The Greedy Bastard Diary

From the beloved Python and New York Times-bestselling author, an "insightful and enjoyable" memoir/travelogue from his money-grubbing tour (The AV Club).

A stunningly witty exploration of the American landscape—not to mention a brilliant comic's mind—this diary is chock-full of everything you ever wanted to know about Eric Idle, Monty Python, the United States, and sleeping on a bus. In these pages, the sixth-nicest Python is cheeky, touching, and funny as he travels the highways and byways and takes us backstage at the Broadway smash Spamalot.


Fascinating, moving, at times even amusing, this book may dramatically improve your sex life, make you feel intelligent and charming within the first several pages, and after a few chapters, permanently eliminate all your personal or health problems. So come experience eighty days, 15,750 miles, and forty-nine cities as you never have before!


"Taking readers from Vermont to Vegas as he attempts standup for the first time, and writing with wit and honesty, Idle mixes memoir and tales from his tour bus [and] offers a Pythonesque pastiche of goofy observations as he analyzes audiences, dissects his nightly performances and recalls showbiz friendships." —Publishers Weekly

"Idle is warm and witty . . . reminiscing about the Pythons' glory days, meditating on the aesthetics of comedy (his philosophy of comedy is fascinating and elaborate), and recounting many odd happenings on the road." —Booklist

"Talking about the Pythons' casual cruelty to each other, or the difficulty of living up to a decades-old reputation, Idle is hilarious . . . his diary touches on topics as diverse as his first meeting with his wife, his long friendship with George Harrison, and his mother's death, and his stories are both revealing and touching." —The AV Club