Calcium Made Interesting: Sketches, Letters, Essays & Gondolas

by Graham Chapman, Jim Yoakum

The late Graham Chapman was Monty Python's one true anarchist. The man who portrayed the mistaken messiah in Life of Brian lived his life, on and off the stage, with a sheer delight in madness. In the spirit of the man himself, this marvelous anthology collects everything from unpublished sketches, transcripts of his lecture tours, and letters to his bank manager ("Please stop writing these abusive letters about my overdraft. I consider it to be quite a nice one?"), to serious articles on gay rights and reflections on his fellow Pythons?all offering a unique insight into the real Dr. Chapman. Funny and surreal, Calcium Made Interesting captures the eclectic spirit of a true comic genius and his enduring impact on comedy.

Genres: Humor, Biography, Nonfiction, Comedy, Essays

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Graham Chapman was an English comedian, actor, writer, physician and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe. He was also the lead actor in their two narrative films, playing King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the title character in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Reviews

[Len · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am of a proper age to have been a Python fan from the beginning, I never was. Later on I loved the Holy Grail and Life of Brian but, apart from a few well known sketches such as The Dead Parrot, The Spanish Inquisition, and Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink, Monty Python did nothing for me. Perhaps I had grown up as too much of a Goon Show addict and I idolized Spike Milligan. Possibly that made Python look like an amateur university students' take on Milligan's genius.

Most of this book left me quite cold and barely raised a chuckle and Chapman's personality never came across well. How could someone trained in medicine not understand what he was doing to himself? There are occasional moments when his comic talent shows, particularly in the essays section, but so much of it is forgettable.

You must remember that I am writing as someone who never enjoyed Python, so I am prejudiced. I can understand that many readers would close the book with tears of laughter in their eyes while I look forward to listening to another Goon Show repeat on BBC Radio4Extra.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some new material that was "made interesting", and a lot of material that I recall seeing before. That's the problem with dead authors. Given the chance Graham, how much more you would have given us.

[Tara Montague · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of this material already in other Graham Chapman collections, but this is the one that I read first. It was definitely the most rich in material and humorous. Especially Graham's shenanigans with Keith Moon.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned alot about Graham Chapman and Monty Python. Funny, funny, funny unaired, unpublished scripts.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

the biographical material is cover better elsewhere. the sketches are rough. feels a bit miscellaneous and I wanted to really like this book. I thought the dangerous sports essay was the best part.

[Dylan Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderfully insane

[Stephen Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of mainly unproduced skitches and part folms do not add to the Chapman legacy in quality but they are consistent and have the same DNA as the Python material. The Parrot sketch, the box in't middle of road, and so on, can be found here in one form or another. There is a Sellers like quality about Chapman in the man's unpredictability, though one doesn't sense the same ambition. The editor adds enough commentary to make this a mini-biography but to be fair that is not the intention. I am still a little intrigued how these writer-comedians segue from high school to University and are suddenly fully formed performers. Yes, they do footlights and four shows a night, but it does appear there is a BBC agent based at Oxford and Cambridge who is able to find, nurture and direct, in much the same way they find politicians and Primeministers.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating background on Chapman. I grew up with Python on PBS in 1974. Memorized all their skits. Bought lots of memoribilia. Enjoyed their films years later. But I always thought Graham Chapman was the afterthought, the bit actor who filled out the troupe, like a lesser player on SNL who's always there, but not the ringleader. This book says otherwise. Great book for any Monty Python fan. - Xmas gift from Claire

[Benedict Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bits and pieces which don't really hang together. Some are great. Many are not. It's actually really sad to look through because you realise that Graham had a very busy period of writing TV in the late 60s and early 70s but never really managed to refocus on writing in the same way as he got more famous.

[Bussaracum Chuenchomlada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inventive, at times wacky, writings. Funny, zany, and completely random, like the author himself.