（由本blog作者terryoy翻译，转载请注明）

Idle It was enormously annoying for about 20 years. It was dreadful. You could try to escape it — John still tries to escape it — but there’s no escape.

Idle: 那是接近20年的巨大的烦恼，很可怕。你可以尝试逃离它——John仍然在尝试逃离它——不过事实上无法逃避。

Gilliam Most of us have escaped from that. When I did [1977’s] Jabberwocky , which was the first film on my own, it sort of fell on its face because it was being compared to Python. By Time Bandits [in 1981], I was still slightly sketchy. But by Brazil , I think I pulled completely away from Python and could be judged on my own merits — whatever they are.

Gilliam: 我们大部分人都已经从那解脱出来了。当我导演《莫名其妙(Jabbarwocky)》(1977年)的时候，那是我自己独立拍摄的第一部电影，或多或少由于拿它与Python来比较使人有点失望。到《时间劫匪(Time Bandits)》(1981年)的时候，我仍然有点浮浅。不过到《异想天开(Brazil)》(1985年)时，我想我已经完全从Python的阴影下脱离出来而以我自己的成绩接受评价了——不管那成绩如何。

Jones I’ve fallen into doing these TV documentaries, which kind of annoys me because I didn’t really want to do documentaries. We’re lucky because we own the rights to the Python TV shows and we now own two of the films. We’re not exactly rich, but there is an income that allows me to goof off and write academic books.

Jones: 我则陷入了不断制作电视纪录片当中，有点厌烦，因为其实我并不是真的想做纪录片。我们很幸运，因为我们拥有了Python电视节目和两套节目的版权。我们虽然不是严格地富裕，不过还是有一个稳定收入来源，让我可以随意打发时间和写一些学术著作。

Idle With the Grail , some of our original investors were Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, and so they’ll still get some money out of Spamalot. I love that. Jimmy Page will get a check.

Idle: 由于在《圣杯》里面，我们有一批原始投资人如Genesis，Pink Floyd，和Led Zeppelin，所以他们仍然可以从《火腿骑士》(Eric Idle改编《圣杯》的一出舞台剧，2005年Tony奖最佳音乐剧)里面得到一些收入。我喜欢那样。Jimmy Page也会得到一张支票。

In 1998, the five surviving Pythons reunited at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival. On stage with them — or so they claimed — was an urn containing Graham Chapman’s ashes. The audience exploded when Gilliam knocked it over. For a while, the reunion got some of the Pythons itching for more.

****1998 年，五位在世的 Python 成员在 Aspen 喜剧艺术节的时候重聚了。在台上他们带上了——或者是他们声称的——一个装有 Graham Chapman 骨灰的瓮，结果 Gilliam 有意无意地不小心把它打翻的时候引来了所有观众的轰动。这次的团圆让 Python 们多少有点心痒希望能重组。

**Jones** Eric Idle was keen to get us all together to do a stage show after Aspen. John Cleese wanted to do it too and Eric was setting it all up. But Michael Palin didn’t want to do it, and the whole thing collapsed. Eric was furious, actually.

Jones: Eric Idle在Aspen艺术节之后很热衷于重新召集我们一齐去做一场舞台剧。John Cleese也很感兴趣，于是Eric就一手一脚筹备起来了。但Michael Palin不想做，结果整件事就推倒了。Eric当时真的非常生气。

Idle I think [Palin] was never really up for it, but he didn’t say no at the right time. He could have saved us the time and energy.

Idle: 我想（Palin）本来就没有很大兴趣做，不过他没有在正确的时候提出来。他本来可以省下我们很多时间和精力的。

Palin I’ve been Mr. Nice Guy for so long it was nice to be the villain. Actually, I was interested in a film idea that Eric had where we’d all go off and do a movie about the Knights of the Holy Grail 40 years later. A Holy Grail sequel. I was positively not in favor of a stage revival — because Graham wasn’t there. I remember thinking it was sad to be going over the old sketches and not being able to hear each other’s lines because we don’t have our hearing aids in.

Palin: 一直以来我都充当着好人的角色，所以这次正好当了坏人。事实上，我对Eric曾经有过的一部电影的主意很感兴趣，让我们去做一部40年后的《骑士与圣杯》，一部《圣杯》续集。而我是对舞台表演的主意确实不喜欢——因为Graham已经不在了。我记得当时一想到我们要重做一次所有经典的短剧，却听不到其他某个人的对白而且并不是因为我们没有戴自己的助听器的缘故，我就会感到很悲伤。

Jones Eric went off and did his own shows, like Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python , which I went to New York to see, and I thought it was really good. And then he decided he wanted to do Spamalot. So we said, ‘‘Well, if Eric wants to do it, okay.’’ There was a little bit of a discussion about whether we should allow them to call it Monty Python’s Spamalot.

Jones: Eric于是离开去做自己的个人演出了，像《Eric Idle开发蒙蒂派森 (Monty Python Explioits Monty Python)》，我去纽约看过了，我觉得很棒。然后他又决定要做《火腿骑士（Spamalot）》（注：“Spam-a- lot”这个名字的取义，在于spam这个由python们活用的经典单词，还有亚瑟王的城堡Camelot的谐音）。于是我们说，“好吧，如果Eric想做的话，同意。”于是我们就有了一组小议论，关于我们是不是应该以Monty Python的名义推出这个《火腿骑士》（Monty Python’s Spamalot）。 **

Palin There was a time a few years ago when I would have said, ‘‘Well, Python is very precious and it’s like an ancient book of law that can’t be changed.’’ But it’s kind of changed because of age and greed.

Palin: 如果是在几年前的那一个时期，我可能会说：“喂，Python是一个很宝贵的标志，就好像一部古老的法典一样不能被删改。”但我们都有点变化了，由于年龄和贪念。

Jones I think we’ve all relaxed a bit about Python. In the old days, we were very precious about it.

Jones: 我想我们关于Python这个话题都已经放得开了。在以前的日子里，我们对于它是非常珍惜的。 **

Palin When I first heard the title, Spamalot , I thought it’s another of Eric’s great titles. He’s very good with titles. It was Eric who came up with Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory , which was the original title of Life of Brian. Then I realized he was serious about Spamalot and prepared to work hard on it. It would’ve been mean and churlish to say no.

Palin: 当我第一次听到这套剧的名字时，“Spamalot”，我就知道是Eric典型的杰作。他总是很擅长改标题。是Eric当初想出来“耶稣基督：荣耀的渴望”的题目，正是《布莱恩一生》的原始标题。于是我意识到他是对《火腿骑士》的主意是非常认真而且准备花苦功在这上面的。如果我再说不的话就会变得很小气和无礼了。

Gilliam People always try to rip off Python, and I think in the end we felt it was better to be ripped off by one of our own than an outsider.

Gilliam: 人们常常想改编我们的剧，于是到最后我们决定语气让外人来改编，还不如让我们自己改编。 **

Palin The worst that could come from Spamalot is my character is completely unfunny and all the rest are great! But I’m quite happy for Eric to be even richer than he is at the moment.

Palin: 《火腿骑士》给我带来最坏的事情就是我当初的角色被改编成完全不好玩的但是其他人却都好极了！不过Eric能够赚到比现在多得多的钱，我感到非常开心。

Idle If Spamalot fails, it will be my failure. If it succeeds, it will be their success. For them, there was no downside because it was clear The Holy Grail ‘s a movie and there it stays forever. . .You know, not a day in my life passes without someone saying the words ‘‘Monty Python’’ to me. You can try and hide from that, but eventually you have to come to terms with it and say, ‘‘Well, yeah, we were good!’’

Eric: 如果《火腿骑士》失败了，那会是我个人的失败。如果它成功了，则会变成他们的成功。对于他们来说没有任何不利，因为很明显《圣杯》是一部电影而且将永远存在……你知道吗，我生活里没有一天不是有人来跟我提“Monty Python”的。你可以尝试逃避，但最后你还是不得不接受并走出来说，“对啊，耶，我们以前真的很棒！”

The Players

成员们：

John Cleese

Age 65 Post-Python He and first wife Connie Booth starred in BBC’s Fawlty Towers, 1975 – 79; wrote and starred in 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda. Etc. Family name was once Cheese.

John Cleese

现年65岁的后Python。他和首任妻子Connie Booth在BBC联合主演了1975-1979年的《弗尔蒂旅馆》；编剧并且主演了1988年的《一条叫旺达的鱼》。。。他的姓曾经叫做“芝士(Cheese)”。

Terry Gilliam

Age 64 Post-Python Directed many films, including ‘95’s Twelve Monkeys and ‘05’s The Brothers Grimm. Etc. Got so stressed making ‘85’s Brazil he tempo- rarily lost use of legs.

Terry Gilliam

现年64岁的后Python。曾执导过很多优秀电影，如95年的《十二猴子》和05年的《格林兄弟》。。。在85年制作《异想天开》的时候曾经因为压力过大而暂时性双腿残废。

Eric Idle

Age 61 Post-Python Wrote and directed the ‘78 Beatles send-up The Rutles; now overseeing Spamalot. Etc. In 2002, beat Martha Stewart and Charles Barkley on Celebrity Jeopardy!

Eric Idle

现年61岁的后Python。曾经编写并执导了78年模仿Beatles的节目《The Rutles》，而现在则监制《火腿骑士》。。。在2002年，在《美国名人智力竞答搞笑节目》中击败了Martha Stewart和Charles Barkley！

Terry Jones

Age 63 Post-Python Auteured ‘89’s Erik the Viking, starring Cleese and Tim Robbins; hosts BBC documentaries; pens scholarly books. Etc.Proudest of ‘‘Every Sperm Is Sacred’’ song.

Terry Jones

现年63的后Python。89年《艾力·维京人Eric the Viking》的创作者，主演有John Cleese和Tim Robbins；主持BBC的纪录片节目；写过一些学术著作。。。对《每一个精子都是神圣的》这首歌感到非常骄傲。

Michael Palin

Age 61 Post-Python Wrote and hosted TV/book travelogues such as Pole to Pole and Around the World in 80 Days. Etc. His fave Python sketch: ‘‘The Fish- Slapping Dance.’’

Michael Palin

现年61岁的后Python。曾写过和主持过旅游的节目和书，如《极点到极点（Pole to Pole）》和《80日环游世界(Around the World in 80 Days)》。。。他最喜欢的Python片段是：“鱼扇耳光舞(Fish-Slapping Dance)”。

Graham Chapman

Born 1941 Died 1989 Post-Python Co-wrote ‘83’s Yellowbeard, co-starring Cheech and Chong; cameoed in Iron Maiden video Etc. Held M.D. from Cambridge.

Graham Chapman

生于1941年逝世于1989的后Python。联合创作了83年的《黄胡子(Yellowbeard)》，联合主演《切奇&崇（Cheech and Chong）》节目；在Iron Maiden（铁娘子）的video里面客串。。。于剑桥获得医学博士学位。