Interview: John Cleese on the Real Meaning of Life Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close

John Cleese on the Real Meaning of Life

The legendary comedian shares his views on political correctness and the secret of creativity

Andrew Hetherington Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. They are more earnest — in a good way — about their studies. When I talk to students, they say they love Cornell but they have to work too hard. I think pressuring people like that, you may be able to cram more into their heads, but it will make them less creative. As I’ve aged, I’ve found the world far, far more ridiculous than I used to think. - John Cleese Could you do Monty Python in the current politically correct environment? Probably not. But we were pushing it pretty hard in those days. Because the ’60s and ’70s were pretty stuffy. What’s political correctness about? It’s about not offending people. Does that mean that you can’t challenge other people’s ideas? That’s exactly what should happen in a university environment. It’s like you’re having a lovely party and down the stairs comes the maiden aunt. So, everybody behaves in a very restrained way to avoid upsetting the maiden aunt. So, the question is: Do we want standards of offending people to protect the touchiest, weakest and most self-serving or the reasonably robust who don’t take themselves too seriously? What do you think of the state of comedy today? Being funny is very difficult and not that many people can do it. But you can get in front of an audience and shout and swear a lot. My daughter’s doing She’s very good, but I’ve seen a lot of other people who are very vulgar, very sexual and quite aggressive, but not in a clever way. It’s comedy for people who don’t have much of a sense of humor. What have you noticed touring lately? A lot of men in their 60s thank me, and they say it with a tear in their eye. They say, “Thank you for helping form my sense of humor.” Which is a great tribute. How do you view the role of comedy? Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > What do you think is the meaning of life? I believe that there’s an , although I can’t explain it. I think the evidence is too strong that there’s something going on there that contemporary science knows nothing about. If I have anything useful to do, apart from making people laugh now and then, it’s to persuade people that this stuff ought to be looked at — without making great assumptions about what it means or how it happens. So why do you call yourself the top lemur? I love them. There was a zoo across from school and I would look at them all the time. I did a documentary on them in which I joked that I should have married one. Of course, that was before I met my wife, Fish. So now you’re into fish. Yes, I’m into Fish. MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS