John Cleese Explains That The MONTY PYTHON Comedy Group Were "Early Targets of Cancel Culture"
John Cleese, one of the founding members of the hilarious British comedy group Monty Python, recently talked about the group and how they were “early targets of cancel culture.”
The subject of cancel culture came up in a recent interview with The Sunday Times while Cleese was talking about his new GB News chat show The Dinosaur Hour, which includes an episode that focuses on cancel culture. He explained:
“You could say that we were early targets of cancel culture. People don’t like to have their cherished ideas punctured or questioned. We all love to live in our own closed systems of thought, to be surrounded by people who think a bit like us. This is what happens on the internet too, where you get these blasted echo chambers. It’s why comedy is even more important today as a way of pricking those bubbles, opening them up, letting in fresh air. It is good for all of us. The problem is that cutting-edge comedy becomes difficult if a joke that transgresses someone’s idea of good taste means that the comedian is banned for life. It subverts the creative impulse.”
As you may know, Monty Python’s classic 1979 film Life of Brian caused a lot of uproar after it was released among some members of the Christian community. That’s just one of many examples. Cleese was then asked whether the comedy he was famous for in the 1970s and 1980s, would work in today’s times, and this was his response:
“The trick with creativity is to understand that it is not a talent, it’s a frame of mind. You have to get away from fear and doubt. You have to get into a place of playfulness and curiosity so that you can find connections and push boundaries. Cancel culture tends to make people less broad in their thinking, more literal-minded. It is tougher to make funny — or intellectually interesting — associations. In cultural terms, it is dangerous. I’m so old I am not bothered about getting canceled. But as a young man, starting out, it might be different.”
A lot of comedians have talked about cancel culture in the past and how it is hurting comedy and creativity. Donald Glover once talked about how entertainment is getting boring because creators are afraid of being canceled. Jerry Seinfeld also has talked a lot about this over the years.
What are your thoughts on what John Cleese had to say about Cancel Culture?