This article, reprinted here with the permission of its author, orginally appeared in Completely Different on February 4, 1998

"Think not disdainfully of death," the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius once wrote, "but look on it with favor; for even death is one of the things that Nature wills."

Well, frankly, Marcus Aurelius can go get stuffed. The simple truth is that almost ten years after his untimely death, Graham Chapman’s presence is still sorely missed. Amid any talk of Python reunion is an ever-present reminder that the man who brought us Brian and the King Arthur we never dreamt existed has, sadly, ceased to be. Run down the curtain, joined the choir invisible -- call it what you like, the man simply is no more.

But maybe Marcus Aurelius is right after all. Maybe, rather than mourn his loss or curse the cancer that claimed him, we should celebrate Chapman’s life and the career that has so endeared him to fans. Indeed, as Michael Palin wrote in 1989, Chapman "always regarded death as highly overrated and could never understand why anybody made such a fuss about it."

Enter A Six Pack of Lies.

Recorded in April of 1988, this rare and recently released "comedy lecture" is the perfect way to remember Chapman in all his lunatic glory, as a man who kept friends and fans laughing until the bitter end. There’s no shortage of laughter on this CD; from its wonderful, witty opening to talk of the Dangerous Sports Club and Keith Moon, it never fails to delight. There’s quite a bit about Monty Python as well, and hearing Chapman discuss the growth of the troupe in his own words is well worth the price of admission.

Quite honestly, the only genuine problems with A Six Pack of Lies are its sound quality and the fact that there’s no individual tracks to make repeated listening easier. The former is a rather larger problem, though, and does unfortunately take away from the overall enjoyment of the CD. One can almost imagine someone in the audience at Georgia Tech, a handheld tape recorder buried in their bag, straining to hear Chapman speak from across the room. An important caveat then: listen closely and with the volume turned up or you’re likely to miss much of what he says.

And if you’re a fan of Monty Python and Graham Chapman, you’ll want to catch every word.