{"id":1702,"date":"2017-03-30T15:53:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T19:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/?p=1702"},"modified":"2017-04-21T03:48:40","modified_gmt":"2017-04-21T07:48:40","slug":"department-of-tangents-minicast-an-interview-flashback-with-john-cleese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/2017\/03\/30\/department-of-tangents-minicast-an-interview-flashback-with-john-cleese\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Tangents Minicast: An Interview Flashback with John Cleese"},"content":{"rendered":"

In October of 2015, I interviewed John Cleese for the Boston Globe in advance of a local stop on his book tour for So Anyway\u2026<\/em>, his fantastically funny memoir. There was plenty of material to ask about in the book. Cleese covers a lot of ground, especially concerning his formative years before he even knew that being funny for a living was an option for him. And I\u2019ve been a fan for most of my life, having loved the movies as a kid, and studied Monty Python\u2019s Hollywood Bowl show with at least as much intensity as I applied to anything I was doing at school. But that can work against you. Cleese\u2019s work \u2014 from Python to Fawlty Towers<\/em> to A Fish Called Wanda<\/em> \u2014 has been analyzed and quoted and parsed over decades. So how do you engage someone like that in an interview? What do you ask him that he hasn\u2019t already talked about dozens or hundreds or thousands of times? I acquitted myself fairly well, I believe. But I started the interview asking him what questions he was tired of answering. <\/p>\n

Later in the interview, we talked about why no one has ever been able to remake Fawlty Towers<\/em> effectively as an American show. Cleese writes about it in the book, saying there is a fundamental misunderstanding about Basil Fawlty\u2019s anger, and what drives the character. In a larger sense, Cleese blames a lack of writing talent. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very, very few people who can write really good comedy,\u201d he says. \u201cTiny number. That\u2019s why they can\u2019t write Basil Fawlty. But they certainly don\u2019t understand how to make the character funny.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you enjoy this interview, you should definitely read So Anyway\u2026<\/a> It\u2019s a must for comedy nerds, and anyone who enjoys a smart, funny memoir. Also, please consider subscribing to the Department of Tangents Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever quality podcasts are kept. <\/p>\n