Episode 37 - Almost Famous - 14 Going On 40

Episode Transcript
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(00:06):
Okay, Andrea, what would yousay is one of your favorite or most
memorable concerts? M. I feellike every one of them has sort of
its own special place in my memory, whether it be the people who I

(00:28):
went with or the bands that Isaw. I think probably one of my
most enjoyable concerts was Geez, there'sa couple I really liked Worked Tour when
we went in San Francisco. Ithought that that was it was just a
fun experience to see all those bandsand then kind of in later years see

(00:54):
which ones really made it big thatmaybe you saw when they first came out,
So that's kind of fun. AndWarp Tour is one of those fun
like punk kind of its just thepeople there are fun, it's fun to
people watch, it's it's a funenvironment. So I really like that.
I also really liked seeing Smashing Pumpkins. You went with me to that one,

(01:19):
didn't you. We went together.I'm sure were we outside or were
we inside? I think yes,outside it was no, I think it
was at the World or whatever it'scalled now. I don't know. It
will forever be the World to mebecause that's what it was always referred to.
I don't even know what it's called. Yeah park. Now it's like

(01:40):
you kind of have to say inTinley Park. Um, yeah, I
I remember that for sure. Um. You know I had seen the Pumpkins
a few times in different venues.It's so funny because back in the day,
Billy Corgan went to the high schoolI teach at now, but we
did didn't know it exists. Yeah, isn't that crazy? He's an alumni.

(02:02):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, andso is um Sean Hayes from Will
and Grace. Really yeah, Ihad no idea well before I ever became
a teacher there, just meaning Imean, I have no right to claim
any fame to either of those two, but just kind of fun fact.

(02:23):
So yeah, I would say,Um, definitely, I really liked the
World Music Theater as a venue likethe outdoor concert arena. I mean,
summer is concert time, and youknow, I probably have way too many
to count. I am definitely oneof those people that, you know,

(02:43):
where some people might dump a lotof money into like something collectible or whatever.
It just never it hasn't really botheredme to dump plenty of money and
to go into concerts all summer.When we were younger, I loved how
you know I could spend twenty twentyfive dollars on a concert ticket start to

(03:04):
finish, and yeah, see liketons of concerts over the concert circuit,
especially over the summer when you hadyou could even you could go to like
a Wednesday night concert because you didn'thave school the next day, and so
go down to the Metro, You'rethe House of Blues. You go wherever
and see you know, a bandfor twenty bucks, and you know,

(03:24):
it was totally awesome. But nowit's like really hard to do that,
like concerts, and it's really expenseIt is super supertive now, I mean
we um, so we're going actuallyto the Hella Megatour. Hopefully everybody is
COVID free because apparently fall but Ihad to pull out for a couple of

(03:44):
their concerts because two of the bandband members got COVID. But that's happening
next weekend in Chicago, and that'slike the first concert I've been to and
yeah, a very long time.And I would say, like so I
have I definitely have a really likefond place in my heart for festivals.

(04:05):
However, my favorite fest in currenttime this has become riot Fest, which
is usually in September in Chicago.It's um just the lineup is usually pretty
much my speed. It's a lotof you know, punk and rock bands.
And I love Douglas Park like it'sit's a great venue and the weather's

(04:28):
good because it's September. So you'renot. I mean I was die Hard
Warp tour for years and it isliterally always the hottest day of the summer
in Chicago. It does not matterwhat date they pick. It's like the
universe is saying, We're here tojust roast you all. And so,
you know, I would say Ilove festivals. However, I saw the

(04:51):
like pictures from Lallapalooza this last week, and I don't know if I'm ready
for that, like to get ina body swarm situation. No. So
now that was I was like,I saw the pictures and my anxiety level
went to about one hundred and fiftyand I was like, there's no way.

(05:11):
First of all, as I've gottenolder, my anxiety level in crowds
already as bad, and then tohave all the COVID shit and all that
stuff like on top of that,yeah, I would have had a full
blown panic attack. Yeah. Soit's like you know, I would say
for me, it's one of theconcerts the first concert I ever went to

(05:38):
that in more recent years, actuallyI went to in two thousand and nine,
but no doubt Greatest Hits Tour andit was like a Greatest Hits tour
and Paramore open for them, andit was the first time that I saw
a concert and probably because it wasa Greatest Hits concert, so like literally

(05:58):
they just played everything that was likeeverything you want to hear, and they
were so good and it was likeso amazing, and it was the first
time I ever had the reaction toDrew that I was like, as soon
as we go home, we needto see where the next stop on the
tour is, Like could we driveto Milwaukee and see it again? I've
never done that ever, And Isaid, like, then if this happens

(06:20):
again, I will do that,Like I will buy the Chicago ticket the
Milwaukee ticket, like I will doboth because it was that amazing. So
and I mean Paramore was amazing,like clearly, you know, and it
just it was that was probably likereally memorable. And that was the first
time I ever had a concert whereI was I could understand the people that

(06:43):
like follow a band where I've neverdone that. So have you seen anything
in Vegas? Have you? Ihave? Okay, So I was supposed
my birthday present from my husband formy fortieth birthday was to go see Gwen's
residency in Vegas, and yeah,I'm still waiting. I'm forty two.
So um. I saw Elton Johnin Vegas and that was an amazing concert.

(07:09):
Yet that is probably one of thebest like concerts because he's so dynamic
and so yeah, I just stjust to watch him on stage by himself
and him and his piano and thestories that he tells, and he's very
funny, he's very engaging, andthen the music is amazing and the visuals

(07:30):
that they have to go along withit. I mean, when you go
in Vegas, it's like this entirestage production. And we were in feather
boas and we had big Swarovski crystalElton John glasses. I mean, it
was I would say experience. I'venot been to like a Vegas residency,
but I have the closest thing thatsounds like it to or what mid would

(07:53):
make me feel like. I goteven the slightest experience. It wasn't Tinley
Park. I know this is goingto sound crazy, but Lionel Ritchie so
still was this like outdoor event,but he had so much stage production that
got brought in, like the lightshow in led screen situation was a level
that I've never seen someone quite bringon like the Road to Chicago, Like,

(08:16):
I mean, we have a lotof nice venues, but like an
outdoor concert arena, you only getso much lights and rights susus and wam
whams, you know, but hebrought it all like it looked like a
Vegas residency stage. Like I waslike, I remember and Drew were like,
this is bananas, Like what howmuch time did this take to put

(08:37):
together? Like I had never seenthat before, to that level in like
a road touring situation. So that'sprobably the closest I've ever gotten. So
yeah, I think that it's youknow, summer's concert season, and we
were sort of inspired by that onthis pick. And I am so glad
that we picked this movie for thisepisode. And I I can't wait until

(09:01):
it feels normal to go back toconcerts. I am. I'm I don't
know. I like you. I'lllet you know. I'll let you know
how next week goes. The onlything is it's it's at Wrigley, so
it's outside and we have seats.So that makes me feel better because I
there's no way I'm doing a let'sgo wind like a general admission. Yeah,

(09:26):
yeah, it's I know, youknow that being said, we can
jump right into it. Guys,Welcome to fourteen going on forty. This
is Melissa and this is Andrea,and we're two best friends. We've met
in high school and we we visitmoli's usually made during the time we've known
each other, which is, youknow, as the time is ticking on

(09:48):
becoming a long time. Yes,you know, all the movies on are
are the days of when we werea freshman in high school. Uh So
on today's episode, we're gonna geton a tour us and revisit almost famous
from two thousand. So this isa great movie. It's been a while
since you've seen it. The IMDbquick logline as a high school boy is

(10:11):
given the chance to write a storyfor Rolling Stone magazine about an up and
coming rack band, and he accompaniesthem on their concert tour. I mean,
this is an understatement to the umpteenthdegree, but it is essentially the
crux of the movie. Yeah,I you know, in terms of like
what I remember about this movie comingout, I totally don't remember the context

(10:33):
in which I saw it. Idon't remember going to the theater or if
it was a rental, because thisstill would have been in rental time.
Yeah, I remember Dave and Iwatching this as a rental Okay, because
this week we saw this. Yetthis would have been around when we met
Dave and Drew because it came out. I know it was thousand, right,

(10:54):
and I know it wasn't We didn't. We didn't see it in the
theater. It was something that Ifeel like because this was nominated for some
Oscars. Yeah, so probably thatwinter maybe m like it was after the
Oscars or it won an Oscar.It had what was the Oscar for.

(11:18):
I don't remember best writing for thescreenplay. It was nominated for Best Actress
for Kate Hudson, Best Actress forFrancis McDorman, and Best Film Editing,
but it won Best Writing for CameronCrowe. Okay, yeah, so this
so same, I think for me, I don't have a real strong memory

(11:43):
of exactly when I Also, Ihaven't watched this one a lot, so
I remember even when it kind ofkept coming up because I would see it
on like a streaming, you know, like, oh, yeah, here
it is. You're like, yeah, almost famous. Like I remember that
it's a really great movie, andI totally remember Kate Hudson in it,
because of course she's on that iconiclike poster like that it's her face,

(12:05):
which I love. But I waskind of struggling to I'm like, I
know it's like the tour bus andthe van, but like I don't totally
remember what it's about, and likeKatie Hudson is like a groupie that follows
the band. But then I couldn'tremember what. I didn't remember that the
guy is writing the story an articlethe whole time. I you know,

(12:26):
I did remember, because I feellike this is another one of those movies
where I was like what about this? Because Cameron Crowe went I think there
were a lot of interviews with himsaying basically, this is kind of a
fictionalized version of like his life.Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that

(12:50):
comes from his experiences because he basicallylived this, which I feel like I
need to know. I feel likehe'd be fascinating to talk to because I
feel like a real life How oldwere you like he were? He was?
He really like fifteen, yeah,doing this. What's interesting is when

(13:11):
you do get into some of CameronCrowe's inspiration for this and a really an
excellent nod to the fact that hewon Best Writing is yes, a lot
of these things happened to him,but not strung together in one experience,
right, So it was like hedid write an article, you know,

(13:33):
four Rolling Stone while he was stillin high school, and he did go
on a tour bus like with theAllman brothers, but he did and they
all happened in kind of like soit is kind of really amazing to think
of to be able to take youknow, I always think of, like,
there's so many things in my life, Like I do have hilarious stories
of things that happened to me withtragic stories that happened in my life.

(13:54):
You know, if I tell astory, I can do it well.
But to like figure out how topiece some thing together and write it as
fiction in this way where it allcomes together really well and there's such like
poignant lines in it. I meanI can't even imagine, like that's next
level talent that I just can't Ican't figure out how that gets done.

(14:16):
It's just so good, so good. So yeah, I don't remember the
same thing. I would imagine maybe, like you, I might have been
pushed towards it because of the Oscarnominations, like somehow I missed it and
then was like maybe I should seethat. Well it ends a long ass
movie. Wow. That doesn't alwaysthrow me off, but yeah, but

(14:37):
like I feel like it would belike something like, Okay, well I
need to have a dedicate an eveningto this because it's like two hours and
forty minutes and for a movie likethat is one thing I didn't think of
when we had to take notes onhuh. Yeah, so I started.
I started this at like it wasalmost ten o'clock block and he's like,

(15:01):
it's like what. But the goodthing is this movie doesn't feel long.
Like it doesn't. It doesn't becausethe writing is so good and the acting
is so good, and the storyis engaging and interesting. But it's like
and then we're like Jesus, it'slike it's like midnight. We know.

(15:22):
But the downside to that too isbecause the writing is so good and the
acting is so good, there's noslow points like there was no points where
I got a break from pausing andwriting something down or like whatever, because
I was like, oh that isthat's a great line, or that's a
great you know, and I waslike, shit, dude, I'm like
pausing it every five minutes, likethis is insane and it's a long movie.

(15:43):
I was like, it's almost oneof those where I had to like,
I have a lot of notes,but I just just like, you
know, I just have to watchit, because even though there's a lot
of things you can take notes onor make your observations like, sometimes you're
just like, you gotta gotta justwatch it because well, and this was

(16:04):
this is the thing that I haveto remember about myself too when I when
we have these movies that I haven'tseen like a thousand times, I fall
into this trap of I don't knowwhether I should be writing this down because
I can't remember how relevant to theplot it is right to make sure that
we like kind of because again,I feel like two with my notes.

(16:26):
I try to take pretty detailed notesbecause you know, it's one way I
can feel less guilty about all theediting that you do that I can be
like, well, I'll make surethat I walk us through the plot,
but then I'm like, oh shit, due, should I write that down?
Like is this relevant? Is itnot? So then it's like my
notes are absurdly long, you knowwhere I'm like, yeah, Jesus,
so this one was I do needto log that away that when you see

(16:49):
that minute mark of like two hoursand twenty or whatever it was, that
that's going to be a lot ofnotes and we need to think real hard
about that. However, no,no regrets. This movie is so good.
So Cameron Crowe was a real lifeteen rock journalist that wrote for Rolling
Stone while still in high school.He had all of these crazy experiences through

(17:10):
his life. Again, like yousaid, what a fascinating person he would
be to like just bump into aStarbucks one day. It's like, you
know, right, um, So, and this movie when I said at
the beginning of us, we're justgetting on the tour bus because it takes
place like all over the place,because there's all these cities and they end

(17:32):
up on the road, but itdoes start out in California in the seventies
at Christmas time at Christmas. Itwas so funny because I'm watching this and
I go Christmas in California maybe SanDiego, because I was like, that's
not how Christmas is if you gofurther north, Like I was like,
I was like, there's people inlike tank tops and like I was like,

(17:56):
it's it's warm in California, butat that warm in California in December,
and it was. It was funnybecause I was like, Okay,
this must be like south south southernCalifornia, and I was correct. I
was like, wow, my myCalifornia radar is still yes, absolutely,
so like I actually was thinking thatexact same things, just like the setting

(18:18):
of how especially as two people thatgrew up in Chicago, it's like it's
so like weird to me of youknow, like that it doesn't look like
that everywhere at Christmas time, youknow, like we get so jarring.
Yeah it is. It is likeyou have palm trees always. That's so
weird. Yeah, you know,And I've experienced I've experienced Christmas in California

(18:45):
and I've experienced Christmas in Florida,both very odd, very weird, like
it didn't feel quite like Christmas tome, both those sons and also my
family wasn't there. So in boththose situations like I was celebrating Christmas in
a place without like all of myfamily. So it was a very like
surreal kind of like this isn't realher real experience. Oh yeah, yeah,

(19:11):
totally. Um. And so youknow, we see like a mom
and son. This supposed to bein nineteen sixty nine and they must have
just come out of the movie ToKill a Mockingbird and they're talking about it,
and I love the whole conversation.Francis McDormand plays the mom u Elaine.
We find Elaine Miller. She's amazing, as expected because she's amazing and

(19:33):
everything she does. Yeah, she'sone of those people like just you got
a piece of shit, let hertouch it, all turn to gold,
you know, like that's that's herand not that that's what this was because
she this was an amazing role toplay. And um. We also end
up meeting. In addition to,you know, we see a young William

(19:56):
Miller who is not going to bethe main actor. We don't stick with
him this age. We're gonna we'regonna jump in the timeline a bit.
He's little at this point, Idon't know, maybe like seven years old
or something. No, he's well, we find out because he's he's ten.
Oh, that's right, that's right, Yes, that's right, he's
I think ten or eleven eleven,No, he's eleven. Yeah, and

(20:17):
he is. And Zoey Deschanelle playsthe older sister Anita. I had forgotten
about that. Yeah, me too, rightfully so, because she's pretty much
at the beginning of the movie andthe end of the movie, and she's
not really throughout the middle. Theolder sister comes home, you know,
William and his mom are in thisdeep conversation of to kil Mockingberg and Atticus
Bench and you know, all thethings and kill Purnia and I mean,

(20:40):
it's just it's great. And wealso find out that um Anita and Mom
butt heads, as typical teenage daughterand mother would do. Um and I
love this. She comes home andMom says, you've been kissing. I
can tell, and I know whohad me rolling. I was like,

(21:02):
oh my god, if this isn'tlike a mom line, one hundred percent,
like this is what we absolutely do, absolutely, And then I love
that she has a Simon and Garfunclealbum. Yes, and this is like
totally controversial, and I was like, I had drunk Funcle. Their music
is about drugs and promiscuous sex,and I just put, oh, Francis,

(21:26):
it gets so much worse. Soit's yes, just fast forward to
twenty twenty. It gets right,so much worse, right, we we
only wish we just had Simon andGarfuncle. Now, I mean really,
I just so sedate. Um soan So mom's a college professor. We

(21:48):
also figured this out too, whichI think is also so she's single mom
raising these two kids. She's acollege professor. It's like, you know,
she is this like intellectual and she'strying hard to raise these really smart
kids. And she's almost kind oflike Anita's a lost cause because she's rebelling

(22:10):
right, and she's going to putall her stock in William. You know,
he's an exceptional child, and soI put that. You know,
Anita has a seriously dramatic comeback forMom and states that she hates her and
William hates her, meaning Mom yea, and ends with fack you, Beck
you thank you, which that mademe laugh out loud because Bennett is going

(22:34):
through this phase right now. Iwas saying, frick because he knows he
will get in trouble if he says, you know the other word. So
and I told him, I waslike, listen, enough with the frick.
I still know what you're trying todo. Like it's okay if every
once in a while say it,but like you can't have it come out
of your mouth every like five minutes. Bring it in. Well, my

(22:57):
daughter has been was getting out small. She was doing you know when you
like this and like flick with yourfinger, like you flick somebody and like,
yeah, you kind of flick theirface or their nose or like,
you know, just to be alittle asshole. And when she would do
this, she would go flick you. And I was like, oh,
honey, um, I mean numberone, stopped doing that to people's faces

(23:22):
because it hurts. Um. Secondly, I'm gonna need you to not say
flick you. It doesn't sound right. And she was like what, oh,
no, flick you. It soundsa lot like yeah, effect you,
Um yeah. And I loved,you know, she's screaming this is
the House of Wise and like,I mean, it's just so over the

(23:45):
topter Man, and but I lovethe way. You know, mom is
upset and then h William tries tosort of defend her and it's like,
oh, I think she said fact, Like yeah, she's like and then
she's like, what's the differ?Friends, I know what she meant.
And he's like, letter you,Oh my god, and like this whole

(24:07):
conversation is gold. Like just themusings of like the young, impressionable child
and the hormonal teenager is amazing.Um. And we see this shot of
William and we presume at school orwhatever, where he's in line in the
mirror with a bunch of other youngmen meticulously grooming their facial here because it's

(24:30):
it's nineteen sixty nine people, andyou got to have that stash, oh,
Matt, And he said, youknow, notices I look so much
younger than everybody else, and uh. In the car, Anita calls mom
out to tell William, well,how old is he? Mom tell him

(24:52):
tell him and he guesses, well, I must be twelve. You must
have skipped a grade and she's like, well you also skipped kindergarten because you
already knew all that. Ye,like, I've eleven. Yeah, So
he's eleven. Everyone else is thirteen, which is a plot point later that
he's fifteen and going to be graduatinghigh school and that's how that happens.

(25:18):
So Anita decide that she is,you know, leaving home and she's going
to become a stewardess, which Ithink is kind of amazing, Like if
your kid's going to rebel and youknow, leave the nest and do something
like being a stewardess, like that'spretty great. It's a solid job.
And it was pretty you know,prestigious in them and sixties, and it

(25:42):
also they would say late sixties givesyou like an opportunity to see the world,
but in like kind of a prettysafe way, you know. So
I don't know, I just Ithought that was actually you know, if
I was if I was the mom, I wouldn't be that put off by
that. So she leaving to becomea stewartist, and she's like this song

(26:03):
explains it, and she puts onlike a Simon and Garfunkele song, and
I mean, the mom Elaine couldlike the level of her want to eye
roll and like one sock. Andit's also just like it's a Simon and
Garfunkele song. So it's got areal slow start, like this is not
this isn't making your point, darling, Like it's not um but she does

(26:26):
tell William someday he's going to becool and to look under your bed.
It will set you free, shewhispers in his ear. And I couldn't
remember what was under the bed.I was like, oh my god,
does she leave him like a box, a pot or some weird shit like
that, Like I couldn't. Ididn't remember that. It's actually her vinyl
collection. Oh my gosh, thestash of like amazing vinyl albums like so

(26:48):
Good. And so he's that's hiskind of introduction in music. So fast
forwards, like four years later.Now we're in nineteen seventy three. Williams
in high school. He's obsessed withrock bands and he's outside of a radio
station watching them record, and thisis where we get introduced to them.
This is a very fortunate name.Lester Bangs is the character played by Philip

(27:15):
Symour Hoffman, and he's the editorof Cream magazine and he's being interviewed on
the radio and like William, standingout there like starry eyed, and it's
basically stalking him to try to catchhim on the way out of the interview,
which, hey man, that's awesome. And so they think you gotta
you have to go after what youwant. Like, actually, if you

(27:37):
know that this person is going tobe there, it's not like this guy
has like it's not like you're stalkinga like an actual rock band. This
guy's a rock critic, like noone. He doesn't have groupies, right
well he You know what's interesting isevery time Philip Seymour Hoffman is on screen
in this movie, I did discoverthat I was because again you know,

(28:00):
I'm watching with subtitles on. Itwas like I was really glued because he
has some of the best dialogue inthe entire movie. I mean, there's
a lot of good stuff, butlike his dialogue in particular is so um
spot on and it's like you wantto almost write down quotes word for word
from the Lester character. It's andand of course you know um Hoffman delivers

(28:25):
it so well, and it's justit's this is his first scene in it,
and I love it. Like he'sthey're doing this walk and talk and
he's like, so like, whatare you the star of your school?
And he's like, now they hateme, and he says, someday you'll
join them on the Great Journey tothe Middle. And it's like one of
those things where the way he deliversit, it just sounds really normal coming

(28:48):
from his mouth, but it's asolid burn, like it's a solid hot
fire. I need to save thatfor for somebody who's like, really you
know, thinking that their shit don'tsing. We like, enjoy your journey
to the middle like that. Imean, that's brutal. It's not even

(29:11):
the bottom the middle, like youcan't well in his little fifteen year old
ass just doesn't even catch how snarkythat is. But again, he also
doesn't deliver it in a snarky way. You know, he's still talking to
the kid, and he proclaims thatlike Rock is dead, but he did
see some of William's writing or whatever. Like basically William has contacted him before

(29:34):
he's sent it eats on sending himstuff and articles for him to read because
he wants and he actually recognizes thatthis kid does have talent. Yes,
he says, like your writing isgood, like it's it's good stuff.
And I love when he says,well, you know, I can't stand
around all day talking to you know, to my many fans, and it's

(29:55):
like just Willing I'm standing just yes, just William. Well and then they're
standing there and it's it's like they'reboth standing at the corner, and it's
like and it's like it's like whenyou say goodbye to somebody and you're both
walking across the street the same way. You're like, Okay, yeah,
I guess we're not saying goodbye yet, Like, yeah, I'm going this

(30:15):
way too, Yeah, yeah,exactly. Kind of awkward. But you
know, they stop in a dinerand continue talking because yeah, you know,
why not. He can't. Hedoesn't not get rid of the kid,
and he gives him. Lester givesthe wisdom to William of you can't
make friends with rock stars. Lester'sreally jaded about the state of music.

(30:37):
Yeah, isn't he say? Hesay, I have this written down.
It's righteously dumb. Yes, Likehe's got all of these great lines,
and this about just you know,probably how we you and I feel about
music right now. It's righteously dumb. Oh my god, like wow.

(30:59):
But he still gives William an assignmenta thousand words on Black Sabbath and tells
him I'll give you thirty five bucksto do it, and you know,
be honest and unmerciful. That's hisfamous words of Wisdom's yours. We cut
to mom drops William off at thisBlack Sabbath concert, which I think,

(31:21):
Okay, so this woman is sowound up and had such a tight leash
on her daughter, yet seems tobe perfectly fine with like letting her son
do oh Like she's like, okay, oh, here's person girl. Let
me talk to you about the differencebetween me and Nicole. By the time
that second child comes up, theyare tired. They go with the flow,

(31:48):
and he's a boy. Come onnow, she's gonna let it happen.
Yeah, uh huh. So Ido love how she yells out the
window, don't take drugs, andit's like mortifying. Everyone's mocking the mom.
I mean William, I mean hetakes it and stride who knows who.
She is very relatable because can youimagine dropping your kid off at that

(32:12):
concert at fifteen? No, no, it's like throwing him to the wolves
man and by himself. My firstconcert was I was sixteen. I did
go to a fest. It wasintently yeah, and I went with a
group of friends, and so Iwas stunned that my parents did let me

(32:35):
go with one of my friends driving, which I did not anticipate, and
so I think it was like fourof us because I remember it's like all
four seats in the car were taken, and I was kind of stunned that
my parents let me do it.But I can't imagine them pulling up and
dropping me off by myself. Imean, I would never do that with
Audrey like today, in no way, not in a hundred years. Basically,

(33:01):
he heads backstage to interview Black Sabbath, hoping he can get back there,
and the security guards like, you'renot on a list. Go to
the top of the ramp with theother girls, and there's these other like
young girls waiting at the top ofthe ramp hoping to get backstage as well.
And we enter Kate Hudson playing PennyLane, and she informs him she's

(33:27):
not a groupie, she's a bandaid. She's a band aid. She
was famous for proclaiming no more sexwith the band and that the band aids
serve a much higher purpose. Youknow, they're they're inspiring the band.
Oh yeah, this sound like somedumb teenager bullshit if I've ever heard it.

(33:47):
Yes, And it goes right outthe window. Says like five minutes
after they go through the door.So right, yeah, so we do
see a black car drive up andthe girls um are all screaming after it
because they're like it's you know,it's Azzia Osbourne or you know whatever,
and the like you see Sapphire andum Sapphire is played by Farouza Bulk.

(34:12):
I did not remember this, no, um, not at all. And
Anna Pass is in this too,yes, and her name is Plexia.
What the fuck is that? Alexia? I'd have never heard that. No,
Plexia, what does it supposed toeven mean? I don't know because
I am like it doesn't obviously there'sa lot of naming themselves, um right,

(34:37):
like is it a reference to likea song from a band or because
I mean Alexia. No, it'snot like it's a word that like has
a super super easy to find meaninga seeker of wisdom and knowledge. Yeah,

(35:01):
it's just a lot of things aboutalmost famous that pop up when you
google it. So anyway, Um, so we see these girls, you
know, they get in, butWilliam is still turned away and Penny Lane
says like I'll see what I cando, Like, yeah, she's you
know, trying to um work withthat. So a bus pulls up and

(35:25):
it's the band's Still Water and theyall come like tumbling out of this giant
tour bus and William approaches them andthey initially call him the enemy and are
like get out of here, dude, like you don't want you know,
uh, journalists aren't our friends kindof thing. Um. But he knows
all their names. He compliments theirmusic, you know, he really knows

(35:45):
the albums. And this is theopen time. Isn't Black Sabbath, This
is Still Waters and stroking stroking theirstroking their egos to get it, get
what he wants, you know.I mean it's I mean, I feel
like artists like that. Yeah,he has the knowledge, but it's also

(36:07):
like you you have to, likethere's some narcissism in anybody who is a
performer like that. I feel likeyou have to have some like narcissistic tendencies
as far as like you know,you like it when people stroke your ego
and tell you you're the best,like gotta get in well that and just

(36:30):
I think the fact that we sawat the beginning when Williams like high school
notebook was covered with like tons ofband yeahs, and like he's obsessed with
music, like he's a music bookand so like I think that's just a
fan. Yeah, but in away he sort of is. He's just
like a super fan of music.So, like what he's saying isn't like

(36:53):
contrite. It's not like he's sayingit with um total like a lie.
Yeah, it's not a false It'slike he's starry eyed for them too,
like, hey man, you mayas well be Black Sabbath. I know
who you are, Like, yeah, you know what I mean so to
him, And that's the part thatreally works because he is only fifteen years

(37:15):
old, right, because of fifteenyear the band like that is gonna react
like that, Like this kid hassuch a baby baby face. Yeah,
he looks like a little puppy doglike that you want to kind of take
care of, which you find laterworks very much to his advantage. And
there's some lines later where it's likethis he just sits there, he's like

(37:38):
and listens and observes and he's nothe's not trying to be famous like these
other people. He just wants toknow the stories. Yeah, he's just
an awe of it all. Hehas the starry eyed look of a fifteen
year old kid. Absolutely. Um. So basically, William makes it in.

(38:00):
They do invite him in, he'sgot a backstage pass. Jeff played
by Jason Lee, is talking hisear off. Now, this is the
first movie where because I click onsome of the actors and like read a
little bit about them when I'm doingthis, I did not know that Jason
Lee was actually a professional skateboarder beforeI did. Yes, I did know

(38:22):
that. I feel like that,notice, yeah, that that's that.
He was known for that and thenhe got into acting, which I think
is wild and like he still haslike a skateboard company and all that.
Like I was like, that's that'sreally cool. I did not know that
because to me, my brain associateshim with comedic acting, like that,

(38:45):
he's a comment my name is Earl, My name is Earl, or like
all the other movies that he hadno idea that he was, yeah,
like a professional skateboarder. So Ithought that was kind of wild. So
Jeff's talking his ear off. He'sthe lead singer of Stillwater. And it
took me a minute to figure thatout because William bonds right away with Russell,

(39:05):
who's like the good looking I mean, Jason Lee isn't bad looking.
But I mean, now you're standingnext to fucking Billy krutt Up like he
is a very thing. Like Iwas like, you're I'm sorry, but
pretty even in a seventies mustache.Yes, yes, And that's what I
was thinking. I was like,you can make a seventies mustache now look

(39:28):
creepy. That is ts No,that's you entered in that. You need
to get blessed every day about it, Like get say your thanks to whatever
entity you want. But you don'thit the gene Pool jackpot because a seventies
stash doesn't even look creepy on you. That's how gorgeous you are. Yeah,

(39:49):
it's it's amazing. Um. Sobasically, so it did take me
a minute to realize that Russell isnot the main front man, it's Jeff,
and that there's a dynamic there that'sproblematic that comes along over time.
So Williams got this like tape recorderand a notebook and he's got this little

(40:14):
microphone and he's trying to interview people, and Penny Lane approaches him with an
extra backstage pass. She was goodon her word that she tried to get
him an extra pass, and theyhave this great conversation about well how old
are you and Williams like eighteen,me too, seventeen, me too,
sixteen, me too, fifteen youknow, so we find out that Penny

(40:36):
Lane is basically like sixteen years oldtoo. Now, yeah, this is
deeply troubling. This is this isvery troubling because where this is going is
this is troubling. Yeah, that'sa that's a baby. And how long
has she been doing this? Right? I mean even if it's only one

(40:59):
year, that's a baby. She'sa baby. That's it's gross. These
are grown ass men. She's ababy, yes, um yeah, And
he asks what's your real name?And I'll never tell you know, uh,
so Verry Koy Russell is looking forthe enemy and William introduced him to

(41:20):
Penny Lane, which well he thinkshe's introducing him. Yeah, Russell knows
Penny Lane. Uh. And heholds her hand for an uncomfortably long time
mmmm mmmmmmmmmmm. And there it's like, you're a grown ass man. That's
a child's bay. I know,this just makes me feel very icky,
icky, icky. And I wantto say, even when I first saw

(41:45):
this, I was like, yeah, mum, because let's say a problem
with this at all. And thenAnna Pequin also looks like she's well and
Kate Hudson one the amazing things abouther is, you know, I mean,
she wasn't the age of the character, but she plays it really well.

(42:08):
But the fact of the matter is, you know, even when we
first saw this, we would havebeen twenty one when this movie came out
in the year two thousand, right, So even at twenty one, let's
assume Russell is in his early twenties, yeah, seventies, stash, you
can never really know, but let'sprotect it. Even if he's in his

(42:30):
early twenties. That's a baby,that's that's a sixteen year old girl.
It's just interesting. I don't know, I don't know how I feel about
that at all. I'm pretty grossedout by it, to be honest.
So they basically the band includes Williamin their circle. They show him where
to stand during the show. Hewatches the show with Penny Lane on like

(42:52):
the side by the stage. Afterwards, Russell invites him William and his friend
Penny come to LA with us.Here's all the info, like, we'll
meet us in LA, which atfirst I was like, whoa, that's
Chris and then I forgot. Iwas like, Oh, yeah, they're
in San Diego. Go in Lais like not that big of a I
mean it's like two hours away orsomething like Yeah. I'm thinking of like
me in Chicago as saying come cometo La. Oh okay, that's a

(43:15):
significant travel, but not for them. So ultimately, everything that's happening is
exactly what Lester said was going tohappen, right, Like the jaded guy
was like, Oh, they're gonnamake you feel cool. They're going to
pretend to be a friend. They'regoing to invite you to do all the
cool shit. They're going to introduceyou to girls. They're gonna offer you
drugs, like everything to a t, it's all happening, and it would

(43:40):
be I mean, to be backstageat a concert when you're that young,
it would be amazing and also terrifying. Oh I mean in my brain it
would be so cool, like everyoneso cool, would be so fucking cool
that I, even if I knewmy parents would get really mad at me.
It is probably the one area whereI would maybe make some poor decisions

(44:02):
and be like uh huh, yeah, I'll go because I was so not
that girl. But I loved concertsand music and like that was my jam,
Like that I would have been GoogleGaga over it all for sure.
I mean, this is all soincredibly cool, So I get it.
How you know, It's like Williamnow seems to know everybody backstage, like

(44:25):
he's been hanging out there all night. He's talking, Hey Sam, bye
to this person, that person.Yeah, And he passes the invite to
La. He all the all theinformation that Russell gave him. He passes
it on to Penny Lane and says, hey, you know, Russell wants
you to be there, and PennyLane says, I would I really need

(44:47):
a new crowd, And I'm gonnasay, why don't you come with me
and live in Morocco for a year? They met today, but again there
is something now this I find fascinatingTrivia. Kate Hudson originally was supposed to
play Anita, the older sister.Yeah, at the last minute, she

(45:08):
asked, she begged to read forPenny Lane because whoever it was supposed to
be dropped out and they almost weren'tgoing to make the movie because they didn't
see And she's so fucking good asPenny Lane. I mean, you are
mesmerized by her. She is,She's one of these effervescently she's it's like

(45:29):
she makes everything look very easy andeverything is very like you just she's one
of those people who you want tobe around and like instantly makes you feel
comfortable and you kandetic. You can'thelp but look at her, like she
walks in you. You're looking ather. Yeah, just everything she does

(45:49):
and like the way she holds herself, the way she talks, the way
she engages with people. It's likeshe is amazing in this role. Like
it's so good. It's so good. And so she gives her phone number
to William and he says, yes, he will go live with her Morocco
for a year. He'll give hera quest which okay, And I'm like,

(46:12):
what a high this kid would beon, Like a high I can't
even imagine, you know. Sohe's typing away. He tells mom he's
going to go to a dance,but he actually gets picked up by Penny
Lane and because they're going to goto La Yeah, and she imparts some
wisdom on him in the car.I just wrote down, never take it

(46:32):
seriously. If you never take itseriously, you never get hurt. If
you never get hurt, you alwayshave fun, yeah, which is one
of those pieces of advice that's likean easier said than done, my friend,
because yeah, at some point it'shard not to take something seriously,
as we will see. And Williamasks her about her and Russell and she's

(46:57):
like, no, way, hehas a serious girlfriend. I'm like no,
yeah, like we're not together.We've never been together kind of thing,
right, And they end up goingto the hotel and going in and
there's all this like just stuff goingon everywhere, you know, and and
Penny Penny Lane just knows everybody,and everybody wants to see her, and

(47:23):
you know, she's just flitting around, and then Penny Lane commands the room.
Yes, she is just like,oh she the party has arrived of
somebody like um of another character inanother movie. But I can't quite put

(47:44):
my finger on it right now.Maybe I'll think of it later. But
she's going like wandering around. Andthen of course they end up in the
room and Russell's there and the restof the band from Stilwaters there and she's,
you know, sitting on the couchand ignoring him, and pull Lexi
is the one who basically she's likemarried playing Yeah. Yeah, she's like
Act one not to care. Acttwo he pretends not to care about her.

(48:07):
Act free. It all plays outjust like she planned it. Uh
huh. And I just wrote inmy notes after this, I wrote,
she really is magical in this movie. I mean, it's I can't imagine
anyone else doing this better. Iknow she it's her man, it's like

(48:27):
she is. I kept thinking tomyself, as we know that William is
going to be writing an article,right in my mind, I just kept
saying, is the article going toend up actually being about the band?
Or is this about Penny Lane?Because it's like it's like they pale when
she's around, because it's just it'sher. It's so she she did so

(48:52):
good. She just declares she needssome ice, and then this is grody,
like she goes to the ice closetin the hotel and hangs her coat
over the door, and it's likeWilliam sort of knows her and William or
her and Russell are hooking up inthere. Yeah, and I's like again,
okay, I wrote, I wrote, is she really sixteen? I'm

(49:15):
a bit uncomfortable. That's exactly whatI wrote because I was like, I'm
uncomfortable with the situation. I'm uncomfortablewith this whole thing. Yeah, it's
uncomfortable. It really is. Youshould know better, so it's you know,
basically, it cuts to then williamsback at home and he gets a

(49:36):
call from Rolling Stone and they offerhim an opportunity to do three thousand words
on still Water for seven hundred dollars, and then he doesn't say anything,
and they go, okay, finda thousand books, like as if he's
playing hardball, and he's doing thislike fake low voice to pretend like he's
older. I just wrote this ishilarious, like his I mean, and

(49:58):
then his mom picks up the phoneand it's like I need you to do
that thing with the garbage, andthen it's like silence on both ends,
and it's like the best thing,the best thing to do in those situations
is to do exactly what William doesand say nothing and let the other person
be the first one to react,because then that cues how you should react.

(50:21):
Yes, he's like, oh yeah, I'll let you go. My
old lady does the same thing tome and he's like, oh thank god,
which is something I feel like,I would not do very well.
You just randomly were put on holdon Skype Hold. I didn't touch anything.
What is wrong with technology? God? You got some real ghosts in

(50:46):
the network. Yes. Um.I love that William calls Lester to tell
him all about it, like,this is what happened. And I think
that's nice. It's it's his mentor, like and he's already kind of been
through all this, yeah, andhe's willing to It helps I think keep

(51:08):
William a little bit more grounded sothat he doesn't get to starry eyed or
like overwhelmed. And he's like,you just you know, you gotta do
you can do it. They're gonnacome, They're gonna come calling you,
and you just you just do it. Also at basically we do see now

(51:32):
the there's like a shot of thefront of the tour bus that they get
on and it said the almost famousTour of seventy three or whatever, and
I was like, oh, yeah, okay, that's the that's on the
bus there and they're riding and um, oh, I'm sorry, wait,
we're not there yet. He callsLester. William asks his mom if he
can go on the tour bus andshe actually says, okay, I about

(51:54):
died. Okay. So this iswhere I was like very conflicted with this
halt because your kid is getting thisincredible opportunity, like Rolling Stone Magazine wants

(52:15):
him to that, Like, butat the same time, you're like,
you're a baby still. I thinkI almost wonder if this is why we
had to see the stuff happen withAnita, because she is because then that
makes Elaine the mom maybe think twiceabout not letting them about holding onto ye

(52:39):
tight and then push him away.Yeah, I mean I kind of wonder,
and also the fact that I thinkthere is part of her that probably
understood because she has this rose tintedglasses of he's the exceptional child, she
should let him do exceptional things.Yeah, I mean, this is pretty

(53:00):
exceptional. But I know, Idon't think I could do it. I
don't think I could. I'd belike, can I come with I mean,
even with fucking like GPS trap,I don't think about it now,
like there were not cell phones andshit, then I know, I know,
I don't think. I don't know, or at least I would be

(53:21):
like, well, then you needto convince the band to come here and
meet me, like, I needto see who these people are that you're
going with. They're all riding andhaving fun, and he asks Russell for
an interview when they get to Arizona, and he says, yeah, yeah,
yeah, when we get there,we'll do the interview because it looks
like he's trying to interview like everybodyin the band type of thing on their

(53:44):
own. And so at the hotelwhen they get there, the front dusk
message, a guy has a messagefrom his mom and he's like, she's
a handful, but that's a guyfrom on our family. Yeah. I
was like, I was like,oh, well, I know, not
Mitchell. It's it's a cam cam. Yeah. And it's like this note

(54:07):
that has it all in giant letters. Don't take drugs, don't take drugs.
Yeah. Basically we also see kindof on the side here Jeff the
lead singer, talking to Russell andit's concerned that William's writing for Rolling Stone
because he's like, remember this isthe enemy, like they'll pick us apart,

(54:30):
you know, and criticize everything thatwe do. Um, and you
know, Russell kind of has thislike come on, he's a fan.
He's fifteen years old, Like yeah, well, he doesn't know how young
he is yet now yeah, butyeah, well but again, like you
said, he's so baby faced.He's clearly a gread you know. Yeah,
and the goofy band aid girls arearguing and like, William heads to

(54:52):
Russell's room and he knocks, butthere's like a do not disturb sign and
he's yelling go away, and Ilove that. Penny Lane comes to the
door, which is gross. Iwas like, are you okay? Like
she knows he's a kid in thismadness and that he's never done any of
this before, and she's, youknow, even though Russell's yelling go away,

(55:13):
she does answer door and is likeare you all right? Like,
yeah, I love how he Ilove how he yells. I'm in too
truthful of a mood, too truthfulof Yeah, yeah, for sure.
That's kind of what I need.I need to say to some people,
Like if I've had a couple ofcocktails, be like, listen, I'm
in too truthful of a mood rightnow. You need to go away,

(55:34):
step off if we want to remainfriends. You don't want to prod you
deep here, right. So Momcalls looking for William at the hotel and
Sapphire answers he's still in the barwith the band. Is this Marianne with
the pot? I mean, wouldyou lose your ever love and fucking mind?
My ass would be in a carlike I am coming to get you

(55:58):
what. Uh? Yeah. Shetries to play Kate mom by saying,
don't worry, we're taking care ofhim. He's still a virgin. You
should be proud of him. Yeah, you know. Um again, this
is another child speaking on the phone. Yes. And meanwhile at the pool,
Russell and William seem like they're goingto interview, and Russell stops him

(56:22):
and is like, well, waita minute, wait a minute. First
of all, off the record,Yeah, some of us have girlfriends and
some of us have wives back home. And it's like he automatically is kind
of stating like, you can't beputting things about us hooking up with the
band aids right because some of us, you know, And I'm like,

(56:44):
that is a real and maybe youshouldn't be doing it. I put I
was like, um, he's like, some of the people you meet on
the road are really amazing. Andhe looks at Penny Lane and I just
have in all caps. She's achild like a child. It's just and
then I put this conversation is eitherreally real for Russell as a character,

(57:13):
or it's really manipulative because William isalso a child. It's like he's kind
of telling him how it is andbeing this wise you know, yeah rock
star and I'm like, when you'rewhen you're a pedophile is what it's just
yeah, like you're just sort ofmaking it okay, okay, um so

(57:39):
yeah. But he also states inthis move moment off the record that he
is beyond the band musically. Nowat this point in the movie, it's
like they haven't totally set this up. This is the beginning of it.
I think where Russell does have thislike I'm kind of better than still Water,

(58:01):
like I will you know, I'mjust like he kind of has like
I don't need I don't need themto be they need me. Yeah,
And that's the dangerous way to thinkwhen you're still not like Ken made the
big Times yet. And as muchas the lead singer is full of ego

(58:24):
and piss and vinegar and all thethings kind of annoying, he calls it
for exactly what it is, LikeJeff sees it like, you know,
and then we're going to see thatcome up. And at the next show,
this is where Russell touches a microphoneand gets like electrocuted. I never

(58:45):
really even thought about that, Like, well, I guess I did.
I mean, I've always thought aboutthat with like all the pyrotechnics and stuff
on stages, like there's a lotof risk there for some of that for
like performer, you know. Imean, I mean there's definitely been injuries
and things. I mean, butit's I mean I didn't even think of

(59:07):
that, like all the electricity runningthrough all that equipment. I didn't even
realize that he had gotten electric LikeI was like, what happened? Like,
and then he touches and like yeah, and I saw that and I
was like, what just happened?But then he like collapses and I'm like,
oh, he he got electrocuted.Yeah, And so they ditched the

(59:34):
show, which um, you know, their manager kind of insists on,
and the promoter of the show isgiving them a lot of shit, and
they get on their bus and they'relike getting the funk out of there,
and there's this amazing scene where they'reon the bus and Williams looking out the
window because Sapphire is screaming, ohyeah, William, your mom called and
she's running and giving them a messageand she crashes into a wall. And

(59:58):
I loved it. It was sofunny. It's it's so funny. I
laughed out loud at that one becauseI was like, oh I I it
was like really great physical humor,Like it was spot on, so good,
so good. So now they're leavingArizona. I was also wondering,

(01:00:19):
like, okay, so this promoteris getting like I understand, okay,
like they couldn't do their set,but like you just electrocuted somebody. Why
is he not in an ambulance toa hospital or why don't you have like
a medic or something on site?Like I know, this was like the
seventies and like, uh, safetywas when we went to um we brought

(01:00:45):
Audrey to that luoo that was localhere, like so there's a restaurant kind
of out in the boonies, suburbanwise, but they would have this luo
and they would put a tent upin their parking lot and they would have
on like the Chicago a low hotdancers come and you could buy a ticket
and it came with like a mealand you would sit and like there would

(01:01:07):
be this amazing performance going on.And Drew and I went to it one
summer and it was amazing, andso then the second summer that it came,
we're like, oh, we're doingthis again, and it was going
to be a date night. Wellthen our babysitter flaked out, and we
said, it's okay, it's familyfriendly. Let's just take Audrey with us,
like she'll just you know, it'snot like something that we couldn't just

(01:01:28):
take her to and she'll probably thinkit's really cool. So we take her
and it's all going great until theyalways have somebody performing, like the fire
dance, and the guy was adifferent guy from the first time we saw
it, and he lit his grassstuff on fire on his legs and there
was no contingency plan, there wasno fire extinguisher nearby, there was no

(01:01:50):
bucket of water. He ran offthe stage. I ran towards him with
like as like two ice cups thatI had on the table, and because
he was screaming, it's burning,it's burning, it hurts, it hurts,
and screaming and pain and find notdropping, roll dude, stop dropping.
He did, but he had ona paper. Oh, it was
horrible. An ambulance did have tocome and they took him away in it.

(01:02:13):
He had like third degree burns onhis legs. It was bad.
And I can tell you that I'mpretty sure that if you were to see
that entity perform again, that thatgoes a lot differently now that they probably
now bring a fire extinguisher and abucket of water, Like that's basic girl
scout. Shit, dude, howwas that not there's fire and he's in

(01:02:36):
a grass skirt, right. Therestaurant didn't do it, the people in
charge of the show didn't do it. Nobody thought like it just was so
like that's how this shit can happen, you know. I mean, it's
this is why like we sometimes jokeabout, you know, being like the
safety police at our house, butI have seen one too many times where

(01:02:57):
there's no safety plan here, likeyou are a sitting duck in this situation,
like you know, it's it's reallyso I can kind of see how
this could happen like that. There'sno they don't put them an ambulance.
They just like, yeah, yeahyou can walk, let's look get out
of here, you know, Andit's like you're running on adrenaline. You
can't believe what you just saw.It's kind of crazy. So they you

(01:03:20):
know, basically they're on their wayto Topeka, Kansas, and I there's
just yet another one of these things. It's so funny because Drew said something
to me last night. I wishI could remember the exact thing we were
talking about, something about like,well, you wouldn't be that way when
when you were younger about a guyor whatever, and you know you weren't
kind of like not programmed like princesswise, and I said, oh,

(01:03:44):
honey, from birth, every femaleis programmed with a narrative about men,
trust me. And I had plentyof that programming myself, absolutely, And
because in this scene, there isis this moment when they're like, look
and it's a group of high schoolgirls and like a gym class running and

(01:04:08):
there's just like this lewd moment wherethey're like and they're like, we can't
stop. Every time you see highschool girls that you want to help,
I'm like, those are high schoolkids. I know. No, gross,
I know that was that was gross. Yeah, yeah, I don't
know. So I do love umWilliams interviews with the Other bandmates, namely

(01:04:31):
the bass player and the drummer,because literally they have nothing to say.
The bass players like, I'm abass player, Like what do you think
musically? You bring like the kemLike William is trying to like extract and
he's like, well, I'm thebass player. The bass line like yeah,

(01:04:55):
I mean just totally well in thatkind of a and why he gets
so hung up. I'm wanting tointerview Russell because it's like, I need
some materials. I got nothing.I got nothing from the bass player in
the drummer. The drummer's like,doesn't say anything. And this article is
supposed to be three times as longas the one he wrote for the Cream

(01:05:16):
magazine, you know, like wewent from a thousand words to three thousand
words, Like you got to givehim something, so um. Finally they
are arriving in Kansas and William callshis mom and he's in the hallway on
like a pay phone, and um, there is just all of this cacophony
of nonsense around him, and finallyRussell grabs the phone, Mom, I

(01:05:43):
sent this where she grabs he grabsthe phone while pose them Remember he's fifteen,
Like this poor mom. Oh,no, he doesn't. She doesn't
grab the phone. That's not thisDuring this one, this is where he
sees Beth from Denver, Yes,and she explains that she's an original band
aid like Penny's line like she cansee auras and shit, and I was
just wrote, Lord Jesus, thisis just this is some seventy shit.
I could never get the kind you'rea purple huh Okay, And finally it

(01:06:10):
would appear that like William and Russell'sinterview just might start, and William asks
them like some great questions and Russell'slike when did you get so professional?
Yeah? But a box of Tshirts arrive and it just derails their whole
interview again, and Russell is theonly one in focus on the shirt and

(01:06:32):
is in front. I mean thisis bad. Like the band's reaction is
understandable, like if if I waswhat's the lead singer's name, Jeff,
Yeah, Jeff, If I wasJeff, I mean that he is justifiably
pissed off. Yes, And Ithink all bands go through stuff like this,

(01:06:58):
right, because like somebody gets singleout as like the it person in
that group, and sometimes it's notalways the front man, right, And
he's like your looks have become aproblem, you know, And I'm like,
oh, well, you're not wrong. But I actually just listened to
a great episode of this podcast calledUM and the Writer Is, And the

(01:07:23):
episode I listened to was Gwen Stefaniand it's a podcast where it's all musicians
that write music and get interviewed.And she was talking about like those days
back in No Doubt where you know, she and her band when you listen
to like the Tragic Kingdom album,that they went through a lot of this

(01:07:45):
of kind of arguing about, youknow, because like that Tragic Kingdom album,
how it's just her pictured on it, Like that was a fight,
like well no, we want itto be all of us. And she
kind of always had to live withthis, Like she said, isn't terrible,
but it was something that they alwayshad to go through because she wrote
those songs. Those songs were herstory to tell. Of course, people

(01:08:08):
were attracted to that, like notonly is she the only girl in the
band, she's the lead singer,and they were her stories that she's telling
on stage. Of course, shewas getting singled out and it was more
about Gwen than it was about NoDoubt. Sometimes and they had to grapple
with that. Now, it soundedlike from her point of view that it

(01:08:28):
wasn't like this. There wasn't likethe knockdown, drag out jealousy fights.
But it was like, well whatabout the rest of we just secondary Yeah,
you know, it wasntary accessories toyour and she never you know,
and she wasn't at all like that, but it was like, well,
I can't help it that this ishow people are connecting to the music,
like they see me and these songsare all about her heartache and like she

(01:08:54):
wrote them, you know. Soit's like, well, yeah, I
mean, you know you're gonna andso I think all bands like go through
this and so it's kind of fascinatingto listen sometimes that podcast it called and
the Writer Is is really good,Like, you know, I want to
go back and listen to some otherepisodes about it. So William and Russell
kind of walk off to bond andlike walk it off after this big blow

(01:09:14):
up, and some kids in acar invite them to a party full of
children. I mean, could youimagine though, like if you came stumbling
across some like rock star who's wanderingaround and you go you want to go
to a party, and he goes, yeah, no, I can't imagine
that happening, but I mean,well, and also you do have to

(01:09:36):
remember, you know, this isthe guitarist of a band that is almost
famous. Right, They're an openingact, right, so maybe, I
mean sure, why not? Itcould have happened. It's Russell has a
lot of seventies bs conversation with allthese kids. I mean, oh god,

(01:09:58):
oh he is he has found hisaudience man, because yes, I
don't think anyone his own age wouldbe given a shit about anything he was
saying. At his heart, it'sjust like talking about how real they are.
You're real and this is real.And oh, I was just like,
make me throw up. God,you sound so little, you sound

(01:10:21):
so like pretentious. Yes, andthey tell him that the beer in red
cups has acid in it, sohe drinks the whole cup of it,
jumps off the roof into a pool, yelling this is where we get the
yeah, and the I am agolden God. Yes, Russell is a

(01:10:45):
mess and William is seeing it allI mean, and in his acid induced
I mean I loved when he waslike he's taking notes with his mind,
like say, we're talking about William, and William's like, whoa man.
So the bus ride after all ofthis with this party, I mean,
the manager has to come get Russell. It's hot mess express. He is

(01:11:09):
on an acid trip from hell andfrom from the perspective of everybody else,
knowing he needs to get it togetherbecause the tour is moving on. Yeah,
and so the bus ride is nowhella awkward. But they all start
singing Tiny Dancer and it fixes itall because I mean, how can you
not sing along to Tiny Dancer?I mean I think I play that every

(01:11:30):
like Saturday or Sunday morning while I'mmaking pancakes, and I mean I just
I mean, hold me closer TinyDancer, like no doubt, you know,
absolutely. So Elaine in the meantimeis freaking out teaching her college class.
She's like rock stars of kidnapped myson. I can't do this today,

(01:11:50):
And I just like this woman is, I mean, she is playing
this, She's him this a lotbetter than I would. I think I
would be a solid, solid messum. I don't think I could concentrate
on anything. I would just feellike especially again, remember no cell phones,

(01:12:13):
no no, like, what doesshe tracking she's waiting for him to
contact her because she doesn't have phonenumbers of every hotel that he's going to
and all that. Oh god,I can't even So William calls Lester,
like, what do I tell RollingStone? I can't get what I need
for the article? Like Russell keepsputting me off. You know what do
I do? And Lester kind ofguides him through it. Um tell him

(01:12:33):
it's a think piece. Yeah,yeah, because I mean, he just
gives them this load of be asking. He's like, they will absolutely eat
it up. Yes, I mean, and I just love his I love
his Uh, he just knows itall, like he just has been around
the block so many times. Hehas lost all all the shine and patina

(01:12:58):
on the rock star life is gonefor him, and he can see he
can see through all the bullshit,yes, and get right to the heart
of it. He sees the steamingpile of bullshit and calls it a steaming
pile of bullshit. Yes, Likehe's like, Yep, this is how
it's gonna go, and they're gonnaeat it up, don't worry. And

(01:13:19):
William does exactly that. So he'swriting in the bathtub. He's trying to
get a calm place. He's inthis room, in the hotel room,
and Penny Lane comes into Pea andhe's like, well, I don't need
to be in here for this,right, yeah, but um, you
know, they do start talking andhe's like, don't you have any regular

(01:13:40):
friends? Like, yeah, notfamous people, And she's just like famous
people are more interesting. I meanyeah, like she is an interesting person,
like just kind of um, thegirls steal William out of the bathroom
to deflower him and other scene whichI am very uncomfortable with, but it's

(01:14:01):
a little closer to I mean,it's a little I mean, but still
this one I can forgive a littlebit more. But all I'm thinking about
is Genie mule Bueller and her scorchingcase of herpes. Because these girls have
got the fucking clap you know it? Uh huh yeah, I mean chlamydia,
genital warts. I don't know,but there's got to purple Layton on

(01:14:25):
those situations. Yeah, because um, why are a peatree dish and poor
William is just like a clean bean. And I was just like, I
mean, the bad the movie doesn'tgo there, but that's what I was
thinking. So I do love thisscene though, where the girls are like

(01:14:45):
jumping on the bed around him,they're stripping him of his clothes whatever,
and it's like it all sort ofstarts to be in slow motion. It's
just the eye contact between him andPenny Lane, and she just kind of
smiles and is like, this iswhat it is, you know, And
I mean, it's this I wrotein my notes. Kate Hudson through this

(01:15:05):
movie does this amazing job of speakingwith just her face, like silent talking
with her face. It's like,right, I just kept noticing it,
and it's so in contrast to hercharacter and two hundred cigarettes that was all
about the like over the vomit verbalvomit, yes of like oh my god,

(01:15:29):
I'm like, well, you know, it's like this is like she's
not saying that much, but she'ssaying so much with her face. She's
so perfect in this role. It'sI mean, and if you think about
Kate Hudson at the time, beinglike in her twenties, that's still a
really young person to be like thisgood. Like she's so good. So

(01:15:50):
Rolling Stone calls and William gives theline but Lester told him to use and
they're like, you know, well, we need the story in Forday and
they give him a thousand more words, and so we're considering the band for
the cover, but don't tell them, to tell them. And we also

(01:16:10):
discovered that Sapphire says that William's nota virgin anymore. I was well,
at least we didn't have to watchit happen. Yeah, and I got
very appreciative of the thank you,thank you, Cameron Crowe. Yeah,
he's stressing about the article and hefinally breaks down in the hallway like William

(01:16:34):
is like, dude, like nowthey just he's over it. Yeah,
they now they made the article evenlonger, and the stakes are even higher
that it's being considered for the coverpiece, and he's just holding all that
information and so he does. Hewas supposed to leave from this city they're
in Greenville or whatever. He wassupposed to get on a plan and go

(01:16:55):
home, like that's as far ashe was supposed to go. Well,
now he's continuing on with them toCleveland because he doesn't have it done.
And his mom is like, hekeeps telling his mom, I won't miss
graduation. I'll be back in time. I only miss one test, Like
it's don't worry mom, I gotbecause again he's supposed to be in school,
so he's calling his mom. I'llbe home for graduations. And this

(01:17:18):
is where Russell grabs the phone andtalks to Elaine and she blows his mind
with her mom voice and mom talk. Oh. This is my favorite scene
in the entire movie because Russell comeson the phone with all the swagger and
it's like she just shuts that shipdown, like, h you listen to

(01:17:41):
me? And he's just like yousee his entire I mean, Billy Crudup
does a very good job of theLike he looks like he got slapped.
I mean it looks like she can'treach her hand through the phone and like
grabbed him and shook him and waslike you listen to me? Who listened
to me? Here is one ofmy famous bulleted lists, some of the
quotes. You will meet the voiceon the other end of this phone,

(01:18:04):
and it will not be pretty.I didn't ask for this role, but
I will play it. You stillhave a chance to be a person of
substance, and please get my sonhome safely. Yes, And I love
that she goes and Russell, doyour best. I know she's amazing She's

(01:18:31):
the mom that we are all inour brains like, yeah, that's all.
That's the mom that we want tobe right there is that now you
do your best. You go outand do your best. And I love
how Russell hangs up the phone.He just turns to William and he's like,
mom kind of freaked me out.Yeah, she has that effect on
people. Oh my god. Well, after the concert's over again, William

(01:18:55):
tries to interview Russell, but nowthe band manager breaks the news that the
record label wants to send them anew big time manager, and William is
rebuffed again on this interview that heneeds Yeah entered Jimmy Fallon. Yeah was.
Now, when I was watching theintro credits, I was like,

(01:19:18):
Jimmy Fallon is in this like andI can look out for him and like
in like one of the like partyscenes or something like that is because it's
it's Jimmy Fallon and it's and he'snot funny, No, No, he's
just weird, awkward seventies nerd managerlike it's it was. It was odd

(01:19:41):
for me and maybe at the timeit wasn't as weird because I don't know,
Like I I don't I mean,was he on SNL at that.
I'm assuming it was it time.I mean, but he was doing more
movies and stuff at that time becausehe had like like Beaver Pitch and yeah,
like you would, but I stillthink you would see this and think,

(01:20:02):
Okay, Jimmy Fallon, it's goingto be something funny is gonna happen.
Yeah, it's not. It doesn't. So he sells this idea that
the money to be made in thebig leagues is what he brings us to
the table. And suddenly everything thatLester had been ranting about about the death

(01:20:24):
of rock and roll seems really applicable, like his mad rantings at the beginning
of the movie about the industry ofwhat's happening to it. Suddenly it's like
it's this is everything. Like everythingJimmy Fallon says to the band, this
is what Lester was saying. Yeah, And so they ditch Doris the bus.

(01:20:45):
I didn't realize her name was Doris. I love that. I did
see it. I did see it. They had a picture of a shot
of it when they were driving.It was like alongside of the bus while
they were driving, and I didsee the name Doris on there. But
I love it. I like thename. I like the name Doris for
a bus. Yeah, so theyditched the bus for a plane with Jimmy
Fallon because he says, you know, if you have a plane, you

(01:21:06):
can play more cities because you don'thave all this travel time on the road.
They're like, you know, butthe road is part of the inspiration,
man, you know. And umso they they do end up keeping
like that current manager Dickie or whateveris still with them, Like so there's
not a complete change over to JimmyFallon. Jimmy Fallon is now like in

(01:21:29):
the mix. I think it's probablylike he might be like Jimmy Fallon might
be there like the overall manager.Yeah, he's from the label, but
it's like I think, you know, he's worried, like Dickie is worried
that he is going to get replacedthough, like that, well if you
if the labor's labels sending this guyin, you know, I still like,

(01:21:50):
you know, So anyway, they'replaying poker in Boston and I know,
and William sees this and dick thecurrent manager, wagers Penny Lane and
the band aids and gets the okayfrom Russell first and he says sure,

(01:22:10):
yeah, I'm sure, and heokays it, and so they get as
part of a poker deal given toanother band named Humble Pie. I was
like this, this, this isnow William's eyes being opened, like yeah,
oh what like like Penny Lane,like he's he's as magic by Penny

(01:22:40):
Lane as we are as the audienceand the idea that like wait what you
just like you're just it's like tissuepaper, like you're just tossing her,
tossing her away. And Russell triesto explain it to William that while his
girlfriend's going to be in New Yorkand Penny and he's like, well,

(01:23:00):
and Penny knows that she's gotta gottaleave Penny for New York. Penny Lane
will understand, is what he says. She'll she'll understand. And so William
talks to Penny Lane and she's intent, I'm going to New York with Russell
Like no, they're they're broken up. And yeah. She asked him,
well, do you know something?And William's trying to not tell her what

(01:23:26):
he just witnessed, but like makeher think like Russell isn't who you think
he is, right, And she'sthey fight about it, like, you
know, and she's telling him likehe's so naive, he's so sweet,
You're so sweet, you know,and he's like, I'm dark and mysterious
and pissed off. I did haveto laugh at that, because I mean,

(01:23:48):
this kid's face, that baby faceand him say delivering that line.
It's adorable and it's so full ofteenage hormone angst. It's perfect. Yeah,
it's perfect. M William does tellher that Russell sold her for fifty
bucks in a case of beer ina poker match, and you know,

(01:24:09):
Penny Lane is crushed. She didn'tfollow her own rules that she laid out
in the car about not caring,right. I do love her. M
her comeback like she I think inorder to kind of protect herself while she
goes, well what kind of beer? Yeah, which is just like she's
just trying to she's trying to makeit. I think she's trying to convince

(01:24:32):
herself it doesn't make her, doesn'thurt her as much, or she's trying
to convince him or convince them boththat oh this is just how it is,
you know, and and this isI'm okay, but kind it doesn't
really again, her face betrays her, betrays her. It's it you can

(01:24:55):
like she's crying. It's so it'ssad. Yeah, I just I don't
know, it's it's a it's asad thing. And it's like and again
like these are two kids that areand you know, teenage girls looking up
to these older guys and it's notcool like it I don't know, it's

(01:25:18):
just it's it's really sad. Yeah. So um onto New York City.
Um, the guys are really treatingWilliam like he is a true buddy,
like he's in at the hotel.Leslie the girlfriend does show up, and

(01:25:38):
it's like, we're going to pretendthat this is all. This is so
okay. Uh and I put thisis sad to me. There's like a
real covert operation here on behalf ofeveryone, all the adults. Yeah,
but William is like there's a it'sjust like we're just gonna pretend that this
wild ass shit that I've been drivingacross the country with you people, We're

(01:26:01):
gonna pretend that none of this happens. When we arrive on Hot City and
it's been all normal, it's allbeen real boring. We're just we're just
driving and performing that that's it.Yeah, um uh yeah, I don't
know if I would believe that.Well, I know, I mean,
and the girlfriend ex wife now girlfriendwhatever it is, or there is the

(01:26:27):
other guy has an ex wife,whatever it is, it's his girlfriend.
The other guy I think has anex wife. Yeah, I think it's
just basically, it's just it's slimy. It's smarmy and slimy. It's gross.
And so we never talked about Vic, the super led Zeppelin fan,

(01:26:48):
which was, um, oh mygod, what is his name? I
of course I didn't write it down, and he has such a small part
and I can't remember. He hasthe exact voice of Christians Later. Oh
yeah, I guess you're right.His voice sounds Oh here is Jay Burruschell.

(01:27:11):
He literally has the listen to him, you are listening to Christians Later.
It's it's it's alarming, like he'sthe voice of one of the like
how to Train Your Dragon movies.Oh yay, I love him in that
movie. Um, oh my god. Uh it's like, oh my god,

(01:27:31):
what is the name of it?Where the girl like she's hotter than
him. It's really cute. It'sreally cute. Hold on, it's it's
gonna come to me. I'm I'mi MD being at what is It's like,
she's out of your league. Oh, it's a super cute one.
And he's he's great in it.He's just he's got great delivery. But
he's in this really tiny part.He looks twelve, he's so skinny and

(01:27:57):
little in it um and he heshows up and recognizes William skin It's just
like, here's all of my highschool aged friends on this fucking tour.
And says that Zeppelin's there, andso are Sapphire and Penny Lane. They're
in New York code name Emily Rugburneat the hotel like they come see them,

(01:28:17):
you know kind of thing. SoRolling Stone calls and the story is
going to be a cover story,and William can go ahead and tell the
band. So whatever momentum is happeningnow with the band's trajectory, it's now
making them more valuable in this Yes, in the view of Rolling Stone,
did you ever like, were youinto Rolling Stone ever? I did have?

(01:28:47):
Did I have a subscription to it? No? I did not have
a subscription to it. But youknow what, so because I am a
business owner, I get lots ofmagazine sent to me. For a while,
I was getting a whole bunch ofRolling Stone magazines and I would read
through them, but I don't thinkI ever did when I was I definitely

(01:29:09):
had a subscription in high school fora brief and I also used to Um,
I also used to buy them wheneverit was like someone my favorite on
the cover. Yeah, like thegrocery store and totally like pour over Rolling
Stone and so you know, itwas funny when we were younger, I

(01:29:30):
did feel like Rolling Stone was abig deal, and it made me wonder
like was it as big of adeal in this timeframe, you know,
like I guess, so yeah,or more time around. Yeah, it's
just kind of crazy. Um,they need the Rolling Stone does need Williams
notes, which he has been writingon scraps of paper that he can find

(01:29:51):
anywhere. I mean, it's prettyfunny. Um, they can transmit it
on a mojo from the hotel,which I guess is kind of like a
fact fact It only takes eighteen minutesa page, and I'm sure William opens
his bag and has like nine thousandpost its and it's like, right,

(01:30:14):
so it's gonna take three days justto get this to you. Yeah.
So they're all out at a restaurantand William tells the band about getting the
cover and it's all these celebrations,right, like yeah, and there's the
awkwardness that they're all at this tablewith the girlfriend and Penny Lane is standing
at the same restaurant like giving looksback and forth, and it's super awkward

(01:30:40):
between Penny Lane, Leslie Russell,like there's this triangle situation going on,
not good well, and then obviouslyLeslie is like, who is that girl?
And why is she staring over here? Why is she staring over here?
Do you guys know her? Andthey all go she's with me.
I'm like, yeah, that's notthat's not cover for anything, right,

(01:31:00):
yeah, no one, No one'scovering Russell's ass because he's the only one
who doesn't say it exactly. Dickthe manager gets Penny Lane to leave.
It's it's not pretty, Like she'sreally emotional. She thought she was going
to kind of come in and thisis not right. But she's getting handled
basically and it's not good. Um, So William runs after her like this

(01:31:25):
is a really hurtful He runs afterher and he's trying to chase her,
and he basically chases her and finallyfigures out her code name Emily Rugburn hotel
room and finally finds her in there, and she is not okay, Like
she's definitely on something. She's takinglads, right, we figured out like

(01:31:46):
she's taken a lot of quayloads,yes, and drinking. And she talks
about the other girls are going tobe going off with the other bands.
You know, Sapphire is going withthis one, Plexi is going with that
one. And William sees like thisis not good, so he does an
enormously responsible thing and picks up thephone and calls a doctor at the front

(01:32:09):
doors. We need we need adoctor in this room, because he recognizes
like this is not good, whichmad props to a fifteen year old kid
for doing something like that, Likethat would be yeah, especially because she
is so much cooler than him,you know, this is her world like,
but he recognizes this that he seesthe like empty bottle of quayluds.

(01:32:33):
He tells her that because he thinksshe'll never remember this, that he loves
her and gives her a kiss,and it's just like I'm like, she's
passed out, dude. And wealso are getting cut scenes from the fact
that William is in fact missing graduationas we speak there and we see this

(01:32:55):
horrible like back and forth of thedoctor putting a like an NG tube down
and pumping her stomach in the bathroomof the hotel room, like get it
out of her. It's bad.Penny is okay, though she ends up
telling her real name is Lady Goodman, which sounds really made up as well.

(01:33:16):
Yeah, because well, because hegoes he takes her to the airport,
right, and then he goes,hey lady, and all these other
women turn around and she just walksin. So I still don't think that
it was real. So um,I love when he takes to the airport
and then he's running through the airportlike it's the way goodbye to her.

(01:33:41):
It's really really it's very sweet andinnocent. You know. William gets on
a jet with stillwater on the privatejet and there's an electrical storm, and
holy shit, is this crazy?I mean, right away you can tell
like a smaller private jet, likeit's a small plane compared to freak me
out, and Jesus and this wholescenario. I was like oh well,

(01:34:04):
they start sing in Peggy Sue andI'm like, wow, that's dark,
real dark, real dark. Thatwas like the what was it? Does
Rose Kennedy have a black dress?Whatever? Movie a bit like and I
was like, ye ouch like peopleyes singing, you know American pie Matt

(01:34:26):
So imminent death confessions commence, yes, because everybody thinks they're going down.
They're gonna land in the field baby, And it starts with all these kind
of I love you man messages,and Russell's the first, you know,
kind of he's in it. Ilove you guys, I love everybody here.
You know. It's all these lovelove love and then it evolves into
Russell sucks, You're the worst,and I just wrote, yikes. Yeah,

(01:34:51):
I mean this is one moment whereI kind of felt bad for Russell,
because yes, he is definitely apedestal full of himself. He's holier
than now, righteous dude, right. Um, but you all literally definitely

(01:35:13):
think you're gonna die here, andyou're just telling him you suck, right,
And it's like I don't like you, I hate you like no one
I might never like you. Noone likes you. And it's like wow,
like and Brussels, just like really, like, no one likes me,
like I thought you guys were likemy brothers. Like I mean,
I do feel a bit bad forhim in this scene because he feels like

(01:35:36):
these people who he spends all thistime with are all like, you hate
me, you hate again. Ifwe are to believe that this is an
imminent death confession, these are yourlast words to a dude, right,
oh my wow. Um. Well, William ends up shaming them all for
ditching Penny Lane right rightfully. Sothey end up landing in Tupelo and Russell

(01:36:03):
they're going to part ways now becauseit's time for William to go home.
And William and Russell kind of lookat each other after this terrible incident in
the plane that I mean, becauldyou want to talk about Hella, awkward.
Shit just got silent after that,like there's no bouncing back with some
time to dancer after that situation,And Russell kind of looks and smiles at

(01:36:27):
him and just says, write whatyou want, and he goes home and
does exactly that, and at RollingStone they're kind of not impressed. They
call it a puff piece. It'slike this love letter to still Water and
right, but they said. He'slike, but it's not finished. He's
like, you have all my notes. He's like, I'm not done with

(01:36:47):
it. He's like, he toldme to give you what I have,
and this is what I have exactly, so I'm not to mine. Yeah,
let me go home and write it. So he does that, and
William calls Lester and I have this. This was another This conversation is gold
about being uncool. If I wereto be one of those hokeys people that

(01:37:12):
envisioned stealing something for a high schoolgraduation speech to younger people, these are
the lines I would steal. Yeah, because he says the one that I
had to write down it. He'sthe only true currency in this bankrupt world
is what you share with someone elsewhen you're uncool. And it's like,

(01:37:34):
yeah, yeah, exactly, thepeople you can be your most uncool around.
M h. That's the real currencyof this life. Like that that
it's not the cool people or beingcool, you know, and it's like
it was all the facade. It'sno one's cool. This well conversation friend

(01:37:59):
seems like he was pretty cool,dude. There's some pretty cool people out
there. But I think again,though, even the ones that are truly
cool like that. And I thinkthe ones the celebrities are the people that
still have like their humility and it'slike they understand exactly this sentiment, right,

(01:38:20):
well, yeah, that's my job. Like I'm a creative, I'm
an artist, like and I'm gladyou think it's cool because it's helping me
have a career at this. Butthey're still keeping close to the cuff,
the people that they can be themost uncool around and trust right, you
know, And it's just like Ilove this whole thing, and I wish

(01:38:42):
someone I wish I had a lesserto have had that conversation with me when
I was fifteen. You know.It's like because I was fifteen and so
uncool, you know, like it'sjust I was right there with you.
I mean, you know, it'sjust I don't know. So the band
gets the fact check call from thefact checker at Rolling Stone, and Jeff

(01:39:05):
is I didn't know. I don'tknow if you noticed this, but I
did. Jeff's wearing a T shirtof himself, so like the lead singer,
Jeff, he has I did,he has Jeff whatever, And it's
just his face. It doesn't evensay the band. He's wearing a T
shirt of himself. He's screaming aboutthe article. He's like, the article
makes me look like a dick,and I'm like, I mean it's extra

(01:39:26):
comedy that he's wearing a T shirtof himself, right, it's I mean,
come on. So Rolling Stone's crazyabout the article. They think it's
amazing. And Russell denied everything anddid not give the okay to the fact
checker. So now they can't theycan't do anything with it. I about

(01:39:48):
died for William, like of allof them, Russell, I know that
sucks, the guy who said doevery but I mean, this is how
Russell really doesn't have a spine.He doesn't like he he you get these
glimmers of it, like and thenjust like the whole situation with Penny Lane

(01:40:10):
when he's like, okay, we'reyou're gonna lose her in a poker game.
Okay, that's fine with me,Like he has no spine. No,
this is so heartbreaking because Rolling Stonetells William we're gonna have to go
with another article because it's all,it's all everything you wrote didn't happen.
They're not confirming it, So whatthe fuck? Is this and they just

(01:40:31):
kind of crush him right there.Yeah, like it's fiction. It's all
fiction, and it's like this,well, they're like, he bade it
up. He's just a fan.And I was like, geez, way
to give your your reporter the benefitof the doubt. It's one thing if
the band is like, you can'tprint this, this is not no,
I'm denying it because they don't wantit. It's not a flattering article.

(01:40:55):
You're sending him something that makes themlook like assholes, right yeah, it's
I know. And so he's crushed, he's dejected. He's in the airport
and his sister, this is wherewe see her in her freaking go go
outfit. That was being a stewardessback then. I mean, that's a

(01:41:16):
that's a banging outfit right there.I mean, and she says, let's
go on an adventure. I'll takeyou anywhere you want to go, anywhere
in the world, like because sheflies everywhere, right, and they end
up at home. He wants togo home and mom and sister have a
very awkward hug. I love whenit's like I forgive you and she's like,

(01:41:36):
I didn't apologize, and they willjust start laughing. Yes, it's
it's quite nice. And so youI also love that, like you end
up seeing them like at their dinnertable and like the their threesome again,
and that part gets a healing momentin the movie, which is really nice.
Um Sapphire sits with Russell. They'relike back stage at the Orange Bowl,

(01:42:00):
you know, obviously it's some sortof a hospitality area. Sits down
to eat at the same table,and you know, Russell's like, hey,
is Penny okay you know, andshe's like no, no, like
yeah, well she's okay. Well, you know, she cared about somebody
on you know, she broke herown rule and cared about somebody. And
that somebody she cared about was William. Yeah, and we all know what

(01:42:21):
you did to him. Everybody knows. Yeah, and this is Russell's shame
moment, Like this is shame,shame. I just called your name,
but yeah, yeah, I meanyou broke you. It's basically like you
kicked a puppy. Yes, you'reclubbing baby seals. It's bad. This

(01:42:45):
is bad. Like he was literallystarry eyed, fifteen year old kid.
And you and I love the waywe all know what you did to him.
Everybody knows what you did to him. It's it's good. Um.
So Russell calls Penny Lane. Hewants to try to work get out with

(01:43:06):
her, but I'll come to you. This is her coolest move. H
She gives him an address. Wethink he's gonna go see Penny Lane.
And she really gave him William's addressbecause she knows his house address because she
picked him up. Yep, Ilove this move. This. Her character

(01:43:31):
is magic in this. It's soawesome and it's I love it. Mom
answers the door. Russell still doesn'tknow that it's not Penny Lane's house.
He thinks that's her mother's. Heeventually ends up in William's room so that
they can face each other, andRussell says to William, like, you

(01:43:55):
should call Penny Lane. She reallycares about you, like and you guys
live in the same town, andhe says he does, admit I called
your magazine and I told him thetruth. Yeah, I told him everything
that you wrote was was true.And so then you get to see his

(01:44:15):
article come out on the cover ofthe rhyme. No, it's so cool,
just satisfying ending, it's so satisfyingand I love the new tour.
Bus says it's the No More Airplanestour of before and the band's on the
cover. Penny buys the ticket toMorocco. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
I mean, this movie is sogood is an understatement. I mean,

(01:44:40):
it's it's a love letter to themusic industry, like all the different music,
all the everything. I mean,even though it shows you the not
so pretty side of things, like, it's still just like I guess you
gotta of it for what it is. And I mean there are things,

(01:45:05):
hopefully that are better, but Idon't think with all the I don't know.
I mean, it's you don't haveto know a thing about the seventies,
think about it. This movie opensten years before we were born.

(01:45:27):
Yeah, okay, it don't matter. You can watch this movie and get
transplanted right into it. And it'samazing and the writing is amazing, you
know, the characters and I meanKate Hudson and Francis McDormand are platinum.
Yeah, it's it is so good. And it's just like I kind of

(01:45:50):
forgot how great it was, youknow. I well, it's one of
those movies that you're like, becauseI was like you know, I don't
remember. I remember liking it whenI saw it, but I didn't remember.
I mean, I don't know ifI liked it as much as I

(01:46:11):
do. You know what I want? You know what I couldn't remember.
I couldn't remember if Penny Lane endsup being like super tragic by the end.
Do you know what I like?I couldn't, dude, did I
not watch this a bunch of timesbecause it's going to go really sour for
her, like because of the way. I just couldn't. But you know,
I think they handle that with theplane ticket to Morocco and you know,

(01:46:33):
I mean, and the ultimate coolmove of her making things right between
Russell and William. Yeah, it'sI was a little nervous. I was
like, I wonder if as Iwas getting towards the end here, I
was like, I wonder if that'swhy I haven't watched this movie a lot
because I'm unsatisfied with what happens toPenny Lane. But it wasn't. I
mean, I can tell you whyI haven't moved that watched this movie a

(01:46:55):
lot, because yeah, I feelif it is one I mean, and
I feel like it can't be onethat you're putting on in the background.
I don't know if I could.I think I get sucked it. Yeah,
I'd get sucked in too much,and then I'd waste half my day.
So that's probably high because you cannot. Anytime Kate Hudson is on screen

(01:47:16):
in this character, you can't notwatch her. It is like glue.
I don't understand it. I loveKate Hudson. I think she's done a
lot of great work. I've beenfans of many of the movies she's done.
In this movie, Russell or,I'm not sorry, Russell Crowe.
Cameron Crow says his very favorite scenein the whole movie, I think of

(01:47:39):
his whole career. He was quotedas saying the scene where she's dancing in
the empty concert. Yeah, andit's is like one of his favorite scenes
he's ever directed, and how itturned out, and it is she is
magic in this role. She's mesmerizing. It's like she's just it's like Alicia
Silverstone and Clue when it's like yousee that movie and like you're gonna be

(01:48:01):
a star after this, ye,Like there's no no doubt, like you
this is you can't not You're youare just like it's magnetic. Like you
said, it's magnetic. You can'tturn away. She's so good, it's
it's and it's so cool to thinkof. Not only that, but she's

(01:48:24):
so good. And she was soyoung. I mean she wasn't fifteen,
but she was like in her twenties, you know. I mean she did
two hundred cigarettes before this movie,so like, and she was playing like
a twenty something in that movie,like she's she's but it just she's so
good. And Francis McDormand, Imean, come on again. Everything of

(01:48:45):
William I think was he he wasso um. He could capture that innocence
and that that wonder really well.And he because he was another one who
did a lot of acting with hiseyeballs. Yeah yeah, his face set

(01:49:08):
a lot in this movie, whichwas really it just then the chemistry between
him and Kate Hudson, this wasgreat. It was like, yeah,
it just clicked. It worked immediatelyfor me. I just this is a
great movie. I mean, Iwill say that it maybe did help me

(01:49:28):
though, even though it was longand we had to write a lot of
notes and it was a great movie. It also I think filled a little
like spot in my heart, butit is hurting for not having spent time
going to concerts for two summers ina row. I'm just really bummed about
that, and I'm bummed about howI feel when I like, when I
saw those Lallapaloosa pictures and it justwas like, oh my god, I

(01:49:50):
don't know if I can do that. I don't know when I'm going to
be able to do that. LikeI'm not totally like COVID crazy, but
I you know, I don't know. You know, it's just like I
gotta like dip my toe in.Yeah, I need to ease. It's

(01:50:11):
just sorry, no, you knowwhat it is. I think. No,
I think these lights around a timeroh because I think from when we
went on vacation and all of asudden, all the lights when I'm like,
because I was like, well theelectricity and go out because like my
ring light is on. So Ibut oh my god, Okay, Well

(01:50:35):
I love this. I think thatyou don't have to know anything about the
seventies or seventies musics were appreciated.You can jump into this movie at any
I think, at any stage inyour life, because at our age,
you can still relate to those teenageyears of how you felt about music.
Um, and as a teenager,you could watch this movie and totally be

(01:51:00):
into it, like yeah, yeah, and this is this is how I
feel like, you know, youwould jump on that tour bus with that
band too, and yeah. Soit's it's really it's so so good.
So definitely, I think, what, okay, So how about this,
Let's say when everything you know,I don't think that it's any secret that
we would recommend this movie to anyone. So instead, as a kind of

(01:51:23):
a concluding question, let's say COVIDis not a factor anymore. We're all
done with it. What's the concertticket that you want to buy? Oh?
I don't know. Well, asI said, I actually am going

(01:51:44):
to a concert next week, andI'm very excited about going to because I've
never seen Weezer and concert and neverseen Green Day in concert and they're playing
together. I have seen Fallout Boyin concert. But I don't know,
but I feel like that's a ticketthat like, yeah, you're excited about
and it's exciting to like go toa concert, but like what would be

(01:52:06):
like a life goal kind of concert? Oh? God, like drop all
the coin? You don't care?You know, I think I would really
m I would drop some money togo see like Lady Gaga and concert because
I think that her oh shit,it would be at the like I think

(01:52:29):
just the experience of seeing all thather creativity with stuff. Yeah, I
think that that would be definitely somethingthat I would be willing to spend.
And she's a singer, saint dealof money. She's she's not fucking around
with She's got a voice, she'sgot it all like, she's got the
voice. And I think that thatwould be one person where I would be

(01:52:50):
like, yes, I will paygood money for good seats so that I
can experience the entire thing that wouldprobably be mine because I think he put
on an amazing show. Agreed,I would piggyback and be your plus one
life goal situation for me, ButI don't know if it'll happen because of

(01:53:15):
age. Is Stevie wonder Oh hecame to Chicago exactly when I was in
California, And it was literally theexact weekend that I went where he is?
He came to where I'm from,Like, I don't where is Stevie?
And he was he did a showhere and I was in California and

(01:53:36):
then um, and then it hasn'thappened since. And I don't think he's
doing his Vegas residency right now becauseof COVID and everything. And I don't
know how he's getting old, doeshe? He's getting up there, he's
up there, like I'm getting nervousthat like it's not going to be possible.
So I would be more than happyto jump on the Lady Gaga train,

(01:53:59):
no problem. However, I don'twant to see her at Wrigley Field.
No. I hate Wrigley Field asa concert venue. Well, great,
thanks for the I'm sorry. Iknow I've done it. I've done
it, I really have. I'veI've never I've never seen a concert there.
I've I've gotten to Soldier Field.I've seen you two there twice.

(01:54:19):
They put on a good show.But I've never had I've never seen a
concert at Wrigley So I've never beento Soldier Field for a concert. Um.
But I've seen Billy Joel Mountain JohnAtrigley Field and it just the whole
experience of getting in and out ofthere and all that. For me,

(01:54:40):
it's just I wish they would justperform anywhere else. We have plenty of
large spaces in Chicago. It's justgetting in and out of Rigley Field is
terrible. And well, I haveI mean, I've been there on my
tour that I take my kids onfor the field trip for sports marketing.
But they'd like leave a lot tobe desired in some of the seating in

(01:55:01):
Wrigley. You know, you knowwhat they need to do is Arlington Park
is you know, I know theywere having talks of the Bears might come
to Arlington and all that. Idon't necessarily mean that would be great,
but turn that into a giant outdooranything. There are lots of big spaces,

(01:55:23):
please could we just I'm not ahuge fan of the experience, So
it's like, if I'm going todrop the coin, I would almost travel
somewhere else to see like a LadyGaga. I just I've done it.
She'll have Vegas. I would have. That would have been awesome. We'll
have to see what you think,like now, because again I haven't been
too Wrigley for a concert since theRicketts bought it, and they've done a

(01:55:45):
lot to it. It's just it'snot my favorite for concerts. It's not
my favorite. I just I'll letyou know, you just have to let
me know. It's just it forme. It's like a kind of a
turn off. Hopefully my anxiety willbe in check for the Well. Just
to answer your initial question, though, is Stevie wonder is seventy one?

(01:56:09):
Oh maybe? I guess it depends. I mean maybe maybe Well to be
you know, to be determined.We'll see if if we make either of
those two shows happen. So,in conclusion, guys, thank you so
much for listening. If you wantto get in on a conversation about almost

(01:56:30):
famous, or about concerts or bandsor what you remember about that kind of
thing, or recommend a movie forthe show, you can email us at
fourteen going on forty pod at gmaildot com. You can find us on
the socials. Facebook is fourteen goingon forty podcast, Instagram fourteen going on
forty pod. And I will definitelybe adding some songs to our Spotify movie
soundtrack playlist called fourteen going on fortyJams, Tiny Dancers say what so you

(01:56:58):
know, please please please tell afriend about the show. If you're on
a platform where you can rate areview, that's great, subscribe, but
you know, definitely, um,you know, give this one a whirl.
It'll it'll soothe your summer concert alittle hole in your heart the way
it has been happening. Yeah,that little empty spot where you've been wishing

(01:57:19):
to go to a summer concert.This one will help fill it a little
bit. We publish episodes every twoweeks, so while you're waiting, watch
a movie with your best friends.It's always worth it, even if it's
a bad one. All right,

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Episode 37 - Almost Famous

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Episode 37 - Almost Famous