The hilarious Monty Python one-liner Elvis Presley used every time he had a bad show

12 September 2025, 12:03

Who knew that Elvis was such a fan of the classic comedy troupe?

There are few icons as quintessentially American as Elvis Presley.

At the same time, despite the presence of ex-American Terry Gilliam, it's hard to think of a more British comedy troupe than the Monty Python gang.

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But it turns out that Elvis was actually a massive Monty Python fan. So much so, that he apparently quoted one of the group's most famous lines every time he had a bad show.

Elvis didn't bless the cheesemakers, nor did he say "Ni". We don't know whether or not he expected the Spanish Inquisition, or his thoughts on lumberjacks or spam.

But we do know what he said on the rare occasions where his performances weren't up to his high standards, or the crowd didn't respond as he hoped.

"It's only a flesh wound," Elvis would tell his then-bodyguard Sam Thompson, shrugging off the disappointment by quoting the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Black Knight

Given that the movie was only released in 1975 and Elvis tragically died in 1977, this would have only happened at the very end of his career.

But if that makes you doubt the story, it's worth noting just how many shows Elvis was playing at the time.

The King actually racked up around 285 live performances in his last three years, all after the US release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

While the Black Knight's punchline was his go-to after a disappointing set, it wasn't the only bit of Python Elvis was partial to, even though friend Jerry Schilling said he watched the movie almost 50 times.

He was apparently also a fan of a particular Eric Idle and Terry Jones's sketch.

"Terry Jones and I recorded Nudge Nudge for The Midnight Special in '73 – at that stage I think they thought we were musicians – and they ended up repeating it for 20 years," Idle told the AFR.

"Elvis started calling everyone 'squire' because of that sketch. He got all our tapes and Linda Thompson told me that he made her sit up in bed with him, doing Pepperpots voices."

Idle added to Boston's WBUR-FM. "When I found that out my life was made, because I was a huge Elvis fan and I just couldn't believe he would do that.

"'I just can't really get the visual of that," Idle said. "It's the wider Elvis, sitting up in bed, with Linda Thompson, screaming at each other, looking for a new brain.

"I just think that's so wonderful. You can't write that stuff can you?"