1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,680 They're saying it's very funny, which is usually the kiss of 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,560 death. Yeah, I do enjoy seeing blind 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:10,320 beggars being robbed. This is the movie for you. 4 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,560 Rehearsal please all. Right, I'll need you up camera 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,360 for this way. Up your camera too. 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:24,920 You'll be right over back here. I'll be right over back here. 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,160 Yeah, I was there when you called me over, remember? 8 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,720 Where did they get this guy? But if your job is to become 9 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,240 extremely Zen and put up with the uncomfortableness or just 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:37,720 just unpleasantness and get on with it. 11 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,040 And an 18th century galleon fooled around the Cove on a 12 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,360 longboat that came to the shore carrying half Monty Python 13 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,280 crown. And so Me Too and Shong are on 14 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:50,600 their way. Rushed on money. 15 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,680 Where they put the stuff wasn't here. 16 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,760 Have a piece of paper here. With the time on you see 918 17 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:36,360 stopped. It's a funny one, but I suppose 18 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,880 it's a wrong choice of words. It's it. 19 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,720 Yeah, it has. It has it's moments, yeah, but 20 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:43,680 we'll get to that, I presume. Yeah, we'll get to that. 21 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,280 And normally I would say around this time I would say hello and 22 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:51,440 welcome to Goon Pod. But owing to what we're going to 23 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,960 be talking about this week, I decided I might try and be 24 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,160 funny. OK, I've been I've been 25 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:58,560 workshopping this. Oh, have you? 26 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,080 Excellent. I appreciate the effort. 27 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,360 And I'm no good at voices, but I was going to try and say Army 28 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,640 tease and welcome to goon pod right? 29 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,120 Or something like that. Yeah, absolutely. 30 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,039 That sounds good. But yeah, but I haven't been 31 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:13,080 able to capture the piratical cadence properly. 32 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:17,200 Oh, I see of the the, yeah, the it's, I think it's fine. 33 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:18,960 You just do. It's a generic West Country 34 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,640 slash Norfolk accent, isn't it? Yeah, well, I found out a few 35 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,240 weeks ago when I was doing Goon Pod that it was all started by 36 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,160 the actor Robert Newton. Was it? 37 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:29,920 Was it Newton? What Long John Silver? 38 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,560 Or Blackbeard blue beard. Blackbeard Yeah, yeah. 39 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:37,320 But but I decided not to do that for an intro, so instead I've 40 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:42,080 just put on an eye patch. OK, I hope you got my e-mail by 41 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,840 the way, and I hope you followed instructions and and lopped off 42 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:46,600 a limb like. It. 43 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:47,840 Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. 44 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,840 I wasn't sure which one to lop off so I lopped off both. 45 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,600 Both. So now I'm on a trolley. 46 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,440 Good. I don't think I can't think of 47 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,720 anyone least suited to commandeer major seafaring 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:07,440 vessel than myself right now because I'm on a trolley and you 49 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,000 know, at best the surface in the open sea is uneven. 50 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,120 Well, so you've got a peg and a hook. 51 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:20,880 A peg and a hook, a parrot and and I, I think it's a pigeon to 52 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:22,600 be honest. There's a lot more low 53 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,200 maintenance than a parrot. Doesn't look as nice, but it's 54 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:26,520 reliable. Absolutely. 55 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,640 I've weighted down heavily. I think they basically act as a 56 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:32,120 counterweight. Well, listen, it's good job you 57 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,560 you followed my instructions. Because if you hadn't, if you 58 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,880 hadn't, I'd have sentenced you to an entire day locked in a 59 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,760 room with Tommy Chong as El Nebuloso. 60 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:41,720 Yes. And can you? 61 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,040 Can you think of a worse punishment than that? 62 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,720 I really can't. I will be covered in saliva. 63 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,360 Wouldn't. I anyway, I just listen. 64 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,720 I should introduce you formally because people are just hearing 65 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:54,880 us yakking. They don't know who the hell 66 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,480 this this guy is, this well spoken gentleman. 67 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,400 My guest this week is Adrian Mckinder. 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,360 Hello, hello, nice to be here. An honour to be on such a 69 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:06,520 hallowed pod. My pleasure, my pleasure. 70 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:08,720 Such hallowed company. And how would I describe you, 71 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,480 Writer, performer, podcaster? I think so. 72 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,360 Writer, performer. I've been performing and writing 73 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,600 comedy sort of professionally now for best part of 20 years. 74 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,080 Yep, I was started my sort of cut my teeth in TVI was ended up 75 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,120 being sort of a head writer at Comedy Central in the UK back in 76 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,880 the day whilst then performing brilliant and I now live in in 77 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,160 Copenhagen in Denmark. I was lured across the old sea. 78 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,600 My my wife basically was carrying on the whole Viking 79 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,520 tradition and some clubbed me over the head and dragged me 80 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,840 across the old sea. And that's when I was before and 81 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:47,440 I sort of rekindled performing stand up comedy across Europe 82 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,120 and then doing improv, American style, long form improv, not 83 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,040 just the whose line is it anyway, style stuff. 84 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,880 And I'm a writer still. I've published 2 books, 22 books 85 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,000 have come out. And the first was about Stan Lee 86 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,600 and how Marvel Comics changed the world was basically my the 87 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,920 theory that I posited that for good or I'll Marvel changed the 88 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,720 face of entertainment. And then the second book was is 89 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,560 called Death and the Victorians, which taps into my particular 90 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,880 interest in sort of late Victoriana and Gothic because I 91 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,160 went and back to university and studied Victorian culture. 92 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,280 I was drawn to the darker side of Victoriana and I published 93 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:32,200 that book. And it's basically the whole 94 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,600 idea that true crime and our obsessions that we have from 95 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:37,920 true crime podcasts. So it's quite a appropriate 96 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,200 given our chat and interest in serial killers and ghosts and 97 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,840 the supernatural. We can all thank the Victorians 98 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:49,200 for being the first sort of epoch that's popularised it on 99 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,040 the scale that we still enjoy to this day. 100 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,240 So I need to work on my personal brand because they couldn't be 101 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:56,480 more different, those two subjects. 102 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,160 So you and I were speaking earlier this year. 103 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,160 You actually contacted me, I think I did. 104 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:11,280 And you had some mad idea about writing another book. 105 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,600 I know that that's exactly it. So I contacted you because I 106 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,080 knew you were the font of all knowledge related to the subject 107 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,160 matter, which is different. Again, I'm not sure how much I'm 108 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,080 going to how how much I can divulge about the third book, 109 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:28,680 but I'm happy to talk about it in so far as it's shall I can. 110 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:30,600 I can do absolutely OK or is yours? 111 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:31,920 Well, basic. Thank you. 112 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,560 Well, it's a very simple idea. It's, I call it the golden age 113 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:41,600 of alternative comedy in so far as it is the period leading up 114 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,360 to the conception of Monty Python's Flying Circus, because 115 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,040 that's been written to death. I don't want to write about 116 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,320 Monty Python's Flying Circus now, you know, but I thought 117 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,080 what's interesting is looking at the shows, the people, the 118 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:58,720 performers, the writers that informed and directly created 119 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,760 Monty Python. So the book ends at 1969 and I 120 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,800 thought what would be much more interesting was to look at the 121 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:11,320 radio shows, the TV shows that came up from basically post war 122 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,360 to the end of the 60s that spawned Flying Circus. 123 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,880 So and interestingly, I'm, I'm deliberately looking across the 124 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,560 pond as well because of my improv background. 125 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,640 I think there's a lot of cross pollination between American 126 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,240 comedy and British comedy during this time. 127 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,920 And you can, you can lead that back to the war. 128 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,560 Basically, when we talk about, you know, Spike listening to 129 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,640 the, you know, the forces radio and everything. 130 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:42,120 And there's no doubt that the people, you know, like settlers, 131 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,040 you know, like Milligan, like Secum, they would have been 132 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,760 exposed to the forces radio and therefore they would be exposed 133 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:53,000 to that very particular American style of comedy that was on on 134 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,040 the wireless back then. And I think I believe that it 135 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,320 informed quite considerably the style that became known as 136 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,040 alternative comedy. So that's basically where the 137 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,440 book is, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah. 138 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:07,880 But yeah, you're right. Absolutely. 139 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,840 There's, there's been so many, so many books about Pythons. 140 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,080 The only thing is, I would say nobody's, nobody's had the 141 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,280 notion yet of setting up a podcast about Python, which 142 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:20,960 really surprises me. There's a gap in the market 143 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,560 there. That's very interesting. 144 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,880 You're absolutely right. I don't know whether it's one of 145 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,680 those two. You know, people couldn't see 146 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,280 the the wood for the trees and they thought, well, obviously 147 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:31,800 it's there. It must be out there speaking 148 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,559 because there are so many niche, nuanced podcasts. 149 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,440 Because this the market's so saturated you'd think there'd be 150 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,440 at least 15 Python related podcasts. 151 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,400 Well, you see, when when I, when I finish Goon pod and I've and 152 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:48,120 I've I'll embark upon my Take It from Here podcast to my 153 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:54,440 Clitheroe kid podcast and and then, yeah, exactly. 154 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:56,360 Then I might make room for the Python podcast. 155 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,080 Yes, I think, I think if you can squeeze in 30 minutes every 156 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:06,040 other month on on a leap year, then maybe you can actually find 157 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,440 time to create that and I'd be on board 100%. 158 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,840 I don't mind telling you Python has been part of my DNA. 159 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,520 I I, as it is with so many I I I I didn't know something could be 160 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:21,920 that funny when I I snuck into the living room in my family 161 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,720 home when I was 10 years old because my sister was watching a 162 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,200 video of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and I wasn't allowed 163 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:28,680 in. She was considerably older than 164 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,680 me and I hid behind the sofa and I got rumbled by chortling 165 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,800 rather loudly at how ridiculous it was and my my sister 166 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,320 protested because she was with some friends and she didn't want 167 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,200 a younger brother going in being square. 168 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,880 But my mum who just think wanted a quiet afternoon at that point 169 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:47,960 just said let him watch. So I was allowed to watch the 170 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:49,800 rest of it. And then later that year, I 171 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:54,440 watched Life of Brian on New Year's Eve, back in the day 172 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,800 when, you know, parents took their kids to a New Year's Eve 173 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:58,880 party, were shoved in a small room with the telly. 174 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:01,560 Yeah. And so I was there with a good 175 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:03,200 friend of mine who's still a good friend of mine. 176 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,240 And we watched Live for Bride. And again, I didn't know 177 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,400 something could be that funny. That was what was interesting. 178 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:10,080 I was shocked as well as laughing. 179 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,360 And then I went to flash forward a few few years and I went to 180 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,920 the same school as Terry Jones. He was, he went to the same 181 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:21,240 school as me in in Guildford. So it was very much etched into 182 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,640 the curriculum, you know, And I remember just looking at his 183 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:27,640 name on the board because he was head boy. 184 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:29,160 So below the kind of school I went to. 185 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,120 And don't blame me. My parents sent me the and it 186 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,480 said, I remember just the year TGP Jones, you know, and I 187 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,560 thought, there he is. And it actually made it real. 188 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,160 It made it feel like, actually, no, someone who went to the same 189 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,520 school as me did did do this. Yeah. 190 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:45,440 Yeah. And it suddenly it it, it it 191 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,080 breached the gap from some intangible sense of fame and 192 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,160 celebrity and distance and made it feel a real possibility. 193 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,280 And I think that definitely informed my desire to try and 194 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,720 earn a living through comedy, which I'm pleased to say on and 195 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:04,000 off for the most part I have. Well, I I went to the same 196 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,440 school as Chris Barry, so I can say I went to the same school as 197 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,840 Gordon Brittas. Oh, well, I, well, I, I would 198 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,200 always say Arnold Rimmer, but if you want to, you know, if it's 199 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,360 the, you know, that, that I'll, I'll keep him as Rimmer if I 200 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:19,360 may. But I I would be lying if I said 201 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,440 I didn't watch all of the British British Empire when it 202 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,800 was on TV as well. Hello Mr. Brutas. 203 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,560 That's all I remember. For that, yes, Yes, the. 204 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,040 Yeah. He always had some weeping 205 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:30,880 sword. He was like the jet, the janitor 206 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,040 of this of the area. And then there was the 207 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:34,920 receptionist who had a baby in a drawer. 208 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,640 That's right. He was always on the verge of 209 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:38,120 tears. He's now eased with that, I 210 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,480 believe. But it is she. 211 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:41,800 God, we're getting away from it, right? 212 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:44,000 This is the. Problem of this podcast. 213 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,080 I'm always departing from the path, taking these little byways 214 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,680 to conversational dead ends. So let's bring it. 215 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:53,480 Back but Tyler, that's part that's part of what makes it so 216 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,000 wonderful and I will do my best not to derail it any further. 217 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,480 So let's let's let's let's steady the ship, shall we? 218 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,200 Right, the course. Well done, Well done. 219 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:02,920 Yes. So there's a, there's a, there's 220 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:05,400 a little hint as to what I mean. Listeners know what this bloody 221 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:07,520 show's about today because they've read it. 222 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,960 They've read it exactly. You mentioned Life of Brian. 223 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:16,480 You could say, well, no. When, when was when was Time 224 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:17,400 Bandits? That was before. 225 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,080 OK, let's forget what I've just said there. 226 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,960 The next, the next sort of Python project, Afterlife of 227 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,720 Brian, apart from Time Bandits and maybe one or two others, the 228 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,880 next kind of sort of Python project was 1983's Yellow Beard, 229 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:38,800 which is which features half of the Python team basically. 230 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,520 I I think is that right half? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you've, you've 231 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,680 got, yeah, you've got Cleese, you've got Idol, you've got 232 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:47,240 Chapman. And, and I mean, it's got a 233 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:50,000 yellow beard. It's it's we'll talk about what 234 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,000 it is, but let me just preface it by saying it's, it's got an 235 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,400 astonishing cast. And, and what you were saying 236 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,880 earlier about before we started recording, actually, I think you 237 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:05,240 met, you were talking about British and American comedy from 238 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,320 the, from the period. And this, this film has 239 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:13,520 representatives from so much comedy aristocracy from both 240 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,840 Britain and America. Because obviously you've got, 241 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,000 you've got the Pythons, you've got representatives or a 242 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,760 representative of the of the goons, which is why we're 243 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,680 talking about it today. Why we're allowed to talk about. 244 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:30,320 It yes, that's right beyond the fringe, of course, and and the 245 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:35,280 satire boom, you've got you've got the young ones Even so so 246 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,640 the the new generation, you've got the Mel Brooks Rep company 247 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,640 and and you've got what I would call I guess you may have a 248 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:44,880 better idea of what to what genre this is. 249 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,000 I'm calling it US Stoner counterculture comedy. 250 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:51,560 I would say that's pretty accurate if we were talking 251 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,600 about Cheech and Chew. Yeah, I think that it is. 252 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,120 It's it's counterculture Stoner comedy. 253 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,160 And and I have I have a bit of a hot take, which I I would also 254 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,360 add inexplicably popular into that with Cheech and Chong. 255 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:06,440 I've never really got OK then, but that's that's that's by the. 256 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:11,920 By I am very, very briefly, I my sister is 10 years older than 257 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,960 me. She had a well she had a long 258 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:16,480 term fiance. They never got married in the 259 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,440 end, but anyway, but he had a extensive record collection 260 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,320 including the entire ouvre, I believe of Cheech and Chong. 261 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,960 So when I was whatever age 678, he would let me play these 262 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,320 Cheech and Chong LP's, which is probably inappropriate. 263 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:38,120 I'm sure it was. But I remember I was they, they 264 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:42,440 did a version of Sleeping Beauty, right? 265 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:48,080 Which was a like a Stoner version of Sleeping Beauty, you 266 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:52,360 know, which I just thought was absolutely hilarious at the 267 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,480 time, to the extent that I listened to it over and over and 268 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,560 over and over and over again. So so that I knew every line. 269 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,120 Hey, ugly old wart, let your head. 270 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:05,880 Or did someone crap on your shoulders? 271 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:07,360 Come on down here and have a drink. 272 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,680 For great's sake, no. I don't want a drink. 273 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,560 You're too late. I have uttered my class. 274 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:20,680 Nothing can change it. And then Fast forward maybe a 275 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:25,000 year later and I was in English whatever at school. 276 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,400 And the teacher said, right, I want you to write a creative, 277 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:29,880 creative story. Just write a story. 278 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:37,000 And so basically I just transcribed Sleeping Beauty by 279 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,560 Cheech and Chong. I obviously changed it a little 280 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,480 bit so as not to make it that obvious, right? 281 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,360 And handed it in. And then the next day, the 282 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:52,400 teacher said that she was so impressed by my story that she 283 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,240 wanted me to read it aloud to the class. 284 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,240 Right. Right. 285 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,840 And if, as if that wasn't daunting enough, halfway through 286 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,800 maybe the first paragraph, Stephen Miller in the back row 287 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,080 shouts out. That's Cheech and Chog. 288 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:10,360 Oh, you got rumbled. I got rumbled. 289 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,320 Oh, no. How did you? 290 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:14,400 How did the? How did that? 291 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,920 Result. Scandalous I was. 292 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,400 I was dragged out of class and beaten to a pulp. 293 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,520 No, it wasn't well, but I just remember the shame. 294 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,680 I just you feel it even now. Well see, hats off for trying 295 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:30,480 it. The nearest equivalent to that 296 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,240 is I had. I remember when I was 16 we had 297 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,760 to in English class. I had to write a poem about loss 298 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:40,320 and being a dedicated metal head, which I am, I wrote out 299 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,960 the lyrics to Fade to Black by Metallica. 300 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,520 Oh yes. And passed it off as a poem. 301 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,120 And I didn't get rumbled because it turned out, of course, you 302 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:54,120 know, the teacher wasn't a huge fan of Metallica's 1984 second 303 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:59,400 effort, but he gave it AB minus. So it was a kind of like, yes, 304 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:00,640 this is. Average fair, I think that's. 305 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:03,920 Probably fair, probably fair. Yeah, fair assessment of 306 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,359 something. But I so I didn't. 307 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:07,440 I didn't get tarred and feathered by it, but I didn't 308 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,319 get dragged out. But I understand what it's like 309 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:15,040 to to find yourself reaching for your influences directly. 310 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,520 Yeah, I learned a lesson that day, Adrian. 311 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:19,280 All right, I. Don't know what it was did. 312 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,040 No, I was going to say, what is the lesson? 313 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,240 The lesson is if you're going to if you're going to steal someone 314 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:24,720 a bit more obscure. That's what you're meant to say, 315 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,640 I think that sort of thing, isn't it? 316 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,760 I think it is. But yes, they're all in there. 317 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:30,920 To your point, I mean, it's, it is, it is. 318 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:37,120 It is just this complete split by a an ensemble comedy cast 319 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:40,680 that on paper should be absolutely dynamite. 320 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:45,480 Yeah, it really is. You know, and, and you know, and 321 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,120 you also have mentioned that there's also, you know, David 322 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:51,120 Bowie pops up briefly. We'll come to that. 323 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,560 Yeah, we'll come to that and you know, and yeah, but it's it's 324 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,240 it's astonishing that the cast and it's interesting, the young 325 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,160 ones thing. I always use this as the I 326 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,440 always like to play a little game with myself during those 327 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,760 quiet moments in life when I try and think of the the four 328 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,400 Hollywood films that featured, you know, one of the five, I 329 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,600 suppose a feature of the five principal cast of the young ones 330 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,160 in random roles where they shouldn't really be in it. 331 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,520 And this is one of them, of course, you know. 332 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:21,680 OK, well, there's there's American Werewolf which. 333 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:23,520 Got Rick? Yes, that's my that's my go to 334 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,880 Rick Rick film. Adrian, I don't know. 335 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:30,560 Well, this is the thing I was trying to work up there, but he 336 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:35,720 he randomly pops up in in Star Wars. 337 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,400 It's one of the Star Wars sequels recently as as as as one 338 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,640 of the 1st order officers. I think it's the last Jedi and 339 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,560 it's very distracting because it's aid Edmondson Alexis and 340 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,600 then in Gorky Park is he see, that's not that's an interesting 341 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:52,560 thing. My one is last Crusade Indiana 342 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,720 Jones, of course, up as the yeah, and he gives him the he 343 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:59,080 gives the the Walter Donovan. He gives him the tank, which is 344 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,840 allow for a terrible joke in the whole film news and tanks. 345 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:03,840 And then he goes, you're welcome. 346 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:11,720 And and then the most obscure 1 Christopher Ryan pops up in in 347 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,040 the horrible Elias Salkind produced 1984 Christmas movie 348 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:22,320 Santa Claus, the movie where he plays alongside Dudley Moore as 349 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,320 one of the as one of the elves. And it's like, oh, there's Mike 350 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,880 the cool person in in in Santa Claus the movie. 351 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:31,520 So they're they're the films then. 352 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,640 But then to the point before we go off down another rabbit hole, 353 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:36,880 Nigel Plainer is in yellow beard. 354 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,840 Yes, he's a very good role. Actually, yes, he is very good. 355 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,720 As what's his name again? Oh, I think of this. 356 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,840 The Hell's his name? I know how we forgot this 357 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:50,960 Mansil. Come. 358 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:53,160 Not now, man. Yes, he's he's basically #2 to 359 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,240 Eric Idle's officious, yes, sort of. 360 00:19:55,240 --> 00:20:00,200 You know, I suppose he's some sort of proto MI 6 really in a 361 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:01,440 sense, the role. Is, yeah. 362 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,040 The secret it is, isn't it? They say. 363 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,360 He's the secret. Service spike kind of just kind 364 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:08,600 of blows the gaff on it though, isn't he inadvertently? 365 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:17,520 Next, the head of a manatee Secret Service not to be read 366 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:23,520 out aloud. Excuse me. 367 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:28,080 Give it apart. Oh, royal media, come on now, 368 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:31,400 please. So what's your history with this 369 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,440 film? Well, I, my history of this film 370 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:39,760 is, is actually quite particular my father, who we lovingly 371 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,480 nicknamed Mr. Betamax because he would always invest in the wrong 372 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,680 hardware. So he had a Phillips CDI game 373 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,640 console, he had a beta, so always backing the wrong horse. 374 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,000 He had a he had a laser disk player. 375 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:57,600 Yeah, you remember those lasers there? 376 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,400 So the basic was ACD the size of a vinyl album, and it was 377 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,000 purported to be incredible quality. 378 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,560 It had the same promotional benefits of ACDI. 379 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,200 You could spread jam on it and it would be fine, which I always 380 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,720 found a a baffling incentive to purchasing a new media. 381 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,920 I'm I'm I'll, I'll happily stick to toast with my jam. 382 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,520 But so anyway, Long story short, too late. 383 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:24,120 One of the, one of the films he had was Yellow Beard, right? 384 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,960 And, and I did that thing right, you know, I got into Python, I, 385 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,040 I devoured Python. I used to record with my best 386 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,360 friend at school. We'd, we had the book of the 1st 387 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:36,400 2 series of Flying Circus and we'd record on tape us reading 388 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,200 it out to each other at the character's schedule. 389 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,760 And once you start, you know, going through the four series of 390 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,760 of Flying Circus and everything in the films and, and now 391 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,400 something completely different, you start, you know, discovering 392 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,520 the other things that they did post Python. 393 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,040 So of course, you know, we have ripping yarns with Palin and 394 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,560 Jones and then Fawlty Towers needs nothing, no introduction. 395 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,680 And then Gilliam's, you know, Jabberwocky, etcetera. 396 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,840 And then Time Bandits. And then I discovered that, you 397 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,040 know, there was this yellow beard films, Graham Chapman's 398 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,120 pet project. And I thought, well, this is 399 00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:09,840 exciting because he'd always been front and centre in the 400 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:14,200 films, you know. And and so my father having this 401 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,240 along with Greystoke legend of Tarzan, which I'm convinced my 402 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,000 father bought because Bo Derek is in it. 403 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:23,480 And and he had, he had, he had the well again, it keeps coming 404 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,880 back to this, this is and the one of the other films he had 405 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,800 was was return of the Pink Panther. 406 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:29,880 He had that on lazy disc as well. 407 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,880 So that's got me into that genre. 408 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:36,520 Well, the the Pink Panther film. But yes, so I, I watched yellow 409 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:42,240 bit and I was confused why I wasn't laughing at the time. 410 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,000 Berryman. I'm, I'm the target age because 411 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,320 I, I would argue it's not the most intellectually rigorous 412 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,880 comedy. You know, it, it, it appeals to 413 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,400 the farcical nature of, of, of, of the performers to a certain 414 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:58,640 extent, despite Cook's influence as one of the writers. 415 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,240 And so I watched it and I, and I, and then I, I keep coming 416 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:06,320 back to it every so often, quite regularly actually, because I do 417 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,880 this even films I'm not enamoured by, I tend to watch 418 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,880 because I, I, maybe it's a lack of self conviction, but I think 419 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,960 maybe I'm the problem. So I watched it, and as I 420 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,800 watched it, I've grown very fond of it. 421 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,920 I think it's because you could argue that Yellow Beard is a is 422 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:27,320 a magnificent time capsule of where the performers in these 423 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,560 respective groups from both sides of the the Atlantic were 424 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,120 at that time. It's also a rather morbid 425 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,840 curiosity because it's several people's final film, including, 426 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,760 sadly, Marty Marty Feldman, who died on set. 427 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,160 But we can probably come to that. 428 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:48,320 OK, well, I see I watched this on rotation. 429 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:54,080 I, I remember clearly when I first saw it, which was I was 14 430 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:58,280 and I remember I was 14 because it was, I first saw it at the 431 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:00,560 first ever house party I was invited to. 432 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,560 Oh really? And there was a girl there that 433 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,080 I was keen on. And I remember somebody put 434 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:13,080 bought this video of yellow beard, which I think that taped 435 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,800 off the TV, right. And I'd never heard of it 436 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,480 before. Never see, I don't think up to 437 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:24,080 that point either because the TVNZ repeated Flying Circus, I 438 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,160 think the following year. I, I think this yellow beard was 439 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,280 what I mean, obviously I'd seen 40 towers, but I, and I kind of 440 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,240 had heard of the name Monty Python, but I didn't really 441 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,040 associate it, although I just got into the goons around this 442 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,400 point in, in 88. OK, so, but I hadn't really seen 443 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,280 much Python content as such. So I think yellow beard was one 444 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,480 of the 1st that I saw. Anyway, the point is that I was 445 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,640 at this party and I was kind of preoccupied staring across the 446 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,720 room at this girl that I fancied who I don't think she knew I 447 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,480 existed. But anyway, but you know how 448 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,000 gradually my eyes started to be dragged away from her to the to 449 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:04,600 the screen and what was going on on the screen and all of us 450 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,120 there, or the lads, I should say, not the girls, but all of 451 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:11,760 us was hooting right with yeah, yeah, absolutely lapping it up, 452 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:14,240 all of it. Not just because it because it 453 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,240 does, let's face it, sags towards the end, I'd say. 454 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,760 But I just my memory is that we all thought it was the most 455 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,000 hilarious thing we'd ever seen. And then I got a copy. 456 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,840 I don't know how I got a copy with it, I don't know. 457 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,280 But I came in possession of a video recording off Yellow Beard 458 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,600 and me and my best mate would watch it over and over and over 459 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,960 and over again to the extent that I haven't seen it for 30 460 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:42,240 years, maybe coming up to this period. 461 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,840 I've watched it for this and I don't need to watch it again 462 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:47,560 because it all come flooding back to me. 463 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,240 I so that's, I think that's a fascinating take because your 464 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,960 particular story, you've got what they call nostalgia bump 465 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,600 tacked in there, whereby it's, it's, it's forever indelibly, 466 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,640 extricately linked with that house party and that vibe and 467 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,240 that moment. And, and it will always have a, 468 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,320 a fondness, I would imagine in your heart because of that. 469 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,720 And, and I think nothing really compares to that collective 470 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,920 shared laughter that we have as a teenager, actually young, 471 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,720 young boys. And, and I think Terry Gilliam 472 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,520 famously said that the P the prime age to watch Monty Python 473 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:23,760 and the prime target audiences is 11 year old boys or 474 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,040 thereabouts. And I know it certainly chimes 475 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,120 with when I got into Python. And I think that, you know, 476 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:32,400 seeing it at that, at that moment in that environment and 477 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,440 seeing yellow beard prior to knowing much Python type is very 478 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:39,080 interesting because like I said, I'd mainlined Python before I'd 479 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,480 saw yellow beard. So I think there that probably 480 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,280 had a detrimental effect to my enjoyment of yellow beard, which 481 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,920 is why I've come to enjoy it more and more over time because 482 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,600 I, I, I, I watch it, watch it as its own beast, you know, and I 483 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,080 can filter out the stuff that will always annoy me about the 484 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,560 film and just enjoy the bits that I really do like. 485 00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:59,600 And there are, there is a lot to like about this film. 486 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:02,960 I, I do maintain that. So I'm I'm sure you share that 487 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:04,960 agreement as well. Yeah, I do. 488 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:07,760 I do. It's, it's, it's, it, is it, is 489 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:10,240 it? It should have been much better 490 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,520 than it was, I think. And I think it had the odds 491 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:14,240 stacked against it in many respects. 492 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:16,000 I think. That's part of the problem. 493 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:19,200 Yeah, I think looking back on it, thinking back on it, I think 494 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,720 because I'd seen, I'd certainly seen Blazing Saddles and Young 495 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,680 Frankenstein earlier than I'd seen before. 496 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,480 I'd seen Yellow Beard, OK. And I had them because I 497 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:36,280 remember they they played them on TV in 87 maybe, and and I 498 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,240 recorded them off the TV and again, watch them, watch them to 499 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:44,320 death, OK. And I think I probably watched 500 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:48,080 Yellow Beard and regarded it as kind of like a Mel Brooks movie 501 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:49,800 because of the cast. Because you've got Madeleine 502 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:51,880 Kahn. You've got Marty. 503 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,760 Peter Boyle. Peter Boyle. 504 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:56,080 You've got Kenneth Marsh. You've. 505 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,400 Got that that yeah. Kenneth Mars, absolutely. 506 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,440 He's two people in this. He's two people. 507 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,640 It's obviously don't know why you know, I reckon it's because 508 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,840 that he arrived and they got him, which actually I do. 509 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,200 I do think is part of the the way it was filmed to his 510 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:10,560 detriment. I was reading about this with 511 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:15,760 the development is basically the cast flew in a very just sort of 512 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,480 disjointed separate times to do their bit and then left again. 513 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:22,920 So there wasn't this cohesive hole. 514 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:27,760 And I know some of the reviews at the time because I had a 515 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,040 look, I was very interested to see what was said at the time. 516 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,880 We're saying it all felt very disjointed, like not the like a 517 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,240 lot of the performers feel like they're in different films and 518 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,800 that might be attributed to the fact that they were coming and 519 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,000 going to true point. I think Kenneth Miles probably 520 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:43,000 was in. Is that right? 521 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,880 We've got him for two days. What can we do with him? 522 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,800 You know which which is not, which is not too dissimilar to 523 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,040 what happens all the time in in film making and, and and 524 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:53,200 television. Yeah. 525 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,320 So that might have been why it. Had a weird as you will know, it 526 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:01,720 had a weird genesis this film because it came off the back. 527 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,480 From what I gather, it came off the back of a pissed up 528 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:09,640 afternoon in a in a London, a North London pub with Graham 529 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:14,360 Chapman, Keith Moon from The Who and Sam Peckinpah. 530 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,200 Oh, and yeah, and Bernard McKenna, who was Chapman's 531 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,000 writing partner. Yes, of course. 532 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:20,880 No, we mustn't forget McKenna because he's sort of a he's 533 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,760 actually a central part in in the in the, you know, because he 534 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,800 was the original. It was him and Chapman were 535 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:27,600 wanting to write. But you're absolutely right. 536 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,600 I apparently it was Keith Moon's brainchild. 537 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,360 He was long obsessed with with pirates, particularly Long John 538 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:37,680 Silver, and he wanted to make a pirate film. 539 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,320 And according to Cook, Peckinpah was there as well. 540 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,280 I think the name of the place is Trader Vicks. 541 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,480 It went sort of a pub done. And I don't know if that still 542 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,000 exists or where it is, but I presume it's somewhere 543 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:55,840 salubrious in Soho. And apparently Keith Moon 544 00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,680 suggested he wanted to do this and he would play the lead and 545 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:03,480 Graham would write it. And I don't know, you probably 546 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:04,800 know this too, did you? Did you? 547 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:10,120 I, I, I learnt from a couple of sources that apparently Moon 548 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,800 literally said I can fund this for you right here and now or 549 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,320 something. Or he basically said I can give 550 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:18,120 you some money to get. Started he had £1000 in a in a 551 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,800 brown paper bag or. Something in a duffel bag that I 552 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,960 think his, his, his, his mind had with it and he just went 553 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,680 right, OK. And because there's a brilliant 554 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:34,440 quote if it, because Peter Cook says he said Keith suggested 555 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,640 doing a movie about pirates. We were all discussing it, being 556 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,240 enthusiastic, when I saw Sam, who was too tired to actually go 557 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,920 to the lavatory, relieving, relieving himself in the 558 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:43,520 artificial palm tree around the table. 559 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:46,480 It was then that I thought the whole thing was rather unlikely 560 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:50,920 to get off the ground, in typical Peter Cook fashion. 561 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,720 But yeah, so basically he said yes, and I want to do it. 562 00:30:53,720 --> 00:31:00,120 And then, of course, Moon died in Shepherd's Market in Mayfair 563 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,120 in 1978. I always like this bit of 564 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,600 trivia. Mama Cass died in exactly the 565 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,760 same apartment as Keith Moon died in, which is a baffling 566 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,240 piece of. Having choked on the ham 567 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,200 sandwich or is that is that? Well, she she apparently choked 568 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,240 on, well, I think that's apocryphal, that she choked on a 569 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:18,680 ham sandwich. I think that was just rather 570 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:22,040 mean, disparaging allusion to her weight. 571 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:27,040 But she did. She died in this apartment flat 572 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,440 in Shepherd's Market, and it was the same flat that Keith Moon 573 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:34,200 had died in that deal in 78. So that because she was in 574 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,960 London doing a brief run in the West End, separate from the 575 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:39,320 Marmos and the Papas, but there we go. 576 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,640 But the but then, but the, the seed of the seed of inspiration 577 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:46,760 had been sown, I think. And despite Moon shuffling off 578 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,520 this mortal coil, the wheels were in place and it started. 579 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,120 It would have been awful with Keith Moon. 580 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,200 It would have been a bloody shambles, even more so. 581 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,280 I think, yeah, but I think this was the this was the time when 582 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,480 when the as as has happened since as well, when the commit 583 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,720 rock'n'roll and comedy were just coming together because they 584 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,440 were seen as the great agitators and it was all, you know, an 585 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:15,360 idol was waist deep in all this. He really would hang out with 586 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,400 musicians, didn't he? Because because of course 587 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:21,880 Handmade Films is a which went on to make, you know, a Life of 588 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,640 Brian and, and, and other thing with Neil and I where that's 589 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,600 George Harrison's company. Because of course they they said 590 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,160 that apparently it was members of Led Zeppelin and members of 591 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,880 The Beatles basically funded life of Bryant to happen. 592 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,200 And so there was all this connection and they would have 593 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:40,520 the big parties. And this goes back to when Cook 594 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,240 was on his uppers and, well, he was, you know, still hanging out 595 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,360 with members of of rock'n'roll royalty in in Hampstead. 596 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:52,120 But yeah, so with Moon gone and yeah, you're absolutely right, 597 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:53,640 it would have been awful. But this is that horrible thing 598 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:57,200 where rock stars prove time and again that they can't act, you 599 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,400 know, like, you know, David Bowie, to his creditors, had 600 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,400 mixed response as an actor, you know, And then, of course, we've 601 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,360 had, you know, Phil Collins in Buster Madonna, of course. 602 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,680 And these people that, you know, they they, they try and act and 603 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:09,080 very few of them can actually do it. 604 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:12,840 And so Keith Moon in the central part of a comedy surrounded by 605 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:14,880 all these comedy greats would would be awful. 606 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:18,560 There is there is a in a parallel universe, a film of 607 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:20,280 Yellow Beard. Was Keith Moon as Yellow Beard 608 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:26,040 and Adam Ant as his son? Yes, that's right. 609 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,480 He was briefly cast. Didn't he get fed up waiting 610 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,320 around? So he they got rid of him in the 611 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,480 OR or the studio. And I think this is important to 612 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,800 why it's, it's a, it's a, it's a problematic film is the studio 613 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,920 was involved and they they they installed the director. 614 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,840 Yeah, Mal Dansky. Mel Damsky, who was, you know, 615 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,920 he was appointed by the studio and he'd he'd had two Emmys, but 616 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:51,160 he'd done lots of TV primetime US shows. 617 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:55,200 But it was his first film, I think, you know, So there was 618 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,640 that going on, this unknown, you know, young upstart had to prove 619 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,760 his worth. And then and then they wanted an 620 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:05,800 American actor who could do an English accent, which is just 621 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,880 the logic is baffling. To his credit, I think, I think 622 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,480 this is the guy playing playing the sun, yellow beard sun. 623 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,159 And to his credit, I think he actually does quite a good. 624 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:14,960 Oh, Martin Hewitt, Yes. Yeah. 625 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:16,920 And The thing is right, if you're going to get an American 626 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,520 actor who can do a British accent, then get a get a well 627 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:23,560 known face, get someone, get, I don't know, I'm thinking 83. 628 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:25,400 A famous American actor Who, who? 629 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,760 You know who, who? Not not not not a headliner, but 630 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:30,960 maybe someone who's a good support. 631 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:35,280 I don't know, whoever. But Martin Hewitt was a nobody 632 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,440 really, wasn't he? Yeah, he was absolutely nobody 633 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:43,400 and and I and I and I don't think he has any stage presence, 634 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,280 screen presence rather. No. 635 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:47,280 At all. And I and I think and and that 636 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,480 again is to the detriment of the film because you really have 637 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,000 trouble caring about that. I know you're not supposed to. 638 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,120 It's that classic case of there's a scent. 639 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,560 There's a straight guy in the middle surrounded by all these 640 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:00,680 massive characters played by massive personalities. 641 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,120 So it's just, he's the through line to try and tell the 642 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,880 narrative, but you don't really. I, I put it this way, if he 643 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:10,680 removed him, you could probably tell an equally entertaining 644 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,160 story. It's not long before we sail and 645 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,720 we know it's an island close to Jamaica and we've got the map of 646 00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:19,000 it. But without him to tell us which 647 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,560 island, we might as well go home. 648 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,760 But for the benefit of the of the listeners who haven't seen 649 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:28,120 it. And it's of course he he has the 650 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:31,160 treasure map tattooed on his head. 651 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:35,680 Doesn't it for the longest time, because when I was watching this 652 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:39,320 as a kid, I didn't bother about oh, that doesn't make sense, but 653 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:40,600 watching. And you don't, do you? 654 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,160 No, no. Watching it this time, I was 655 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:44,440 thinking, at first I was thinking, well, why has 656 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,680 Madeleine Kahn, who's his mother, why she tattooed the 657 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:50,360 treasure map on his head? What's what's what's to be 658 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:52,760 gained by that? And I guess it's because she 659 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,000 hoped to find the treasure herself at some later point. 660 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,320 But but but. Yeah, I, I suppose that is an 661 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,600 altruistic side is maybe she wanted to, to get Yellow Beard 662 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:04,200 back because, you know, he'd been estranged and, you know, 663 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:07,400 he, when they first meet because he, he gets, because the film 664 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,920 starts with this rather clunky opening where he, you know, 665 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:11,800 where we meet Cheech and Zhong very briefly. 666 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:16,880 And then and then and and then we have this sort of half, half 667 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:19,680 assed fight and Peter Boyle loses a hand. 668 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:23,400 And then and then it suddenly says as a postscript that he got 669 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:25,960 arrested and the Yellow Beard then spent 20 years in a jail. 670 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:30,360 For tax evasion. For tax evasion, which is a nod 671 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:34,000 to Al Capone, I guess, insofar as that's how they got him in, 672 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,240 as opposed to all the murders he was may or may not have been, I 673 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,960 should point out. By the way, Al Capone Estate, 674 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,760 Peter Boyle, who we see right at the beginning with the Cheech 675 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:45,720 and Chong character. So we've got Elder Nebuloso's 676 00:36:45,720 --> 00:36:49,200 Galleon and we've got the honkingly bad acting by Tommy 677 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:53,720 Chong and Cheech. Cheech is a bit better, but 678 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:56,280 anyway. But you've got Bosun Moon. 679 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:58,880 Yes, and I think that's the nod to. 680 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:00,200 Keith, I think so. Legacy. 681 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:03,520 It's like we are nod to to Keith Moon by calling Peter Boyle's 682 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:07,720 character Boson. Boson Moon, Chapman would always 683 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:11,160 say. But but Peter Boyle's wasted in 684 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:14,160 this. But he's he's effectively Yellow 685 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,320 Beard's number two at the right at the beginning of the film, 686 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,960 but he's seemingly got hands made out of Mazapan because. 687 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:23,520 Yes. Because he opens the treasure 688 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:27,280 chest and then puts his hand in and then yellow bed slams the 689 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:33,000 lid down, his hand is is neatly sliced off completely. 690 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,520 With minimum effort, yeah. I I guess we're supposed to 691 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:39,520 believe that Yellow Beard is such a force of nature that he 692 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:43,000 has the power to to sever sever appendages? 693 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,640 I guess so. But you're right and and the 694 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,280 whole beginning just feels very odd. 695 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,840 And then it suddenly starts and you kind of feel the film starts 696 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:55,120 when we cut to the jail and Madeline Khan shows up with her 697 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,920 and she's a phenomenally talented comedy actress. 698 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:02,520 And then but she she, she doesn't do a great English 699 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:07,600 cockney accent in this at all. It's it's it's that theatrical 700 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,000 cockney that Americans approximation. 701 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,840 Of it, I'm I'm not going to say Dick Van Dyke, because that's. 702 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,000 Well, it seemed. That ballpark isn't it. 703 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,840 It's I know, but it is, yeah. It's like a Dick Van Dyke and 704 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:21,560 Lloyd Grossman had had issue. That's a That's a powerful image 705 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:25,520 which I now can't Unsee, but it's probably because it's 706 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:27,920 accurate and and it's funny because it's true. 707 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:31,040 I haven't told you this before because I wanted him to be 708 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,800 brought up like a gentleman and not a pirate. 709 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:38,800 Who are you talking about? The root of your loin Sugar 710 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:40,520 drawers. Oh yeah, mad woman. 711 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:42,560 I haven't got fruit in my loins. Lice. 712 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:46,280 Yes, I'm proud of them. It means that we have spawned a 713 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,480 sun. Done what? 714 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:53,960 You have just become the father of a 20 year old bouncing boy 715 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,360 called Dave. And then she comes in and then 716 00:38:56,360 --> 00:38:58,560 we start, and this is interesting. 717 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:02,600 Then we start running, running joke, running jokes throughout 718 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,080 the film about rape. And that's when it gets a little 719 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,160 bit over because that that I mean, obviously I don't need to 720 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,400 say, well, that's problematic, but they're kind of, I 721 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,920 understand why they're doing it because it's that late hearted 722 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:14,840 little light raping kind of thing. 723 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:18,440 And of course, with modern ears, it's it's it's it's 724 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:20,400 uncomfortable to listen to, but then it's that kind of 725 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,040 cheekiness. Also, you know, it's a it's a 726 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,600 joke that was mined in Mel Brooks's films, particularly 727 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,960 Blazing Saddles. There's, you know, you said rape 728 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:30,200 twice. I like rape. 729 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:32,080 Yes. It's the joke, isn't it, with 730 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:38,360 this, but it it, it sits well because it's it it they kind of 731 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,480 hammer it home a bit too much. It keeps popping up throughout 732 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:43,000 the film because basically, you know, the we all know the 733 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,520 looting and pillaging. It's the the pirates are sort of 734 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,080 basically being mistaken for what the stereotype of the 735 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,880 Vikings is. And Yellow Beard is constantly 736 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,880 going on about, you know, that and having his way with people 737 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,400 and, and of course then he does, doesn't he with, with Beryl 738 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,560 Reed? Later on, stop. 739 00:40:00,720 --> 00:40:02,520 Stop that man pissing in me, Edge. 740 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:07,600 I have to say Beryl Reed steals the film. 741 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:11,760 Does she is so good. There are there are two 742 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:15,520 performers that that steal the thing for me and I and I'm not 743 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:17,920 just saying because of where we are, but it is Spike and it is 744 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:20,520 Beryl Reed. The short screen time they have, 745 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:25,000 they are exceptional and Beryl Reed is very funny. 746 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,800 Just the nod. Oh, I'm going to go and have a 747 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,160 conversation with this gentleman. 748 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,920 She's being dragged off into a hedge to be sexually assaulted 749 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:35,680 by Graham Chapman and she's very, very fun. 750 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:36,760 Yeah. Etiquette. 751 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:38,960 Start the man pissing in the Royal edge. 752 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:41,920 She's brilliant. I mean, she's always been 753 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:45,000 brilliant. Lambo, stop that man pissing on 754 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,760 the edge. It's imported. 755 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:53,560 And actually, I would argue that that performance by Beryl Reed 756 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:56,160 gives you a stronger case for not letting the others off the 757 00:40:56,160 --> 00:41:00,360 hook because if she can do that with what you've given, and the 758 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:04,280 others with all their pedigree and all their camaraderie, just 759 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,720 basically, you know, idols phoning it in. 760 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:12,560 Yeah, yeah, Cleese is Cleese is, is being Cleese, isn't he? 761 00:41:13,160 --> 00:41:15,920 And then, of course, in true Cleese fashion, he had nothing 762 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,760 but bad words to say about this film afterwards. 763 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:21,760 You get the impression he's doing it as a favour to to 764 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:24,360 Graham. Yeah, Cleese is in it only 765 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:29,400 briefly as Blind Pew and he he said he only did it as a favour 766 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,800 to Chapman and later said it was one of the worst films ever 767 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:33,880 made, with typical understatement for Cleese. 768 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:40,400 Eric Idle also said that Yellow Beard is a terrible film, but he 769 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,400 said he enjoyed making it. I'm not surprised. 770 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:45,960 Yeah, yeah, that's right. Because Idle also said that if, 771 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,640 if, if apparently Graham had said that if he and Cleese 772 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,360 agreed to be in the film, it would get green lip, which I 773 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:55,920 think is very interesting. So it's like we needed someone. 774 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:59,080 We needed the Pythons in this enough Pythons for it to get 775 00:41:59,080 --> 00:41:59,680 some. Momentous. 776 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:01,960 Well, yeah, Palin and Jones turned it down flat. 777 00:42:02,920 --> 00:42:05,520 Did they actually get asked? I didn't know this OK, because I 778 00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:10,960 was going to say I could totally see Palin and Jones in the idle 779 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,640 planer roles. Yes. 780 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:16,200 You know, if they were going to be in it. 781 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:18,800 Yes, Palin. Palin in the idle role. 782 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,000 And Jones is subordinate. Yeah. 783 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:26,160 Yeah, and or fail. Failing that, you know, maybe 784 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:28,680 Blind Pew could be one of the. I mean, the thing about Palin is 785 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:31,240 he was most he's one of the most phenomenal character actors of 786 00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:33,200 his generation. It's just a shame that he didn't 787 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:36,480 like acting as much as we like watching him act, you know, So, 788 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:37,680 you know, he can do whatever he like. 789 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,000 He turns his hand to and and Jones is quite good as a 790 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,720 sniveling sidekick when he needs to. 791 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:47,320 Be oh, by the way, I'm going to use this podcast as a as a memo 792 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:49,640 for me. Because Oh yeah. 793 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,680 I meant to do this, Tyler, when you're listening to this, check 794 00:42:53,680 --> 00:43:01,800 and see if the 1975 TV film of Three Men in a Boat exists, 795 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,840 because it's got Michael Palin and Stephen Moore and Tim Curry 796 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:09,800 in it, and it sounds fabulous. Yes, yes, yes. 797 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:13,920 That does sound for just to watch, just to watch Curry with 798 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:16,840 Palin, I think for me. And of course, of course, Kate 799 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:19,760 Curry, of course, is also excellent, including opposite 800 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:20,760 Madeleine Carr. Absolutely. 801 00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:24,000 So it's all, it's all, it's all very incestuous, isn't it? 802 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:26,000 The comedy world? Yeah. 803 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:26,800 Because that's right. So they. 804 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:28,160 Yeah. And because it's because, of 805 00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:31,680 course, we need to mention that the Peter Cook dimension because 806 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:33,600 he's he's brought on as a writer because. 807 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,360 Because Chapman asked Cook to help with the rewrites. 808 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:39,440 And there were several rewrites because so Chapman and McKenna 809 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:47,440 knuckle down to, to write the script And, and, and apparently 810 00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:51,400 the major difference between Chapman and Mckenna's script at 811 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:54,120 the behest of the Hollywood suits is that the original had 812 00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,680 less, less emphasis on the minor characters and more emphasis on 813 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:58,760 the plot. IE it sounds like they were 814 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:02,880 trying to make an actual film, you know, and, and then they 815 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:05,880 went, no, no, can we, can we make it a, a farce, really. 816 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:11,120 So they got cooking and apparently Cook, Chapman and 817 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:15,280 McKenna sat down in Jack Straw's Castle, which is a pub, used to 818 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:16,840 be a pub. It's now a residential 819 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:21,360 apartment, sadly, a beautiful old big pub right at the top of 820 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:23,840 Hampstead Heath, which I used to drive past a lot. 821 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:25,680 And they tried to hammer out the next iteration, but they 822 00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,680 couldn't decide what it should be. 823 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:34,000 So they just decided to, you know, go ahead with the film 824 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,200 anyway. And I think there's a certain 825 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:40,200 sense where the script they were working with was a, was a 826 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:42,200 movable feast to a certain extent. 827 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,640 I mean, I can understand that. I think, I think you can. 828 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:48,760 There are senses where it feels very tightly written. 829 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:52,200 But I think you can also understand with that much talent 830 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:57,280 involved, with that much, you know, success behind them, there 831 00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:58,920 would probably be an inclination to go. 832 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,600 You know what? I reckon it'll be OK once we get 833 00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:02,920 out there. We've got enough time to do 834 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:07,880 rewrites in between shooting and let's just, you know, make it up 835 00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:10,200 as we go. Not improvise it, but just, you 836 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:11,360 know, modify the script accordingly. 837 00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:12,680 And of course that that happens all the time. 838 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:14,680 And also, were they, were they working on the principle that 839 00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:17,800 they had such a fabulous cast that that that'll do half the 840 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:20,960 heavy lifting? Exactly, and it's, and it's and 841 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:24,000 it's and it's, it's a fantastic cast that has history because of 842 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,320 course, you know, they're all just mates being brought in. 843 00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:30,200 And I, I think if I think the, if you could lay some a 844 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:33,760 particular fault of the film, I think it is one of those classic 845 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:36,560 examples where you get the sense the people are having more fun 846 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:38,720 making it than some of the audience who are watching it. 847 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:40,240 By the by the rubies. Yeah. 848 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:44,240 So they film in location in Rye in Sussex, and then they go to 849 00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:46,040 Mexico. And I and I read that the 850 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:49,080 Mexican customs impounded their costumes and they had to pay to 851 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:51,840 get them back. So you know the the corrupt 852 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:55,560 Mexican officials kicked in as they barely got off the plane. 853 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:59,640 You said obviously Beryl Read is is stand out as well as Spike. 854 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:03,320 I'm very fond of Marty Feldman in this role. 855 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:07,200 In this film, yes. It's the voice. 856 00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:10,640 It's comedy nerd voice #17 doesn't it? 857 00:46:10,680 --> 00:46:14,280 Yes, he does the dust that that nasally he does he does the 858 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:17,680 bookshop sketch voice. Yes, basically, yeah. 859 00:46:17,720 --> 00:46:21,840 I can't buy that. It's torn, you know he does that 860 00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:26,440 voice, you know, and it and it. Yeah, and he's great in it, but. 861 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:30,640 I'm always looking for little in films that are that are ho hum 862 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:33,560 or mediocre or wanting for something. 863 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:36,320 I'm always looking for little comic flourishes that elevate 864 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:40,480 them slightly. Right, yes, and he he for me, 865 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:45,160 there's a great it's just right early on when we first meet 866 00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:48,880 Gilbert, which is his character in in this prison that yellow 867 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:52,480 Beard is locked up in for 20 odd years or whatever it is. 868 00:46:54,920 --> 00:46:57,160 And everyone's trying to find out where Yellow Beard is 869 00:46:57,880 --> 00:47:01,520 hidden. His treasure and yellow beard 870 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:05,680 and Gilbert are on coffin building detail, aren't they? 871 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:10,320 That's right. And and at one point Gilbert 872 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:14,720 just mentions about it just just drops into conversation clumsily 873 00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:18,400 about about the whereabouts of Yellow Beard's treasure. 874 00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:22,920 And he Lizzy says that he just gives Chapman a little sideways 875 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,600 glance. It's amazing because it can't be 876 00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:28,120 a little glance with with felt because of his eye. 877 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:31,120 So it's it's such a pretty. Yeah, I was, I was. 878 00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:32,360 That's exactly what I was thinking. 879 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,880 That little bit when he just, he's sort of, he's got one hand 880 00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:36,320 on the side of the cart, doesn't he? 881 00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:38,200 And he's sort of fiddling. Trying to be nonchalant. 882 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,560 Gives him a try to be understanding and it's the least 883 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:46,400 nonchalant thing ever. Pathetic, taking the easy way 884 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:48,800 out like that. How do you mean exactly? 885 00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:50,320 Dying? You don't live it. 886 00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:53,320 In 15 years you won't catch me dying. 887 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:55,920 They'll have to kill me before I die. 888 00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:59,320 Many a man has tried Captain Yellow Beard. 889 00:48:00,520 --> 00:48:04,440 And soon you will be at large again with a hand picked crew of 890 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,760 the hardest Buccaneers that have ever stained the seven seas with 891 00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:10,320 Spanish blood. Most unjust, I thought. 892 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:15,880 Locking you up for merely doing your duty. 20 years for killing 893 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,880 5000 dagos and frogs. Betrayed by my right hand man, 894 00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:23,520 that bastard Moon. But he never found out where you 895 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,120 hid the treasure, did he? No, nor will he ever. 896 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:32,200 Where did you hide the treasure? Actually, you won't catch me 897 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:33,720 with those trick questions. And. 898 00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:37,000 I'll tell you one thing about Chapman in this, which I, I is, 899 00:48:37,160 --> 00:48:41,880 he has, he has a very, he's got a, he's a, he's a big guy. 900 00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:44,280 I mean, we know that, you know, half of the pythons are over 6 901 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:45,600 foot, but he's got good presence. 902 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,800 It's not the sort of slightly awkward hunched running that he 903 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:51,000 does in Life of Brian all the time when he's trying to run 904 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:53,800 away from them or whatever. He's he's, he's like a daddy 905 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:57,320 long legs in this, you know, he's all, he's all limbs. 906 00:48:57,320 --> 00:49:01,000 He's gangly, but he's big and and and he fills the screen when 907 00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:03,120 he's in it. And yet some there's something 908 00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:05,000 not quite there with the performance, but that might be 909 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:06,720 just down to the takes they went with in the. 910 00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:09,440 Final Cut, Yeah, he's he's a very two-dimensional character. 911 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:12,320 He's very one note. Yeah, that's true. 912 00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:12,960 He doesn't. He doesn't. 913 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:14,200 Yeah. And you don't want, as you say, 914 00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:15,640 you don't. You don't pay attention to this 915 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:17,280 when you watch it as a kid and as an adult. 916 00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:19,880 I certainly don't want nuance and Yellow Beard's character, 917 00:49:20,760 --> 00:49:23,160 but I was actually sort of impressed by what a physical, 918 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:25,880 physically imposing character he cuts on the screen. 919 00:49:26,240 --> 00:49:28,000 That struck me watching it again recently. 920 00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:30,880 Although again, again, watching, watching this with a critical 921 00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:36,400 eye because he loses his rag when Eric Idle's character 922 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,520 visits the prisoner, tells him that he's not he's not getting 923 00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:40,840 out. He's not being released after 924 00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:45,360 all. And he and he runs amok and 925 00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,560 jumps, jumps in a coffin that's being transported out of the 926 00:49:48,560 --> 00:49:52,360 prison and in order to escape. And 11 does wonder, why did he 927 00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:54,280 leave it 20 years to try that ruse? 928 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:58,640 When he was waiting for the camera crew to be there, you 929 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:00,800 know, so he could be caught. So he's a showman. 930 00:50:01,240 --> 00:50:04,000 He's like, the time was clearly not right until the sound man 931 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:06,440 arrived with the boom. And there's like, now's my 932 00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:09,200 chance. I quite like that little chap 933 00:50:09,200 --> 00:50:10,960 who keeps hitting him that he ignores. 934 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:14,760 I certainly just like, I mean, he's got one, he's got one job 935 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:16,880 to do and he just plays his part rather handily. 936 00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:19,720 Just I quite like the fact that he doesn't notice he's being hit 937 00:50:19,720 --> 00:50:22,560 and then he turns around to like an annoying, annoying little 938 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:24,040 character. I quite enjoy that. 939 00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:26,520 I think. I think that's that. 940 00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:29,160 That's a nice touch. And yeah. 941 00:50:29,160 --> 00:50:30,840 And then he's off. And then, then the film. 942 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:35,280 Then the film begins. But then you get this let's 943 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:38,080 let's get Spikes bit. So I think that the highlight of 944 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:40,480 the film, the best sequence of the film really is, is it 945 00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:42,280 Lamborn Hall? Is that where? 946 00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:43,880 Yes. So you've got you've got 947 00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:47,680 Commander Clement, which is which is Eric Idle's character 948 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:52,840 and Nigel playing as Mansell. They arrive at Lamborn Hall to 949 00:50:52,840 --> 00:50:57,360 meet or to have an audience with the Queen Anne. 950 00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:00,200 Queen Anne, which is. Which is Peter Bull? 951 00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:02,360 Which? Is Peter Bull So we have a bat 952 00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:04,200 to we have another goon connection because he of course 953 00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:06,080 he was in Strangelove. Yes, he was and he was. 954 00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:08,640 He was also. He played the Queen of Hearts in 955 00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:11,520 Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland, which 956 00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:13,160 Sellers was in and Milligan was in. 957 00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:14,640 Yep, that's right. Yep. 958 00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:18,560 So obviously he's no stranger to sitting looking vacant in a 959 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:20,360 frock. And it and it was. 960 00:51:20,440 --> 00:51:22,040 And this is his last film as well. 961 00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:23,880 Yes, that's right. That's right. 962 00:51:24,960 --> 00:51:28,240 And I guess Lord Lamborn, which is Peter Cook. 963 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:34,240 It's his, It's his gaff, and Beryl Reid is his rather 964 00:51:34,240 --> 00:51:38,960 unlikely spouse. Yeah, and and, and and and. 965 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:42,120 Cook's doing his one of his two characters, Yes. 966 00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:44,480 And this comes from love, because he's one of my, both my 967 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:46,320 two comedy idols are both called Peter. 968 00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:48,440 You can probably work out which which of the two they are. 969 00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:52,280 So he's the other one. But the point is, I say this 970 00:51:52,280 --> 00:51:54,520 with love. Cook's never been able to act. 971 00:51:54,720 --> 00:51:57,200 He's he's notorious for being a bad actor. 972 00:51:57,200 --> 00:52:00,440 He would be the first to admit it, then he would admit it in a 973 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:02,920 witty way. And, and I understand this was 974 00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:07,240 during one of his sober periods. By sober, I mean no alcohol. 975 00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,000 I think there were lots of other substances floating around 976 00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,920 because it was the late, it was the early 80s and especially if 977 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:16,600 with the American influence. I do know apparently that when 978 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,160 when McKenna and Chapman were trying to write it, because they 979 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:21,960 were in LA trying to write the 12 page draft for the for the 980 00:52:21,960 --> 00:52:25,920 film, there was a lot of cocaine flying around allegedly so they 981 00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:32,560 could rush through it. Well, I think, I think, oh, 982 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:36,520 what's his name? Oh, Harry Nelson was involved 983 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:41,120 early on with this as well. And I think yes, yes, he, he, 984 00:52:41,560 --> 00:52:43,840 Chapman wanted him to do the soundtrack. 985 00:52:44,840 --> 00:52:49,600 And I think he, he came up with one song or one piece of music 986 00:52:49,600 --> 00:52:53,720 and then the studio next him because they felt that he would 987 00:52:53,720 --> 00:52:57,120 be totally unreliable. They wanted somebody reliable 988 00:52:57,120 --> 00:53:01,080 who could, who could deliver. And, and, and, and, and so they, 989 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:05,880 they settled on a very generic sort of Dewolf yeah soundtrack. 990 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:08,160 And I think that's, that's another thing that seems to run 991 00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:10,440 through the, the development of this film and the production, 992 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:14,120 which is I think Chapman felt, as far as I can tell from what 993 00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:17,160 I've read, Chapman felt very frustrated by how it turned out 994 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:20,360 because he felt he had one hand tied behind his back a lot of 995 00:53:20,360 --> 00:53:23,360 the time in terms of what the studio wanted to do in relation 996 00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:27,400 to what he wanted to make. And, and I will say, I think 997 00:53:27,400 --> 00:53:30,200 that, you know, you can tell the guy's ATV director, it's very 998 00:53:30,200 --> 00:53:31,880 flat the way it's directed. Yeah. 999 00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:35,280 It's it's not cinematic at all. I'm not saying I expect a kind 1000 00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:39,200 of Peter Jackson crashing zoom through the fires of Mount Doom, 1001 00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:42,520 but there are times when I just feel it's like, what am I 1002 00:53:42,520 --> 00:53:44,920 watching in this is like B roll footage, you know? 1003 00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:47,600 And the fight scenes are kind of very flatly choreographed. 1004 00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:50,880 And you know, again, it might be a case if they thought, well, it 1005 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:53,240 doesn't matter because we can just we can cruise through on 1006 00:53:53,240 --> 00:53:55,000 the comedy. But as a result, it doesn't feel 1007 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,400 cinematic at all, even though it has the big orchestral score, 1008 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:00,480 you know? And it has the ship, which is 1009 00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:03,200 clearly not a set, you know, because you see it. 1010 00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:07,360 Well, it's it's the. It was the bounty that they used 1011 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:12,000 for The Who was who was in the 1962 meeting on the bounty? 1012 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:14,600 Was that Marlon Brando? Yeah, it's Brando, wasn't it? 1013 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:17,520 Yeah, there we go. Oh, talking of which, though, we 1014 00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:20,440 should mention and probably get to, I mean, also another person 1015 00:54:20,440 --> 00:54:22,400 who I think is very good in the part that he's in is James 1016 00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:24,800 Mason. I think he, I think he's, 1017 00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:29,200 there's that one scene where he's with Mr. Mr. Prostitute, 1018 00:54:31,440 --> 00:54:34,720 Mr. Prostitute and he's just, he's got her legs, he's rubbing 1019 00:54:34,720 --> 00:54:38,000 her leg and he's just staring at her or staring into the middle 1020 00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:41,360 distance past her and he just says something under his breath 1021 00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:45,840 and it's so horribly sinister and accidentally I had to rewind 1022 00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:48,440 and watch that bit again. He's just like he's decided in 1023 00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:50,080 his portrayal of this to go, I'm good. 1024 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,640 This is my motivation. I'm going to be in a horrible 1025 00:54:52,720 --> 00:54:56,280 trance because I'm just totally enamoured by my time with Mr. 1026 00:54:56,280 --> 00:54:59,160 Prostitute. I think that was his last film 1027 00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:00,720 as well, wasn't it? James Mason. 1028 00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:05,440 I think it was, I think it was either that or the water babies. 1029 00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:07,440 I think that was something I think. 1030 00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:09,240 Was that earlier? Yeah, you're right. 1031 00:55:09,240 --> 00:55:13,280 That was that was late 70s. But yes, he he pops and I think 1032 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:16,560 he he acquits himself very well. And and you hear him talking, 1033 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:17,360 you know. Oh, yes. 1034 00:55:17,360 --> 00:55:18,920 And of course, well, because there's him. 1035 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:20,680 And also, we haven't mentioned Michael Horton. 1036 00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:24,080 In. It and and and Michael Horton 1037 00:55:24,080 --> 00:55:26,600 has no business being in it and adds nothing to it and shouldn't 1038 00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:28,640 really have been in it. Well, I'll tell you what I 1039 00:55:28,640 --> 00:55:31,840 think. I'm sure you'll you'd agree, no 1040 00:55:31,840 --> 00:55:35,120 pressure. We I'm sitting down. 1041 00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:40,600 We have a central trio in this film, which is which is what's 1042 00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:42,000 his name? Russell Bland? 1043 00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:44,360 Not Russell Bland. What's his name? 1044 00:55:45,080 --> 00:55:49,040 The Bland guy. Oh, the guy playing the sun, 1045 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:49,920 Yeah. Well, what's he called? 1046 00:55:49,920 --> 00:55:51,120 Dan. Dan. 1047 00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:53,960 Dan yes. See, he's we, we talk, we watch 1048 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:54,520 this. We can't. 1049 00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:57,960 Remember, he's very milk toast. Yeah. 1050 00:55:58,120 --> 00:55:59,440 Very. Much you've got him. 1051 00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:03,960 You've got Lord Lamb Lamborn, which is cook who's just just so 1052 00:56:04,680 --> 00:56:07,400 detached from everything. He's just sleepwalking through 1053 00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:08,000 the whole thing. Yeah. 1054 00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:11,240 And then Michael Horton, who's a bit of a nothing really. 1055 00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:14,160 And you've got the they're the central trio, or the trio that 1056 00:56:14,160 --> 00:56:17,000 we're meant to be, I guess, rooting for, I suppose. 1057 00:56:17,080 --> 00:56:19,280 Yeah, which is so strange because you couldn't care less 1058 00:56:19,280 --> 00:56:20,800 about. This They're the least 1059 00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:22,400 interesting characters in the film, really. 1060 00:56:23,360 --> 00:56:26,200 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And and they're the through line 1061 00:56:26,200 --> 00:56:29,600 for what's left of the plot. Yeah, but you know, you don't 1062 00:56:29,600 --> 00:56:30,080 go. Oh, great. 1063 00:56:30,080 --> 00:56:32,040 We're back with them again. No, no. 1064 00:56:32,120 --> 00:56:35,720 And there's a funny bit when we first meet Michael Horton. 1065 00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:42,720 Lord Lamborn and Dan take in a bit to see Doctor Gilpin, which 1066 00:56:42,720 --> 00:56:45,200 is the Horton character. That's what I mean. 1067 00:56:45,200 --> 00:56:47,520 They go and take him to see him. I'm not quite sure why. 1068 00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:49,240 What what what what. What was the reason they were 1069 00:56:49,440 --> 00:56:51,040 Jack? No, I can't remember either. 1070 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:53,000 That's what's so baffling. Maybe there was never one and 1071 00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,840 you're supposed not to notice he took him there. 1072 00:56:56,880 --> 00:57:00,000 Yeah, but I can't think of a reason why this is so strange. 1073 00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:01,920 But neither. Does that is that bit where 1074 00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:04,960 they're trying to think of a name of a of a they're trying to 1075 00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:07,920 think of an alias for somebody. Is that right? 1076 00:57:08,280 --> 00:57:10,240 And you've got you've got yellow beard going. 1077 00:57:10,240 --> 00:57:13,960 Professor Death, Professor Rape. Yeah. 1078 00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:18,120 And then Lord Lamb and Cook sort of sort of glancing around this 1079 00:57:18,680 --> 00:57:21,800 doctor's surgery going. Professor Flask, Professor 1080 00:57:21,800 --> 00:57:24,280 Chair. And then they settle on 1081 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:31,200 Professor Anthrax, but I don't remember why they needed that. 1082 00:57:31,200 --> 00:57:32,560 I don't. It's. 1083 00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:34,800 It made no sense at all. And maybe they just loved the 1084 00:57:34,800 --> 00:57:36,480 word anthrax. I mean, everyone remembers the 1085 00:57:36,480 --> 00:57:38,240 castle anthrax in the Holy Grail. 1086 00:57:38,440 --> 00:57:41,280 It's just a funny word. We must find a name for you. 1087 00:57:42,640 --> 00:57:44,560 Professor. Professor Floss. 1088 00:57:44,560 --> 00:57:46,200 Professor Death. Professor Chair. 1089 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:47,720 Professor Wright. Professor. 1090 00:57:48,120 --> 00:57:50,480 Professor Anthrax. Oh yes. 1091 00:57:50,480 --> 00:57:57,440 Anthrax, bugger off your way. They'll get our evening, doctor. 1092 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:00,160 I was just saying good day to Mr. Pew. 1093 00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:05,680 Oh, Lord Lambo. And then and yeah. 1094 00:58:06,480 --> 00:58:10,000 This is Professor Anthrax. It's yellow beard. 1095 00:58:10,600 --> 00:58:12,920 I'm in disguise, you stupid tart. 1096 00:58:13,320 --> 00:58:15,880 It's like there are certain there are certain verbal ticks 1097 00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:18,880 through these comedians. Like I think there's a scene 1098 00:58:18,920 --> 00:58:21,640 jumping around a bit when when when Idol is talking to Clees as 1099 00:58:21,640 --> 00:58:26,400 blind Pew and Idol. And I just have the sense that 1100 00:58:26,400 --> 00:58:28,440 Clees wanted to. He probably wrote the scenes he 1101 00:58:28,440 --> 00:58:30,680 was in or attributed because there's a bit when Idol calls 1102 00:58:30,680 --> 00:58:32,320 him cloth eyes. Yeah. 1103 00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:35,880 Because he can't see, obviously. It's a variation of cloth ears. 1104 00:58:36,080 --> 00:58:37,120 And we know. Yeah. 1105 00:58:37,200 --> 00:58:40,640 Cleese loves using cloth ears. He uses that phrase in so many 1106 00:58:40,640 --> 00:58:42,560 sketches and when he's improvising. 1107 00:58:42,560 --> 00:58:45,560 I've seen him say it live on stage at the Python reunion at 1108 00:58:45,560 --> 00:58:47,440 the O2, you know, and he threw it. 1109 00:58:47,440 --> 00:58:49,400 He threw it in there at one point, you know? 1110 00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:50,920 Yeah. And he's. 1111 00:58:51,000 --> 00:58:52,920 And I remember just thinking that it's these little ticks. 1112 00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:54,240 That's. That's just a Cleese phrase. 1113 00:58:54,240 --> 00:58:55,400 He's given it to Idol. That's nice. 1114 00:58:55,440 --> 00:58:57,880 Maybe Idol when I'm going to use it because I know that's what he 1115 00:58:57,880 --> 00:58:58,840 likes. You never know. 1116 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:00,240 To try and make him corpse maybe? 1117 00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:03,560 Maybe there is a sense of that, that fun. 1118 00:59:03,560 --> 00:59:05,880 And I just wish much more of that fun had been captured on 1119 00:59:05,880 --> 00:59:09,400 the screen because they must have had because they had fun 1120 00:59:09,400 --> 00:59:11,760 off camera, Because there's there's anecdotes about that, 1121 00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:15,640 like when they go to the the one bar on in the in the town, 1122 00:59:15,640 --> 00:59:18,280 Mexican town where they're filming, which is basically a, a 1123 00:59:18,280 --> 00:59:19,240 brothel. Yeah. 1124 00:59:20,560 --> 00:59:22,040 And please. And Cook. 1125 00:59:22,120 --> 00:59:25,200 Cook ended up doing a conga with the the ladies who works there 1126 00:59:25,200 --> 00:59:27,200 or something because he was not drinking. 1127 00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:30,280 We doesn't mean he wasn't doing anything else and I come in, but 1128 00:59:30,280 --> 00:59:32,240 I think it was like it was in Idols autobiography. 1129 00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:34,960 Well, I think he talks about. That maybe, maybe now's the time 1130 00:59:34,960 --> 00:59:38,360 to talk about the Bowie. Yes, please. 1131 00:59:38,360 --> 00:59:42,280 Please talk about the Bowie. And I want to give full credit 1132 00:59:43,760 --> 00:59:47,280 to good friend of the show, former guest Graham Rinaldi, 1133 00:59:48,360 --> 00:59:50,360 right? And Graham is in the process of 1134 00:59:50,360 --> 00:59:54,800 writing a book about David Bowie's acting career. 1135 00:59:56,280 --> 00:59:59,000 Interesting. And and he knew I was going to 1136 00:59:59,000 --> 01:00:01,160 be talking about Yellow Beard. So he sent me a lovely e-mail 1137 01:00:01,160 --> 01:00:04,760 with load of stuff. When filming wrapped on Merry 1138 01:00:04,760 --> 01:00:09,160 Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which was the Bowie film, Bowie left 1139 01:00:09,160 --> 01:00:12,520 the island of Rarotonga for a well end holiday. 1140 01:00:12,520 --> 01:00:17,520 In excuse pronunciation here, Zahichuango in Mexico. 1141 01:00:17,680 --> 01:00:20,000 Somewhere in Mexico. That's that sounds about right. 1142 01:00:20,560 --> 01:00:26,280 With his son Duncan and Duncan's nanny Marion Skeen, and apart 1143 01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:29,040 from spending time with the sun, Bowie was there to recharge his 1144 01:00:29,040 --> 01:00:31,920 batteries before commencing work on the album. 1145 01:00:31,920 --> 01:00:34,160 Let's Dance and. Then favorite Bowie. 1146 01:00:34,360 --> 01:00:36,120 Is it OK by the? Yes, it is. 1147 01:00:36,200 --> 01:00:38,840 That's by the bow. And then one day, while sending 1148 01:00:38,840 --> 01:00:42,320 himself on the beach, he spotted this 18th century galleon ship 1149 01:00:42,320 --> 01:00:45,440 sailing past. Intrigued by this, Bowie went to 1150 01:00:45,440 --> 01:00:47,760 have a closer look, only to discover that the ship contained 1151 01:00:47,760 --> 01:00:50,720 his old mates Eric Heitel, Graham Chapman and Marty 1152 01:00:50,720 --> 01:00:54,560 Feldman. And for Bowie, this was the end 1153 01:00:54,560 --> 01:00:57,440 of my holiday as he spent the next fortnight in their company. 1154 01:00:58,520 --> 01:01:02,600 And during one of the numerous bouts of carousing in Mexico, 1155 01:01:02,600 --> 01:01:05,920 Eric Idle suggested it would be a laugh if Bowie made a brief 1156 01:01:05,920 --> 01:01:12,600 appearance in Yellow Bed. And, And now Damsky said that 1157 01:01:12,760 --> 01:01:16,360 he'd been looking for a bit between Eric and Madeline Khan 1158 01:01:16,360 --> 01:01:20,640 to keep the characters visible in the film, and suggested that 1159 01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:23,200 it include Bowie. So they wrote the scene, which 1160 01:01:23,200 --> 01:01:30,040 this very neat little cameo with Bowie is, is on screen for maybe 1161 01:01:30,040 --> 01:01:33,800 what, 20 seconds? 20 seconds and the. 1162 01:01:33,800 --> 01:01:38,480 Reveal is is that he's a shark. Yes, he plays the shark and you, 1163 01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:40,560 and that's the joke. See, I I'd have actually quite. 1164 01:01:40,560 --> 01:01:43,800 I'd have built him as the Thin White Duke if it'd be me. 1165 01:01:43,880 --> 01:01:47,160 Oh, very good. Yeah, very good. 1166 01:01:48,840 --> 01:01:50,920 Well, now it's out there for the world to enjoy. 1167 01:01:51,360 --> 01:01:55,320 And you should be proud of your child, the Thin White Duke. 1168 01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:58,800 I'm now frantically racking my brain for a shark pun that 1169 01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:02,680 crosses over into Bowie's over and I'm failing miserably, but 1170 01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:04,480 never mind. If you think of anything during 1171 01:02:04,480 --> 01:02:06,480 the during the chat, just shut. Up. 1172 01:02:06,480 --> 01:02:08,200 I'll suddenly. I'll just bellow, won't I? 1173 01:02:08,200 --> 01:02:09,640 I'll interrupt you. I've got it. 1174 01:02:10,480 --> 01:02:12,080 I've thought of something. It's not funny, but it's 1175 01:02:12,080 --> 01:02:15,480 accurate. I think you mentioned the red 1176 01:02:15,480 --> 01:02:19,000 light district, didn't you, in this place in Mexico that they 1177 01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:20,800 were filming? Yeah, the brothel, the brothel, 1178 01:02:21,080 --> 01:02:23,720 the school. Graham, Graham Rinaldi, who sent 1179 01:02:23,720 --> 01:02:27,120 me this info, I'll, I'll paraphrase this, I'll shorten 1180 01:02:27,120 --> 01:02:29,600 this because it's quite a bit here, But he basically said that 1181 01:02:31,160 --> 01:02:35,160 Bowie sort of hung around the team during the rest of the 1182 01:02:35,160 --> 01:02:37,200 production while they were there. 1183 01:02:37,560 --> 01:02:40,560 And Bowie and Graham Chapman borrowed one of the production's 1184 01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:42,880 jeeps with the intention of heading to the red light 1185 01:02:42,880 --> 01:02:45,720 district. And they picked up Martin Hewitt 1186 01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:50,000 who asked if he could join them. And apparently Bowie was very 1187 01:02:50,000 --> 01:02:55,480 drunk driving, But so because Bowie's driving a bit recklessly 1188 01:02:55,480 --> 01:03:00,000 and they rear end a taxi in the town and hit it so hard that it 1189 01:03:00,000 --> 01:03:03,520 disabled the Jeep, which, and it basically shoved the radiator 1190 01:03:03,520 --> 01:03:06,760 fan right into the engine. Graham Chapman hit his knee on 1191 01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:10,200 the dashboard. And then the the taxi driver 1192 01:03:10,800 --> 01:03:14,480 gets out and he's going to call the police and David is drunk, 1193 01:03:14,480 --> 01:03:16,720 but he's got a load of cash on him. 1194 01:03:16,720 --> 01:03:20,320 So he just pulls out a big wad of bills, starts pinning them 1195 01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:24,680 off, throwing them at the, the taxi driver who, who 1196 01:03:24,680 --> 01:03:29,880 surprisingly refuses this and, and still goes off to try and 1197 01:03:29,880 --> 01:03:33,520 find the police. And then luckily one of the crew 1198 01:03:33,520 --> 01:03:36,480 members was happened to be driving past and saw what 1199 01:03:36,480 --> 01:03:39,360 happened and, and told him to get in his car. 1200 01:03:39,560 --> 01:03:43,280 And they they speed off. And as a result of this, 1201 01:03:44,960 --> 01:03:48,840 director Mel Demsky banned the cast and crew from visiting to 1202 01:03:48,840 --> 01:03:54,920 the town from then on and said that, yeah, he he he basically 1203 01:03:54,920 --> 01:04:00,920 said he found Bowie had been a a very difficult presence, quite a 1204 01:04:00,920 --> 01:04:05,000 troublemaker. And Bowie actually avoided 1205 01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:08,000 making eye contact with him after that, so. 1206 01:04:08,320 --> 01:04:09,880 It is not. I was going to say, though, if 1207 01:04:09,880 --> 01:04:12,360 you think, if we circle back to how this film all started, I 1208 01:04:12,360 --> 01:04:15,320 think old, old Mel Damsky should be grateful it wasn't Keith. 1209 01:04:15,320 --> 01:04:18,120 But true. And by the way, he got big you. 1210 01:04:18,240 --> 01:04:19,640 Know absolutely, absolutely right. 1211 01:04:19,640 --> 01:04:21,240 But why? I'll just think about why was 1212 01:04:21,480 --> 01:04:22,880 Graham Chapman going after a brothel? 1213 01:04:25,560 --> 01:04:29,160 Well, that's a very, very good point. 1214 01:04:29,160 --> 01:04:33,520 But I mean, yeah, because the the other story is Idol tells of 1215 01:04:33,520 --> 01:04:36,560 when him and Cook went there to try and score some weed. 1216 01:04:36,640 --> 01:04:38,400 Oh, yes. And then and then the night 1217 01:04:38,400 --> 01:04:41,240 ended with the idol leaving to go back to his wife, I think, 1218 01:04:41,240 --> 01:04:42,680 who was there on, you know, we're leaving. 1219 01:04:42,680 --> 01:04:45,920 Cook as he danced the night away with some lovely ladies saying 1220 01:04:45,920 --> 01:04:49,480 don't worry, I've got this. No, because he was enjoying 1221 01:04:49,480 --> 01:04:52,680 himself very much. But I'll tell you what, Mel 1222 01:04:52,680 --> 01:04:56,160 Damsky, he I wouldn't be surprised given the egos of 1223 01:04:56,160 --> 01:04:58,280 these people. He just he probably put a the 1224 01:04:58,280 --> 01:05:00,360 kibosh on it purely because he was never invited. 1225 01:05:01,520 --> 01:05:04,280 If he'd if he'd been invited to a few of these little soirees, 1226 01:05:04,280 --> 01:05:06,240 he might have been a little bit more possibly as to what went 1227 01:05:06,240 --> 01:05:06,600 on. Possibly. 1228 01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:08,400 Possibly it was sour grapes on his part. 1229 01:05:09,320 --> 01:05:10,880 Yeah, it might be. It wouldn't surprise me. 1230 01:05:10,880 --> 01:05:13,840 We can't base that on anything. I want to say in case Mel is 1231 01:05:13,840 --> 01:05:18,400 listening, No, but you know, I think we have mentioned, of 1232 01:05:18,400 --> 01:05:23,480 course, you know, Feldman dying. He died on the 2nd of December 1233 01:05:23,480 --> 01:05:26,760 82 in his hotel room. Heart attack. 1234 01:05:26,760 --> 01:05:28,320 While this was being met. Yeah, it was a massive heart 1235 01:05:28,320 --> 01:05:30,280 attack. And a very interesting aside 1236 01:05:30,680 --> 01:05:32,880 again, and this is purely because I read it quite 1237 01:05:32,880 --> 01:05:34,320 recently, which is why it's top of mind. 1238 01:05:34,320 --> 01:05:37,640 Idle blames his death on the bad traffic. 1239 01:05:38,960 --> 01:05:40,520 So the ambulance couldn't get there in time. 1240 01:05:41,600 --> 01:05:45,320 And he he said in his autobiography, if he hadn't died 1241 01:05:45,320 --> 01:05:47,520 him, if he hadn't had the heart attack in Mexico, he'd still be 1242 01:05:47,800 --> 01:05:51,920 alive, which is, I get the sentiment, but if you've got 1243 01:05:51,920 --> 01:05:54,680 this heart condition, you know, as we know with Sellers, you 1244 01:05:54,680 --> 01:05:56,120 never know when it's going to attack again. 1245 01:05:56,720 --> 01:05:58,920 But I thought it was an interesting thing that that was 1246 01:05:58,920 --> 01:06:00,720 part of the problem. Apparently they couldn't get to 1247 01:06:00,720 --> 01:06:03,840 him in time to resuscitate him. And and then you notice he's not 1248 01:06:03,840 --> 01:06:07,040 in it because his death in the film, it's clearly not him. 1249 01:06:07,320 --> 01:06:10,360 Oh well, because he falls. The thing is, yeah, because when 1250 01:06:10,360 --> 01:06:14,360 I watched it back in the day on VHS, which is, which leaves a 1251 01:06:14,360 --> 01:06:15,200 lot. Of you desired. 1252 01:06:15,560 --> 01:06:18,880 You don't notice, you can't tell that it's a it's a someone, 1253 01:06:18,880 --> 01:06:24,640 someone standing, but watching it in super clear clarity this 1254 01:06:24,640 --> 01:06:27,800 time around, you can see clearly because you know that he died. 1255 01:06:27,920 --> 01:06:30,720 You're looking out for almost. You can see that it's a it's an 1256 01:06:30,720 --> 01:06:34,440 imposter dressed as Gilbert. And I hate that because you do 1257 01:06:34,440 --> 01:06:37,120 find yourself doing it and yet you don't want to. 1258 01:06:37,120 --> 01:06:38,560 But you're absolutely right. You're looking. 1259 01:06:38,560 --> 01:06:40,680 You'd find yourself looking. Because I wasn't sure how much 1260 01:06:40,680 --> 01:06:42,760 into production they'd done, because they don't say, because 1261 01:06:42,760 --> 01:06:45,680 we haven't got the the time sheets for the schedule of the 1262 01:06:45,680 --> 01:06:47,480 shooting. So I didn't know how much was 1263 01:06:47,480 --> 01:06:48,800 covered. But with the looks of it, it was 1264 01:06:48,800 --> 01:06:51,240 most of his stuff. And then of course, because they 1265 01:06:51,240 --> 01:06:54,320 all die in that I can't even remember the conceit by which 1266 01:06:54,320 --> 01:06:59,160 this was conceived, the the baffling swimming pool that that 1267 01:06:59,160 --> 01:07:02,240 is just acid. It's just acid in a pool, which 1268 01:07:02,240 --> 01:07:04,800 is just a really convenient way to to bump people off. 1269 01:07:04,800 --> 01:07:07,400 And he falls in it and it's, it's done with such a non 1270 01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:09,160 flourish because it's not him. By that point. 1271 01:07:09,640 --> 01:07:11,680 I had to go. Oh, so I guess that was him dead 1272 01:07:11,680 --> 01:07:12,800 then. Yep. 1273 01:07:14,920 --> 01:07:17,320 It's, it's done like that. It's like, and so ends the 1274 01:07:17,320 --> 01:07:21,280 illustrious career of one of the greatest comedy writers that has 1275 01:07:21,280 --> 01:07:24,920 ever, ever, ever been produced by the British Isles and 1276 01:07:25,000 --> 01:07:27,000 performers. And then he dies, you know, 1277 01:07:27,320 --> 01:07:30,080 Someone else dies for him. Yeah, He he. 1278 01:07:30,440 --> 01:07:33,520 Gets a nice He gets a little for Marty credit right at the. 1279 01:07:33,520 --> 01:07:34,800 End. Yeah, for Marty at the very end. 1280 01:07:34,800 --> 01:07:36,680 I noticed we didn't get that with Peter Ball, did we? 1281 01:07:36,680 --> 01:07:41,800 Or whatever, which is a shame. Or, or well, James Mason, if 1282 01:07:41,800 --> 01:07:45,080 indeed it was his last film. Yes, but then it wasn't it also 1283 01:07:45,200 --> 01:07:47,200 it was Spike's last film, wasn't it? 1284 01:07:48,160 --> 01:07:51,440 Or or like technically? Technically as in like an actual 1285 01:07:51,440 --> 01:07:55,560 performance or was he like there was T did TV, he did TV stuff, 1286 01:07:56,160 --> 01:07:59,240 Elizabeth Hollywood cinematic release. 1287 01:07:59,800 --> 01:08:02,920 I can't think of anything he'd been in and obviously he hung on 1288 01:08:02,920 --> 01:08:06,040 for many more years, but I can't think of it because again, we've 1289 01:08:06,040 --> 01:08:08,080 not talked about that. His was a similar thing to Life 1290 01:08:08,080 --> 01:08:09,800 of Brian, wasn't it? He would just was he just 1291 01:08:09,800 --> 01:08:12,360 passing through? Well this is the thing, 1292 01:08:13,040 --> 01:08:15,040 information is scarce so I don't. 1293 01:08:15,720 --> 01:08:22,040 I guess they just felt we need some slightly older a comic 1294 01:08:22,040 --> 01:08:24,479 performer to play the flunky or the what? 1295 01:08:24,479 --> 01:08:27,800 What do you call him? The the the guy he. 1296 01:08:27,840 --> 01:08:30,600 Does the classic trope of the novelty herald, doesn't it? 1297 01:08:30,880 --> 01:08:34,120 You know, it's, it's, it's, it's, I mean, they did Gilliam 1298 01:08:34,120 --> 01:08:37,439 did it as Patsy in that scene when they arrived at the French 1299 01:08:37,439 --> 01:08:40,040 castle. But I never get tired of someone 1300 01:08:40,040 --> 01:08:44,000 badly playing a bugle. And and he does, he does it as 1301 01:08:44,000 --> 01:08:46,200 well, if not better than anyone else. 1302 01:08:46,200 --> 01:08:48,279 And I just and and again, I would also attribute that, you 1303 01:08:48,279 --> 01:08:51,439 know, the the scene in in the Pink Panther, you know, when 1304 01:08:51,439 --> 01:08:54,080 he's dressed as an when Sellers is dressed as an exploded to 1305 01:08:54,080 --> 01:08:55,120 lose the trek. Yes. 1306 01:08:55,560 --> 01:08:57,800 And he's he's he's wandering around with that bugle. 1307 01:08:58,960 --> 01:09:01,640 Yes, he's just blasting it trying to find Cato. 1308 01:09:01,640 --> 01:09:02,800 And again, that always makes me laugh. 1309 01:09:03,160 --> 01:09:05,160 Yeah, even though that's one of the more patriot entries. 1310 01:09:05,800 --> 01:09:08,520 So an off tune bugle always gets my vote. 1311 01:09:09,000 --> 01:09:11,640 Well, Spike, Spike adds a little flourish of the Raspberry. 1312 01:09:12,800 --> 01:09:13,600 At the end. Oh yes. 1313 01:09:13,600 --> 01:09:16,439 Which of which you just can't help thinking of the, you know, 1314 01:09:16,720 --> 01:09:19,600 the of Q Yeah, in the little Raspberry. 1315 01:09:19,880 --> 01:09:24,080 I love, I love, I love when he introduces Eric Idol's 1316 01:09:24,080 --> 01:09:28,279 character, Commander Clement. He introduces, well, he points 1317 01:09:28,279 --> 01:09:32,000 out the queen to Commander Clement and he says, and you've 1318 01:09:32,040 --> 01:09:34,560 got you've got Peter Paul and you've got Susanna York, who's. 1319 01:09:34,800 --> 01:09:36,279 Oh. Yes, Susanna York's in there 1320 01:09:36,279 --> 01:09:37,359 too, isn't she? Yes. 1321 01:09:37,720 --> 01:09:39,760 Who is? Superman's mum. 1322 01:09:40,520 --> 01:09:43,120 Well, I saw her last week watching, I was watching a film 1323 01:09:44,040 --> 01:09:46,200 you probably won't have heard of that I hadn't heard of until 1324 01:09:46,200 --> 01:09:51,399 last week called Kaleidoscope, which 1966 filmed in Britain, 1325 01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:56,280 starring Warren Beatty of all people. 1326 01:09:56,840 --> 01:10:00,280 And it's got John Junkan in it and people like that and, and 1327 01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:05,360 she's the love interest. Really bad film, but anyway I 1328 01:10:05,360 --> 01:10:07,800 love the fact you've got Spike pointing out the Queen to 1329 01:10:07,800 --> 01:10:11,160 Commander Clement and he says. The fat one on the throne, she's 1330 01:10:11,160 --> 01:10:15,760 the queen. She's done very well today. 1331 01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:21,720 So I should kneel upwind to her? Every line he has is great. 1332 01:10:21,920 --> 01:10:24,800 I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's 100% strike rate. 1333 01:10:24,960 --> 01:10:26,840 I should call it a spike rate really, shouldn't I? 1334 01:10:28,520 --> 01:10:31,000 He's just so good in it from SO and it's just a shame he's in it 1335 01:10:31,000 --> 01:10:37,960 for that one's 1 1/2 scenes, isn't it really, you know, and 1336 01:10:37,960 --> 01:10:40,720 and and then we have to endure some of the other stuff, which 1337 01:10:40,720 --> 01:10:42,880 just and is he right? It's just the ending just feels 1338 01:10:42,880 --> 01:10:45,680 like they hadn't they they probably hadn't got an ending. 1339 01:10:46,160 --> 01:10:48,760 So they just did a series of scenes and it was sort of 1340 01:10:48,760 --> 01:10:52,800 cobbled together and then they then they leave it open for a, 1341 01:10:52,800 --> 01:10:55,040 you know, they tried to do a touching bit where where yellow 1342 01:10:55,040 --> 01:10:59,440 beard spoiler alert, dies. And then of course he doesn't 1343 01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:01,680 because they want to make a sequel, which never happened. 1344 01:11:04,000 --> 01:11:07,960 But that's the ending of this just boils my piss if you don't 1345 01:11:07,960 --> 01:11:10,600 mind me saying it's so ridiculous. 1346 01:11:11,720 --> 01:11:16,120 But before we get to that, the the Cheech and Chong bits in 1347 01:11:16,120 --> 01:11:22,240 this final third act, if you like, is it's trying, it's 1348 01:11:22,240 --> 01:11:22,840 tiring. Oh. 1349 01:11:22,960 --> 01:11:26,360 It's so as you say, Tommy Chong is Cheech Marion I always find 1350 01:11:26,360 --> 01:11:28,160 more watchable. I think it's because he's more 1351 01:11:28,160 --> 01:11:29,840 authentic. And like, even if you watch him 1352 01:11:30,000 --> 01:11:34,520 pop up in, you know, Robert Rodriguez from Dusk Till Dawn in 1353 01:11:34,520 --> 01:11:39,320 three roles in that film, he's great in all three of them. 1354 01:11:39,400 --> 01:11:41,560 And he's fun because he just plays a variation on the theme, 1355 01:11:41,560 --> 01:11:44,160 which is cheap. But then because, because he was 1356 01:11:44,160 --> 01:11:46,800 at, because Tommy Chong's Canadian, so he has that 1357 01:11:46,800 --> 01:11:51,440 Canadian accent cutting through and it it just, I don't know 1358 01:11:51,440 --> 01:11:53,200 what he's doing. He's just, he's like, he has no 1359 01:11:53,200 --> 01:11:55,520 business being in the film. It is an excuse to bring in the 1360 01:11:55,520 --> 01:11:59,440 love interest, isn't it? As well who's equally vast, 1361 01:11:59,440 --> 01:12:01,840 which they have to undercut because. 1362 01:12:01,840 --> 01:12:03,400 Oh yeah, because then she's she's not really. 1363 01:12:03,400 --> 01:12:05,080 She loses interest because they don't have any money. 1364 01:12:05,400 --> 01:12:07,640 That's right. She's just, which is fine, which 1365 01:12:07,640 --> 01:12:10,200 is which I prefer that. I suppose it's, I guess so, I 1366 01:12:10,360 --> 01:12:12,000 guess so. And then and then ultimately 1367 01:12:12,000 --> 01:12:16,760 you're just, you're just waiting for them to be dispatched, I 1368 01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:19,400 think. But you're watching this, I'm 1369 01:12:19,400 --> 01:12:26,040 watching this in HD, right? And we've got this running gag 1370 01:12:26,040 --> 01:12:32,880 where Cheech's character, who's lackey to El Nebuloso, Tommy 1371 01:12:32,880 --> 01:12:39,080 Chong, who's this Craven little Wretch basically who keeps, he's 1372 01:12:39,080 --> 01:12:42,960 feeling he has to smash his head on his penance for penance. 1373 01:12:44,120 --> 01:12:48,200 And there's a bit, there's a bit where he hits his head again and 1374 01:12:48,200 --> 01:12:51,240 again on sort of what do you call a bit of concrete 1375 01:12:51,240 --> 01:12:53,080 battlement. It's like a breeze block, isn't 1376 01:12:53,080 --> 01:12:53,600 it? As part of the. 1377 01:12:53,600 --> 01:12:56,640 Battle, but in HD you can see the dent in the polystyrene 1378 01:12:56,800 --> 01:13:00,040 begin to develop. You can see it tapping. 1379 01:13:00,560 --> 01:13:02,480 These these things were not meant to be watched. 1380 01:13:02,840 --> 01:13:05,720 A, with the the level of scrutiny to which we're 1381 01:13:05,720 --> 01:13:10,200 affording them and B on HD 4K and they would never make that 1382 01:13:10,200 --> 01:13:14,160 in four Ki mean I don't think there'd be the demand to release 1383 01:13:14,160 --> 01:13:18,600 this in Super HD. But yeah, you do notice these 1384 01:13:18,600 --> 01:13:20,840 things. Yeah, there's a couple of nice 1385 01:13:20,840 --> 01:13:24,480 things leading up to and including the the voyage on the 1386 01:13:24,680 --> 01:13:26,640 on the ship that I want to mention. 1387 01:13:26,800 --> 01:13:35,000 Yeah, I I did enjoy the the bit where Marty is kind of is trying 1388 01:13:35,000 --> 01:13:38,320 to get a crocodile loaded. On Oh, that's a great scene. 1389 01:13:38,320 --> 01:13:40,920 But that's a wonderful scene. Don't bother. 1390 01:13:42,680 --> 01:13:44,240 Yeah, yeah. And it's a woman in, but that 1391 01:13:44,240 --> 01:13:49,400 that feels like a Marty Feldman sketch inserted into the film. 1392 01:13:49,480 --> 01:13:52,920 You could imagine that sitting in in in Marty or or Flying 1393 01:13:52,920 --> 01:13:55,400 Circus. It has that same sensibility as 1394 01:13:55,400 --> 01:13:58,480 the bookshop sketch. It's just so absurd when he's 1395 01:13:58,480 --> 01:14:02,120 trying to smuggle a woman on board and then she walks up and 1396 01:14:02,120 --> 01:14:05,320 says don't bother because there's someone with with, with. 1397 01:14:05,320 --> 01:14:06,920 I can't remember what it is off the top of my. 1398 01:14:06,920 --> 01:14:08,320 Hand carrying a goat I think or. Something. 1399 01:14:08,320 --> 01:14:09,720 It's having a goat, isn't it? Or a sheep. 1400 01:14:10,680 --> 01:14:14,640 Yeah, it's a goat, and that's a nice little scene, but it feel, 1401 01:14:14,640 --> 01:14:17,760 it feels like a self-contained sketch you could take out of. 1402 01:14:17,760 --> 01:14:19,640 Context. It does, you know. 1403 01:14:20,480 --> 01:14:22,800 But it is a, it is a nice bit and there, there are bits that 1404 01:14:22,800 --> 01:14:25,800 made me laugh and, and there are bits always. 1405 01:14:25,800 --> 01:14:29,800 I just, it's just, it's just few and far between really. 1406 01:14:29,800 --> 01:14:32,840 And I, and I think as an adult watching it with a critical eye, 1407 01:14:32,840 --> 01:14:35,440 I, I ended up becoming distracted by the quality of the 1408 01:14:35,440 --> 01:14:38,120 film itself in terms of, you know, how it's made, which is 1409 01:14:38,120 --> 01:14:40,560 unhelpful. But I guess if you notice that 1410 01:14:40,560 --> 01:14:43,680 then something's not working, you know you shouldn't be 1411 01:14:43,680 --> 01:14:45,200 noticing. If you've got time to worry 1412 01:14:45,200 --> 01:14:47,000 about that. Yeah, exactly. 1413 01:14:47,000 --> 01:14:50,400 I'm not looking at it expecting to see, you know, the Godfather. 1414 01:14:51,280 --> 01:14:53,960 I I saw some stats. Did you, did you look into how 1415 01:14:53,960 --> 01:14:56,760 it was received and how it opened and everything? 1416 01:14:56,760 --> 01:14:58,720 So I had a quick look at that which I thought was quite 1417 01:14:58,720 --> 01:15:01,720 interesting. Well, I it didn't do well, I 1418 01:15:01,720 --> 01:15:04,760 don't believe. No, in in the US it opened in 1419 01:15:04,760 --> 01:15:08,280 11th place, well below the week's other new releases. 1420 01:15:08,280 --> 01:15:11,320 But I think it's interesting what came out that that week in 1421 01:15:11,320 --> 01:15:17,800 the US was Porky's 2, The next day, Twilight Zone, the movie 1422 01:15:17,840 --> 01:15:19,920 with its its own. Oh dear. 1423 01:15:20,040 --> 01:15:22,880 Exactly its own troubled history and the survivors. 1424 01:15:22,880 --> 01:15:26,000 I'm not sure what that is. No. 1425 01:15:26,320 --> 01:15:28,680 And but there's an interesting point because I I read Robert 1426 01:15:28,720 --> 01:15:33,040 Ebert, Roger Ebert, of course, the the celebrated late American 1427 01:15:33,040 --> 01:15:38,160 film critic. Yes, he gave it 1 1/2 stars and 1428 01:15:38,760 --> 01:15:41,840 he was brutal, He said. Monty Python has already done 1429 01:15:41,840 --> 01:15:44,600 it's pirate satire. The prologue of Monty Python's 1430 01:15:44,600 --> 01:15:47,160 Meaning of Life, which is one of the best parts of the film, 1431 01:15:47,400 --> 01:15:49,680 involved that funny fantasy in which a desk bound insurance 1432 01:15:49,680 --> 01:15:52,240 clerks turn their ancient building into a galleon and set 1433 01:15:52,240 --> 01:15:53,880 sail against the enemy skyscrapers. 1434 01:15:54,120 --> 01:15:56,680 It was funny, it was quick, it was original. 1435 01:15:56,960 --> 01:15:59,040 None of those statements applied to Yellow Beard. 1436 01:16:00,040 --> 01:16:01,960 So that was that was his take on. 1437 01:16:01,960 --> 01:16:05,640 It well, he did probably like the brief, the brief nudity, 1438 01:16:05,920 --> 01:16:07,280 because I believed he was into that sort of. 1439 01:16:07,280 --> 01:16:10,600 Thing yes, I think he was and there is that classic case was 1440 01:16:10,600 --> 01:16:12,440 like this. What is this film rated because 1441 01:16:12,440 --> 01:16:15,240 there is some nudity peppering in even though it's surrounding 1442 01:16:15,600 --> 01:16:19,400 I guess so and the general census is the same. 1443 01:16:19,400 --> 01:16:23,160 The New York Times said it. It offers an occasional chuckle 1444 01:16:25,280 --> 01:16:28,560 and yeah, there's an interesting point. 1445 01:16:28,560 --> 01:16:30,280 As for the other element, this is in the New York Times 1446 01:16:30,280 --> 01:16:32,600 article. Those these are all written at 1447 01:16:32,600 --> 01:16:35,120 the time it said. As for the other element of the 1448 01:16:35,120 --> 01:16:37,480 script, the action under the direction of Mel Damsky, it 1449 01:16:37,480 --> 01:16:41,440 tends mainly to plod, especially between the time the rival 1450 01:16:41,440 --> 01:16:44,120 faction set sail and their arrival on the Treasure Island. 1451 01:16:45,480 --> 01:16:49,440 One of the worst bits of this film, and I don't know whether 1452 01:16:49,440 --> 01:16:55,320 it's it was written like this or it was the direction, it's the 1453 01:16:55,320 --> 01:16:58,160 whole bit. When they reach the, we have 1454 01:16:58,160 --> 01:17:03,320 various people landing on the beach of this island. 1455 01:17:03,640 --> 01:17:06,440 So you've got Yellow Beard first of all, and then you've got the 1456 01:17:06,440 --> 01:17:12,240 dullest trio in Christendom, Dan and Lambourne and Gilpin. 1457 01:17:12,680 --> 01:17:18,720 And then you've got Commander Clement and, and the his crew, 1458 01:17:18,760 --> 01:17:21,720 soldiers or whatever. Yes, and they're all looking. 1459 01:17:21,720 --> 01:17:26,920 They're all wanting to find Yellow Beard's treasure and 1460 01:17:26,920 --> 01:17:28,240 Yellow Beard himself. OK, I can. 1461 01:17:28,480 --> 01:17:30,160 That's funny. When Yellow Beard's doing the 1462 01:17:30,160 --> 01:17:33,200 stagger, stagger, crawl, crawl. Oh, yes, That's that's funny. 1463 01:17:33,200 --> 01:17:36,000 That, that, that that's good. That's a nice little bit, Right. 1464 01:17:36,720 --> 01:17:39,000 What really annoyed me, and I'm thinking why did you do? 1465 01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:42,200 You don't need to, is when Madeleine Kahn and Commander 1466 01:17:42,200 --> 01:17:47,280 Clement are looking for the treasure and they're doing the 1467 01:17:47,280 --> 01:17:50,560 stagger, stagger, crawl, crawl with with all the crew doing it 1468 01:17:50,560 --> 01:17:52,560 as well. I'm thinking the crew don't 1469 01:17:52,640 --> 01:17:55,960 Nobody, only one person needs to do the stagger, stagger, crawl, 1470 01:17:55,960 --> 01:17:58,280 crawl. The rest of you don't need to do 1471 01:17:58,280 --> 01:17:59,120 it. You know what I mean? 1472 01:17:59,120 --> 01:18:00,200 It's it's. Completely. 1473 01:18:00,240 --> 01:18:02,520 It's the it's the all in thing of the early 80s. 1474 01:18:02,520 --> 01:18:05,960 It's like these films were all made under a cloud of coke and 1475 01:18:05,960 --> 01:18:07,120 they were just like, this is fine. 1476 01:18:07,120 --> 01:18:09,480 More is more, more is more. Come on, we can do this. 1477 01:18:09,680 --> 01:18:11,200 Tell us. You know what's even funnier 1478 01:18:11,200 --> 01:18:13,720 than one person doing it? Everyone doing it. 1479 01:18:14,040 --> 01:18:17,320 Yes, you know, and. And, and they roared with 1480 01:18:17,320 --> 01:18:18,920 laughter about it. And then they just thought it 1481 01:18:18,920 --> 01:18:20,520 was the best thing ever. And then sort of, you know, 1482 01:18:20,680 --> 01:18:23,160 sniffed, sniffed their way. Back doing it with fire. 1483 01:18:23,920 --> 01:18:24,680 Burn. It was fire. 1484 01:18:27,160 --> 01:18:29,040 I'm I'm irrationally angry about it. 1485 01:18:29,520 --> 01:18:31,640 Yeah, there is a DIS report. I have to say, Todd, I'm. 1486 01:18:32,080 --> 01:18:34,680 I didn't feel the same sense of ire as you at that bit. 1487 01:18:35,000 --> 01:18:37,720 I kind of felt by that point that they're all just trying to 1488 01:18:37,720 --> 01:18:41,040 get through to the end is what it kind of feels like. 1489 01:18:41,080 --> 01:18:43,120 I mean, I wonder. Yeah, I know. 1490 01:18:43,120 --> 01:18:46,680 Apparently, Chapman, it took a chunk out of him to the extent 1491 01:18:46,680 --> 01:18:49,400 that it caused him to change his lifestyle and diet to manage the 1492 01:18:49,400 --> 01:18:51,960 stress. Apparently it was the whole 1493 01:18:51,960 --> 01:18:54,720 thing was a big thing. And of course, you know, only 1494 01:18:54,720 --> 01:18:57,640 six years later, he was dead. He was dead. 1495 01:18:57,680 --> 01:19:01,400 Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it's it's it's it's 1496 01:19:01,440 --> 01:19:05,680 it's I think it's a shame because it's, again, as we said 1497 01:19:05,680 --> 01:19:08,200 at the beginning, it could have been, it could have been 1498 01:19:08,200 --> 01:19:11,800 exceptional. But by that point, I would argue 1499 01:19:11,880 --> 01:19:14,440 no one involved had anything to prove. 1500 01:19:15,160 --> 01:19:17,720 And I think that's a big factor in, in in the creative arts. 1501 01:19:17,720 --> 01:19:19,720 I think there's a certain sense where people are hungry for it 1502 01:19:19,720 --> 01:19:22,000 and they want to show that they've got their, you know, 1503 01:19:22,000 --> 01:19:24,600 they can really make their mark, leave their mark, do something 1504 01:19:24,880 --> 01:19:26,080 great. And I think there's a tipping 1505 01:19:26,080 --> 01:19:28,000 point. I mean, however, though they 1506 01:19:28,000 --> 01:19:31,680 were all approached, they're all 40 odd by this point, you know, 1507 01:19:31,680 --> 01:19:34,400 and they've all got their successes tucked under their 1508 01:19:34,400 --> 01:19:36,280 under their belt. So it's kind of like that. 1509 01:19:36,280 --> 01:19:38,800 It's that cliche of, you know, the same thing that you want, 1510 01:19:38,800 --> 01:19:41,840 you might think motivated the Pythons to go to the Caribbean 1511 01:19:42,480 --> 01:19:45,400 to write Life of Brian. It's just like, should we go and 1512 01:19:45,400 --> 01:19:47,520 have fun? And then I'm sure something will 1513 01:19:47,520 --> 01:19:52,000 come out of that positive energy, you know, and, and 1514 01:19:52,000 --> 01:19:54,360 something fun probably didn't. Of course, you never know when 1515 01:19:54,360 --> 01:19:56,880 you're working on something, how it's going to turn out until you 1516 01:19:56,880 --> 01:19:59,480 see the final cut. And, and there may be another 1517 01:19:59,480 --> 01:20:03,400 takes which would just much more, you know, had much more 1518 01:20:03,400 --> 01:20:07,440 energy in them. But I, I, I do think he was 1519 01:20:07,440 --> 01:20:10,200 hamstrung by a very, very pedestrian director. 1520 01:20:11,800 --> 01:20:13,720 And I would imagine I would hate to have been that director. 1521 01:20:13,720 --> 01:20:17,000 Yes, I agree. Having to manage all those egos. 1522 01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:18,080 Oh. Herod and cats. 1523 01:20:18,560 --> 01:20:20,560 Oh, absolutely. You know who, you know, the ones 1524 01:20:20,560 --> 01:20:24,360 that weren't drunk, who all know how to make something funny. 1525 01:20:24,680 --> 01:20:26,200 So they'll all have their opinion on it. 1526 01:20:26,560 --> 01:20:29,000 So there's probably a sense unless you've got complete 1527 01:20:29,280 --> 01:20:31,960 strength of character to the point of being a psychopath, 1528 01:20:31,960 --> 01:20:34,320 you'd have to just let them get on with it, wouldn't you, as 1529 01:20:34,320 --> 01:20:36,800 their director. And as a result you end up with 1530 01:20:37,280 --> 01:20:40,400 with what we got, which is, which is odd. 1531 01:20:41,920 --> 01:20:49,040 I'm in. I think she might be ready to 1532 01:20:49,040 --> 01:20:53,880 talk now. Sir, I seem to remember 1533 01:20:53,880 --> 01:20:59,520 something about an island. It must have been that shock. 1534 01:20:59,760 --> 01:21:02,400 What? What jog my memory? 1535 01:21:03,280 --> 01:21:06,360 Jolly good, Henson. Thank you, Sir. 1536 01:21:07,320 --> 01:21:10,600 Well done. Shall I meet you in the pump 1537 01:21:10,600 --> 01:21:13,520 room? Sir, I really enjoyed revisiting 1538 01:21:13,520 --> 01:21:15,600 it because like you, it had been a while since I'd seen it. 1539 01:21:16,600 --> 01:21:21,360 I was, I was scared I was going to really hate it and I didn't. 1540 01:21:21,360 --> 01:21:26,000 I, I, I, I, I my fondness of it was built on by looking at it 1541 01:21:26,000 --> 01:21:30,800 now, I think, because so many of them are no longer with us, you 1542 01:21:30,800 --> 01:21:33,080 know, even including, you know, not just the obvious ones, but, 1543 01:21:33,080 --> 01:21:36,640 you know, Peter Boyle's gone, Madeleine Kahn's gone, you know, 1544 01:21:36,640 --> 01:21:39,560 and I really like Mel Brooks's ensemble, his car. 1545 01:21:39,560 --> 01:21:41,880 And as you say, Boyle was completely wasted in that. 1546 01:21:41,880 --> 01:21:45,720 He could have been anyone playing bosun moon, you know, he 1547 01:21:45,720 --> 01:21:47,320 really didn't do anything with it. 1548 01:21:47,640 --> 01:21:52,920 No, you know, but even seeing, you know, they will read and 1549 01:21:52,920 --> 01:21:57,120 whatnot. I mean, I, I would, I would love 1550 01:21:57,120 --> 01:22:03,200 to, I would love to ask Nigel Plainer what he thought of the 1551 01:22:03,200 --> 01:22:07,000 experience because of course he's, you know, aside from doing 1552 01:22:07,000 --> 01:22:10,560 his bit in the, in the, you know, as part of the comic strip 1553 01:22:10,560 --> 01:22:14,360 in the West End, You know, he was a young upcoming actor of 1554 01:22:14,480 --> 01:22:16,360 not of any note at all. So it'd be interesting to see 1555 01:22:16,360 --> 01:22:19,760 how he experienced the whole thing being whether he was just 1556 01:22:19,760 --> 01:22:22,040 in awe or. Crushingly well he'd have been. 1557 01:22:22,040 --> 01:22:25,240 He'd have been known by this point for the first series of 1558 01:22:25,240 --> 01:22:26,320 The Young. Ones that's true. 1559 01:22:26,520 --> 01:22:28,240 That is true. Chiefly, yes, yeah. 1560 01:22:29,360 --> 01:22:32,600 Actually totally different character to to Mansell totally 1561 01:22:32,600 --> 01:22:34,080 different character. Yes, he's he's not. 1562 01:22:34,240 --> 01:22:37,120 Yeah, he's not Neil, is it? But I was might be interested to 1563 01:22:37,120 --> 01:22:40,720 see because he's one of the few people around to ask and, you 1564 01:22:40,720 --> 01:22:42,800 know, he might have an interesting take on it as 1565 01:22:42,800 --> 01:22:45,480 opposed to, you know, if he were to ask Idol about it. 1566 01:22:45,480 --> 01:22:48,400 Now they've got to the age now where they'll trot out the part, 1567 01:22:48,400 --> 01:22:50,560 the official line that they've cemented years ago when they 1568 01:22:50,560 --> 01:22:52,120 talk about it. So you're not going to get any 1569 01:22:52,120 --> 01:22:53,880 insights because they've said their piece. 1570 01:22:54,840 --> 01:22:56,440 You're absolutely right. Yeah, he would. 1571 01:22:56,440 --> 01:22:58,280 He would do. Yeah, and the Clees would just 1572 01:22:58,280 --> 01:23:00,240 go, oh, it's awful, isn't it? Because you can't. 1573 01:23:00,240 --> 01:23:02,680 You couldn't, probably couldn't even make those jokes anymore. 1574 01:23:02,680 --> 01:23:03,600 It's all right, John. It's. 1575 01:23:05,040 --> 01:23:06,480 Woke. Yes, exactly. 1576 01:23:06,480 --> 01:23:08,960 It's, yeah, You couldn't, you probably couldn't call it yellow 1577 01:23:08,960 --> 01:23:11,800 beard anymore because people would think it was racist. 1578 01:23:11,800 --> 01:23:13,160 It's like, oh heaven's sake, John. 1579 01:23:13,200 --> 01:23:15,880 Probably say that, yes. It's exactly the kind of thing 1580 01:23:15,880 --> 01:23:20,160 he he would. Say one thing I meant to mention 1581 01:23:20,160 --> 01:23:23,600 earlier. We mentioned Bernard McKenna. 1582 01:23:24,160 --> 01:23:31,200 Yes, at the top. And Barnaby Eton Jones contacted 1583 01:23:31,200 --> 01:23:34,560 me and directed me to an interview he'd done with Bernard 1584 01:23:34,560 --> 01:23:39,880 McKenna many years ago. And Bernard talks about making 1585 01:23:39,880 --> 01:23:44,120 this film, writing and making this film, and he's in it 1586 01:23:44,200 --> 01:23:45,720 briefly. Do you know this? 1587 01:23:46,040 --> 01:23:47,440 No. Oh, hang on, what? 1588 01:23:47,440 --> 01:23:50,200 Bernard Mckenna's in it. Yes, yes, yes. 1589 01:23:50,200 --> 01:23:52,520 He pops up briefly in it because I only knew who he was because 1590 01:23:52,520 --> 01:23:55,880 he also is in Life of Brian. And I was interested to see who 1591 01:23:55,880 --> 01:23:58,480 pops up playing those characters because Chris Langham is also in 1592 01:23:58,480 --> 01:23:59,880 Life for Brian and etcetera, etcetera. 1593 01:24:00,040 --> 01:24:02,000 You know, and it's just, oh, there's McKenna. 1594 01:24:02,000 --> 01:24:03,160 Yes. So I knew who he was. 1595 01:24:04,160 --> 01:24:08,800 So he's the, he's the sailor that kisses James Mason. 1596 01:24:09,720 --> 01:24:12,080 And he said, I'm just going to read this bit. 1597 01:24:12,080 --> 01:24:15,440 He, he, he, he spoke about that's that, that scene. 1598 01:24:15,880 --> 01:24:18,000 He said kissing James Mason was his idea. 1599 01:24:18,680 --> 01:24:21,680 We were waiting in a hotel in Acapulco to do a night shoot. 1600 01:24:22,000 --> 01:24:25,160 I was with James and his wife and James mentioned that he'd 1601 01:24:25,160 --> 01:24:28,360 like to reprise a scene from a film of his where a woman 1602 01:24:28,360 --> 01:24:32,000 suddenly kisses him and he says don't you ever do that again. 1603 01:24:33,120 --> 01:24:36,040 I was playing a rather naive recruit who was so happy to join 1604 01:24:36,040 --> 01:24:39,560 the ship he thought it would be funny if I enthused and then 1605 01:24:39,560 --> 01:24:42,320 kissed him. He also said I'd go on record as 1606 01:24:42,320 --> 01:24:44,360 the only man to kiss James Mason on screen. 1607 01:24:45,440 --> 01:24:49,080 He shoots me later in the film. He was a nice man but worried 1608 01:24:49,080 --> 01:24:50,920 about Cheech and Chong being drug dealers. 1609 01:24:53,880 --> 01:24:59,240 I think that's probably a fair concern, but if they were, they 1610 01:24:59,240 --> 01:25:01,000 wouldn't have had to get going to that brothel. 1611 01:25:01,840 --> 01:25:05,240 Basically do. You think they're dealing in 1612 01:25:05,240 --> 01:25:08,440 horse? Yes, exactly there. 1613 01:25:08,440 --> 01:25:10,360 Would it be in the middle of AK hole? 1614 01:25:10,760 --> 01:25:13,000 There's your shilling. Oh, thank you, Sir. 1615 01:25:15,840 --> 01:25:18,120 Don't do that. Don't do that ever again. 1616 01:25:18,640 --> 01:25:20,880 I think we've acquitted ourselves as well when it comes 1617 01:25:20,880 --> 01:25:22,720 to Yellow Beard. I think so do. 1618 01:25:22,720 --> 01:25:25,920 You the verdict is I'm still, I still think it's OK. 1619 01:25:26,520 --> 01:25:28,480 I think it's fine. I think it's fine. 1620 01:25:28,480 --> 01:25:35,040 And I really like spending time with these people, you know, and 1621 01:25:35,040 --> 01:25:39,200 I think it's in that alone is enough to warrant it be, you 1622 01:25:39,200 --> 01:25:41,040 know, stored away in a vault somewhere. 1623 01:25:42,480 --> 01:25:44,680 Yeah. It's a very good time capsule of 1624 01:25:44,840 --> 01:25:50,000 seeing where British and American comedy was by the, you 1625 01:25:50,040 --> 01:25:53,080 know, the very early 80s. Yes, indeed. 1626 01:25:53,080 --> 01:25:56,400 It was at a tipping point, I would argue, because it's 1627 01:25:56,400 --> 01:25:58,880 interesting, you could argue very quickly that this is kind 1628 01:25:58,880 --> 01:26:01,680 of the last gasp of the old guard from the new guard. 1629 01:26:02,000 --> 01:26:04,840 Because if you think about who's cutting through in the early 80s 1630 01:26:04,840 --> 01:26:08,440 in the UK, we've got the Silver Age alternative comedy, which 1631 01:26:08,440 --> 01:26:12,080 we've got the comedy, you know, we've got the comic strip team 1632 01:26:12,320 --> 01:26:15,360 of which we get player in. And then we've got the Saturday 1633 01:26:15,360 --> 01:26:17,720 night crew of, you know, your Murray, your Belushi, your 1634 01:26:17,720 --> 01:26:19,840 Chase. Yeah, Aykroyd. 1635 01:26:20,200 --> 01:26:24,560 And they're not in this. And and it's probably, this is 1636 01:26:24,560 --> 01:26:28,080 probably the last window of opportunity for these performers 1637 01:26:28,080 --> 01:26:30,560 from that generation to come together and make a film. 1638 01:26:31,080 --> 01:26:34,160 And you could argue that they peaked, which is why we got the 1639 01:26:34,160 --> 01:26:37,520 film we did. I wonder in a parallel universe, 1640 01:26:37,960 --> 01:26:42,280 what Yellow Beard will be like, where it's starring Rick Mail as 1641 01:26:42,280 --> 01:26:46,240 Yellow Beard, you know, with the rest of the comic strip team. 1642 01:26:46,760 --> 01:26:49,040 And then on the other side, we have the American. 1643 01:26:49,040 --> 01:26:55,080 We have Chevy Chase, you know, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Eddie 1644 01:26:55,080 --> 01:26:56,440 Murphy. Well, I'll tell you. 1645 01:26:56,440 --> 01:26:58,920 I'll tell you what it would be. It would be kind of like Carry 1646 01:26:58,920 --> 01:27:01,000 On Columbus a few years later, probably. 1647 01:27:01,640 --> 01:27:06,680 Oh, OK. Well, best, best, best. 1648 01:27:06,680 --> 01:27:13,840 Leave that as it is. Yeah, but thank you for for for 1649 01:27:13,840 --> 01:27:17,440 for this I I'm I'm I'm really enjoyed I really enjoyed 1650 01:27:17,440 --> 01:27:21,840 watching it actually fresh and. Yeah, and and talking about it, 1651 01:27:21,840 --> 01:27:24,800 it's been a hoot. Yes, and also listen listeners, 1652 01:27:24,920 --> 01:27:28,240 it's it used to be on it was for for a time on Netflix. 1653 01:27:28,320 --> 01:27:32,280 It's not anymore, but a very good copy of it has been 1654 01:27:32,280 --> 01:27:36,720 uploaded to YouTube. So if you haven't seen it, you 1655 01:27:36,720 --> 01:27:41,840 can easily access it via YT. And it's only 90 odd minutes. 1656 01:27:42,280 --> 01:27:44,600 It's the classic classic 80s comedy length. 1657 01:27:45,120 --> 01:27:49,040 It is, it is OK. Have you thought of any Bowie 1658 01:27:49,040 --> 01:27:52,200 shark puns? No, I'm very disappointed. 1659 01:27:52,680 --> 01:27:55,800 I I blame Bowie for having such an extensive back catalogue. 1660 01:27:55,920 --> 01:27:58,040 So I've got choice paralysis. That's what I'm going with. 1661 01:27:58,520 --> 01:28:01,280 If he'd only released 3 albums, If I was had to do some kind of 1662 01:28:01,280 --> 01:28:05,720 Nick Drake, Joe, I don't have 33 albums I'm supposed to work 1663 01:28:05,720 --> 01:28:07,240 with. But no, yeah. 1664 01:28:07,520 --> 01:28:09,880 So I, I can't. I've got to pick an era first 1665 01:28:09,920 --> 01:28:12,440 before I, I hone in on a, on a pun. 1666 01:28:12,760 --> 01:28:16,560 And I sort of think the crown is yours with the film's fault. 1667 01:28:16,920 --> 01:28:17,800 It is. It's always fine. 1668 01:28:17,800 --> 01:28:19,360 So I tend to blame him for most things. 1669 01:28:20,680 --> 01:28:23,480 Yeah, OK. Well, Adrian, listen, is there 1670 01:28:23,480 --> 01:28:25,000 anything you want to plug? Anything happening? 1671 01:28:25,000 --> 01:28:26,960 Any, any. I know you've got a book coming 1672 01:28:26,960 --> 01:28:28,920 up at some point, but, but. Yes, I've got a book. 1673 01:28:28,920 --> 01:28:30,160 Can we talk about that at some point? 1674 01:28:30,160 --> 01:28:31,480 But I can't really talk about that. 1675 01:28:32,080 --> 01:28:38,120 I am 1/2 of a a comedy history podcast called History for you 1676 01:28:38,120 --> 01:28:40,600 with Douglas and Hugh, which we have a lot of fun making. 1677 01:28:40,600 --> 01:28:45,160 It was basically to one of my my partner, James Devonshire come 1678 01:28:45,160 --> 01:28:47,400 up with it was sort of to puncture the pomposity of the 1679 01:28:47,400 --> 01:28:51,480 patriarchy in so far as you know, listening to sort of some 1680 01:28:51,480 --> 01:28:55,400 rather self important historians of a certain age and persuasion 1681 01:28:55,400 --> 01:28:57,760 talking about themselves. And we thought it'd be quite fun 1682 01:28:57,760 --> 01:29:01,680 to just do a ludicrous, silly parody of that. 1683 01:29:01,680 --> 01:29:05,400 So we play 2 characters that know far too much about history. 1684 01:29:05,400 --> 01:29:08,240 And there's a little bit of one upmanship there as we talk 1685 01:29:08,240 --> 01:29:11,800 nonsense into iconic periods, events and people from history. 1686 01:29:12,240 --> 01:29:15,800 So I that's ongoing. We've been doing it for a year 1687 01:29:15,840 --> 01:29:18,920 and it's going well. Got We enjoy doing it. 1688 01:29:19,480 --> 01:29:20,960 So listen to that. That's history. 1689 01:29:21,000 --> 01:29:22,400 History for you with Douglas and Hugh. 1690 01:29:22,400 --> 01:29:23,880 Yes. And other than that, I perform 1691 01:29:23,880 --> 01:29:27,880 stand up and improv anywhere there's a stage, but mainly 1692 01:29:27,880 --> 01:29:31,880 around Europe, but I have been known to come over to the UK. 1693 01:29:31,880 --> 01:29:34,880 Yeah, with the the historians, you don't lapse into the Newman 1694 01:29:34,880 --> 01:29:37,320 and Badeal territory, do you? No, not at all. 1695 01:29:37,320 --> 01:29:39,440 We don't do that's you. That is we, we, we play it 1696 01:29:39,440 --> 01:29:44,200 straight as we can as well. I will always love that, purely 1697 01:29:44,200 --> 01:29:47,800 because that one, that one sketch where he makes Badeal 1698 01:29:47,800 --> 01:29:50,480 completely corpse, I always remember that one. 1699 01:29:50,480 --> 01:29:55,760 That's because it's been in your mum's bra and he can't, they 1700 01:29:55,760 --> 01:29:58,560 can't end the sketch because he's laughing so much. 1701 01:29:59,240 --> 01:30:01,240 No, no, we, we don't go down that route. 1702 01:30:01,240 --> 01:30:04,720 It's been done. We try and we, it's, it's, it's, 1703 01:30:04,760 --> 01:30:06,520 it actually goes more to the kind of comedy we've been 1704 01:30:06,520 --> 01:30:08,000 talking about. We wanted to do something that's 1705 01:30:08,000 --> 01:30:10,640 completely silly, you know, so we, you know, we don't. 1706 01:30:10,640 --> 01:30:13,400 We, it's, it's, it's, but it's all there in truth. 1707 01:30:13,400 --> 01:30:15,720 We take, we take what's actually happened and then we just sort 1708 01:30:15,720 --> 01:30:17,720 of play with a little. So, you know, there is. 1709 01:30:17,800 --> 01:30:20,600 So, you know, so people doing GCSE history could probably 1710 01:30:20,600 --> 01:30:23,120 scrape through an F based on what we do in our. 1711 01:30:23,120 --> 01:30:26,040 Yeah. OK, so it's it's it's actually. 1712 01:30:26,040 --> 01:30:29,360 Hey listen, listen to me ascribing accusations of 1713 01:30:29,360 --> 01:30:32,840 plagiarism at you and I'm the one who nicked Chee Chee Ching 1714 01:30:32,840 --> 01:30:35,240 Chong Sleeping Beauty. I was going to say, and you and 1715 01:30:35,240 --> 01:30:37,840 you didn't even have the wherewithal to not get caught, 1716 01:30:38,680 --> 01:30:41,800 you know, So for all, for all I know, my, my English teacher 1717 01:30:41,800 --> 01:30:46,400 went home and wept at the profound concept of loss that I 1718 01:30:46,400 --> 01:30:49,320 gave him through the medium of 1984 thrash metal. 1719 01:30:49,840 --> 01:30:51,680 You know, I think, I think that's enough. 1720 01:30:51,800 --> 01:30:55,680 That's my that's my legacy, but it's AB minus legacy. 1721 01:30:55,760 --> 01:30:58,360 I'm because I'm happy with that. But thank you very much, Tyler. 1722 01:30:58,360 --> 01:31:00,640 I've really enjoyed being I'm a big fan of this pod. 1723 01:31:00,640 --> 01:31:05,200 So it was an honor to be asked to come on and thank you so 1724 01:31:05,200 --> 01:31:26,440 much. The.