October 22, 2024 • 9 mins
Monty Python's Eric Idle joined Tracey for a chat ahead of his New Zealand shows this week
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Gold, a sides podcast The Stories behind Just Great Rock.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I saw you on the Daily Show just recently saying
you thought that they were sending you to New York,
not New Zealand, and now you're going to be performing
in front of a lot of sheep. I mean we
start having you know.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
He threw it on me. I'm not responsible for what
I say on air. Well, New Zealand's changed a lot.
Actually since I first start come in here, it was
very many more sheep than populous. Yeah, but it's changed
a lot. It's changed a lot, and I've seen more
of it too, which is interesting.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Of course, It's nice to have you on the radio
because I know you're a former radio guy yourself. You
did BBC Radio One for a while, which is about
as iconic as a radio station can get.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
But I did a comedy on it. It's called Radio five,
and in those days there are only four radio channels,
so I made one up called Radio five and it
played my favorite songs, but also did sketches which took
forever in there to cut everything, upload every voice, and
you have to make every cut by hand, you with
a little razor blade. And Stitch.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I remember those days.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Took about ten hours to make one hour show. Yeah.
I wrote for a show called I'm Sorry I'll read
that Again, which recorded on a Sunday night and had
a live and very volatile, screaming, shouting audience. It was comedy.
Tim Taylor was in it, John Clues was in it.
Grand Garden was in it. That was my first writing.
I first sold to be with BBC Radio. I've got
(01:35):
three guineas some in it, and then I moved on
to BBC Television and I got ten guineas. I love
the way the page you in guineas. You know it's nice.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Money's always been on TV, isn't it now. I just
saw a movie last week. It's a brand new movie
coming up called Saturday Night Live because obviously they're in
the fiftieth anniversary as well. And this this new movie
is set around the opening night of and L and
the ensuing chaos. And you hosted and L a few
times back in its early days, didn't you.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I did. And I talked to one of the writers
who actually seen the movie and which she's pretty good,
although he sat next to Chevy who kept saying that
didn't happen. Now, I wasn't like that. That didn't happen. Everybody,
everybody has different memories. And I think Ivan, right when
he's his son, directed it, and you know, obviously you
take certain liberties, you know, to make a movie, to
(02:22):
make a story. So we went to see it during
the first season because Python were on stage at City
Center and on the Saturday night, Gilliam and I went
and visited and still on the set they had the
Muppets on, and of course the guys didn't like the Muppets,
so they thought it was really uncol and got rid
of them at the end of the first year. They
(02:42):
should have stayed with it. I said, you should stay
with the Muppets and left this lot behind to my
writer friend because they went to England and then an
international success of it.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, well, the Muppets featured very heavily in this new movie.
It made me think, actually about what you said about
the early days of Minty Python. How you guys were
given free reign, You were told to fill a late
night slot. There were no executives and suits, not dissimilar
to the early days.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
If he said, now, yes, and to me it was
very strongly and they sort of took over a wing
of thirty Rock. No executives allowed here, and they shut
their doors, and you know, it's a bit chaotic, quite interesting.
They write all night there because they always wrote to
the last minute. On a Tuesday, they'd finish it. And
the only thing wrong is you never got re rehearsal
and you didn't get rewrite time. I think it was
(03:26):
made it hard. I think I hosted the second show
of the second series and I had Joe Cocker as
my guest, and on my show Nudge nudj, I do
the clip of it of me hosting it, of Joe
Cocker being mocked by John Belushi. It was very difficult
as a post of Monty Python, where they didn't find
out about us till we've finished doing the in tag series.
(03:47):
They had to face all the disadvantages of being suddenly famous.
They were a very lovely cast. I love them. I
like danat Croyd particularly. It was very funny and he
wrote his own stuff. Belushi was a madman. I met
my wife because she'd come from Chicago with them, and
she was friends with them all at Second City in Chicago,
so she moved with all that lot. So I became
very friendly. I got friends with them and they were fabulous.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Well that's quite a connection. I hadn't realized it actually
ran quite so deep. That's quite a phenomenal story.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Well, she likes animals and comedians. Okay, so she married
a python. So make of it what you have got.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I mean, they do a lot of improv ons Andel
and I know there's a well proven crossover between you know,
comedy and music. We had Bill Bailey here in New
Zealand last year and his show was very music heavy.
You're incredibly musical. You play guitar. I mean, it's what
bonded you with mister George Harrison, isn't it with those
books behind you?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yes? Yes, And a lot of my friends are musicians
for that very reason. I love jamming. We all called
it a ding dong back home. We have dinner and
a ding dong and then we have this people like
weird Ol comes over and improvises with Hiscordian. You know,
we have great people come and play. It's terrific.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You come from a very rare place of actually having
known the Beatles, and you've said it was their humor
that actually helped break them in America because they're actually
really funny guys.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I really believe that because if you look at the
first publicity thing where they arrive at the airport and
they're shoved into this room and they're suddenly hilarious Ringo particularly,
it's hilarious. What do you call that? Haircot? George? You know,
you know, how do you find America? Turn the left
of Greenland? They were there with all the one liners
and they're Liverpool and their scouse and they were always funny,
(05:24):
and I think that's what first attracted people to them
on the television before they did the big show, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
And being such a music fan as you are, what
what's some music do you like to listen to? Like
if you're driving in your car, what's your go to
driving music?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
All the way here I listened to Alison Krause, whom.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Alison Kraus who made a great record with Robert Plant
I know your Ziplin connection from back in the day
as well with the Holy Grail.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yes was his I still pay him for spam alot,
do you?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
He still gets a check. He never writes no, not
a word, not no. But they did turn up at
the opening in New York Plant and Page, who funded
the Holy Grail put some money into it, suddenly appeared
and they sat with us all day because we were
trapped in the cinema. We didn't know them. I'd never
met them before.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
But the great thing was, I'm the same generation as
all those guys. Of course, we're all went born at
the same time. Around the end of the war we
had rationing. You know, it was toughic om theres. So
it was easy to be friends with them because they
were just the people the same age. So and they
turn out to be very interesting people.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, I mean, obviously your career extends way beyond your
legend of Python. You're a very talented and published author.
Spam a lot diaries, which I have a copy of.
It is just out in Australia. It's just out in
New Zealand this week or next week.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I believe it's on its way. We keep hearing bookshops
have booked it and it's it's arriving. I think it's
like Santa.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
An all the rediscovered Diary of yours must have been
amazing to come across it again after so many years.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Well, it was because I'd completely forgotten I kept a
diary during that period of time. I just remember Mike
Nichols saying, I do hate it when people keep diaries.
And I'd already started writing it. I thought I'd better
keep that shut up then, you know, so it wasn't
the journey to publish it. And that's what makes this,
I think the diary of the most intimate form, because
you're only writing to yourself. You're not writing for a public.
(07:15):
You're not trying to look good. You say, if you're
grumpy or miserable, fed up, want to go home, you
write it down, and that's I think both healthy and
interesting when you look at it later.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah, let's talk about the new show, The Bright Side
of Life Live a one man musical. But you do
have a virtual band. I understand when if you need them,
they just appear on screen. It's a great way of.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Killing This is a first that the first to bring
a virtual band on tour with him. And it's the
same three guys they play for the Monkeys, and they're very,
very good, and I've been jamming with them, and so
I thought, well one and I'd start of singing the
you know, the Philosopher's song alone. Why don't. I have
them at the back with the hats on, and also
I sing with them playing guitar as well, so it's interactive,
(07:59):
not just Jerry active.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You obviously don't have the big touring party to kick
around with it in your downtime between shows. What do
you like to do when you're in a different country
on the road between shows and travel days? Are you
like a foodie? Do you like to get out in
sight seed? Do you just like to wander around?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I can't walk as well as I used to. Ilwa
was used to walk around the cities and see where
I was. Now do someone like have a cup of
ty and a good read? But on this one we
haven't had much time. We're working in a new show too,
so that's going to take a little bit extra than
the normal. It's a big job.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, well you're a new books spell a lot. It
is just out of be out here in New Zealand
in the coming weeks touring New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington this week,
christ Church next week. Tickets are on sale now through
ticket taking ticket Master. It is amazing to have you here.
I mean, as you say, your job is basically cheering
people like making people laugh. There's definitely must be worst
jobs to have them going around the world doing that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
There are many worst jobs, believe me, and I'm very
grateful for that. It's nice to do that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It's an absolutely honor to have you here. What a
pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time
to speak with your fans here in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
That's very kind. Look forward to entertaining them.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Gold Asides Podcast The stories behind Just Great Rock. If
you enjoyed this podcast, click to share with family or friends.
For Just Great Rock, listen to gold FM anytime anywhere
on iHeartRadio
Gold, a sides podcast The Stories behind Just Great Rock.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I saw you on the Daily Show just recently saying
you thought that they were sending you to New York,
not New Zealand, and now you're going to be performing
in front of a lot of sheep. I mean we
start having you know.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
He threw it on me. I'm not responsible for what
I say on air. Well, New Zealand's changed a lot.
Actually since I first start come in here, it was
very many more sheep than populous. Yeah, but it's changed
a lot. It's changed a lot, and I've seen more
of it too, which is interesting.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Of course, It's nice to have you on the radio
because I know you're a former radio guy yourself. You
did BBC Radio One for a while, which is about
as iconic as a radio station can get.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
But I did a comedy on it. It's called Radio five,
and in those days there are only four radio channels,
so I made one up called Radio five and it
played my favorite songs, but also did sketches which took
forever in there to cut everything, upload every voice, and
you have to make every cut by hand, you with
a little razor blade. And Stitch.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I remember those days.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Took about ten hours to make one hour show. Yeah.
I wrote for a show called I'm Sorry I'll read
that Again, which recorded on a Sunday night and had
a live and very volatile, screaming, shouting audience. It was comedy.
Tim Taylor was in it, John Clues was in it.
Grand Garden was in it. That was my first writing.
I first sold to be with BBC Radio. I've got
(01:35):
three guineas some in it, and then I moved on
to BBC Television and I got ten guineas. I love
the way the page you in guineas. You know it's nice.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Money's always been on TV, isn't it now. I just
saw a movie last week. It's a brand new movie
coming up called Saturday Night Live because obviously they're in
the fiftieth anniversary as well. And this this new movie
is set around the opening night of and L and
the ensuing chaos. And you hosted and L a few
times back in its early days, didn't you.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I did. And I talked to one of the writers
who actually seen the movie and which she's pretty good,
although he sat next to Chevy who kept saying that
didn't happen. Now, I wasn't like that. That didn't happen. Everybody,
everybody has different memories. And I think Ivan, right when
he's his son, directed it, and you know, obviously you
take certain liberties, you know, to make a movie, to
(02:22):
make a story. So we went to see it during
the first season because Python were on stage at City
Center and on the Saturday night, Gilliam and I went
and visited and still on the set they had the
Muppets on, and of course the guys didn't like the Muppets,
so they thought it was really uncol and got rid
of them at the end of the first year. They
(02:42):
should have stayed with it. I said, you should stay
with the Muppets and left this lot behind to my
writer friend because they went to England and then an
international success of it.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, well, the Muppets featured very heavily in this new movie.
It made me think, actually about what you said about
the early days of Minty Python. How you guys were
given free reign, You were told to fill a late
night slot. There were no executives and suits, not dissimilar
to the early days.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
If he said, now, yes, and to me it was
very strongly and they sort of took over a wing
of thirty Rock. No executives allowed here, and they shut
their doors, and you know, it's a bit chaotic, quite interesting.
They write all night there because they always wrote to
the last minute. On a Tuesday, they'd finish it. And
the only thing wrong is you never got re rehearsal
and you didn't get rewrite time. I think it was
(03:26):
made it hard. I think I hosted the second show
of the second series and I had Joe Cocker as
my guest, and on my show Nudge nudj, I do
the clip of it of me hosting it, of Joe
Cocker being mocked by John Belushi. It was very difficult
as a post of Monty Python, where they didn't find
out about us till we've finished doing the in tag series.
(03:47):
They had to face all the disadvantages of being suddenly famous.
They were a very lovely cast. I love them. I
like danat Croyd particularly. It was very funny and he
wrote his own stuff. Belushi was a madman. I met
my wife because she'd come from Chicago with them, and
she was friends with them all at Second City in Chicago,
so she moved with all that lot. So I became
very friendly. I got friends with them and they were fabulous.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Well that's quite a connection. I hadn't realized it actually
ran quite so deep. That's quite a phenomenal story.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Well, she likes animals and comedians. Okay, so she married
a python. So make of it what you have got.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I mean, they do a lot of improv ons Andel
and I know there's a well proven crossover between you know,
comedy and music. We had Bill Bailey here in New
Zealand last year and his show was very music heavy.
You're incredibly musical. You play guitar. I mean, it's what
bonded you with mister George Harrison, isn't it with those
books behind you?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yes? Yes, And a lot of my friends are musicians
for that very reason. I love jamming. We all called
it a ding dong back home. We have dinner and
a ding dong and then we have this people like
weird Ol comes over and improvises with Hiscordian. You know,
we have great people come and play. It's terrific.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You come from a very rare place of actually having
known the Beatles, and you've said it was their humor
that actually helped break them in America because they're actually
really funny guys.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I really believe that because if you look at the
first publicity thing where they arrive at the airport and
they're shoved into this room and they're suddenly hilarious Ringo particularly,
it's hilarious. What do you call that? Haircot? George? You know,
you know, how do you find America? Turn the left
of Greenland? They were there with all the one liners
and they're Liverpool and their scouse and they were always funny,
(05:24):
and I think that's what first attracted people to them
on the television before they did the big show, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
And being such a music fan as you are, what
what's some music do you like to listen to? Like
if you're driving in your car, what's your go to
driving music?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
All the way here I listened to Alison Krause, whom.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Alison Kraus who made a great record with Robert Plant
I know your Ziplin connection from back in the day
as well with the Holy Grail.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yes was his I still pay him for spam alot,
do you?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
He still gets a check. He never writes no, not
a word, not no. But they did turn up at
the opening in New York Plant and Page, who funded
the Holy Grail put some money into it, suddenly appeared
and they sat with us all day because we were
trapped in the cinema. We didn't know them. I'd never
met them before.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
But the great thing was, I'm the same generation as
all those guys. Of course, we're all went born at
the same time. Around the end of the war we
had rationing. You know, it was toughic om theres. So
it was easy to be friends with them because they
were just the people the same age. So and they
turn out to be very interesting people.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, I mean, obviously your career extends way beyond your
legend of Python. You're a very talented and published author.
Spam a lot diaries, which I have a copy of.
It is just out in Australia. It's just out in
New Zealand this week or next week.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I believe it's on its way. We keep hearing bookshops
have booked it and it's it's arriving. I think it's
like Santa.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
An all the rediscovered Diary of yours must have been
amazing to come across it again after so many years.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Well, it was because I'd completely forgotten I kept a
diary during that period of time. I just remember Mike
Nichols saying, I do hate it when people keep diaries.
And I'd already started writing it. I thought I'd better
keep that shut up then, you know, so it wasn't
the journey to publish it. And that's what makes this,
I think the diary of the most intimate form, because
you're only writing to yourself. You're not writing for a public.
(07:15):
You're not trying to look good. You say, if you're
grumpy or miserable, fed up, want to go home, you
write it down, and that's I think both healthy and
interesting when you look at it later.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah, let's talk about the new show, The Bright Side
of Life Live a one man musical. But you do
have a virtual band. I understand when if you need them,
they just appear on screen. It's a great way of.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Killing This is a first that the first to bring
a virtual band on tour with him. And it's the
same three guys they play for the Monkeys, and they're very,
very good, and I've been jamming with them, and so
I thought, well one and I'd start of singing the
you know, the Philosopher's song alone. Why don't. I have
them at the back with the hats on, and also
I sing with them playing guitar as well, so it's interactive,
(07:59):
not just Jerry active.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You obviously don't have the big touring party to kick
around with it in your downtime between shows. What do
you like to do when you're in a different country
on the road between shows and travel days? Are you
like a foodie? Do you like to get out in
sight seed? Do you just like to wander around?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I can't walk as well as I used to. Ilwa
was used to walk around the cities and see where
I was. Now do someone like have a cup of
ty and a good read? But on this one we
haven't had much time. We're working in a new show too,
so that's going to take a little bit extra than
the normal. It's a big job.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, well you're a new books spell a lot. It
is just out of be out here in New Zealand
in the coming weeks touring New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington this week,
christ Church next week. Tickets are on sale now through
ticket taking ticket Master. It is amazing to have you here.
I mean, as you say, your job is basically cheering
people like making people laugh. There's definitely must be worst
jobs to have them going around the world doing that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
There are many worst jobs, believe me, and I'm very
grateful for that. It's nice to do that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
It's an absolutely honor to have you here. What a
pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time
to speak with your fans here in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
That's very kind. Look forward to entertaining them.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Gold Asides Podcast The stories behind Just Great Rock. If
you enjoyed this podcast, click to share with family or friends.
For Just Great Rock, listen to gold FM anytime anywhere
on iHeartRadio
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