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Interview with Alyce Wilson, author of Dedicated Idiocy

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Common interests bond people together. But what if those interests are 16-ton weights, lumberjacks and Spam? That was the case with the Penn State Monty Python Society, and their saga is packed with silliness, solidarity, and something else that begins with “S.”

Everyone loves Monty Python – but a society? What did they do?
I was a member of this anarchic, creative group from my freshman year in 1988 until 1993, a year after I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. Throughout that time, the MPS started new traditions, pulled two big stunts that garnered front-page headlines, and wrote and performed dozens of Pythonesque skits. For me, personally, the experience shaped my academic career, as my love of British comedy inspired me to write my undergraduate honors thesis about the Oxbridge Mafia comedy school that produced Monty Python. For that thesis, I secured an interview with Python member Terry Jones, the first in my lifetime career of brazen celebrity interviews. I also got a very nice letter from John Cleese.

Oh wow. We saw John Cleese on the street once so this will definitely appeal to us. Who else should read this book?
Dedicated Idiocy” will appeal to humor nerds, British comedy fans, and anybody who is interested in fandom, social dynamics and local histories.

Tell us who is in the Penn State Monty Python Society.
Featured in the book are myself, who I suppose you’d describe as an energetic rabble-rouser and prankster, inciting the group to highly-organized silliness.

In addition, you’ll meet: Holli, my hug-happy sister-at-arms and frequent writing and sketch partner; Mark, the skilled improvisational actor who could have pursued comedy as a career if he hadn’t become a video game designer; Cathy, the future E.R. doctor and longest-serving club president, whose unflappable nature helped her helm this wacky crew; Kzin, the camera-shy wordsmith whose dark, imposing looks made him the club’s answer to John Cleese; Joe, whose sketches and original characters provided a number of club jokes; and Bernhard, who’d do anything for a laugh, including eating toilet paper. You’ll also meet a perpetual losing candidate, a Trotsky imitator, a guy nicknamed “The Nine,” and assorted looneys.

Why is your book called Dedicated Idiocy? Is that from an obscure Monty Python sketch?
“Dedicated Idiocy” was the title of my editor’s column in the Penn State Monty Python Society club newsletter. In turn, I named my column after the headline of an article about the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band.

The what?
The Bonzos were an eclectic group of musicians who recorded humorous songs in the ’60s, and Neil Innes, one of the vocalists in the group, is also a friend of Monty Python’s Eric Idle. You might remember Innes as the head minstrel from “Monty Python’s The Holy Grail,” or as Stig Nasty in “The Rutles,” for which he also co-wrote the music.

Tell us about your life now.
I am a write-at-home mom who writes poetry while pushing a stroller and puts together submissions while watching “Curious George.” In my copious free time, I keep a personal blog and a writer’s blog, write articles on entertainment and Philadelphia area events for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and edit the online literary weekly, Wild Violet. I also take far too many pictures of my son and share them on Instagram.

What other social media do you use?
I’m @alycewilson on Twitter, and my Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/alycewilsonwriter.

What’s next?
Currently, I’m putting together a collection of poetry, essays and humorous pieces about my son, whose online nickname is Kung Fu Panda. The book, to be titled “Now with Kung Fu Action Grip,” is one of the last perks promised for a successful Indiegogo campaign I ran back in April to secure travel expenses so my son could serve as ringbearer in a wedding.

Any final words on this book?
As a bonus, an appendix collects some original skits written for MPS, as well as some of my post-MPS writings that touch on Monty Python and how the club changed my life.

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