• afmp FAQ Part 2/2

    From Analda Anglin@1:379/45 to All on Sunday, January 01, 2006 14:38:06
    From: Analda Anglin <analda@nospam.hiwaay.net>

    PART TWO: PYTHON INTERNET GUIDE

    The free distribution of copyrighted materials through the Internet is illegal.
    There are no exceptions without specific permission from the copyright owners.
    The Python London office asks that we direct people to the published versions of Monty Python material and encourage them to buy the book versions of the scripts.

    Listed below is a guide to some established Python Internet sites listed here because of the wide appeal of the information they contain. There are dozens of other Python and Python-related web sites that can be found using the link pages of these sites or a search engine.

    Monty Python's Daily Llama by Hans ten Cate http://www.dailyllama.com Originally founded by Hans ten Cate in 1995, the Daily Llama became the official news service for PythOnline in June 2002. It is actively updated with
    the latest news and is also a repository for information, trivia, bios. The site also contains the Monty Python Bibliography, now called the "Spam List," which is the world's largest listing of Python published material and collectibles anywhere.

    Monty Python Direct
    http://www.montypythondirect.com
    Python merchandise for sale directly over the net.

    Monty Python Pages by Damian Steele http://www.montypythonpages.com
    A continually-updated site that has addresses, clip art, biographies, song chords and lyrics, news, the Graham Chapman tribute speech, over 150 wavs, midis, and other sound files, stills from Terry Gilliam animations, over 200 pictures, scanned autographed pictures, and 400+ scripts covering all four series of the show.

    Cardinal Fang's Python Site
    http://www.geocities.com/fang_club/index.html
    This fan site contains biographies, a song index, an episode guide, and free wallpapers.

    Monty Python's Completely Useless Website http://www.intriguing.com/mp
    This website has pictures, sounds, video clips, and scripts.

    Sup's Monty Python Bits
    http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/8889/python.htm
    This site has the typical Python information along with harder to find things.

    The Monty Python & The Holy Grail Unofficial Fansite http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/mpholygrail
    Listed as the only unofficial fansite for the movie

    PART THREE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    A. The Witch Quote
    Q. What does the witch say in the Holy Grail when she is found to
    weigh the same as a duck, and therefore found to be a witch?
    A. She says, "It's a fair cop." The phrase is thieves' cant for
    "you've got me dead to rights," which means that there has been no entrapment and the person was fairly caught in the act. The line has also been used a few
    other sketches, like "Dead Bishop on the Landing/Church Police" and "Whizzo Chocolates."

    B. Knights Who No Longer Say NI
    Q. What do the knights who no longer say NI now call themselves?
    A. They are the knights who say (something like) "ecky ecky ecky
    ecky pi'tang zoop boing." What was said on screen during the filming was completely different from what was written down on the screenplay. The line was
    spontaneously ad-libbed. What is quoted in the net file scripts of the movie is a phonetic approximation of what was said. In case you are curious, the official script for the Holy Grail says "We are now the Knights who go Neeeowàwumàping!"

    C. Holy Grail Monks
    Q. What are the monks chanting in The Holy Grail?
    A. The monks chant "Pie Iesu Domine. Dona eis Requiem." It is
    Latin for "Merciful Lord Jesus. Grant them rest." These are typical Catholic funeral mass phrases.

    D. Flying Circus Theme Music
    Q. What is the theme music for Monty Python's Flying Circus?
    A. The Liberty Bell March by John Phillip Sousa. The Coldstream
    Guards performed the recording used for the series.

    E. Rumors and Truth about Graham Chapman
    Q. Was Graham Chapman homosexual? Was he an alcoholic?
    A. Yes and yes. At his peak he was reportedly consuming two
    quarts of gin a day. Chapman stopped drinking later in his life. Q. When did Graham Chapman die? What did he die of?
    A. He died on October 4, 1989, just one day before Monty Python's
    20th anniversary. Graham Chapman died of cancer. The rumors of him contracting AIDS are completely false. They presumably came from the infamous and yet utterly stupid notion that dead + homosexual = AIDS.

    When this newsgroup first started up, there was a long and
    tedious debate about Chapman's cause of death. A member in London went to the public records office, got a copy of Graham Chapman's death certificate, and posted it.

    The primary cause of death was cancer of the larynx (throat)
    with secondary cancers elsewhere, including the liver. Cancer of the liver is quite common and quite fatal, but it is usually a sign of cancer elsewhere. The liver only gets affected in the final stages. Liver failure will eventually
    kill you if pneumonia doesn't get you first.

    Death certificates in the UK are required by law to state both
    the primary and secondary causes of death. Graham died of pneumonia as a result of cancer of the larynx that had spread to many other sites, including the liver.

    F. Deadly Joke
    Q. What is the funniest joke in the world? What does it mean?
    A. Wenn ist das Nunstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund
    das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!

    [Taken from "The First 200 Years of Monty Python" by Kim "Howard" Johnson]: "It was actually German gibberish," Eric Idle explains. "It's written-down gibberish, because we all had to learn the same thing, yeah, but it's gibberish! It doesn't mean a thing at all. At least, I don't think it doesà"

    Q. Isn't some of that actual German? What's the closet
    translation into English you can make? A. Yes, some of the words used were real German words. Others
    were pseudo German-sounding words. It's mostly nonsense.

    [Taken from an article to a.f.m-p by Dirk Rehberger]: I've seen it, I'm German, and here's the translation.
    Wenn ist das - If is the (note: "Wann"means "when," which
    would make slightly more sense, since it's a question)
    Nunstueck - nun = now, stueck = piece
    git - that's obviously English! (but similar to "gibt" meaning
    "gives" or, in the phrase "es gibt," "there is")
    und - and
    Slotermeyer? - Doesn't make sense! (Meyer is a common German
    surname)
    Ja! - Yes!
    Beiherhund - hund = dog. Beiher doesn't make any sense.
    Bayer mean Bavarian, but you can't say "Bayerhund" for "Bavarian dog;" you would have to say "Bayrischer hund."
    das oder die - the or the (das is neuter, die is feminine) or
    that
    Flipperwaldt - Flipper = pinball, wald = wood/forest
    Gersput - Doesn't make sense! "Ge" and "ver" are very common
    German prefixes for past participles, but not "ger."

    All in all: If is the now-piece (git) and (Slotermeyer)? Yes! (Beiher)dog that or the pinball wood (gersput)!

    Note that your translation may vary, depending on which
    transcription you use and how hard you try to make sense of it.

    G. Poofters
    Q. What is a poofter/pooftah, as heard in the Bruces Philosophers
    sketch?
    A. Poofter is slang for male homosexual.

    H. Walk This Way
    Q. What is the joke about the phrase "If I could walk that wayà?"
    A. If I could walk that way is an old gag, possibly originated by
    the Marx Brothers. Typically someone would walk into a drug store or pharmacy,
    ask for an ointment, and be told to walk this way (in other words, follow me).
    The customer would then reply, "If I could walk that way I wouldn't need ointment." The phrase "If I could walk that way" has therefore become a classic and well-known comedy gag.

    You also may occasionally see a comic sketch where a person is told "Walk this way," then walks away in a comical manner (silly walk!), implying walk the way I am walking instead of follow me.

    I. Four Yorkshire Men Sketch
    Q. What is the sketch of four men sitting around talking about
    their childhoods and trying to outdo each other with stories about how hard it was?
    A. That is the Four Yorkshire Men Sketch. It was originally
    written pre-Flying Circus and was never performed in the series. It was performed in several stage shows, including Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and is on Python audio recordings.

    J. Python Mailing Address
    Q. Where can I write the Python Office?
    A. The Python Office address for official correspondence is The
    Python Office, 34 Thistlewaite Road, London E5 0QQ, England. The office is unable to respond individually to each piece of mail, including questions or requests for signed pictures. Do not send personal items to this address for they will not be returned. The office no longer accepts personal items for signing.

    K. AKA
    Q. What is the "aka" I see some people use when they sign posts?
    A. The letters AKA stand for Also Known As and usually serve as
    an alias. Some posters use the aka as a postscript or a final witty comment. It's silly and has nothing to do with what aka really means, but they are a part of this newsgroup's history and date back to 1991.

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