Birthday Buddies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife and I use a term for people who share the same birthday as us. We call them “birthday buddies.” The term applies to everyone, but feels more fun when a birthday buddy is also a celebrity.

 

When we come across a celebrity buddy, we do some research to find out how much we’re alike. My wife has a few really stellar buddies like filmmaker Ken Burns, the late ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, and the lead singer and bass player for Rush, Geddy Lee.

 

On the other hand, my esteemed birthday buddies are more scarce. One is Daniel Boone. Unfortunately, I discovered that Daniel ran into trouble with the law, something about selling land that wasn’t his. So I’ve sided with Fess Parker’s version of the historical figure rather than the man himself.

 

Luckily, I found salvation with at least one cool birthday buddy, singer-songwriter k.d. Lang. However, for k.d. and me, our birth date is about all we have in common. I’m a hunter. She promoted a “Meat Stinks” campaign. I’m guessing that if k.d. and I ever met, we could have some spirited discussion. But I say be damned with those differences because this I know for sure—I’ve listened to her sing for hours on end.

 

Whether he knew it or not, Elvis Presley also had a celebrity birthday buddy. The buddy was Graham Chapman, a member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Chapman is well-known for his portrayal of King Arthur in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The real-life differences between those two seem mind-boggling. So when their birthdates came across my radar, I undertook immediate investigation.

 

In the process, I was gobsmacked to find that Elvis was a huge Python fan. He would watch Python videos all night. He’d take their recordings on his plane. His favorite Python sketch was “Nudge, Nudge.” As a result, he began using a British accent and calling everyone “squire.”

 

According to close friends, Elvis became so obsessed with the Python’s humor that he'd memorize sketches and randomly imitate Python characters. These included the pepperpot women with their shrieking falsetto voices. Sometimes he’d even toss out renditions during his stage shows. His girlfriend at the time, Linda Thompson, said Elvis was so enamored with the Pythons that he’d insist she watch Python television shows with him and act out scenes doing pepperpot voices. What’s more, he encouraged his entourage and associates to learn Python characters and lines so they could play along in the silliness.

 

Elvis’s favorite Python movie was the Holy Grail. He was so hooked on the film, that he’d rent out a movie theater for midnight screenings with his friends. He endlessly mimicked the Knights Who Say Ni and picked up on Holy Grail jargon. The Dark Knight guarding the bridge stands out as an example.

 

When King Arthur cut off both of the Dark Knight’s arms, the knight scoffed, claiming his injury was just a flesh wound. For Elvis, that response became part of his standard lexicon. If Elvis thought one of his performances was substandard, he’d say, “Just a flesh wound.”

 

Elvis would also make prank phone calls using character voices from the Holy Grail. Once while in a Las Vegas hotel room, he dialed up his friend Jerry Schilling. In a fake French accent, Elvis identified himself as a French soldier from the movie. It was the same soldier who hurled a deluge of insults at King Arthur. Then Elvis started in…

 

 

Elvis’s impersonation must have been spot on because Schilling didn’t recognize Elvis’s voice. Schilling slammed down the phone thinking it was some kook. But Elvis—after recovering from convulsive laughter—called his friend back to finish him off…

 

"I don’t want to talk to you no more you empty-headed, animal-food-trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries…Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time."

 

Schilling yelled back at the caller and hung up again. Finally, Elvis let him off the hook and called back to explain and apologize. Then he invited Schilling to stop by his room and watch the movie with him.

 

For the Pythons in their teens, Elvis was an otherworldly, American music god and movie idol. He wore tight leather pants in his early days, later adorned a white jumpsuit with a high collar and through it all made women swoon.

 

By contrast, the Pythons were anything but sex symbols. They would dress as street-thug grannies or matronly housewives with irritating voices who beat each other with purses. But in so doing, they sent their hero into utter hysterics. They could never have imagined receiving the King’s worship. Over time, these six comic artists, one a birthday buddy, became legends in their own right.

 

Other than a date on a calendar, birthday buddies can be vastly different. But maybe there’s a reciprocity to it.