Not as nice in person as you would think
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Michael Palin
Imhotepj — 20 years ago(January 16, 2006 03:43 AM)
Last Year I luckly got the last 2 tickets to see Michael Palin at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scottish Borders. I am a massive Monty Pyton fan and Michael Palin fan so I was so excited to see him in the flesh. I was loving the talk he was giving on his adventures and his funny stories which was well worth the ticket fee I thought. After his talk we all stood in-line to get him to sign our books, when It was my turn I tried to make chit chat (it was an uncomfortable silence moment) with him but I found him very rude and he just mummbled something back and was very grumpy towards people. I know he prob had a long day and just wanted us all to go away so he could have his dinner or whatever, but we are the fans, we pay his wages but buying his DVD's & Books etc.. I was so dissapointed in him, I always thought he was the "Nice one" turns out he's a bit of a grumpy old sod who can't be bothered sparing a few moments for his Fans who have waited so long to meet him in person. I have really went off him now, it's a shame, I really thought he was fab until then.
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star_elise1000 — 20 years ago(January 17, 2006 05:45 AM)
I think book signings are maybe not the best ways to judge character. Authors don't have the time to chat with fans on these occasions - they are fairly pressurised (and no doubt boring) situations. I ve met MP at two book signings when the queues were out the door and they were turning people away. He smiled and signed my book - all you can hope for really!
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cleopatra85 — 20 years ago(January 21, 2006 08:33 AM)
I saw him at a book sighning in New York and he kept getting cross because some people were just standing around gorping instead of joining the queue so he said those who are not here to buy my book just "f@ck off"! without a hint of humour but i found it hilarious.
"Maybe this world is another planet's Hell"-Aldous Huxley -
Dalif — 19 years ago(February 28, 2007 04:47 AM)
haha.. I would have fallen down laughing at a remark like that.
I've always pictured him as an extremely nice person (from what I've read). But that being said, I'm sure he'll get annoyed from time to time. I doubt he's a grumpy old man who just wants people to beep off. But book signings are very likely hard because you see a lot of people walking by, who all wants to chitchat, and you know you can't rea1c84lly talk to them due to time constraints. So when people stop for more than the allotted time interval, you know it's gonna cause trouble. So you just want them out of there fast.
"Er and I drove around for hours for no particular reason. We came up empty." -
imdb-16756 — 18 years ago(October 11, 2007 04:58 AM)
I'm a nice person, you are probably one too - but do you not have days where if someone met you they might think that you were awful? And if that was the one and only time that they had met you then that is the impression they will always have of you.
One of the reasons I'm never that bothered of meeting any of my heroes! -
CountessDuckula — 18 years ago(October 15, 2007 02:27 PM)
I met Micheal today at a book signing i told him thanks for sitting here and signing all day for us, its really kind. & he said "no problem, thankyou for buying the book" hes a good guy.
Plus, anyone who can sit though me babbling at them deserves a medal lol
Sweet, sweet man.
& hes still a fox
How do you think he rides the bike? John Bender -
Kissmyface — 20 years ago(January 22, 2006 10:36 AM)
Yeah it probably was a bad day for him,
ive been to two of his b16d0ook signings and one time he was so keen to sign everyone's book he stayed there for 6 hours. I think he is the nice one, because i have also met Terry Jones and by gum he is pretentious.
Try and write to Palin, i did once and alsthough it took a while to reply he still sent a signed photo and a handwritten letter back so maybe do that safe -
ian642002-1 — 16 years ago(January 05, 2010 12:42 AM)
Palin does have his off days and he's not going to be all things to all men. Read his diaries (with the recent
Halfway to Hollywood
just out) to get a better picture of the man - courteous and polite, but prone to flaws and moods just like the rest of us. I have read of certain times when Palin's affable exterior has fallen to reveal a bit of a curmudgeon - I remember a story some years ago of two young college types going to Palin's residence and hoping to interview the man himself, but, instead of an amiable chat, they found Palin irritable and annoyed to a high degree.
He's human, simply put. And he's probably hugely busy, with many strings to his bow apart from performing, so the stresses and strains of juggling all that has the possibility of taking its toll. The current diaries I'm reading (covering 1980-88) has him travelling up and down the country (and around the world) nearly every week to attend meetings, talks, family matters both trivial and important, publicity tours, book promotions, work commitments, you name it. It's probably grown in number since then, so we can't possibly know if everything is placid and calm in the Life of Michael. He's probably as busy and as harried as the rest of us.
Sadly, you can even catch the most easy-going at their most irritable. We're not all saints, and you could say the same about Palin. -
bixtonb — 12 years ago(June 22, 2013 05:29 AM)
Michael Palin is the only man I've ever met who has stormed out of his own house during an interview. He was talking to the journalist Edward Whitley, then an undergraduate, who had not enjoyed Palin's 1982 film The Missionary. (The story of a clergyman who takes his mission to comfort and bring joy to London's prostitutes a little too literally, it stars Palin, Maggie Smith and Trevor Howard.)
"Whitley has described how you flounced out, after confronting him. As I recall, the veins were 'pumping in your forehead'. Your face was pressed against his"
"There was a bit of poetic licence at work there. I don't think my veins pumped. I suppose he was trying to portray me as mad. But he was a little beep I have to say." Palin, characteristically, is instantly visited by an awareness of the need for balance. "I mean that he was like that at the time.
Two of them came, from the Oxford University newspaper.
You have to accept that not everybody will like something you have done. But there are ways and ways of saying you don't like something.
They were so incredibly patronising and condescending
."
"Just possibly with a view to winding you up?"
"I suppose so, but why? I can see the weaknesses in everything I've ever done, sometimes to an almost alarming degree."
"What happened after you'd locked yourself out? Did they ransack your underwear drawer?"
"No. Helen showed them out. Someone told me later that Whitley was actually a lovely man, at which point, of course, I began to feel guilty."
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-dark-knight-rises-perhaps-michael-palin-isnt-the-nicest-chap-in-britain-after-all-7976634.html -
HoloDonkeh — 20 years ago(January 27, 2006 02:34 AM)
I met Michael a few years back in Sydney and he was a bit grumpy. But I just presumed that he was because it was the middle of summer and it was an absolute scorcher. I did get a picture with him though (where he was smiling) and he signed my lovely little book.
Squeal I spoke to Chris Barrie on the phone on 25/11/2005: Gazpacho Soup Day! -
fffftttthhh — 20 years ago(March 11, 2006 04:59 PM)
I met him at a book signing in belfast last year and while he was quite businesslike about the whole thing he wholly charming - i'm so glad to have caught him on a good day - i would have died if he had've dashed my expectations of him! he was lovely!
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owl-elevating-time — 20 years ago(March 15, 2006 07:31 AM)
I went to a book signing of "Harry Potter" when I was about 9 (am now 15- you do the maths) and even though harry wasn't that popular in munich (where it was) she was really nice and made little chit chat about me being a twin. So they don't only have to be rude at book signing!
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beesting_12_dot — 20 years ago(March 24, 2006 06:41 PM)
I hate it when people write things like this on posts! GARSH! Now I feel really bum. Blooaaa
But i think I'm just gonna try and remember him as he was in the Monty Python days, because he was young and fresh back then.
Now I'm sad. Thanks.
"I know I'm the worst actress
that was ever in pictures."
Jean Harlow
NO, JEAN! NO! -
rubydreamer — 20 years ago(March 29, 2006 05:35 PM)
omg I hate it when people say stuff like that. "ohh he was mean and grumpy to me! He didn't seem like he wanted to sign my paper!" sometimes someone could be the nicest person in the world and suddenly says the most insulting thing that you ever heard. Just like people think John Cleese is mean and controling. Do you really think he's like that 24/7? People say stuff blah blah blah. You can't demand him to be grateful and nice to you. Sure it's his job, but your being rather silly saying 'oh he owes me. I buy his material. He has to be nice to me. He should be licking my feet clean!"
And all that crap about being the 'nice one' do you think that's a lie? Do you actually believe a bunch of interviewers, the pythons and countless other all got into a room and said 'alright. From now on Michael shall always be the nice one. Eric your the charmer and Graham you be the quiet one. Now I don't any of you saying they are anything but!" I've heard many many people talk about how 'nice' Mike is and you just have to believe that because so many people say the same thing. But in no way does Michael Palin have to be nice all the time just like you can't expect him to owe you a smile and a whole little chit-chat. Your just being silly. I'm being silly. It's a silly world.