{"title":"Books by Eric Idle","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780593800485","title":"The Spamalot Diaries","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A rollicking account of the making of [the] Broadway musical \u003ci\u003eSpamalot\u003c\/i\u003e [and] an irresistible and unfiltered ode to the art of live theater. Fans will love this tantalizing glimpse behind the curtain.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom comedy legend Eric Idle, the fascinating inside story of bringing \u003ci\u003eMonty Python and the Holy Grail\u003c\/i\u003e to Broadway as the unlikely theatrical hit\u003ci\u003e Spamalot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEMI-FINALIST FOR THE THURBER PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR IN WRITING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn March 17, 2005, \u003ci\u003eSpamalot\u003c\/i\u003e debuted on Broadway to rapturous reviews for its star-studded creative team, including creators Eric Idle and John du Prez, director Mike Nichols, and stars Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Sara Ramirez, Tim Curry, and more. But long before the show was the toast of Broadway and the winner of three Tony Awards, it was an idea threatening to fizzle out before it could find its way into existence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, in \u003ci\u003eThe Spamalot Diaries\u003c\/i\u003e, Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges—all featuring his whip-smart wit—that reveal the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining path to the show’s unforgettable run. In the months leading up to that opening night, financial anxieties were high with a low-ceiling budget and expectations that it would take two years to break even. Collaborative disputes put decades-long friendships to the test. And the endless process of rewriting was a task as passionate as it was painstaking. Still, there’s nothing Idle would change about that year. Except for the broken ankle. He could do without the broken ankle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChronicling every minor mishap and triumph along the way, as well as the creative tension that drove the show to new heights, \u003ci\u003eThe Spamalot Diaries\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable look behind the curtain of a beloved musical and inside the wickedly entertaining mind of one of our most treasured comic performers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44583408402610,"sku":"9780593800485","price":21.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780593800485_3bf22998-1259-4c94-a618-f566d20ac0e3.jpg?v=1786014883"},{"product_id":"9780752864259","title":"The Pythons' Autobiography By The Pythons","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the definitive word on all things Pythonesque.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294646251893,"sku":"9780752864259","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780752864259_bda8494b-1520-4969-bd66-f5228725144a.jpg?v=1786015743"},{"product_id":"9781474610292","title":"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Funny, wicked, naughty, eye-popping and compulsively, joyously brilliant'\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSTEPHEN FRY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of \u003ci\u003eSpamalot\u003c\/i\u003e, comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candour.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eBest known for his unforgettable roles in Monty Python, from the \u003ci\u003eFlying Circus\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe Meaning of Life, \u003c\/i\u003eEric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this brilliantly entertaining memoir that takes us on an unforgettable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2019 marks the 50th anniversary of The Pythons, and this laugh-out-loud memoir is the perfect celebration, chock-full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life that features everyone from Princess Leia to the Queen. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout that involve close friends and luminaries such as Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Steve Martin, Paul Simon and David Bowie - let alone the Pythons themselves - Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal hilarity and heart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamed after the song he wrote for \u003ci\u003eLife of Brian\u003c\/i\u003e that has since become the number-one song played at funerals in the UK, \u003ci\u003eAlways Look on the Bright Side of Life\u003c\/i\u003e reflects on the highlights of his life and career with the off-beat humour that has delighted audiences for decades.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301190578549,"sku":"9781474610292","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781474610292_3c421250-bf8c-4eed-8414-c906ce0c7b08.jpg?v=1786020739"},{"product_id":"idle-in-provence","title":"Idle In Provence","description":"THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Enchanting and hilarious' Stephen FryIn 1971, two years after the launch of Monty Python’s Flying Circus made his comedy troupe global superstars - and made all their lives a little more complicated - Eric Idle decided to buy a ramshackle property in the south of France.   In search of a simpler, quieter life, what followed was a story akin to A Year in Provence, but with more disaster, more heartbreak, more laughs - and much more spam.   A tale spanning a fifty-year quest of home-building, friendship-making and bad-French-learning, Idle in Provence is a hilarious, tender and unforgettable memoir of Eric Idle's very own escape to the country.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57505057636725,"sku":"9781529976816","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682688213365,"sku":"9781529976830","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529976816.jpg?v=1792511583"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-eric-idle.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}