volume of Spike Milligan's laugh-a-line account of life as a gunner in World War Two resumes on the eve of victory in North Africa. Now Britain's looniest war hero must combat some of the direst threats a soldier has ever faced - boredom ('Christ, I just thought of Catford'), a cold ('In this weather?' 'Yed.'), moving camp ('It's a sort of Brighton with camels'), relaxing on the beach ('Life was golden, and we were the assayers'), moving camp again ('We're already somewhere else'), a visit to Carthage ('It's terrible, it's like Catford') and a perilous encounter with the gloriously endowed Mademoiselle Villion ('"Help! massage," I said weakly'). Against the odds, they survive and are sent at last to Italy to be killed...'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Read more less

Peace Work is volume seven of Spike Milligan's outrageous, hilarious, legendary War Memoirs.'I had not informed my parents of my return, I wanted it to be a lovely surprise; it was, for me, they were away ...'The seventh and last volume of Spike Milligan's memoirs sees our hero returning from war and Italy ... but to what? Aside from shooting large, inaccurate guns at Germans, all he has done for five long years is blow a trumpet, tell rude jokes and write and perform sketches for the entertainment of bored and murderous soldiers - who on earth is going to pay a civilian to do more of that? From the giddy heights of Hackney Empire to a Zurich Freak Show and beyond, Spike makes his way through the backwaters of showbiz, first as band musician then as one-man wild-act and eventually in the company of a group of like-minded comedians called Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers. They decide to call themselves The Goons...'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Read more less

Volume one of Spike Milligan's legendary memoirs is a hilarious, subversive first-hand account of WW2'The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express'Close in stature to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in his command of the profound art of nonsense' Guardian______________'At Victoria station the R.T.O. gave me a travel warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler marked "This is your enemy". I searched every compartment, but he wasn't on the train . . .'In this, the first of Spike Milligan's uproarious recollections of life in the army, our hero takes us from the outbreak of war in 1939 ('it must have been something we said'), through his attempts to avoid enlistment ('time for my appendicitis, I thought') and his gunner training in Bexhill ('There was one drawback. No ammunition') to the landing at Algiers in 1943 ('I closed my eyes and faced the sun. I fell down a hatchway').Filled with bathos, pathos and gales of ribald laughter, this is a barely sane helping of military goonery and superlative Milliganese.______________'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard'Manifestly a genius, a comic surrealist genius and had no equal' Terry Wogan'A totally original comedy writer' Michael Palin

Read more less

VOLUME FOUR OF SPIKE MILLIGAN'S LEGENDARY MEMOIRS IS A HILARIOUS, SUBVERSIVE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WW2 'Brilliant verbal pyrotechnics, throwaway lines and marvelous anecdotes' Daily Mail 'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times ______________ A voice is calling across the land, 'Bombardier Milligan.' 'Bombadier Milligan is dead,' I replied in a disguised voice. The voice replied, 'Then he's going to miss his breakfast.' The fourth volume of Spike Milligan's legendary account of his time in the army during World War Two begins as he and his regiment land in sunny Italy in 1943 ('The ship touched the beach very gently, so gently I suspect it's not insured').After a bout of Sandfly Fever, from which he soon recovers ('I'm ready to be killed again'), our plucky hero is piddled on by a farm dog ('Mussolini's revenge?') before forging his way inland towards the enemy and the sound of guns ('We're getting near civilisation'), where matters suddenly take a dark turn ('I was not really me any more') . . . ______________ 'The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express 'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'A totally original comedy writer' Michael Palin 'Close in stature to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in his command of the profound art of nonsense' Guardian

Read more less

"If you know someone who missed out on Latin at school and wants to live a happier life, you could do no better than give them Harry Mount's entertainingly educative Latin primer." Daily Mail"Amo, Amas, Amat is a diverting meander and Mount's love of Latin shines out on every page." The Spectator"Latin without the pain." Guardian"If you studied Latin at school this will bring back fond memories, but even newcomers will be captivated by this witty and entertaining book..." Yorkshire Evening PostHave you ever found yourself irritated when a sine qua non or a mea culpa is thrown into the conversation by a particularly annoying person? Or do distant memories of afternoons spent struggling to learn obscure verbs fill you with dread? Never fear! Or, as a Latin show-off might say, Nil desperandum!Those endless afternoons where you struggled to remember the third person singular present indicative of volo (vult) may be a long time ago. But, if you have the vaguest memory of the ablative absolute, the locative and the gerund, you mastery of Latin will spring back to life with Amo, amas, amat...and all that. In his trip through the world's most influential language, Harry Mount uncorks its magic, drawing on Latin lovers from Kingsley Amis to John Cleese, from Evelyn Waugh to Donna Tart. Read this book and you will know Latin. Know Latin and - mirabile dictu - you will know Wilfred Owen's misery, Catullus's aching heart and the comedy of a thousand bachelor schoolmasters.

Read more less

'Laughter yoga is a perfect way to laugh and get exercise at the same time...I've tried it, and it works.' - Oprah WinfreyWith Laughter Yoga, join the worldwide movement and discover how laughter really is the best medicine!This book will show you how to bring laughter into your life at any time of the day - no special equipment needed, no new wardrobe, no expensive classes, not even a sense of humour!Laughter Yoga is all about voluntary laughter - how you can learn to laugh even in the absence of humorous stimuli, and reap the extraordinary, scientifically proven benefits, which include stress reduction, pain relief, weight loss and enhanced mood. If you act happy, you'll become happy - your body can't tell the difference.The exercises in Laughter Yoga combine voluntary laughter with yogic breathing to give you a full mind-body workout. And it turns out that laughter is the fastest way to reduce stress and the best kind of cardio: 30 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to thirty minutes on the rowing machine.'Laughter connects you with people. It's almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you're just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.' - John Cleese, after visiting a laughter club in Mumbai during the filming of BBC's TV series The Human Face'Laughter yoga exemplifies a form of 'right-brain thinking' that managers should promote.' - Daniel H. Pink

Read more less

'Laughter yoga is a perfect way to laugh and get exercise at the same time...I've tried it, and it works.' - Oprah WinfreyWith Laughter Yoga, join the worldwide movement and discover how laughter really is the best medicine!This book will show you how to bring laughter into your life at any time of the day - no special equipment needed, no new wardrobe, no expensive classes, not even a sense of humour! Laughter Yoga is all about voluntary laughter - how you can learn to laugh even in the absence of humorous stimuli, and reap the extraordinary, scientifically proven benefits, which include stress reduction, pain relief, weight loss and enhanced mood. If you act happy, you'll become happy - your body can't tell the difference. The exercises in Laughter Yoga combine voluntary laughter with yogic breathing to give you a full mind-body workout. And it turns out that laughter is the fastest way to reduce stress and the best kind of cardio: 30 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to thirty minutes on the rowing machine.'Laughter connects you with people. It's almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you're just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.' - John Cleese, after visiting a laughter club in Mumbai during the filming of BBC's TV series The Human Face'Laughter yoga exemplifies a form of 'right-brain thinking' that managers should promote.' - Daniel H. Pink

Read more less

Ni! Peng! Nee-wom! Applause Theatre & Cinema Books revered and august publisher of weighty tomes on all things histrionic is proud to present ÊMonty Python FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Spam Grails Spam Nudging Bruces and SpamÊ the only 127% unauthorized guide to the greatest comedy troupe to ever feature Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones and Michael Palin to what is doubtlessly an astute and discerning global audience! Written in Applause's popular FAQ format this behemoth pack a broad range of historical trivia trivial history illicit paraphernalia and sophomoric overeducation into a tastefully apportioned ranged of eminently readable silly-walk-accessible chapters sure to delight Python newcomers and veterans alike.ÞRather than offering narrow analyses of the quintet's work ÊMonty Python FAQÊ ganders at the big picture tracing the Pythons across space time and media format. This noble quest for meaning leaves no turn unstoned from the Pythons' time immersed in the sketch comedy scene they grew out of to their boundary-breaking undefinable anarchic new style from their comedic influences to biographical info on each of the individual Pythons (including an examination of their lives and work post-Python) from the book's front cover to its reverse and from the beginning of this sentence to its mawkish and merciful end. Much like the troupe itself the writers of ÊMonty Python FAQÊ stuff their work with allusions to canonical literature and philosophy but never forgot that sometimes it's just as funny to see somebody get slapped in the face with a fish. DUCK!ÞOther selling points include:ÞÛ 60% more fish-slapping than any other Monty Python book on or slightly underneath the market!ÞÛ No joke names but plenty of bad Latin!ÞÛ In-depth cogent and rapier-witted insights (not to mention naughty limericks and highly questionable assertions)!ÞÛ Not one not two but THREE authors: Chris Barsanti Jeff Massey Brian Cogan!ÞÛ Candid commentary ... nudge nudge wink wink know what we mean?

Read more less

An insider’s view on blockbuster deal-making and part cultural tour de force, An Improbable Journey is a one-of-a-kind, deeply textured account of how some of the greatest artists of all time pushed to realize their greatest ambitions—with the help of Charles Lubar.The year was 1971. Thirty-year-old Charles Lubar, a Washington, D.C.–born Harvard Law School graduate with a two-and-a-half-year deep dive in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the Internal Revenue Service recently behind him, was floundering in Nairobi, Kenya where he had come to seek the kind of high-stakes adventures one could never find at a major law firm in the U.S. But with his entrepreneurial hopes quashed in Nairobi by an environment that hardly wrapped its arms around outsiders, Indians being expelled from Kenya, and Idi Amin—the ruthless despot—on the brink of taking over in neighboring Uganda and soon to wreak havoc throughout the region, Lubar decided to pick up his stakes. With a sense of timing that would come to his aid again and again throughout his life, the young lawyer opted to make his next home in the UK. Little did he know that he would soon be swimming hard and fast in 1970s London during a cultural surge of film, television, music, and the stage. “Hired off the street” by two American lawyers in London—the brassy entertainment lawyer Irwin Margulies and the corporate transactional lawyer Barry Sterling—Lubar could never have predicted that his work would soon put him front and center at some of the biggest moments with some of the biggest names in showbiz. From the James Bond franchise to Linda Lovelace and “Deep Throat”; from Jim Henson and The Muppets to Michael Jackson and the Beatles; from behind the Iron Curtain to the islands of the Netherlands Antilles, Lubar’s rare knowledge of the tax codes spanning Europe and the U.S. made him an indispensable figure to creatives trying to make their financial lives work on both sides of the Atlantic. His list of clients goes on and on: Bill Graham, John Cleese, Santana, Diana Ross, Frank Oz, Chuck Traynor, Marilyn Chambers, Barbara Bach, Jane Seymour, Shakira, and Enrique Iglesias. Many turned to Lubar in real need of his assistance at the very prime (and sometimes, nadir) of their careers. Lubar’s bona fides would even land him a spot on the US-UK Fulbright Commission, as President of the Yale Club of London, and a Managing Partner in London of one of the major international law firms. An Improbable Journey shows a risk-taker with his finger living right on the cultural pulse of a moment.

Read more less

What did Basil Fawlty fail to avoid mentioning? Why did Sybil keep snagging her cardies? Where was Polly on the night of the Great Wedding Anniversary disaster? This book presents the scripts for the show's classic episodes.

Read more less

This is the definitive, the official, the most lavish, the completely-different-to-anything-done-before Pythons' autobiography, reissued to coincide with the eagerly-anticipated live shows.Over forty years ago, a group of five Englishmen - and one wayward American - rewrote the rules of comedy. MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, an unheralded, previously unseen half-hour show of sketches, hilarities, inanities and animations, first appeared on the BBC late one night in 1969. Its impact has been felt on the world ever since. From its humble beginnings, it blossomed into the most influential movement in modern comedy. THE PYTHONS' AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY THE PYTHONS is a unique look at arguably the most important comic team of the modern age, with 64 pages of photographs, many culled from the team's own personal collections, many more seen for the first time. This is the definitive word on all things Pythonesque.

Read more less