Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Comic Idle

WEEKEND EDITION December 13 - 14, 2003

What: Eric Idle's "Greedy Bastard Tour."

When: 7 p.m. today.

Where: House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

Tickets: $27 $37 and $47.

Information: 632-7600.

Eric Idle makes no bones about it.

His "Greedy Bastard Tour" is all about the money.

"People always pretend they're doing showbiz for other reasons, don't they, like it's good for people and things like that," Idle said. "Let's own up to this: We want your money and then we're going to entertain you. This is the Bush era, you know."

Best known as a member of the iconic Monty Python comedy troupe -- which originally included John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and the late Graham Chapman -- the self-proclaimed "sixth greediest bastard" of Python brings his show to Las Vegas at 7 p.m. today at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

In a recent phone interview from Kalamazoo, Mich., where he was to perform, the Las Vegas Sun chatted with Idle about the "Greedy Bastard" show, his attempts to reunite the Pythoners and turning the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" into a musical, tentatively titled "Spamelot."

Las Vegas Sun: For this show you're relying on other actors to fill the roles of your fellow Pythoners. How is it to perform with this cast? Do you miss the other members of Monty Python?

Eric Idle: Well, no. It isn't a pure Python show, it's my show. It's a show based on things that I like and love. There's also a lot of stand-up. I talk to the audience and I talk about my life and I do sketches that I like, such as "Nudge, Nudge." But it isn't pure Python. I do sketches from "Beyond the Fringe" and things that interrelate to my life in the past, such as the sketch that I was working on when I met John Cleese. So, this isn't really a Python show like the last one was. It's got Python elements like my life has.

Sun: Still, it wasn't long ago that you were a proponent of Monty Python reuniting for a tour.

Idle: It wasn't my idea. I just offered to help them set it up when they decided that's what they wanted to do. So I had spent the two months working on it as a business sense when they decided they didn't want to do it. At that point, I decided that: A) I should never have any more to do with them at a business level, which I've since broken that vow because of "Spamelot"; and B) I realize that they just don't want to do it. There's no way you can -- and I wouldn't want to -- force people. It's just that they didn't express that they didn't really want to do it until after I had done all the work.

Sun: Why was that?

Idle: I think Michael has trouble saying no. I think that's a well-known comedians' thing. He wanted to have the options and I should have been more smart and realized it.

Sun: There are no hard feelings, though?

Idle: No. Not at all. I was (angry) at the time, and I said I was (angry) and now I'm not (angry).

Sun: Everyone in Python, with the exception of Cleese, did reunite for "The Concert for George" Harrison late last year. How did it go?

Idle: It was fantastic. It was a fabulous evening. You'll be able to see it on the DVD. It's a wonderful concert. It's really emotional. A lot of tears. But that's good, too. We really miss him. And all his friends were there missing him together in the nicest possible way, playing his music and being all present in the Albert Hall.

Sun: What did George Harrison mean to Monty Python?

Idle: Well, he's a very good of mine for 25 years. And he paid for the entire budget of "Life of Brian." He paid for the movie because he wanted to see it.

Sun: So without Harrison, the film never would have been made?

Idle: It would still be on the shelf, absolutely.

Sun: And you're making "Holy Grail" into a Broadway musical.

Idle: It's called "Spamelot." It's a musical based on the "Holy Grail." We're doing it next year and Mike Nichols is directing it.

Sun: How are you involved with it?

Idle: I've written the book and I've written the songs with my partner, John Du Prez, and yeah, I'll be involved in every step of the way. The Pythons, I'm sure, will come in and throw around their ideas and contributions.

Sun: But you won't be reprising any of the roles?

Idle: Onstage at 60? I don't think so. Eight times a week on Broadway? Is there enough money to keep John Cleese there? (Laughs)

Sun: With Python, it was all about sketch comedy. But on the "Greedy Bastard Tour" you're performing stand-up for the first time. How has that been?

Idle: It's a new departure for me and something I've been learning. We've done 30 gigs already, so I'm kind of down with it now. It's cool.

Sun: Monty Python fans can be a bit overzealous in their devotion. What's been your strangest encounter with an admirer?

Idle: They're always kind of nice. They're kind of bright people, by and large. Some of them come in costume -- we do encourage people to dress strangely. The other night somebody came to the front and he was dressed as the Spanish Inquisition. So I dragged him onstage and played with him. That's the other nice thing about doing this show is that I can play. If something happens, I can talk about it.

We also have an encore bucket, which is a new thing that I've introduced in show business. You watch. Vegas is going to be full of encore buckets next year.

Sun: What's the encore bucket?

Idle: The encore bucket is where people are invited to contribute to the encore. (Laughs)

Sun: So instead of clapping ... ?

Idle: None of that (expletive) free encore business. No, no, no. This is pay-per-view, this is. And by the way, one night we had over $180 in there. We've collected over $1,500 for charity so far. Isn't that amazing? I couldn't really keep it, could I? At the end, I announce that. But they don't know that until they've given, so it's kind of interesting. I thought it would be just like a joke. But no, people have been racing forward to put money in and change.

The other night in St. Louis, a girl came in and put her panties in. So I have now officially cracked the Tom Jones barrier. And that for a comedian is kind of the pinnacle, really. It doesn't get better than that. It is rock 'n' roll.

If ever my wife dies, I'm going straight on the road. (Laughs) God forbid, by the way.

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