Palin Part II

September 4, 2008 1:34 PM

This is a long-awaited update to the previous Palin thread. A LOT has happened since then, which I think deserves additional discussion. The last time Palin's Travels was linked to was 2004 and his most recent book that you could view on the site was Sahara. But now you can read the full texts of two more books in Michael Palin's wonderful travel/adventure series: Himalaya and New Europe. There are also loads of pictures, video (Quicktime req.) and audio clips.
posted by ND¢ (75 comments total)

I am a sucker.
posted by YFiB at 1:36 PM on September 4, 2008

Michael Palin '08!
posted by acro at 1:39 PM on September 4, 2008 [4 favorites]

Nice jump there, Evel.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 1:39 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

You Got Palin Rolled
posted by burnmp3s at 1:41 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

Michael Palin is single-handedly responsible for me deciding to take Amtrak on a cross-country trip in 1995 and for that I will never forgive him.
posted by punkfloyd at 1:41 PM on September 4, 2008 [5 favorites]

Meta_ltalk
posted by Challahtronix at 1:41 PM on September 4, 2008 [7 favorites]

Someday he will find the huge tracts of land that he is searching for.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:42 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

Well played.
posted by Perplexity at 1:43 PM on September 4, 2008

I think I just lost.
posted by Lizc at 1:47 PM on September 4, 2008

*eyes ND¢ sternly, takes deep breath*
posted by cortex at 1:47 PM on September 4, 2008 [5 favorites]

Hilter/Bimmler `08
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:47 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

You didn't fool me, but you still win.

Award: One(1) Internets.
posted by owtytrof at 1:49 PM on September 4, 2008

Michael Palin's books are great to read, but even better as audiobooks BECAUSE HE'S MICHAEL FREAKING PALIN AND HE HAS THE GREATEST, MOST SOOTHING VOICE EVER.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:52 PM on September 4, 2008

His travel writing is wonderful, but where does he stand on abortion rights in the US?
posted by RussHy at 1:56 PM on September 4, 2008

If you were worried 'bout where
I been or who I saw or
What club I went to with my homies
Baby don't worry, you know that you got me.
posted by cashman at 1:57 PM on September 4, 2008

His travel writing is wonderful, but where does he stand on abortion rights in the US?

He thinks they should be practiced more often among the loutish, though he gets a little squeamish on the issue once you get past the 180th trimester.
posted by substrate at 1:59 PM on September 4, 2008

I hear he has some wonderful things to say about Finland.
posted by shmegegge at 1:59 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Fantastic post, well worth the gimmick.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 1:59 PM on September 4, 2008

He was great as Napoleon in Time Bandits.
posted by mattbucher at 1:59 PM on September 4, 2008

Oh! that is tricky.
posted by lunit at 2:01 PM on September 4, 2008

His travel writing is wonderful, but where does he stand on abortion rights in the US?

I get the impression he's rather conservative on many reproductive issues.
posted by shmegegge at 2:01 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

The travel bug must be something Palin picked up later in his life. His "Monty Python diaries" contain nothing even remotely travelogue-ish so it seems that one might say: Palin was not at all an obvious choice for the position.
posted by three blind mice at 2:02 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

PALIN'S DAUGHTER ENGAGED IN LESBIAN KISSING AND GROUP SEX

Here are the shocking details:
At the age of 13, Anna Friel was hired for her first professional acting job in the Channel 4 drama serial G.B.H., as the daughter of Michael Palin's character. In 1992, Friel was added to the cast on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, where she gained greater exposure in the role of Beth Jordache. Though she only stayed on the programme for two years, Friel's lesbian kiss remains one of the most talked-about moments in British soap history. In 1996, Friel courted further controversy when she appeared in the television film The Tribe, which included nudity and a much discussed menage-a-trois sex scene.
posted by Kabanos at 2:10 PM on September 4, 2008

I am surprised I am the first to say:

I see what you did there.
posted by GuyZero at 2:13 PM on September 4, 2008

I love the Dalai Lama's statement, "I recognize your face from the BBC!"

I can't wait to see all of these!
posted by Heretic at 2:14 PM on September 4, 2008

That's serendipitous, ND¢! Did you know that Palin is also the last name of the Republican VP nominee, and that there's been all kinds of talk about starting another thread about her?
posted by Meatbomb at 2:20 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'd like to see a cage match between Michael Palin and Bill Bryson. Palin's got the skinny sinews, but Bryson is built like a bear.
posted by subbes at 2:30 PM on September 4, 2008 [6 favorites]

This post is gonna jump the fuckin' gorge like Evel Knievel on trucker speed.
posted by boo_radley at 2:53 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thank you for this post. I can now look forward to the latest updates in my Recent Activity.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:55 PM on September 4, 2008

Abortion is my litmus test, and I'm not ashamed of it.

Also, Pole to Pole rulez.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 2:59 PM on September 4, 2008

In before Spanish Inquisition!
posted by aihal at 3:05 PM on September 4, 2008

Anyone ever noticed how proper and successful the Clinton and Gore children are? And how drunk and silly and pregnant (most of) the Bush and McCain and Palin children are?
Maybe the republicans should trade kids with the democrats, and then the republican "family values" arguments would have a bit more weight.
posted by Wroksie at 3:07 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Anyone ever noticed how proper and successful the Clinton and Gore children are?

Uhh... what? Which year do you think you're living in, and who do you think the Democratic candidate is?
posted by languagehat at 3:11 PM on September 4, 2008

The Obama girls seem proper and successful so far, but they're little kids, so it would be weird to talk too much about them.
Also, /sort of sarcasm
Or however you do HTML tags for the tone you can't get in typed conversations.
posted by Wroksie at 3:14 PM on September 4, 2008

Also, Pole to Pole rulez.


good one. too punny.
posted by Surfurrus at 3:17 PM on September 4, 2008

He was great as Napoleon in Time Bandits.
Uh... I think you mean Ian Holm was great as Napoleon in Time Bandits. Which is true.

Michael Palin is the reason I chose the forsaken Sheffield Wednesday as "my team" because he mentioned them in Around the World In 80 Days (when they were good). I guess I hoped he'd take me to a match? (I was a foolish 10 year old.) Years later he admits to being a glory hunter and goes on Five Live to talk about his love for Sheffield United. I feel duped! 16 years of hurt.

I think I remember reading his kids turned out pretty well, too.
posted by kendrak at 3:17 PM on September 4, 2008

He's awesome, isn't he? I read somewhere that he'd love to do a Coen Brothers picture. Someone should make that happen very, very soon because as much as I love his travel work, I love his acting more.

I'm signed up over at his site, and every so often I get an email from them. It's all very adorable.
posted by droplet at 3:25 PM on September 4, 2008

SCANDAL! Michael Palin Self Admitted Cross-dresser. Wishes He Was A Girlie.
posted by stavrogin at 3:26 PM on September 4, 2008 [5 favorites]

Maybe the republicans should trade kids with the democrats

We're all aware that Michael Palin shares a surname with the GOP VP pick, but FOR GOD'S SAKE DO NOT DO THIS HERE.
posted by cortex at 3:27 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

Michael Palin's daughter was a producer on "Changing Rooms" at one point--don't know if she still is. I think that's something to be proud of myself.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:29 PM on September 4, 2008

Cortex, I have no idea what you're on about, so for god's sake I wasn't trying to do anything.
I am going to go look up Michael Palin to figure it out.
posted by Wroksie at 3:30 PM on September 4, 2008

I guess I should watch more property porn on the teevee.
posted by Wroksie at 3:32 PM on September 4, 2008

If I have deeply, deeply missed a joke, consider me enfootmouthed and apologetic. Short and sweet: initial chuckles upthread aside, please no US election spillover in here.
posted by cortex at 3:42 PM on September 4, 2008

God, I feel like a stoo-pee-do here sometimes. Please for god's sake delete me.
posted by Wroksie at 3:48 PM on September 4, 2008

Very awesome! I've held onto Michael Palin's Himalaya long enough that at this point I should really just buy it...I netflixed it as story research, and just really love it. One day, I, like, need to actually return it and maybe watch some of the other ones.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:01 PM on September 4, 2008

I didn't vote for him!
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 4:14 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Palin is a real PILF.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:30 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

Abortion is my litmus test, and I'm not ashamed of it.

Isn't that going to rather extreme lengths just to discover the Ph of a substance?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:37 PM on September 4, 2008 [34 favorites]

And now for something completely interesting...
posted by Cranberry at 4:39 PM on September 4, 2008

ha
posted by zardoz at 4:43 PM on September 4, 2008

If this thread cannot get to 3000 messages there is no justice in the world.
posted by maxwelton at 4:54 PM on September 4, 2008

Isn't that going to rather extreme lengths just to discover the Ph of a substance?

Loudest laugh I've had all week. Thank you, kind sir.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 5:15 PM on September 4, 2008

heh
posted by waraw at 5:18 PM on September 4, 2008

A moose bit my sister once...
posted by louche mustachio at 5:28 PM on September 4, 2008

that Palin chick seems like an airhead.

and metaltalk's servers are all "what the fuck man?"
posted by mrgrimm at 5:29 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Finally, a post about the Palin I actually like. Woo!
posted by sundarikali at 5:48 PM on September 4, 2008

I'd like to see a cage match between Michael Palin and Bill Bryson. Palin's got the skinny sinews, but Bryson is built like a bear.

Good AskMe question: Could a typical young man Michael Palin, armed only with a knife, (say, six or eight inches long) be trained to consistently "win" fights with a grizzly bear Bill Bryson? Assume no element of surprise.
posted by Ritchie at 6:18 PM on September 4, 2008

Bill Bryson once bit my sister...
posted by stavrogin at 7:19 PM on September 4, 2008

True story: when I was in college (1979 - 1983) my fraternity (Delta Chi) won a keg of beer from Michael Palin and got to hit him in the face with a pie (pie tin filled with whipped cream) for having the most creative pie-throwing technique (we got lucky).

He was very nice. And quite funny.
posted by yhbc at 8:02 PM on September 4, 2008

Too clever. By half.
posted by spock at 8:17 PM on September 4, 2008

I'd like to see a cage match between Michael Palin and Bill Bryson. Palin's got the skinny sinews, but Bryson is built like a bear.
posted by subbes at 2:30 PM on September 4

My bet's on Bryson

(taking bets on bryson here, come and get your odds now)
posted by infini at 10:02 PM on September 4, 2008

My sister has a face like a moose. She once cage-fought Bill Bryson.

Or perhaps she just sofa-wrassled with him?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:13 PM on September 4, 2008

> A moose bit my sister once.

Nø realli?
posted by gentilknight at 12:57 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

for having the most creative pie-throwing technique

WHAT WAS IT!?!? You can't leave us hanging like that!
posted by inigo2 at 7:30 AM on September 5, 2008

Are the penguin on the telly jokes getting edited out? Makes sense, but it's SO GOOD.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 8:18 AM on September 5, 2008

inigo2 - it was pretty lame, and I ddn't want to repeat myself.

besides, in 2007 I apparently remembered actually throwing the pie myself (at least I said so at the time), so perhaps I'm hopelessly confused and it didn't really happen at all

No, dammit; this is the third time I've alluded to this story on MetaFilter now, so I will hold my head up high and proudly say IT DID HAPPEN, BUT I ONLY WATCHED. I think.
posted by yhbc at 9:32 AM on September 5, 2008

Dinsdale!
posted by Spiny Norman at 3:20 PM on September 5, 2008

Palin's rumored to once have been a member of The Silly Party, but it's only a rumor.
posted by Tim McDonough at 5:48 PM on September 5, 2008

Could it be that America has lost its way because there has been a bowling alley in the basement of the White House?

So the question is; do you want a Basketball Court or a Shooting Range installed when the next President takes office?
posted by MapGuy at 9:33 AM on September 6, 2008

Hmmm, I decided to take a gander at his tv travelogues. I recently saw the first 3 episodes of 80 Days Around the World.

Is this perhaps a weak sampling of his travel work? Because I was really really bored.
posted by uxo at 12:32 PM on September 6, 2008

A couple of days ago - on the day this FP was posted, in fact - I was interrupted at work by someone walking past my desk, chirping, "Hello there". I looked up and it was Michael Palin.

I swear to god.
posted by hot soup girl at 4:50 PM on September 6, 2008

Well, where do you work?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:05 PM on September 6, 2008

In a sofa shop. He then bought one.

I can now proudly add him to the list of Celebrities To Whom I Have Spoken To At Length About Sofas.
posted by hot soup girl at 7:55 AM on September 7, 2008

That you have a list like that explains why the universe chose to put Michael Palin in your shop.
posted by cortex at 9:02 AM on September 7, 2008

Indeed.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:13 AM on September 7, 2008