October 20, 2024 • 39 mins
Today on the podcast, the fellas discuss are joined by comedy royalty... ERIC BLOODY IDLE!!!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Really if the same changery there is the same trip,
You're not going to introduce it as the unnamed podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm going to introduce it as well.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
That's what it is.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Okay, Okay, that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Welcome on to the Unnamed Podcast. It's Monday, the twenty
first of October twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Ruders here.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Have you guys ever tried the podcast formally nine as
the Daily Bespoke podcast? Is the name podcast? Formally nine
is like what Prince used to do?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yep, we've we've discussed that last week.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Okay, Sorry, I was away and I deliberately didn't listen
to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So if you were here last week, you would have realized.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I was having my first holiday since January.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Sorry, I weren't so selfish as to have a holiday.
Then you would realize that we discussed that at length.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Do you know what, though, Jeremy Wells, you are the
reason that I switched off, because you said put your
phone away, don't look at it, and I said, you're right,
I need to not do that. And I listened to
ten minutes of the radio show when I work up
in the middle of the nine and it was black
sting in my ears on a podcast?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
How did you go with that porn addiction that you're
trying to get in the control? Was that all good?
Just the one thing up the phone, just the one
not bad? And what a week in a bit so
good advice week and a half from you? Just the one?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yeah? No, how was your holiday? Roally good?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah? It was good.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
The Goldie, the Goldie, the fun parks, the theme parks.
Something I put in the radio showed about.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Have a quick chat about it now, if that's okay.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
A couple of little kids pushed in front of me
in a ride for the Livithian Just careful, sorry there,
Leviath and at Seaweald it's like a big dragon shaped
roller coaster, okay, I reckon. Probably two girls maybe around
ten years old, waited for their moment, and we were third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth in the line. Yeah, pushed right in front
(01:50):
of me. Really, and everybody else in the line looked
at each other and they said, what should we do
about this?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Did you throw your juice box down on the ground
and discuss it and you start throwing a ten trim.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Go and talk to my mother? What's the juice box? Well?
I mean, if you're in the line.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
For a roller coaster, just assuming you've got a juice
box in hand, you've got one of those caps that's
got one of those.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Funny things coaster.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Actually, I take sea legs and you go on it.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That's right. I forgot before you went away.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
On holiday podcast listeners, if you've missed the radio show,
you confessed and your routed that you have to take
sea legs to pretty much go on any kind of
vehicle these days.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Two sea leagues a day, and in fact, there was
one particular rader road backwards on and I still felt
sick after it. But anyway, these two little girls aged
I reckon ten or eleven pushed in front of us,
and so we know what's going on there are you
guys waiting for someone? Oh yeah, because they're Australian of course,
Oh year, we are kind.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Of well hold on in terms of pushed in front
of you, Like, how did they how many people did
they push in front of Where did they come from?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
These girls?
Speaker 4 (02:57):
They found a space to push. So we were third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth with my family in the line.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
No, we got that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But but I'm just what I'm trying to work out
is where they where they came from.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Because you know, at a lot of those places, now
they've got a fast track that you can pay for. Yes,
there's go snuck in the fast track, waited there, waited
for a very small gap, and then just.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh okay, and so they came in the side. Yeah,
they came on the side right.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And then they said, I don't worry, you can go
and you can still go in front of us.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Do you know what I did? Told on their ass?
You got them kicked out of the roller coaster? Ed
you let those eleven year olds? No man? Good for you?
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Well, it was a night rides. It was a family thing,
and I thought, I am going to show my family.
I am going to set an example here that wrongdoing
does not get you forward in life.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Okay, I do you know what I would have done?
Did you have you have a drink? Do you have
a drink bottle with you? Yes?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I would have got my drink bottle and I would
have tipped it on the.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Said oh.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I would say, well, that's what you get for pushing in. Really,
I bet you can keep you can stay there, that's fine,
but that's what you get your wet.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Now, you can shove that up your as.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I wouldn't have a year oldgo I would not have
said you can shove that up your ass.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So anyway, did just get stitches in the end there,
ruder or no.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I was the winner on the day because I got
back into third place in the line for the Leviathan
roller coaster and we got to ride it at night,
me and my family perfectly happily, and the little law
breakers out of the queue.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
How did you feel about the dolphins cruising around in
SeaWorld in the pool?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That was you know what?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
I was actually quite torn about that because my children,
my children were brought a dolphin experience for their birthdays
from their grandparents, and so they got in with the
dolphins and got to touch the dolphins and not that.
And yeah, I thought, God, are these dolphins happy or
are they prisoners?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Well, if you were a dolphin, would you rather live
with you your family and a pod out in the
open ocean and hunt and be a dolphin? Would you
rather be a in a pool and be cruising around?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Oh? Well, Jesus, I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Sad story actually, because one of the dolphins, unless they
were lying the trainers at Seaweeled in Australia. One of
the dolphins, the mother was killed actually by fishermen. And
what that's what they told us. The mother was killed
by fishermen. Sure, and so not only did they rescue
the baby dolphin, sure and.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Rear it, but that.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Baby dolphin, how did they how did they know that?
Is that actually what they pretty? That's well, that's what.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
One of the dolphins had a shark bite and they
saved it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Maybe controversial opinion on marine life.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
This is not the time to say that Shark Week
at home jury.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Not that sort of not that controversial, and it's around
saving marine mammals and you know how we've got a
real white on for saving whales and all that sort
of stuff. Controversial opinion, but I'm just not really one
hundred percent sure that we should be. You know, when
there's strandings and stuff like that like that that's always
happened nature, That's always happened. It's not human's fault that
(06:15):
dolphins and pilot whales generally actually are stranding themselves. That's
not that's not our fault. That's the pilot whale's fault.
And that's a part of nature that happens in nature.
That's fine. The idea of us out there putting water
at the top of these things and then trying to
get them back out again. What you're breeding there is
pilot whales that you're encouraging more stranding. It's weird whenever
(06:39):
it comes. Whenever they come into our zone, we immediately
try to save them. But what happens. The worst thing
that what actually happens in nature is most animals get
eaten by other animals. Ninety nine percent of animals don't
die of old age, they get killed by another animal.
And eaten birds get eaten by other and that's the
way it works.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Well, do you remember Happy Feet? Happy Feet the Emperor
penguin straight off course to New Zealand and twenty eleven
and they saved it and they took it to Wellington
Zoo because it was sick, and they put a tracker
on it and they said, okay, mate, how you going
to the world and we're all gonna watch you. And
then probably about twenty four hours later, Happy Feets tracker
stopped going and they said, okay, well, one of two
(07:20):
things that has happened. The track has come off or
Happy feet has been eaten. And we've just invested hundreds
of thousands, if not millions of dollars in just safing
this penguin.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, that's it is. Now, that is my exact thing.
Because you saved that thing, you let it out. You
costs costs a lot of money. And then it's is
it really for the animal? Is it really for the
good of nature? Or is it is it you? That's
what I always I always think, I disagree. I reckon.
It's I reckon a lot of zoo keeping, et cetera.
(07:51):
It is just for people who are involved in the zoos.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Uplifting take from you today, wells, and I've enjoyed that.
I don't like zoos.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Don't I hate those saving animals.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
When was the last time you went to a zoo?
Do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I haven't been to a zoo for bloody ages. I
refuse to take my kids to a zoo. You better
to watch like an animal documentary on TV. You'll learn
a whole lot more about animals than taking kids to
a zoo where the animals are in cages and just
sit there sleeping and get fed. I mean, the part
of the idea of an animal is that you are
out and you try and hunt for your food and
(08:28):
you and you die and you struggle, and then the
strongest species survive. And that's part of nature, the idea
that you put these things in cages. And I know
that they say, but it's really nice and the animals
have nice enclosures and stuff now, and they're definitely nicer
enclosures than they used to be, and they probably do
have better lives than they used to.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
But I mean, who's to say that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Are chimp that's smoking cigarettes and doing a tea party
routine which is what they used to do at the
orpland zoo is actually having a better life not doing
that then what they are doing it?
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Yeah, no, I hear what you're saying, for sure, I
think though at the same time there's a little bit
of numance. It's required to like, you're definitely right, but
if you walk past you got going for a walk
on the beach with your family on a Saturday morning
and there's a beach whale there, just like I think
there's a part of you that does want to help it.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Sure, you know what I mean. We all want to
help and.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Will, and that's what people follow through with we just
leave it.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Is that? What? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Take it seriously, Yeah, let nature take its course.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Yeah, I don't think that's that controversial.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I don't think you're wrong.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
No, I don't think you're right, But I just think
you also understand that people Why people do do it
is because they walk past that whale that's beach and
then they go funk.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I feel like I should do something. Yeah, even if
it is for them.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, no, it's I get I totally get the get
the theory.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Hey we're talking to Eric idol. Oh Jesus, yes, sorry,
let's really time this, Eric, I unfair.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I can see him coming in, so let's take a
break and we'll be back with Monty Python originator, an
amazing great New Zealander and comedian Eric Idle.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Oh my goodness me, what a moment this is.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
It's a great pleasure to welcome Merkale is just making
his way into the studio.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Now, Eric, you mate, you well.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
When you do a thing on our podcast where we're
just we're just rolling from the start, So where we go?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Where let's going? Thanks for coming in. Yeah, it's so.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Crazy, Eric Idle, Welcome, Welcome to the unnamed.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Little Eric that was a comedy moment.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Jesus, I've got to get myself on it.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Do you want those you can have those headphones or not.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
It's up to you, thank you very much. Sometimes it's not.
Sometimes you're just talking.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
It's going to talk.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, we're just going to talk. So welcome to the
podcast and welcome to New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
It's nice to have you here. What brings you to
New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Well, I'm doing a show. Yes, I'm doing a show
and a chore and it's a new comedy show. I've
put it together so one man musical. I have a
virtual band behind me. I don't bring a real one.
I bring a virtual one because they're much less smelly,
and they're cheaper and they turn up on time. It's
(11:28):
a new thing I'm introducing into show business. And I
sing along with them for you know, some of the songs,
some of the rude songs, some of the more less
rude songs less rude. So well, yeah, some are less
rude or not. All my songs are rude, you know,
but most of them marsted on my face and all that.
(11:49):
You know. I don't necessarily do that one, you know,
So if there is a sort of warning you have
to be stupid to come. Is a new Yes, new stuff,
it is new stuff. And also that I tell her
I've got a new theory about mock and roll here
we go, which is that Monty Python was the first
(12:09):
comedy people to become mock and roll as we were
in the stage. So I do a bit tell them
about how that came to be and on our tours
and what weird things happened and uh, you know, rudenessesn't
happened on route and and I explore that tough because
I think Saturday Night Live was the second mock and
roll group and I have clips from that with Joe
(12:30):
Cocker and Belushi.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I've got you.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I've got some funny clips up. And it's sort of
like an illustrated talk really in an odd way with songs.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, okay, and are you going back into factual history.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
The twelfth century factual history about your own factual comedic history. Yes, yes, absolutely.
And when we started and you know how how because
when we started we didn't know our fans were like
then when we went on the road that we just
tour of the UK, we found out they're completely bonkers.
(13:06):
You know, and they dressed up and they came and
they knew all the words. It was quite a surprise
to us. And then when we got to Canada we
became kind of rock and roll. It was really you know,
we behaved badly, obviously.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
How badly, did very very bad.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
I'm not going to give you so much example of
the bad behavior when we're young men at the time.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Okay, well we're talking.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
We're talking about the classic, the classic kind of.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Sex and drugs. Well, we may have skipped out a
bit on the rock and roll because we did comment.
But well, actually I met a lot of singers, I
met a lot of the Canadian because we always attracted
rock and roll players to us. I mean, you know,
they funded the Holy Grail, you know, Pink Floyd and
Genesis and all that. So for some reason we drew
(13:56):
the rock and roll crowd and the real people too.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Yeah, and you were friends with George Harrison, a Beatle,
and that's a crazy story about life of Brian.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Yeah. He paid for it.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
So he mortgaged his house and he mortgages his office
buildings in the Knight's Pitch, and he raised the cash
to put down four and a half million dollars and
he put it all under Life of Brian.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
That's interesting.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
Interesting that.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
He got the money back in the did get the
money back.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Money back for the protest, but it was so it
was close to not being funded.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Was that how it went?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
It was picked up by EMI, who are Filmed, a
big film company, and then lou Graide was the head
of AM. I read the script and freaked right, and
they said we're not making this, No, we can't do
what was controversial. It was controversial, but I mean we
had already started building a sex into Nisia, so we
had to sue them for the money, right, you know,
(14:55):
for a start, and try and find somebody else crazy
enough to pay for it. And there was nobody but
George and he found it.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
And did you know George before then?
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Yes, I know, we were good pals. And he said,
I'll get you the money. And I thought, nobody has
four and a half million dollars, you know, even a beatle,
especially with the tax levels in England, you know. And
he didn't. He he had to mortgage. He mortgage his house,
his gardens and his company. It was unbelievable. Well, I
(15:25):
still think it's incredible and I said, why did you
do it? Because I wanted to see the movie.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Good Honor.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now you were mentioning just before that, when you're over
in Canada, how did the Americans and the Canadians receive
the Human Early Doors?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Because we always talk about it.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Here in New Zealand as we feel very connected to
the English style of comedy and then not as connected
to perhaps the American side of things. Did you when
you win over there for the first time, you felt
like they were quite excited about by the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Well, because of the BBC, they sold it to can early, right,
and New Zealand got it early too. This is sitting
on Telly Sinney in those days, which is and that's
why in New Zealand you find a lot of archives
of stuff the BBC had wiped. It's preserved on Telly Sinney.
That's where That's how people have been able to find things.
(16:16):
We've still got it, Yeah, you still got it about
I bet you've got some treasures in there because I
mean the Pete and Dudd show was wiped and I
think a lot of Alan Bennett was wiped, so it
was for you know, if they had to transfer it
onto the sort of Tenny Cinney what they call it.
But so we were popular in Canada, and we toured
Canada in seventy three and the Americans had no idea
(16:39):
what we did. Then about seventy five, when we were
releasing The Holy Grail, we went to New York and
PBS had just started playing it. We were on the
Public Broadcasting Tech Network, and so they found it and
they were going crazy. So they were loving it. They
loved it. They went crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Well, it was like nothing else.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
And it started in on PBS in Dallas that.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Well, okay, because the interesting I was. I imagine even English
audiences when Monty Pi first came along, even English audiences
would have because it was like nothing else that it
ever be.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
I think there were I think we we were very
hated by much of the middle classes of Britain. Where
we go filming, you know, we find women going, oh,
montipithod we hate you. I mean you thought, well, we're mutual,
you know, because we were actually taking the pe out
of quite a lot of people. Yes, quite satirical and
quite aggressively.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
So for those days and do you have do you
think you have to be kind of hated by a
group and comedy to be loved by another, for it
to really be effective.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Possibly to be in that moment, Yes, I think can't.
It's a bit like music. You' got to be slightly
ahead of what's what's being done all over the place.
Like the Beatles always concerned not to be like anything else.
That was their main concern earn is to be their
own thing. And I think we were too. We had this,
We had the right. We've got thirteen shows, nobody in charge,
(18:08):
no executors, no executives, anything, so we could make what
we wanted to do, which we didn't actually know, but
we explored by trying to surprise each other, really making
each other laugh, and that was the key.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And how much luck like looking back now in terms
of how you came across the other pythons, and how
much luck has involved and the sort of stuff.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
I think entirely, I think, I think the biggest force
in the universe is chance and luck. It's bigger than gravity.
And for example, when I first got to Cambridge, i
got to my first college, I have auditioned for the
for the concert, the College Comedy Concert, and I'm being
auditioned by two of the goodies, Tim Rook Taylor and
(18:54):
bill Odie and they they picked me and they put
me in a show and my first script is written
by John Keleys, who can't be in the show because
he's not in the college. So on my first public
performance is sitting there watching me doing one of his sketches.
So that's yeah, exactly car. So then they said, oh,
(19:15):
you've got to join the foot Lights, which is this
comedy club in Cambridge, and that's what I did for
three years. I loved it. I found my way.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
For people who don't know a New Zealand what exactly
is the Footlights. It's a big part of obviously British
comedy and a lot of British comedians have had this
start there, but probably a lot of New Zealands won't
know about it.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
It's a comedy club, it's all it is really at Cambridge.
And when I was there, it had a little stage,
a little bar so you can drink and then they
give you lunches and it was like a little its
own world. And so you learn from watching people do
comedy and it put on shows, little shows and you
got a chance to be funny in front of an audience.
And what was good is it. We did out the
(19:56):
people who thought they were funny but weren't because you
had to order addition to get in. But the only
fault it had was it had no women. It was
from eighteen eighty three. So when I became president, I
changed the rules and I admitted women. And the first
woman was Jermaine Greer. Ah, how about that?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Wow? So was Maria and margulis a part of that.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Mary Margolie's was a part of it. But before they
had allowed women to be in the club, so she
was part of Two years earlier, she toured with some
of the rather nastier ones. She'd been very cruel and
very unpleasant to her. But when I got to meet her,
I liked her very much and we got on very well.
We actually did a TV show for a little one.
(20:37):
I stayed in her apartment. So I mean, she's very talented,
she's very funny. Oh she's something. No, No, she's a
force of nature. So I think they hated her. And
I've observed this once before when I did a show
and the woman was funny and the men, some of
the men resented it, you know, and you know, but
(20:58):
she's funnier than you. You know, so I think there
was a lot there was. That was the time. It
was nineteen I guess changed the laws in nineteen sixty five, okay,
sixty four sixty five, and and Clive James came through
the door at the same time, although he wasn't a woman.
It turned out well.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
The other Stephen was Stephen fly a part of.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
That much later later, maybe ten foot lights the foot
lights crazy, Yeah, it had it has if you look
at the challenge there are just the people who went
to Cambridge University. Oxford had an equivalent, but it didn't
have a club. So Michael Pennan and Terry Jones were
part of the Oxford Review Society, but they didn't have
(21:41):
a place. They met an et and drank. Because we
had a bar, we could keep it open all night.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You know, it sounds fantastic it still exists.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
I don't think it absolutely still exists. I don't think
it has the premises. And the only thing I think
they missed was Sasha Baron Cohen, who was a pal
of mine, and he revealed to me that he wasn't
accepted by the Footlights there, which is but he does
something different. He's really funny. But man, he got the
balls of steel, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I mean he's a solo operator as well, though, don't
you reckon like this. There's different types of comedians. I think.
There are people who work really really well in the
team and who and there's a magic that's created in
a team, I think, and you can't always put your
finger on it because someone creatively, someone might come up
with it, someone might say something and that sparks off
an idea and someone else who says something else on
(22:31):
the tee, and then the idea starts, which started somewhere
here ends up in a completely different place, and all
of you have had your hands on it in one
way or another, but it's so far away from there
is an idea, whereas if you're an individual comedian and
it's all been in your head from the start to
(22:52):
the finish, that's quite a different process.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
I shuppose show and all show we were before stand
up really wasn't done, you know, we were sketch comedy.
But Sasha is a different thing. He gets, he undermines,
he impersonates people and leads them on and that's just
wonderful skill and a very brave one, so I am.
(23:16):
But he is also very good ancewer. So I'm amazed
they didn't notice that how clever and talented he was.
There must have been a dumb group. It happens, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Have you spent much time with Christopher Morris no asaraist
who did The Brass Eye and the Day to Day?
I don't know that a similar way to Sasha Baron
Cohen that he is completely fearless, right, you know, in
the face of in the face of absurdity and power,
he will just almost not humiliate him stuff. But it's
(23:49):
just fearless and going straight through the center of it.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
I think the first person I know is it was
Norman Gunston did it in Australia and he was hilarious
and he'd greet people coming off the plane like Henchard,
Paul McCartney with Linda and he said, you don't look
very Japanese to me.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
It's fearless.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
It's scary, absolutely feel in your face. They don't know
what to do it and it's how they respond that
makes you see whether they're really good people or not.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, totally, but but do it. Because Paul McCartney, you know,
he's a big star. Paul McCartney, he carries a lot
of money he carries. He carries a lot of prestige
with him, and so you always feel like you want
to give respect to those people.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Yes, but he was smart.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
There was he was.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
They were smart. The Beatles were always funny, so he
was smart enough to realize the guy is funny. He's
got razor cuts all over his face. Yeah, toilet paper
on his face. And he was truly funny though. I mean,
I think he was the first of that, pretending to
be somebody else for the interviewing people. I think he
started that.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
In terms of the pie Fonds. Now, are you guys?
Do you guys ever get together? You'd be as this
a thousand times, but you guys ever get together?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Now? What's the stung?
Speaker 5 (25:08):
It's rather bad actually, unfortunately, but really well, we old
grumpy on men fighting over a combe. We are. I
haven't seen like John Clease. Last time I saw him
we toured in New Zealand. That was eight years ago.
I have seen Mike and Terry ginn in for ten years,
so right, yeah, but they live in England and I don't, Oh,
(25:28):
where are you living here? I live in la for
thirty years, but I like to live in France. Until
they stopped me bad in Brexit idiot, God almighty.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
It's quite in listing, though, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (25:42):
When you create something with with people and your your
friends and then things change over time.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
You know, it's not that you're on friends. If you
don't see people for a long time, you've both changed.
I mean, I think that's a process. But I've known
I've known them for sixty years, so I'm you know,
we had great times. We've had wonderful times, we made
wonderful shows. But it doesn't mean that where they are
in their lives now isn't necessarily the same as when
(26:14):
you knew them.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Really, looking beck, what's the thing that you've created or
been a part of that you're most proud of Off
the top of your head.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
Well, i'd it spam a lot, because that was quite
an achievement to turn a funny film which was then
thirty years old, into a successful Broadway musical and we
won the Tony for Best Musical of the Year in
two thousand and five, which just blew my mind. You know,
I thought people, I thought we'd make it funny, but
to win the Chiny for Best Musical and my book,
(26:46):
which hey, I'm going to announce it A lot diary, yeah,
which has just come out here. I found a couple
of years ago when I was shifting house, and it's
it's a diary I kept at the time we were
making it with Mike Nicholson, Tim Curry and all these people,
and you know, it's what's interesting about it is you
don't know it's going to be a hit. You have
(27:06):
no idea, and so there's all the anxieties and all
the fights and all the bits and people sacked, and
how do you bond a team and put it together?
And finally you meet the audience in Chicago, who go yes,
But you don't know that until the end. So it's
a kind of anxiety read you know.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So did you find that diary many years after you
many years after two years ago?
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Oh wow, it's kept from two thousand and four to
two thousand and five about me. I'm anxious, I want
to go home at times, you know, the rows, And
you know, I kept it all in because I think
that the great thing about a diary is it tells
you it's the most precisely true to how you're feeling
at the time, because you're just confiding your thoughts to
(27:51):
the page.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Have you diried your whole life? No?
Speaker 5 (27:53):
Okay, rarely. I did one on tour. It's called the
Greedy Buston Diary. That's about a road tour we took
from seven thousand miles across you know, America up into
Canada in the ones on a rock and roll bus
and when everybody stop, we do a show. And that
was quite fun.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Looking back, I mean interesting with diary. So when you
when you read your diary, you whenever a five year
of a diary is something I've always looked back and God,
that's I wish I never wrote that. That's embarrassing. You
don't have that feeling.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
I keep the embarrassing. I think that's what's interesting about
the diary. You know, peoples would stop off and have
a bit of a legover and on his way to work,
and you write about it. And that's what makes it
human because it does it. And so especially when I
was on the road, you know, it's I'm feeling a
bit horny, But I think that's that makes you like,
that makes you you are a human being.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
And that's really sweet to remember that at some point
you were writing that down in an earnest fashion, and
that's how you were actually feeling what twenty years ago
were having exactly.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
So it's fine. I think it's better to all that
stuff because that's what portrays us as who we are
as life. We're all up these things that we maybe
not necessarily want to say, but I think keeping them
in shows you what life's like closer than writing a novel, even.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
So so much amazing material over the years which has
come out of your brain and people associated with you.
Is it anything that you look back on and go
I wish that I could erase that out of the archive?
Is it one thing in particular?
Speaker 5 (29:34):
I wish we'd've got on a bit better towards the end.
I think it would have helped if it had been less,
But that's only old men, and I think it's it's unfortunate,
and I'm sad about that. It makes me unhappy, but
I can't do anything about it. It's not in my control.
(29:54):
I say, you know, if I have to turn the
other cheek anymore, I'll have to take my pants down.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
We're getting we're getting wrapped up out there as well, Eric,
If that's all right, Eric.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Idel, thank you so much for coming in. What a
great pleasure and absolute pleasure Eric, and best of like
with the shows. Thanks and best Oflake with everything.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Thank you very much. Nice talking to you.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
So, Eric Idol his New Zealand with has always look
on the right side of life, life too. Twenty three October, Auckland,
twenty sixth of October, Wellington, twenty eighth of October, christ Church.
What a lovely man, What a lovely man. Eric Idler
is an absolute one hundred percent like accepted from every
(30:47):
comedy person in the world legend.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I don't think I quite realized he was coming in today.
Like I knew, you know, I saw Eric.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Idol, you look pretty taken aback.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Written on the shugeule and I thought, you know, this
is cool, this is exciting. But my he was here
and he was amazing, and he was gentle and he
was kind and of course he was funny. He's just like, oh,
come on.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, he's a great New Zealander. He's a great New Zealander,
Eric Idyle, and.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Really interesting what he was saying, of course about the
relationships that are going on in his life. And you
never like to hear someone with regrets, and I don't
think that's exactly what he was saying, that it's a
regret or anything like that. I think he's just upset
that it's kind of moved out of his control. What
was your take on that, Jerry, Because.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
I know you, I knew that there was a bit
of niggle between those guys, but I mean there's a
lot of guys there because because there was Terry Jones
he died in twenty nineteen, and I think.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
He was mates with Eric.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I think Eric and Terry were good mates, I think,
and I think so Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam they were.
Terry Gillingham was the cartoonist, wasn't he that used to
do all of the animations. I'm pretty sure were Terry joneson.
I think Terry Jones directed Life of Brian. I think
(32:05):
that's the way it worked. There's a and John Clees
was an interesting one because he was kind of an outsider.
But he worked with Graham Chapman who died in nineteen
ninety nine. And Graham Chapman was that was the other
tall guy, and he was an alcoholic. Graham Chapman and
quite nigglay and quite difficult. But John Clees was the
only guy who could kind of understand and get him.
(32:27):
So they had these weird little bits and obviously.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Was almost the translator between the potentially difficult personalities a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Clease kind of held them together in a face. I've
watched a few documentaries on them, and it's really interesting
there was There were just a lot. They were all
very different. They were all very very different, even though
they came from some similar places, with clees and and
Eric Ido coming from the Footlights and then Michael Palin
and Terry Gillingham coming from Oxford the Review. They but
(33:00):
when they came together, they made this magic and I
think they kind of know that, you know, I didn't.
But what was interesting was how he said that. You know,
looking back, I wish it didn't quite end as horribly
as it did.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
My question for you, Jerry, and actually probably ruder as well,
because you're a man that's worked in quite a few
creative partnerships and stuff like that, is do we forget
sometimes that people get into performance and the creative arts
and all that kind of shit from an ego point
of view, and then which means that from a very
young age people have got these ideas and directions about
(33:34):
where they want to hid and where they want to
go and all that stuff. And then of course when
you put no matter who the personalities are, and even
if they are really nice, if you put six, seven,
eight of them into a room, that is unfortunately just
always always going to be just a little bit of slight,
you know, crossovers in terms of directions that people are
working in. For example, like we've worked in teams, even
for the last four or five years that I've been in radio.
(33:56):
You know, you get along really well, but you can
still quite often find yourself's point, you know, pushing things
in different directions, and then it just sounds like maybe
this has happened here, and that's just the way it goes.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Yeah, it's quite complex.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
I have not articulated that very well, but I think
I know what you mean.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
I mean, I think you can also get into it
just because you're not because you enjoy the company of
other people and they make you laugh. You accidentally find
yourself that it's actually being shared with audiences and stuff,
and you know that's that's a good place to be.
I mean, if you're getting into I think probably some
people do get into it because they want to advance
their own thing.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Well, it sounds like a couple of people that you're
just saying there. That sounds like that that might have
been the case. Is they kind of had big ideas
and big ventures for their comedy and that kind of thing,
and then there were people like Eric who were just
can to have a laugh.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
I reckon, he's a he's a really good guy. He's
I can see his where it came from from his perspective.
I think it's just I think he just likes to
have fun.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
You can, I mean at all he says zero ego.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
No, he s hed something about it, didn't I think
when they were talking about multipython, like all that mattered
to him was making his friends that he was doing
it with laugh.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't actually about he's cracked the code. Yeah,
he's totally cracked the code.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
And now it's even like, you know, you put that
onto our radio show. The radio show is always at
its best when we just kind of forget about anything
and just trying to make.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
The other people laugh.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Yeah, totally, And that's what that's kind of That's the
thing for life, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
But John Clees read his autobiography recently, he was.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Him and Miriam Margley's they didn't get on. That was
what I was talking about there. I've heard her talk
about John Claes. She's like, she hates them, she hates them.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
He's quite a confronting figure. Yeah, I can see why.
I read his autobiography recently. I'm a massive John Clees fan,
like I am pretty much all of those guys, But I.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Can't see why. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
I've kind of you know, well, it kind of It
kind of reminds me when you talk about these people
and they've all got their ideas on where this crowdive
things should go, and you hear stories about bands like
Crowded House, and you hear stories about bands like the Police,
and then you look at recently Hauler notes there's a
what is it an order.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Restraining order against them.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I remember hearing stories about they were doing a take
Paul Hester's the Drummer and Credit House and Neil fin
was like, no, no, no, the drums need to go, and
they got into quite a heated argument and it ended
up with Paul Hister going well you play the fucking
drums and walking out of the thing. And there's also
I think in one of the autobiographies as well, they
(36:28):
got into a fist fight behind there was like some
signs up at a press conference, and they got into
a fist fight and fell through the signs and when
all the press.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Were watching them.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
The thing is, you can get along with someone so
so so well, and then just one thing like this happens,
and then if one person isn't able to let it
go like the other person, then you end up in
situations like.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
What well I reckon.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
It's much harder in music than it is comedy, because
with comedy it's like either something's funny or it's not,
and if the other groups say that it's funny, then
it's funny. But with music it's like, no, I really
feel like it should go like this, and if it
doesn't go like this, so what. It's quite a different thing.
It's just someone's creative drive versus someone else's creative will.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
You know, it's will versus well in.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Music, whereas with with comedy it's genuinely there's another magic
to it, which is just the you know, people either
laugh or they don't.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
With your stuff. Do you voluntary pre circle? Probably two thousands?
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Actually, well, in terms of is you just any of
the comedy TV that you did early doors actually even
late Doors, including let not Bill Breekfast. I was something
that I would have loved to ask ask Eric, but
he was obviously under a time crunch. Is when you're
making television and I wanted to know this with Monty
Python before it. When it comes to writing comedy television
(37:46):
is when you're first filming it. Are you slightly scared
that it's just you that finds it funny? Or do
you know in due back your own abilities to know
that what the jokes that I come up with, I
know are going to resonate with other people, and I
know they're going to find it funny because you don't
have you know, when someone doesn't stand up to her,
you do the whole well. They encourage the idea that
you go to bars, you do clubs, you do all
these things and test your material and all that kind
(38:07):
of thing, and then you do your stadium tour is
the idea.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I don't know how that.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I mean, I've never really done comedy, so I don't
I couldn't speak to comedy of how that works in
the writing process and all that sort of stuff, because
I've never written yeah, and I've never written comedy.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I just thought I was always thought that about Mondy,
but like, because it was so when it came out,
it was not.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
I suppose the sense.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Of humor was had been seen before because those guys
had done things prior to it, but it was still different.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
In terms of television. Nobody ever done that sort of
television before. It was totally it was totally left field.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
So I wonder if they were sitting there on set
absolutely shitting themselves, going, I wonder if anyone's.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
I don't know this. I think they didn't care. That's good.
I think that's the great past.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
I think from the stuff that I've watched of their
interviews before, I don't I think they thought it was
funny to them, and that's all that they really cared about.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
That's what I wanted.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
It turns out that the audience, that the audience, they
were in tune with what the audience were thinking as well,
but also him saying, you know that they were trying
to do things that nobody had done before. That's that's
always good. I mean, if you're trying to make comedy
that's not just funny but it's also completely unique, then
you'll probably do well. I would have thought if you're
(39:18):
copying someone else's things, then it's I don't know, so
that's a different type of thing. That's imitation, different than originality.
And he was true. They were truly original, like one
hundred percent original. They're not they're not copying anyone. I
can't believe we just spoke to your idle.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah it was good. He was, wasn't he lovely? Fuck?
Speaker 1 (39:37):
He was so nice. They can come back any time anytime. Now,
hang on, let's not finish the podcast on that note.
I feel like that.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I think that's the old one compliment, isn't it right? Things?
He can hang out the back of me anytime? Sounds
like you can. Did you say no? If it climbed
in my window at night, would I throw it out? No?
Of course you wouldn't
Really if the same changery there is the same trip,
You're not going to introduce it as the unnamed podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm going to introduce it as well.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
That's what it is.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Okay, Okay, that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Welcome on to the Unnamed Podcast. It's Monday, the twenty
first of October twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Ruders here.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Have you guys ever tried the podcast formally nine as
the Daily Bespoke podcast? Is the name podcast? Formally nine
is like what Prince used to do?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yep, we've we've discussed that last week.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Okay, Sorry, I was away and I deliberately didn't listen
to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So if you were here last week, you would have realized.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I was having my first holiday since January.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Sorry, I weren't so selfish as to have a holiday.
Then you would realize that we discussed that at length.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Do you know what, though, Jeremy Wells, you are the
reason that I switched off, because you said put your
phone away, don't look at it, and I said, you're right,
I need to not do that. And I listened to
ten minutes of the radio show when I work up
in the middle of the nine and it was black
sting in my ears on a podcast?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
How did you go with that porn addiction that you're
trying to get in the control? Was that all good?
Just the one thing up the phone, just the one
not bad? And what a week in a bit so
good advice week and a half from you? Just the one?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yeah? No, how was your holiday? Roally good?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah? It was good.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
The Goldie, the Goldie, the fun parks, the theme parks.
Something I put in the radio showed about.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Have a quick chat about it now, if that's okay.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
A couple of little kids pushed in front of me
in a ride for the Livithian Just careful, sorry there,
Leviath and at Seaweald it's like a big dragon shaped
roller coaster, okay, I reckon. Probably two girls maybe around
ten years old, waited for their moment, and we were third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth in the line. Yeah, pushed right in front
(01:50):
of me. Really, and everybody else in the line looked
at each other and they said, what should we do
about this?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Did you throw your juice box down on the ground
and discuss it and you start throwing a ten trim.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Go and talk to my mother? What's the juice box? Well?
I mean, if you're in the line.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
For a roller coaster, just assuming you've got a juice
box in hand, you've got one of those caps that's
got one of those.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Funny things coaster.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Actually, I take sea legs and you go on it.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That's right. I forgot before you went away.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
On holiday podcast listeners, if you've missed the radio show,
you confessed and your routed that you have to take
sea legs to pretty much go on any kind of
vehicle these days.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Two sea leagues a day, and in fact, there was
one particular rader road backwards on and I still felt
sick after it. But anyway, these two little girls aged
I reckon ten or eleven pushed in front of us,
and so we know what's going on there are you
guys waiting for someone? Oh yeah, because they're Australian of course,
Oh year, we are kind.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Of well hold on in terms of pushed in front
of you, Like, how did they how many people did
they push in front of Where did they come from?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
These girls?
Speaker 4 (02:57):
They found a space to push. So we were third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth with my family in the line.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
No, we got that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But but I'm just what I'm trying to work out
is where they where they came from.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Because you know, at a lot of those places, now
they've got a fast track that you can pay for. Yes,
there's go snuck in the fast track, waited there, waited
for a very small gap, and then just.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh okay, and so they came in the side. Yeah,
they came on the side right.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And then they said, I don't worry, you can go
and you can still go in front of us.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Do you know what I did? Told on their ass?
You got them kicked out of the roller coaster? Ed
you let those eleven year olds? No man? Good for you?
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Well, it was a night rides. It was a family thing,
and I thought, I am going to show my family.
I am going to set an example here that wrongdoing
does not get you forward in life.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Okay, I do you know what I would have done?
Did you have you have a drink? Do you have
a drink bottle with you? Yes?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I would have got my drink bottle and I would
have tipped it on the.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Said oh.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I would say, well, that's what you get for pushing in. Really,
I bet you can keep you can stay there, that's fine,
but that's what you get your wet.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Now, you can shove that up your as.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I wouldn't have a year oldgo I would not have
said you can shove that up your ass.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So anyway, did just get stitches in the end there,
ruder or no.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I was the winner on the day because I got
back into third place in the line for the Leviathan
roller coaster and we got to ride it at night,
me and my family perfectly happily, and the little law
breakers out of the queue.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
How did you feel about the dolphins cruising around in
SeaWorld in the pool?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That was you know what?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
I was actually quite torn about that because my children,
my children were brought a dolphin experience for their birthdays
from their grandparents, and so they got in with the
dolphins and got to touch the dolphins and not that.
And yeah, I thought, God, are these dolphins happy or
are they prisoners?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Well, if you were a dolphin, would you rather live
with you your family and a pod out in the
open ocean and hunt and be a dolphin? Would you
rather be a in a pool and be cruising around?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Oh? Well, Jesus, I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Sad story actually, because one of the dolphins, unless they
were lying the trainers at Seaweeled in Australia. One of
the dolphins, the mother was killed actually by fishermen. And
what that's what they told us. The mother was killed
by fishermen. Sure, and so not only did they rescue
the baby dolphin, sure and.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Rear it, but that.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Baby dolphin, how did they how did they know that?
Is that actually what they pretty? That's well, that's what.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
One of the dolphins had a shark bite and they
saved it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Maybe controversial opinion on marine life.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
This is not the time to say that Shark Week
at home jury.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Not that sort of not that controversial, and it's around
saving marine mammals and you know how we've got a
real white on for saving whales and all that sort
of stuff. Controversial opinion, but I'm just not really one
hundred percent sure that we should be. You know, when
there's strandings and stuff like that like that that's always
happened nature, That's always happened. It's not human's fault that
(06:15):
dolphins and pilot whales generally actually are stranding themselves. That's
not that's not our fault. That's the pilot whale's fault.
And that's a part of nature that happens in nature.
That's fine. The idea of us out there putting water
at the top of these things and then trying to
get them back out again. What you're breeding there is
pilot whales that you're encouraging more stranding. It's weird whenever
(06:39):
it comes. Whenever they come into our zone, we immediately
try to save them. But what happens. The worst thing
that what actually happens in nature is most animals get
eaten by other animals. Ninety nine percent of animals don't
die of old age, they get killed by another animal.
And eaten birds get eaten by other and that's the
way it works.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Well, do you remember Happy Feet? Happy Feet the Emperor
penguin straight off course to New Zealand and twenty eleven
and they saved it and they took it to Wellington
Zoo because it was sick, and they put a tracker
on it and they said, okay, mate, how you going
to the world and we're all gonna watch you. And
then probably about twenty four hours later, Happy Feets tracker
stopped going and they said, okay, well, one of two
(07:20):
things that has happened. The track has come off or
Happy feet has been eaten. And we've just invested hundreds
of thousands, if not millions of dollars in just safing
this penguin.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, that's it is. Now, that is my exact thing.
Because you saved that thing, you let it out. You
costs costs a lot of money. And then it's is
it really for the animal? Is it really for the
good of nature? Or is it is it you? That's
what I always I always think, I disagree. I reckon.
It's I reckon a lot of zoo keeping, et cetera.
(07:51):
It is just for people who are involved in the zoos.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Uplifting take from you today, wells, and I've enjoyed that.
I don't like zoos.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Don't I hate those saving animals.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
When was the last time you went to a zoo?
Do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I haven't been to a zoo for bloody ages. I
refuse to take my kids to a zoo. You better
to watch like an animal documentary on TV. You'll learn
a whole lot more about animals than taking kids to
a zoo where the animals are in cages and just
sit there sleeping and get fed. I mean, the part
of the idea of an animal is that you are
out and you try and hunt for your food and
(08:28):
you and you die and you struggle, and then the
strongest species survive. And that's part of nature, the idea
that you put these things in cages. And I know
that they say, but it's really nice and the animals
have nice enclosures and stuff now, and they're definitely nicer
enclosures than they used to be, and they probably do
have better lives than they used to.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
But I mean, who's to say that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Are chimp that's smoking cigarettes and doing a tea party
routine which is what they used to do at the
orpland zoo is actually having a better life not doing
that then what they are doing it?
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Yeah, no, I hear what you're saying, for sure, I
think though at the same time there's a little bit
of numance. It's required to like, you're definitely right, but
if you walk past you got going for a walk
on the beach with your family on a Saturday morning
and there's a beach whale there, just like I think
there's a part of you that does want to help it.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Sure, you know what I mean. We all want to
help and.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Will, and that's what people follow through with we just
leave it.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Is that? What? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Take it seriously, Yeah, let nature take its course.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Yeah, I don't think that's that controversial.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I don't think you're wrong.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
No, I don't think you're right, But I just think
you also understand that people Why people do do it
is because they walk past that whale that's beach and
then they go funk.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I feel like I should do something. Yeah, even if
it is for them.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, no, it's I get I totally get the get
the theory.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Hey we're talking to Eric idol. Oh Jesus, yes, sorry,
let's really time this, Eric, I unfair.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I can see him coming in, so let's take a
break and we'll be back with Monty Python originator, an
amazing great New Zealander and comedian Eric Idle.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Oh my goodness me, what a moment this is.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
It's a great pleasure to welcome Merkale is just making
his way into the studio.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Now, Eric, you mate, you well.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
When you do a thing on our podcast where we're
just we're just rolling from the start, So where we go?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Where let's going? Thanks for coming in. Yeah, it's so.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Crazy, Eric Idle, Welcome, Welcome to the unnamed.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Little Eric that was a comedy moment.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Jesus, I've got to get myself on it.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Do you want those you can have those headphones or not.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
It's up to you, thank you very much. Sometimes it's not.
Sometimes you're just talking.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
It's going to talk.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, we're just going to talk. So welcome to the
podcast and welcome to New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
It's nice to have you here. What brings you to
New Zealand.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Well, I'm doing a show. Yes, I'm doing a show
and a chore and it's a new comedy show. I've
put it together so one man musical. I have a
virtual band behind me. I don't bring a real one.
I bring a virtual one because they're much less smelly,
and they're cheaper and they turn up on time. It's
(11:28):
a new thing I'm introducing into show business. And I
sing along with them for you know, some of the songs,
some of the rude songs, some of the more less
rude songs less rude. So well, yeah, some are less
rude or not. All my songs are rude, you know,
but most of them marsted on my face and all that.
(11:49):
You know. I don't necessarily do that one, you know,
So if there is a sort of warning you have
to be stupid to come. Is a new Yes, new stuff,
it is new stuff. And also that I tell her
I've got a new theory about mock and roll here
we go, which is that Monty Python was the first
(12:09):
comedy people to become mock and roll as we were
in the stage. So I do a bit tell them
about how that came to be and on our tours
and what weird things happened and uh, you know, rudenessesn't
happened on route and and I explore that tough because
I think Saturday Night Live was the second mock and
roll group and I have clips from that with Joe
(12:30):
Cocker and Belushi.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I've got you.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I've got some funny clips up. And it's sort of
like an illustrated talk really in an odd way with songs.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, okay, and are you going back into factual history.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
The twelfth century factual history about your own factual comedic history. Yes, yes, absolutely.
And when we started and you know how how because
when we started we didn't know our fans were like
then when we went on the road that we just
tour of the UK, we found out they're completely bonkers.
(13:06):
You know, and they dressed up and they came and
they knew all the words. It was quite a surprise
to us. And then when we got to Canada we
became kind of rock and roll. It was really you know,
we behaved badly, obviously.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
How badly, did very very bad.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
I'm not going to give you so much example of
the bad behavior when we're young men at the time.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Okay, well we're talking.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
We're talking about the classic, the classic kind of.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Sex and drugs. Well, we may have skipped out a
bit on the rock and roll because we did comment.
But well, actually I met a lot of singers, I
met a lot of the Canadian because we always attracted
rock and roll players to us. I mean, you know,
they funded the Holy Grail, you know, Pink Floyd and
Genesis and all that. So for some reason we drew
(13:56):
the rock and roll crowd and the real people too.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Yeah, and you were friends with George Harrison, a Beatle,
and that's a crazy story about life of Brian.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Yeah. He paid for it.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
So he mortgaged his house and he mortgages his office
buildings in the Knight's Pitch, and he raised the cash
to put down four and a half million dollars and
he put it all under Life of Brian.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
That's interesting.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
Interesting that.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
He got the money back in the did get the
money back.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Money back for the protest, but it was so it
was close to not being funded.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Was that how it went?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
It was picked up by EMI, who are Filmed, a
big film company, and then lou Graide was the head
of AM. I read the script and freaked right, and
they said we're not making this, No, we can't do
what was controversial. It was controversial, but I mean we
had already started building a sex into Nisia, so we
had to sue them for the money, right, you know,
(14:55):
for a start, and try and find somebody else crazy
enough to pay for it. And there was nobody but
George and he found it.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
And did you know George before then?
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Yes, I know, we were good pals. And he said,
I'll get you the money. And I thought, nobody has
four and a half million dollars, you know, even a beatle,
especially with the tax levels in England, you know. And
he didn't. He he had to mortgage. He mortgage his house,
his gardens and his company. It was unbelievable. Well, I
(15:25):
still think it's incredible and I said, why did you
do it? Because I wanted to see the movie.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Good Honor.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now you were mentioning just before that, when you're over
in Canada, how did the Americans and the Canadians receive
the Human Early Doors?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Because we always talk about it.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Here in New Zealand as we feel very connected to
the English style of comedy and then not as connected
to perhaps the American side of things. Did you when
you win over there for the first time, you felt
like they were quite excited about by the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Well, because of the BBC, they sold it to can early, right,
and New Zealand got it early too. This is sitting
on Telly Sinney in those days, which is and that's
why in New Zealand you find a lot of archives
of stuff the BBC had wiped. It's preserved on Telly Sinney.
That's where That's how people have been able to find things.
(16:16):
We've still got it, Yeah, you still got it about
I bet you've got some treasures in there because I
mean the Pete and Dudd show was wiped and I
think a lot of Alan Bennett was wiped, so it
was for you know, if they had to transfer it
onto the sort of Tenny Cinney what they call it.
But so we were popular in Canada, and we toured
Canada in seventy three and the Americans had no idea
(16:39):
what we did. Then about seventy five, when we were
releasing The Holy Grail, we went to New York and
PBS had just started playing it. We were on the
Public Broadcasting Tech Network, and so they found it and
they were going crazy. So they were loving it. They
loved it. They went crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Well, it was like nothing else.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
And it started in on PBS in Dallas that.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Well, okay, because the interesting I was. I imagine even English
audiences when Monty Pi first came along, even English audiences
would have because it was like nothing else that it
ever be.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
I think there were I think we we were very
hated by much of the middle classes of Britain. Where
we go filming, you know, we find women going, oh,
montipithod we hate you. I mean you thought, well, we're mutual,
you know, because we were actually taking the pe out
of quite a lot of people. Yes, quite satirical and
quite aggressively.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
So for those days and do you have do you
think you have to be kind of hated by a
group and comedy to be loved by another, for it
to really be effective.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Possibly to be in that moment, Yes, I think can't.
It's a bit like music. You' got to be slightly
ahead of what's what's being done all over the place.
Like the Beatles always concerned not to be like anything else.
That was their main concern earn is to be their
own thing. And I think we were too. We had this,
We had the right. We've got thirteen shows, nobody in charge,
(18:08):
no executors, no executives, anything, so we could make what
we wanted to do, which we didn't actually know, but
we explored by trying to surprise each other, really making
each other laugh, and that was the key.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And how much luck like looking back now in terms
of how you came across the other pythons, and how
much luck has involved and the sort of stuff.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
I think entirely, I think, I think the biggest force
in the universe is chance and luck. It's bigger than gravity.
And for example, when I first got to Cambridge, i
got to my first college, I have auditioned for the
for the concert, the College Comedy Concert, and I'm being
auditioned by two of the goodies, Tim Rook Taylor and
(18:54):
bill Odie and they they picked me and they put
me in a show and my first script is written
by John Keleys, who can't be in the show because
he's not in the college. So on my first public
performance is sitting there watching me doing one of his sketches.
So that's yeah, exactly car. So then they said, oh,
(19:15):
you've got to join the foot Lights, which is this
comedy club in Cambridge, and that's what I did for
three years. I loved it. I found my way.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
For people who don't know a New Zealand what exactly
is the Footlights. It's a big part of obviously British
comedy and a lot of British comedians have had this
start there, but probably a lot of New Zealands won't
know about it.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
It's a comedy club, it's all it is really at Cambridge.
And when I was there, it had a little stage,
a little bar so you can drink and then they
give you lunches and it was like a little its
own world. And so you learn from watching people do
comedy and it put on shows, little shows and you
got a chance to be funny in front of an audience.
And what was good is it. We did out the
(19:56):
people who thought they were funny but weren't because you
had to order addition to get in. But the only
fault it had was it had no women. It was
from eighteen eighty three. So when I became president, I
changed the rules and I admitted women. And the first
woman was Jermaine Greer. Ah, how about that?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Wow? So was Maria and margulis a part of that.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Mary Margolie's was a part of it. But before they
had allowed women to be in the club, so she
was part of Two years earlier, she toured with some
of the rather nastier ones. She'd been very cruel and
very unpleasant to her. But when I got to meet her,
I liked her very much and we got on very well.
We actually did a TV show for a little one.
(20:37):
I stayed in her apartment. So I mean, she's very talented,
she's very funny. Oh she's something. No, No, she's a
force of nature. So I think they hated her. And
I've observed this once before when I did a show
and the woman was funny and the men, some of
the men resented it, you know, and you know, but
(20:58):
she's funnier than you. You know, so I think there
was a lot there was. That was the time. It
was nineteen I guess changed the laws in nineteen sixty five, okay,
sixty four sixty five, and and Clive James came through
the door at the same time, although he wasn't a woman.
It turned out well.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
The other Stephen was Stephen fly a part of.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
That much later later, maybe ten foot lights the foot
lights crazy, Yeah, it had it has if you look
at the challenge there are just the people who went
to Cambridge University. Oxford had an equivalent, but it didn't
have a club. So Michael Pennan and Terry Jones were
part of the Oxford Review Society, but they didn't have
(21:41):
a place. They met an et and drank. Because we
had a bar, we could keep it open all night.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You know, it sounds fantastic it still exists.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
I don't think it absolutely still exists. I don't think
it has the premises. And the only thing I think
they missed was Sasha Baron Cohen, who was a pal
of mine, and he revealed to me that he wasn't
accepted by the Footlights there, which is but he does
something different. He's really funny. But man, he got the
balls of steel, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I mean he's a solo operator as well, though, don't
you reckon like this. There's different types of comedians. I think.
There are people who work really really well in the
team and who and there's a magic that's created in
a team, I think, and you can't always put your
finger on it because someone creatively, someone might come up
with it, someone might say something and that sparks off
an idea and someone else who says something else on
(22:31):
the tee, and then the idea starts, which started somewhere
here ends up in a completely different place, and all
of you have had your hands on it in one
way or another, but it's so far away from there
is an idea, whereas if you're an individual comedian and
it's all been in your head from the start to
(22:52):
the finish, that's quite a different process.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
I shuppose show and all show we were before stand
up really wasn't done, you know, we were sketch comedy.
But Sasha is a different thing. He gets, he undermines,
he impersonates people and leads them on and that's just
wonderful skill and a very brave one, so I am.
(23:16):
But he is also very good ancewer. So I'm amazed
they didn't notice that how clever and talented he was.
There must have been a dumb group. It happens, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Have you spent much time with Christopher Morris no asaraist
who did The Brass Eye and the Day to Day?
I don't know that a similar way to Sasha Baron
Cohen that he is completely fearless, right, you know, in
the face of in the face of absurdity and power,
he will just almost not humiliate him stuff. But it's
(23:49):
just fearless and going straight through the center of it.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
I think the first person I know is it was
Norman Gunston did it in Australia and he was hilarious
and he'd greet people coming off the plane like Henchard,
Paul McCartney with Linda and he said, you don't look
very Japanese to me.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
It's fearless.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
It's scary, absolutely feel in your face. They don't know
what to do it and it's how they respond that
makes you see whether they're really good people or not.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, totally, but but do it. Because Paul McCartney, you know,
he's a big star. Paul McCartney, he carries a lot
of money he carries. He carries a lot of prestige
with him, and so you always feel like you want
to give respect to those people.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Yes, but he was smart.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
There was he was.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
They were smart. The Beatles were always funny, so he
was smart enough to realize the guy is funny. He's
got razor cuts all over his face. Yeah, toilet paper
on his face. And he was truly funny though. I mean,
I think he was the first of that, pretending to
be somebody else for the interviewing people. I think he
started that.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
In terms of the pie Fonds. Now, are you guys?
Do you guys ever get together? You'd be as this
a thousand times, but you guys ever get together?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Now? What's the stung?
Speaker 5 (25:08):
It's rather bad actually, unfortunately, but really well, we old
grumpy on men fighting over a combe. We are. I
haven't seen like John Clease. Last time I saw him
we toured in New Zealand. That was eight years ago.
I have seen Mike and Terry ginn in for ten years,
so right, yeah, but they live in England and I don't, Oh,
(25:28):
where are you living here? I live in la for
thirty years, but I like to live in France. Until
they stopped me bad in Brexit idiot, God almighty.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
It's quite in listing, though, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (25:42):
When you create something with with people and your your
friends and then things change over time.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
You know, it's not that you're on friends. If you
don't see people for a long time, you've both changed.
I mean, I think that's a process. But I've known
I've known them for sixty years, so I'm you know,
we had great times. We've had wonderful times, we made
wonderful shows. But it doesn't mean that where they are
in their lives now isn't necessarily the same as when
(26:14):
you knew them.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Really, looking beck, what's the thing that you've created or
been a part of that you're most proud of Off
the top of your head.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
Well, i'd it spam a lot, because that was quite
an achievement to turn a funny film which was then
thirty years old, into a successful Broadway musical and we
won the Tony for Best Musical of the Year in
two thousand and five, which just blew my mind. You know,
I thought people, I thought we'd make it funny, but
to win the Chiny for Best Musical and my book,
(26:46):
which hey, I'm going to announce it A lot diary, yeah,
which has just come out here. I found a couple
of years ago when I was shifting house, and it's
it's a diary I kept at the time we were
making it with Mike Nicholson, Tim Curry and all these people,
and you know, it's what's interesting about it is you
don't know it's going to be a hit. You have
(27:06):
no idea, and so there's all the anxieties and all
the fights and all the bits and people sacked, and
how do you bond a team and put it together?
And finally you meet the audience in Chicago, who go yes,
But you don't know that until the end. So it's
a kind of anxiety read you know.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So did you find that diary many years after you
many years after two years ago?
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Oh wow, it's kept from two thousand and four to
two thousand and five about me. I'm anxious, I want
to go home at times, you know, the rows, And
you know, I kept it all in because I think
that the great thing about a diary is it tells
you it's the most precisely true to how you're feeling
at the time, because you're just confiding your thoughts to
(27:51):
the page.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Have you diried your whole life? No?
Speaker 5 (27:53):
Okay, rarely. I did one on tour. It's called the
Greedy Buston Diary. That's about a road tour we took
from seven thousand miles across you know, America up into
Canada in the ones on a rock and roll bus
and when everybody stop, we do a show. And that
was quite fun.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Looking back, I mean interesting with diary. So when you
when you read your diary, you whenever a five year
of a diary is something I've always looked back and God,
that's I wish I never wrote that. That's embarrassing. You
don't have that feeling.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
I keep the embarrassing. I think that's what's interesting about
the diary. You know, peoples would stop off and have
a bit of a legover and on his way to work,
and you write about it. And that's what makes it
human because it does it. And so especially when I
was on the road, you know, it's I'm feeling a
bit horny, But I think that's that makes you like,
that makes you you are a human being.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
And that's really sweet to remember that at some point
you were writing that down in an earnest fashion, and
that's how you were actually feeling what twenty years ago
were having exactly.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
So it's fine. I think it's better to all that
stuff because that's what portrays us as who we are
as life. We're all up these things that we maybe
not necessarily want to say, but I think keeping them
in shows you what life's like closer than writing a novel, even.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
So so much amazing material over the years which has
come out of your brain and people associated with you.
Is it anything that you look back on and go
I wish that I could erase that out of the archive?
Is it one thing in particular?
Speaker 5 (29:34):
I wish we'd've got on a bit better towards the end.
I think it would have helped if it had been less,
But that's only old men, and I think it's it's unfortunate,
and I'm sad about that. It makes me unhappy, but
I can't do anything about it. It's not in my control.
(29:54):
I say, you know, if I have to turn the
other cheek anymore, I'll have to take my pants down.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
We're getting we're getting wrapped up out there as well, Eric,
If that's all right, Eric.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Idel, thank you so much for coming in. What a
great pleasure and absolute pleasure Eric, and best of like
with the shows. Thanks and best Oflake with everything.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Thank you very much. Nice talking to you.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
So, Eric Idol his New Zealand with has always look
on the right side of life, life too. Twenty three October, Auckland,
twenty sixth of October, Wellington, twenty eighth of October, christ Church.
What a lovely man, What a lovely man. Eric Idler
is an absolute one hundred percent like accepted from every
(30:47):
comedy person in the world legend.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I don't think I quite realized he was coming in today.
Like I knew, you know, I saw Eric.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Idol, you look pretty taken aback.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Written on the shugeule and I thought, you know, this
is cool, this is exciting. But my he was here
and he was amazing, and he was gentle and he
was kind and of course he was funny. He's just like, oh,
come on.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, he's a great New Zealander. He's a great New Zealander,
Eric Idyle, and.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Really interesting what he was saying, of course about the
relationships that are going on in his life. And you
never like to hear someone with regrets, and I don't
think that's exactly what he was saying, that it's a
regret or anything like that. I think he's just upset
that it's kind of moved out of his control. What
was your take on that, Jerry, Because.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
I know you, I knew that there was a bit
of niggle between those guys, but I mean there's a
lot of guys there because because there was Terry Jones
he died in twenty nineteen, and I think.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
He was mates with Eric.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I think Eric and Terry were good mates, I think,
and I think so Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam they were.
Terry Gillingham was the cartoonist, wasn't he that used to
do all of the animations. I'm pretty sure were Terry joneson.
I think Terry Jones directed Life of Brian. I think
(32:05):
that's the way it worked. There's a and John Clees
was an interesting one because he was kind of an outsider.
But he worked with Graham Chapman who died in nineteen
ninety nine. And Graham Chapman was that was the other
tall guy, and he was an alcoholic. Graham Chapman and
quite nigglay and quite difficult. But John Clees was the
only guy who could kind of understand and get him.
(32:27):
So they had these weird little bits and obviously.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Was almost the translator between the potentially difficult personalities a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Clease kind of held them together in a face. I've
watched a few documentaries on them, and it's really interesting
there was There were just a lot. They were all
very different. They were all very very different, even though
they came from some similar places, with clees and and
Eric Ido coming from the Footlights and then Michael Palin
and Terry Gillingham coming from Oxford the Review. They but
(33:00):
when they came together, they made this magic and I
think they kind of know that, you know, I didn't.
But what was interesting was how he said that. You know,
looking back, I wish it didn't quite end as horribly
as it did.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
My question for you, Jerry, and actually probably ruder as well,
because you're a man that's worked in quite a few
creative partnerships and stuff like that, is do we forget
sometimes that people get into performance and the creative arts
and all that kind of shit from an ego point
of view, and then which means that from a very
young age people have got these ideas and directions about
(33:34):
where they want to hid and where they want to
go and all that stuff. And then of course when
you put no matter who the personalities are, and even
if they are really nice, if you put six, seven,
eight of them into a room, that is unfortunately just
always always going to be just a little bit of slight,
you know, crossovers in terms of directions that people are
working in. For example, like we've worked in teams, even
for the last four or five years that I've been in radio.
(33:56):
You know, you get along really well, but you can
still quite often find yourself's point, you know, pushing things
in different directions, and then it just sounds like maybe
this has happened here, and that's just the way it goes.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Yeah, it's quite complex.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
I have not articulated that very well, but I think
I know what you mean.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
I mean, I think you can also get into it
just because you're not because you enjoy the company of
other people and they make you laugh. You accidentally find
yourself that it's actually being shared with audiences and stuff,
and you know that's that's a good place to be.
I mean, if you're getting into I think probably some
people do get into it because they want to advance
their own thing.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Well, it sounds like a couple of people that you're
just saying there. That sounds like that that might have
been the case. Is they kind of had big ideas
and big ventures for their comedy and that kind of thing,
and then there were people like Eric who were just
can to have a laugh.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
I reckon, he's a he's a really good guy. He's
I can see his where it came from from his perspective.
I think it's just I think he just likes to
have fun.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
You can, I mean at all he says zero ego.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
No, he s hed something about it, didn't I think
when they were talking about multipython, like all that mattered
to him was making his friends that he was doing
it with laugh.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't actually about he's cracked the code. Yeah,
he's totally cracked the code.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
And now it's even like, you know, you put that
onto our radio show. The radio show is always at
its best when we just kind of forget about anything
and just trying to make.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
The other people laugh.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Yeah, totally, And that's what that's kind of That's the
thing for life, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
But John Clees read his autobiography recently, he was.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Him and Miriam Margley's they didn't get on. That was
what I was talking about there. I've heard her talk
about John Claes. She's like, she hates them, she hates them.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
He's quite a confronting figure. Yeah, I can see why.
I read his autobiography recently. I'm a massive John Clees fan,
like I am pretty much all of those guys, But I.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Can't see why. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
I've kind of you know, well, it kind of It
kind of reminds me when you talk about these people
and they've all got their ideas on where this crowdive
things should go, and you hear stories about bands like
Crowded House, and you hear stories about bands like the Police,
and then you look at recently Hauler notes there's a
what is it an order.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Restraining order against them.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I remember hearing stories about they were doing a take
Paul Hester's the Drummer and Credit House and Neil fin
was like, no, no, no, the drums need to go, and
they got into quite a heated argument and it ended
up with Paul Hister going well you play the fucking
drums and walking out of the thing. And there's also
I think in one of the autobiographies as well, they
(36:28):
got into a fist fight behind there was like some
signs up at a press conference, and they got into
a fist fight and fell through the signs and when
all the press.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Were watching them.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
The thing is, you can get along with someone so
so so well, and then just one thing like this happens,
and then if one person isn't able to let it
go like the other person, then you end up in
situations like.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
What well I reckon.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
It's much harder in music than it is comedy, because
with comedy it's like either something's funny or it's not,
and if the other groups say that it's funny, then
it's funny. But with music it's like, no, I really
feel like it should go like this, and if it
doesn't go like this, so what. It's quite a different thing.
It's just someone's creative drive versus someone else's creative will.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
You know, it's will versus well in.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Music, whereas with with comedy it's genuinely there's another magic
to it, which is just the you know, people either
laugh or they don't.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
With your stuff. Do you voluntary pre circle? Probably two thousands?
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Actually, well, in terms of is you just any of
the comedy TV that you did early doors actually even
late Doors, including let not Bill Breekfast. I was something
that I would have loved to ask ask Eric, but
he was obviously under a time crunch. Is when you're
making television and I wanted to know this with Monty
Python before it. When it comes to writing comedy television
(37:46):
is when you're first filming it. Are you slightly scared
that it's just you that finds it funny? Or do
you know in due back your own abilities to know
that what the jokes that I come up with, I
know are going to resonate with other people, and I
know they're going to find it funny because you don't
have you know, when someone doesn't stand up to her,
you do the whole well. They encourage the idea that
you go to bars, you do clubs, you do all
these things and test your material and all that kind
(38:07):
of thing, and then you do your stadium tour is
the idea.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I don't know how that.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I mean, I've never really done comedy, so I don't
I couldn't speak to comedy of how that works in
the writing process and all that sort of stuff, because
I've never written yeah, and I've never written comedy.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I just thought I was always thought that about Mondy,
but like, because it was so when it came out,
it was not.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
I suppose the sense.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Of humor was had been seen before because those guys
had done things prior to it, but it was still different.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
In terms of television. Nobody ever done that sort of
television before. It was totally it was totally left field.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
So I wonder if they were sitting there on set
absolutely shitting themselves, going, I wonder if anyone's.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
I don't know this. I think they didn't care. That's good.
I think that's the great past.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
I think from the stuff that I've watched of their
interviews before, I don't I think they thought it was
funny to them, and that's all that they really cared about.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
That's what I wanted.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
It turns out that the audience, that the audience, they
were in tune with what the audience were thinking as well,
but also him saying, you know that they were trying
to do things that nobody had done before. That's that's
always good. I mean, if you're trying to make comedy
that's not just funny but it's also completely unique, then
you'll probably do well. I would have thought if you're
(39:18):
copying someone else's things, then it's I don't know, so
that's a different type of thing. That's imitation, different than originality.
And he was true. They were truly original, like one
hundred percent original. They're not they're not copying anyone. I
can't believe we just spoke to your idle.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah it was good. He was, wasn't he lovely? Fuck?
Speaker 1 (39:37):
He was so nice. They can come back any time anytime. Now,
hang on, let's not finish the podcast on that note.
I feel like that.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I think that's the old one compliment, isn't it right? Things?
He can hang out the back of me anytime? Sounds
like you can. Did you say no? If it climbed
in my window at night, would I throw it out? No?
Of course you wouldn't
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