Subj : AFMP FAQ
To   : All
From : Analda Anglin
Date : Mon Dec 01 2008 08:50 am

From: "Analda Anglin" <[email protected]>

The Alt.Fan.Monty-Python FAQ
(C) Copyright 1998-2008 Analda Anglin
Version 8.3
Last modified July 1, 2008

***Important Notices***

Changes for Version 8.3: Reviewed and updated for currency

***FAQ Facts***
This FAQ is written specifically for the alt.fan.monty-python
newsgroup.   It originally created by John 'Shaggy' Kolesar. In August
1998 it was passed on to Analda Anglin and in February 2000 it was
given its own website, www.pythonfan.com.  Current FAQ point of contact
is [email protected].  This FAQ is posted to the newsgroup on or about
the 1st of each month.

Many thanks go to the following people who have helped with
ideas/revisions: (In absolutely no sensible order whatsoever)
John 'Shaggy' Kolesar: Original writing of the FAQ and several years of
maintenance
Bonni Hall: Net Guidelines, Group History
Sir David: The Liberty Bell March (MP theme song) Q & A
Dave Morning: Authoritative Cause of Death for Graham Chapman
Dirk Rehberger: Translation of the Funniest Joke in the World

available for viewing at the website

PART ONE:  Posting Guidelines

RULE ONE: Please post sensibly and courteously.  This means no large
files (scripts, images, sounds).    If someone requests a large file
that you can provide, please email the file or furnish directions to an
appropriate web or FTP site.

Edit long cascades.  Long cascades are posts with multiple follow ups.



RULE TWO: Please be polite.  Many of the people who post here ask for
skits, songs, scripts, and facts.  Be polite, be friendly, and be

web or FTP site to go to.  We are a friendly, generally amusing, mostly
intelligent bunch of folks.  We really ought to act that way.

Flames are hurtful and unkind and have no place in this newsgroup.
Personal direct insults are right out.  If someone is rude, ignore
him/her.  Do not send any mail to that person, do not flame in return,
and do not post about that person.  In short: DO NOT FEED THE FLAMES.

When you see Spam (articles that are cross posted to newsgroups they
have nothing to do with), do not post follow ups.  That just adds to
the problem and usually creates more cross posts.  Like flames, the
best thing to do when someone posts Spam is to ignore it.



remarks to email instead of posting them for everyone to see.  Personal
comments, private jokes, and off topic threads are best kept private.


RULE THREE:  Please try to keep things on topic.  We understand when

silly/wacky/loony people.  Still, in a Monty Python newsgroup posts
should be Python-related or Pythonesque.

Direct Python discussions are obviously fine.  Posts about Python
information, such as this FAQ and requests for Python web and FTP
sites, are allowed.  So are posts about the newsgroup and announcements
of upcoming events in the Python and a.f.m-p communities.

Original humor that has a strong basis in Python is also acceptable.
Python based means things such as parodies on Python bits or original
works that involve Python ideas in a new way.  If you think that other


has absolutely nothing to do with Python is unfortunately out.  While
it is probably funny, it more likely belongs in rec.humor or email.


materials.  The free distribution of copyrighted materials through the
Internet is illegal.  There are no exceptions without specific
permission from the copyright owners.  The Python London office asks
that we direct people to the published versions of Monty Python
material and encourage them to buy the book versions of the scripts.

And finally, THERE IS NO RULE SIX!!

PART TWO: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

A.  The Witch Quote
 Q.   What does the witch say in the Holy Grail when she is found to
weigh the same as a duck, and therefore found to be a witch?


entrapment and the person was fairly caught in the act.  The line has



B.  Knights Who No Longer Say NI
Q.      What do the knights who no longer say NI now call themselves?


completely different from what was written down on the screenplay.  The
line was spontaneously ad-libbed.  What is quoted in the net file
scripts of the movie is a phonetic approximation of what was said.  In



C.  Holy Grail Monks
Q.      What are the monks chanting in The Holy Grail?


Catholic funeral mass phrases.

D.   Flying Circus Theme Music

A.      The Liberty Bell March by John Phillip Sousa.  The Coldstream Guards
performed the recording used for the series.

E.   Rumors and Truth about Graham Chapman
Q.      Was Graham Chapman homosexual?  Was he an alcoholic?
A.      Yes and yes.  At his peak he was reportedly consuming two quarts of
gin a day.  Chapman stopped drinking later in his life.
Q.      When did Graham Chapman die?  What did he die of?

anniversary.  Graham Chapman died of cancer.  The rumors of him
contracting AIDS are completely false.  They presumably came from the
infamous and yet utterly stupid notion that dead + homosexual = AIDS.

       When this newsgroup first started up, there was a long and tedious


certificate, and posted it.

      The primary cause of death was cancer of the larynx (throat)
with secondary cancers elsewhere, including the liver.  Cancer of the
liver is quite common and quite fatal, but it is usually a sign of
cancer elsewhere.  The liver only gets affected in the final stages.

first.

       Death certificates in the UK are required by law to state both the
primary and secondary causes of death.  Graham died of pneumonia as a
result of cancer of the larynx that had spread to many other sites,
including the liver.

F.  Deadly Joke
Q.      What is the funniest joke in the world?  What does it mean?
A.      Wenn ist das Nunstuck git und Slotermeyer?  Ja!  Beiherhund das Oder
die Flipperwaldt gersput!








into English you can make?
A.      Yes, some of the words used were real German words.  Others were




















       All in all: If is the now-piece (git) and (Slotermeyer)?  Yes!
(Beiher)dog that or the pinball wood (gersput)!

       Note that your translation may vary, depending on which transcription
you use and how hard you try to make sense of it.

G.   Poofters
Q.      What is a poofter/pooftah, as heard in the Bruces Philosophers
sketch?
A.      Poofter is slang for male homosexual.

H.     Walk This Way

A.      If I could walk that way is an old gag, possibly originated by the
Marx Brothers.  Typically someone would walk into a drug store or
pharmacy, ask for an ointment, and be told to walk this way (in other




You also may occasionally see a comic sketch where a person is told

implying walk the way I am walking instead of follow me.

I.   Four Yorkshire Men Sketch
Q.      What is the sketch of four men sitting around talking about their
childhoods and trying to outdo each other with stories about how hard
it was?
A.      That is the Four Yorkshire Men Sketch.  It was originally written
pre-Flying Circus and was never performed in the series.  It was
performed in several stage shows, including Live at the Hollywood Bowl,
and is on Python audio recordings.

J.  Python Mailing Address
Q.      Where can I write the Python Office?
A.      The Python Office address for official correspondence is The Python
Office, 34 Thistlewaite Road, London  E5 0QQ, England. The office is
unable to respond individually to each piece of mail, including
questions or requests for signed pictures.  Do not send personal items
to this address for they will not be returned.  The office no longer
accepts personal items for signing.

K.  AKA

A.      The letters AKA stand for Also Known As and usually serve as an
alias.  Some posters use the aka as a postscript or a final witty




--
Analda aka Sergeant of the FAQ
[email protected]
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