John Cleese of Monty Python-- hell, do I really need to explain who he is?
Anyway, he's in Montreal for the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, which starts today and runs until the 23rd of July.
Since he's here, in the Great White North, he's making the Arts secion of all the papers. I wish I could make it to Montreal to see him. But I can't. Or I won't. One or the other.
Here's his thoughts on why he thinks original material frightens television executives (from The Globe):
“They say they want something original and edgy, and if you actually write it and show it to them it frightens them", Mr. Cleese said.
“They then backpedal and spend the next year trying to make it as conventional as possible and as much like all the other stuff on television as possible,” he said in an interview from New York.
He adds that TV programmers usually aim for younger audiences and dismiss anyone over 40, putting on programming which is “almost entirely mindless.”
Smart man. If any readers are in Montreal for the fest, and see Cleese perform or go to the Q&A, please send in your report!
