Comedy icon Eric Idle, known for his role in the original Monty Python, is testing comedic material with his millennial daughters to see what makes them cringe.
In a conversation with BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life, Idle discussed his upcoming tour Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live!, noting that he won’t include some of his classic Monty Python songs due to feedback from his 35-year-old daughter, Lily, who found them to be inappropriate.
“Sometimes I ask my daughters, ‘Can I say this?'” Idle explained. “They usually respond, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’”
Despite concerns about being “cancelled,” Idle expressed that his focus remains on making people laugh. “There are certain songs you just can’t perform anymore, like ‘I Like Chinese,'” he noted. “But I’m writing new material, which is quite a rewarding challenge.”
It was pointed out that the lyrics from “I Like Chinese” include lines that some might find problematic, illustrating how times have changed.
This song was featured at the O2 variety show Monty Python Live (Almost) in 2014, and a partial version was done at the San Francisco Sketchfest in January of last year. However, it remains unclear which specific parts were excluded.
Idle expressed a deep appreciation for his enduring song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” mentioning how it has been played at funerals, which he finds moving. “It’s touching when people choose it during such difficult moments in life,” he remarked.
He emphasized the need for comedians to be more thoughtful nowadays. “At 81, you can’t just be hip and cool. You have to be mindful of how your words resonate,” Idle commented. “Making people laugh is my priority, and I genuinely enjoy hearing them laugh.”
Idle did not clarify his stance on the famous “Loretta” joke from Life of Brian, which features a character wishing to live as a woman in ancient times.
