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Happy Birthday Mr. Idle!
March 29, 1943 is the birthday of a fascinating and intriguing human being, Eric Idle. Of course Mr. Idle is most well known as one of the members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the writer of such unforgettable songs as “The GalaxySong”, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, and “Spamalot”, and his “Travel Agency” and “Nudge Nudge” skits. But for such a brilliant talent, it was not until 1965 that his penchant for comedy became apparent. Eric Idle was born in South Shields to a mother who was a Public Health Worker and an RAF Officer father. His father survived the war, but died in a car accident in December, 1945. His mother slipped into a deep depression and, as a result, he spent most of his youth in boarding schools intended for orphans. The brutality of his upbringing led young Idle to follow in his Father’s footsteps, but his disdain for the RAF led him to join the French Foreign Legion. He immediately became embroiled in the Algerian Civil War. While in Algeria, he met many Legionnaires transferred from the fighting in Indochina under whose tutelage he became quite skilled at reconnaissance and infiltration techniques. He demonstrated these skills leading a Parachute Squad during the Algiers putsch of 1961, a failed coup d’etat intended to force President de Gaulle to keep Algeria as a French Colony. The political ramifications of the coup forced Idle back to England in 1962 as the FFL was almost disbanded in retribution. He kept a low profile until 1965, when he gained admission to Cambridge University and got the attention of upper-classmen John Cleese and Graham Chapman. And that, as they say, is the rest of the story. So this week at King's Hobby Shop, 7801 N Lamar Blvd, Suite E-188 we would like to pay tribute to Legionnaire Eric Idle, his best mate Biggus Dickus, and his wife Incontinentia Buttocks with a Flying Circus of items curated just for this April Fools weekend.. Or you can log in to kingshobby.com to find a collection to tempt even Sir Robin available in our virtual warehouse.
King's Hobby Shop Staff
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