1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:01,240 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 2: I'm Buzzsnight and this is the Taking a Walk Podcast. 3 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:08,960 Speaker 2: We are going to replay an episode with Rob Reiner. Now, 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 2: like you, we are shocked at the loss of Rob 5 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: and his wife Michelle. And it was a couple months back. 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: Rob was promoting the Spinal Tap reboot. It was amazing 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 2: clicking on the zoom and there he was, right before 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 2: my eyes, willing to talk about his past, his influences, 9 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 2: his father, what his father meant to him. He was heartwarming, 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 2: he was engaging. It was wonderful having him on. He 11 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: has such an incredible body of work that he has 12 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: left us that we are grateful for and I'm grateful 13 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 2: that he took the time to be on the Taking 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 2: a Walk Podcast. Here's a replay. Rest in peace, Rob Reiner. 15 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 2: Rob Reiner, welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 16 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 3: Thanks for having me. 17 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 2: So your life, you know, intersects everybody. So before we 18 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 2: dig into Spinal Tap too, the end continues, I have 19 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 2: to ask you, if you could take a walk with 20 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 2: someone living or dead, who would it be and where 21 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 2: would you take a walk with him? 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 3: That's a great question. You know, I think about my 23 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 3: dad all the time and he's you know, he's in 24 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 3: my head at every move I make. And there's a 25 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 3: story that they tell. I don't remember because I was little. 26 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 3: I think I was eight years old, and I went 27 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 3: up to that Mike folks and I said, you know, 28 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 3: I want to change my name. And they thought, oh, 29 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 3: this poor kid, he's worried about, you know, being Carl 30 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 3: Reiner's son and you know, living in the shadow and 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 3: you know, living up to and all that. And they said, well, 32 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 3: what do you want to change your name to? And 33 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 3: I said Carl because I loved him so much and 34 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 3: I wanted to be just like him, and I looked 35 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 3: up to him, so I think I would take a 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 3: walk with him if I could. 37 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 2: Ah, that's the incredible. Now what did he think of 38 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: spinal tap? 39 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 3: He loved it. He loved it. I mean, you know, 40 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 3: listen he you know, he was on the show of shows, 41 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 3: said Caesar during the fifties, and they did satire they 42 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 3: may you know, they were doing satire of movies and television. 43 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 3: And one of the things they did was the satire 44 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 3: of a rock and roll act called the Three Haircuts. 45 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,639 Speaker 3: And there would he had these big, you know, kind 46 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 3: of pompadour hairdoes and so he was always into that 47 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 3: kind of stuff. And you know, we this is a 48 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 3: long time ago, and uh I was I've said before, 49 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 3: but we you know, he was on television before we 50 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 3: owned a television and actually bought one so we could 51 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 3: watch him on television. Anyway, he loved satire. I mean, 52 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,959 Speaker 3: he know, if you listen to the stuff he did 53 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 3: with the mel Brooks and the two thousand year Old 54 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 3: Man and a lot of this stuff saying, I know 55 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,799 Speaker 3: he loved he loved Spinal Tap, and he was very 56 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 3: you know, very complimentary me. He even actually said because 57 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 3: I was always trying to live up to him and 58 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 3: I never thought I could do it, and I don't 59 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 3: know that I have or I still do. But he 60 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 3: told me at one point, he says, you're a better 61 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 3: director than I am. And I thought, wow, that's that's 62 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 3: pretty cool for him to say that. And I remember 63 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 3: there was one year, the year that Spinal Tap came out, 64 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 3: in nineteen eighty four, he had done a movie called 65 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 3: All of Me with Steve Martin, and you know, they 66 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 3: had these top ten lists at the end of every 67 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 3: year they put the you know, top ten films, and 68 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 3: Spinal Tap, and you know, this is Spinal Tap and 69 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 3: all of me were on a ton of lists together, 70 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 3: and I thought, Wow, that's amazing. I don't think there's 71 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 3: ever been in the history of the movie business that 72 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 3: a father and son have had two films that they've 73 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 3: directed that were in the top ten. So and I 74 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 3: don't think it's ever happened. 75 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 2: So I was very proud of that outstanding. So bands 76 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 2: evolve over time, they get more mature, they find new 77 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 2: creative outlets. So if I was speaking to this guy, 78 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 2: what was his name, Marty de Burghiy. 79 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 3: Marty de Burgh. Yeah, he was the director of the 80 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 3: first film and the second one, the new one, The 81 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 3: End Continues. He directed that as well. 82 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 2: What would he say about this band's evolution over time? 83 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 3: Well, I think you know, first of all, Marty's a 84 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 3: huge fan of Spinal Tap. I mean, he goes way 85 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 3: back to when he first saw them in Brantwich Village 86 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,799 Speaker 3: and you know, he was like, couldn't be more thrilled 87 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 3: to be able to get the chance to document this. 88 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 3: At the time was supposed to be their final tour. 89 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 3: Turns out that, you know, they have life after that, 90 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 3: and Marty was very hopeful that it would trigger a 91 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 3: bigger film career for him that he would get a 92 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 3: chance to make a studio movie, and in fact he did. 93 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 3: He got to do was a It was a sequel 94 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 3: to a film that won a lot of Oscars, was 95 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,600 Speaker 3: with Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. It was called Kramer 96 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 3: Versus Kramer, and Marty did the sequel, which was Kramer 97 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 3: Versus Kramer versus Godzilla. Didn't do too well. No, no, 98 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 3: it bombed, It bombed, so, oh my god. You know, 99 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 3: he's been floundering since then, and he got the opportunity 100 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 3: to do the new one, and he was like thrilled, 101 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 3: beyond belief. 102 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 2: Do you think when he evaluates though the band's growth 103 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 2: as artists, that he's seen them grow as artists. 104 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 3: I think the beauty of a spinal tap is that 105 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 3: they have not grown at all. They have not grown 106 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 3: emotionally or musically, and I think that's their charm. Now 107 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 3: they have grown age wise, and they are quite a 108 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 3: bit older. But if you look around, you know, you 109 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 3: see you see Paul McCartney's still out there doing it, 110 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 3: rolling stones. Mick Jagger's still running around the stage in 111 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 3: his eighties. You know, these bands want to keep going, 112 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 3: They want to keep going and as a matter of fact, 113 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 3: in the second film, Derek Small's, their bass player, wrote, 114 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 3: I had an idea for a song called Rocking in 115 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 3: the Urn, which is all about what happens in the afterlife. 116 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 3: And his contention was that you're still rocking. You know, 117 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 3: wherever you are, you're still playing music. 118 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 2: I love the book A fine line between clever and stupid. 119 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 3: And between stupid and clever. Actually the line was from 120 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,919 Speaker 3: the first film. Uh you know they that that was 121 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:07,679 Speaker 3: a line that was my favorite line in the first 122 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 3: film was the there's a fine line between stupid and clever. 123 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 2: I love the various takes from the artist. I don't 124 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 2: want to give it away, but I do want to 125 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 2: less if with your permission. 126 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 3: Sure. 127 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: Look at how Don Henley weighs in on the spinal 128 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 2: Tap drummer Stu as we would call it, and he 129 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 2: says being a drummer alive as a victory I haven't exploded. 130 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 3: I mean he he's one of the few drummers that 131 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 3: has survived. I mean we you know spinal Tap went through. 132 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 3: I think it was eleven or twelve drummers. I'm not sure, 133 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 3: twelve I think. And they actually have to have an 134 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 3: audition to you know, find a new drummer because the 135 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 3: last drummer they had, Skippy Scuffleton, died from sneezing. He 136 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 3: had a sneezing fit and he couldn't stop sneezing and 137 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 3: he sneezed himself to death. And you know, so they 138 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 3: have to find a new drummer, and they put out, 139 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 3: you know, a wide net. They're trying to, you know, 140 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 3: see if there's anybody would come in and and fill 141 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,119 Speaker 3: the bill. And they go to Questlove you know, it's 142 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 3: Jimmy Fallon's drummer and eat you know, from the Roots. 143 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 3: They go to Chad Smith from the Red Hot Jelly Peppers, 144 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 3: and I also go to Lars Alert from from Metallica, 145 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 3: and they all they turn him down because none of 146 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 3: them want to die. They all would rather survive than 147 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 3: than play rock and roll. So they all turn them 148 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 3: down and they have to hold auditions and they wind 149 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 3: up with a new drummer. Who will see whether or 150 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 3: not that drummer survives it did go. 151 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 2: To a friend of ours, Ed Begley Junior. Oh, yeah, yeah, 152 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 2: I know you have some history with him as John Stumpy. 153 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, John Swompy Peeps. He was there drummer when they 154 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 3: were the Thames Men and they had their first moderate 155 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 3: hit called give Me Some Money and we show that 156 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 3: it's interesting. But Ed just did a little part in 157 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 3: a film, in a short film that my daughter Romy 158 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 3: wrote and directed and acted in, and so it was funny. 159 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 3: Romy was trying to figure out what he should wear 160 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 3: and they did a FaceTime and they looked in his 161 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 3: closet and she said, I want that sweater. There was 162 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 3: a specific sweater and Ed said, oh, that's my favorite sweater. 163 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 3: I love that. I've had it for over fifty years 164 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 3: and was knitted for him by Annette O'Toole, who was 165 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 3: married to Michael McKeon. So you know they had so 166 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,719 Speaker 3: when we all got together, then Annette and Romi they 167 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 3: bond over knitting because Romi loves to knit too. 168 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 2: So I asked that. I said, if if Stumpy had 169 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,440 Speaker 2: been interviewed by Rob rein or, what do you think 170 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 2: the conversation would be like? And he said, and I quote, 171 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 2: I knew that was one dangerous hoe. I never thought 172 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 2: it would end like this. And I asked him too, 173 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 2: I said, so what do you think of the masters 174 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 2: of tap these days? And he says, as for the 175 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 2: masters of TAP, I'm laying low as I owe each 176 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 2: of them a great deal of money. But if they're 177 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 2: willing to forgive and forget, I'm available for grip work 178 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 2: or craft service. And he says, for the record, doing 179 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 2: craft service on their next project is a sincere offer. 180 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 2: Grip work is a euphemism that's probably frowned upon by 181 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 2: HR these days. 182 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 3: And Ed is so funny, you know, we're talking about him, 183 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 3: and I'm going to show you something. Show you. Because 184 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 3: we're on a podcast, you can't see it. But I 185 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 3: have a book here that Ed wrote, and it's sitting 186 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,559 Speaker 3: right there on my desk that you know, and it's 187 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 3: sitting there right there, Ed's book. 188 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 2: He's the best for sure. 189 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: Yep. 190 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 2: So as a master of directing people and giving them space. 191 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:06,559 Speaker 2: Can you describe the joy of collaboration in this process 192 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 2: for the new spinal Tap? 193 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 3: Well, to me, that's the most fun for us is 194 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 3: that we had, first of all, the sequel. It's like 195 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 3: forty one years after the first one, so I mean 196 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 3: there's a time has gone by and we you know, 197 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 3: we've worked together in different iterations, you know, over the years, 198 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,680 Speaker 3: but we hadn't really worked in like fifteen in the 199 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 3: last fifteen years, none of us. But the minute we 200 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 3: got back together, it's like old friends. You know, you 201 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 3: pick up right where you left off. And Chris Guests 202 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 3: used to call it schnadling, which is this byplay back 203 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 3: and forth that you do. And we fell right back 204 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 3: into it. It's like you know, jazz musicians that just 205 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 3: know how each other moves, and we all can, you know, 206 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 3: schnadle with each other. And they fell back right into 207 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 3: their musical connection and it was fun. That was the 208 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,679 Speaker 3: most fun is to be able to, you know, do 209 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,679 Speaker 3: with people who are on the same level as you 210 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 3: are and have the same frames of reference and know 211 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 3: how to lay out, know when to come in. All 212 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 3: of that. 213 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,439 Speaker 2: It's effortless, isn't it. 214 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 3: It is it is. And when we did the first 215 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 3: one and the second one, all the dialogue is improvised 216 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 3: and that's comfortable for us. We enjoy doing that. I mean, 217 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 3: you know, people said, oh my god, the first film 218 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 3: you made and it was no script and it was improvised. 219 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 3: I said, yeah, because that's my training, and that's the 220 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 3: training of the guys I'm working with. We're all that's 221 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 3: what we do. It's like, like I say, it's like 222 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 3: jazz musicians. You pick up a bass, you pick up 223 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 3: the sacks, a guy plays piano, somebody's playing drums, and 224 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 3: you just fall in and start doing it. And it 225 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,199 Speaker 3: was to me it was a lot easier to do 226 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,679 Speaker 3: that than to do a scripted film where I had 227 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 3: to figure out camera angles and you know, is this tracking, 228 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 3: is the continuity and all that stuff. This was easy 229 00:12:59,200 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 3: for me. 230 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 2: Do you remember the first point in your life that 231 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 2: music had an impact on you? 232 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 3: Oh? Yeah, yeah, No, I mean I'm the first. I'm 233 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 3: the first generation that grew up on rock and roll, 234 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 3: and that was in the fifties, and you know, it's 235 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:22,959 Speaker 3: why it exploded, because young people connected immediately. Going back 236 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 3: to Bill Haley and the comments or any of them, 237 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:29,719 Speaker 3: but little Richard, Chuck Berry, you know, Fast Domina, I 238 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 3: don't you know, the Everly Brothers. I don't care who 239 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 3: you listen, Jerry Lee Lewis, all these people spoke to 240 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 3: us and we loved. I had stacks and stacks of 241 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 3: forty five's records that you played, and I right, like 242 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 3: in diner, I could tell you what was on the 243 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 3: flip side of a song, you know, And so that 244 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 3: was the stuff that got to me right. And then 245 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 3: of course in the sixties there was another real explosion 246 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 3: that happened in Great Britain and also in the West 247 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 3: Coast and San Francisco and in Los Angeles, and I 248 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 3: was part of that scene too, So I you know, 249 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 3: I grew up on this stuff. And there's been a 250 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 3: lot of cross pollination between the improv world and the 251 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 3: rock world. And that's why people said, well, how could 252 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 3: you be so aware of what happens to rock musicians 253 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 3: and tour because first of all, those guys are musicians, 254 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 3: they've been on tours and stuff. But I hung out 255 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 3: with these people. I hung out with Janice Joplin, I 256 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 3: hung out with Mama cass Elliott. You know, these are 257 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 3: the people that you know, David Crosby from Crosby Silsan Nash, 258 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 3: and these are the people that we hung out with, 259 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 3: and so it was just natural. Janis Joplin would come 260 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 3: on stage a number of times when I was working 261 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 3: at The Committee, which is an improv group from San Francisco. 262 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 3: So this was part of our world and and I'll 263 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 3: you know, I you know, to me, that was that's 264 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 3: my background, you know, first generation to grow up on 265 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 3: television and rock and roll. 266 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more of the Taking a 267 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 268 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 2: Do you mind if we share favorite protests songs? 269 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 3: Sure, go ahead. 270 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 2: Mine is the version of Blowing in the Wind by 271 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 2: Jim Nabors. 272 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 3: Oh my god, you're talking about an episode that I 273 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 3: did of Gomer Pyle where I sang Blown in the 274 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 3: Wind with Lee French who was also in the committee, 275 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 3: and Chris Ross, who was also in the committee. Of 276 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 3: the three of us as hippies were singing Blown in 277 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 3: the Wind with It's one of my proudest moments in television. 278 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 2: All right, I'm cheating. That was not my favorite protest song. 279 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 3: I know, I know what was it? 280 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: Though? 281 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 2: Mine was by phil Oaks and it was called Here's 282 00:15:58,080 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 2: to the State of Richard Nixon. 283 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 3: Phillips did some great protest ones, you know, Country Jone, 284 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 3: the Fish have one, two, three, for what are we 285 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 3: fighting for? You know, don't give a damn next stop Vietnam. 286 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 3: And you know one of my favorites is for what 287 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 3: It's Worth, which is you know the Buffalo Springfield, is 288 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,640 Speaker 3: something happening in here? What it is? And exactly clear. 289 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 3: That was to me, is like an anthem. 290 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 2: So were there new challenges in directing a monumentary in 291 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:33,560 Speaker 2: today's comedy and media landscape versus back in the eighties. 292 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 3: Well, it's different. I mean, you know, I used the 293 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 3: sixteen millimeter camera. I had one sixteen millimeter camera and 294 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 3: that's all I had. Now I'm used, you know, with 295 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 3: the you know, I've had a couple of digital cameras 296 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 3: and so you know, I had a lot of more 297 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 3: coverage that I could get, and I try to not 298 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 3: mirror what I'm you know, we set a certain standard 299 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 3: of documentary type entertainment and you see it in parks 300 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 3: and rec and have it elementary the Office. Even Ricky 301 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 3: Gervai talks about how he took from Spinal Tap and 302 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 3: created The Office with that kind of documentary field. But 303 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 3: it is evolved. It's evolved with all these supposedly reality shows, 304 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 3: they're not reality at all. I would argue that Spinal 305 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,120 Speaker 3: Tap is more reality than some of these reality shows. 306 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 3: So there's a tendency to try to mirror how they 307 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 3: do these documentary things now. But my gut feeling was 308 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 3: to Marty is not very much like Spinal Tap. Not 309 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 3: making a lot of growth. I'm thinking that Marty didn't 310 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 3: grow all that much either, and so I try to 311 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 3: keep it sort of in the vein of what he 312 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 3: did the first time. 313 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 2: What is so incredible is so many of the storylines, 314 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 2: when you really dig into them in you know, spinal tap, 315 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 2: are actually you know, true to life extensions of the 316 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 2: rock and roll world. 317 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 3: Yes, I mean that was the That was the thing 318 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:05,640 Speaker 3: that people were so stunned by. 319 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: You know. 320 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 3: There were things that we took from experiences we had, 321 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,719 Speaker 3: There were things we took from articles from the newspaper. 322 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,360 Speaker 3: One of the things we had was an original the original, 323 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 3: not the original, but the one of the keyboard players 324 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 3: we have is a guy named Johnson Claire, which we 325 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 3: had in this twenty minute demo reel that I put 326 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 3: together to try to sell the film, and he had 327 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 3: to make a choice we were going to start shooting 328 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 3: the film or he was gonna he got a real 329 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:43,479 Speaker 3: gig with a group called They were doing an album 330 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:47,959 Speaker 3: called Abamba Knock and it was oh God, I can't 331 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 3: oh yah Heap that was the name of the band, 332 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 3: Orya Heap, And he went and show. He said, that's 333 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 3: a real gig. So he went and did that. But 334 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 3: during the tour he came back and talked to us, 335 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 3: well time about this weird booking they got in a 336 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 3: military base, and so he said, oh great, we put 337 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,679 Speaker 3: that right in the film. So anything that would that 338 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 3: seemed interesting. Getting lost backstage was something that happened to 339 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 3: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The whole idea of the 340 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 3: backstage writer, what's provided backstage, That's something we took out 341 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 3: of an article we read in Rolling Stone about Van 342 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,919 Speaker 3: Halen called the Endless Party. And in their case they 343 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 3: they said no brown m and ms. They didn't want 344 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 3: any brown m and ms backstage. So we had that 345 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 3: whole thing. So we took from what we were presented with. 346 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,880 Speaker 2: And you went out and did some research on bands 347 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:46,480 Speaker 2: such as Judas Priest. I think the other one was Saxon, and. 348 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,400 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, Harry, Harry spent some time with Saxon. We 349 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 3: wall into a concert with Judas Priest. The guys also 350 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 3: went and saw a C. D. C At another concert, 351 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 3: and we just took from what we I mean, the 352 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 3: one thing that I got from, you know, going to 353 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 3: see Judus Priest is I thought I was having a 354 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 3: heart attack. The sound was so loud and intense, and 355 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 3: the drum and the bass were so heavy that it 356 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 3: would like it was pounding on my chest. So I thought, okay, 357 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 3: that's the that you know, England's loudest bands, final pet. 358 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 2: Breaking the low, breaking the low. Yeah, that's oh my god. 359 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 2: Now did some artists when the first spinal tap came out? 360 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:32,760 Speaker 2: They did not get the joke? Is that correct? 361 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,360 Speaker 3: That's true? Uh? You know Ozzy, Ozzy Osbourne, God Rest 362 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,679 Speaker 3: his soul. I mean, he was a little bit upset. 363 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 3: He said, this is not nice. They're they're making fun 364 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 3: of us. I mean, the you know, what are they doing? 365 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,239 Speaker 3: You know? And Axel Rose, I mean we got a 366 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 3: story from Slash, you know, played with guns and roses 367 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 3: and he said. Axel Rose was very upset because he thought, 368 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 3: that's not that's not the way we are. We have 369 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 3: real music and we're you know, we we really were important. 370 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,720 Speaker 3: We should you know, we shouldn't be talking about and 371 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 3: I think old Steven Tyler also from Aerosmith, didn't like 372 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 3: what we did. But I think over the years they've 373 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 3: come to understand it. You know, it was fun and 374 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 3: like I said, we grew up on rock and roll. 375 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 3: We all love rock and roll, and we're all satirists. 376 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 3: So it's you try to find the way that you 377 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 3: can blend satire with you know, and make make fun 378 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 3: of the thing that you love. 379 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, Spinal TAP's always been about, you know, a poking 380 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 2: fun at fame and excess. What does the Rock Rock 381 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 2: monumentary say about celebrity culture now? 382 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 3: Well, I mean, you know, because of social media and 383 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 3: you know, TikTok and Instagram and all that stuff, everybody's 384 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 3: a star. I mean, everybody wants to be a star, 385 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,959 Speaker 3: and they put themselves out there in some kind of 386 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 3: semi document to reform in some realistic cinema verite style 387 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 3: to connect with people. That's what they try to do. 388 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 3: It is one of the best ways to connect because 389 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 3: it feels real. It feels like you're you know, you're 390 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 3: really experiencing something and everybody's doing it, you know. I 391 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 3: remember seeing a documentary years ago called We Live in Public. 392 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 3: I don't know if you ever saw that, but it's 393 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:32,120 Speaker 3: it was done by the guy who initially created before Facebook, 394 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 3: there was what was it called, It was called MySpace, 395 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 3: MySpace MySpace. He had created MySpace, and he talked he 396 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 3: had you know, left that world and he was talking. 397 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 3: He says, everybody says, you know, like you know, Marshall McCluin. 398 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 3: You know, everybody wants their fifteen minutes of fame. But 399 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 3: we've come to a point where everybody wants their fifteen 400 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 3: minutes of fame every day. You know it. That's what 401 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 3: we've evolved to is. And I think, you know, it's 402 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 3: this documentary style that lets us in on supposedly who 403 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 3: we are, but you never you don't really get to 404 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 3: know who people are. 405 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 2: Are you fascinated how cult movies like Spinal Tap ultimately 406 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 2: turned into not only cult movies but into classics. 407 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 3: It's shocking to me. It's stunning because when we first 408 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 3: came out, nobody people didn't get it. They didn't know 409 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,880 Speaker 3: what we were doing. It's a classic line you hear 410 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 3: from the theater, you know, satires were closes on Saturday 411 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 3: night and we have just almost closed. People thought it 412 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 3: was a real band. They thought, why would I make 413 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,919 Speaker 3: a movie about a band nobody's ever heard of? And 414 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,119 Speaker 3: why wouldn't I do something about the rolling stones of 415 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 3: the Beatles or something. So they didn't get it, and 416 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 3: it took many, many years. I think it was the 417 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 3: you know, it was home entertainment, it was videotapes and CDs, 418 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 3: and people started, you know, catching wind of it. And 419 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 3: then over the years, over many years, it became this 420 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 3: thing where the Library of Congress puts it in the 421 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 3: National Film Registry, and you know, it's in the Oxford 422 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,719 Speaker 3: English Dictionary, goes to eleven and all this stuff becomes 423 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 3: part of the culture. And there's no way in a 424 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,440 Speaker 3: million years that you'd think that you'd have this kind 425 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 3: of impact. There's just no way. You're just making a 426 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 3: film that you think is funny and you know, you 427 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 3: think we'll have a few laughs and maybe somebody will 428 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 3: like it. There's no way you think it's going to 429 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,439 Speaker 3: be what it turned out to be. 430 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 2: What are your some of your favorite cult classics? 431 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 3: Well, I there's a lot that I mean, I like 432 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 3: a lot of you know, give me the give me 433 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,479 Speaker 3: what you consider a cult classic, and I'll tell you 434 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 3: because to me, if I like a film, I don't 435 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 3: think of it as cult classic. You know, I'm just 436 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 3: like I like a film. But what would you consider 437 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 3: a cult classic. I know you say rocky horror show 438 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:58,719 Speaker 3: and stuff, like, I'm not a big rocky horror show fan. 439 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 3: But well, give me another example of a cold classic 440 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 3: and I'll tell you. 441 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 2: If I'll mention it because you referred to it earlier. Diner. 442 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I know. I love Diner. And it's funny 443 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 3: because Diner and Spinal Flap came out the same year. 444 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 3: And I remember being on a plane with Barry Levinson 445 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 3: is a good friend, and we were talking about these 446 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 3: films that we had made and we were trying to get, 447 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 3: you know, get somebody to promote it and all this stuff, 448 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 3: and we had no idea that you know, to him, 449 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 3: it was a very personal film about growing up in Baltimore. 450 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 3: To me, it was this personal thing of this integration 451 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 3: between rock and roll and improvisation. So it was just 452 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 3: things that we thought, I like this. I don't know 453 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 3: if anybody else will like it, but yeah, Diner's great. 454 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 3: I love Diner. 455 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 2: So I know the theaters are important to you as 456 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 2: a creator. The fact that you know this COVID kind 457 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 2: of obviously knocked everybody off kilter. It knocked that business off. 458 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 2: It's kilter. Talk to those listening about for you, as 459 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 2: a creator, as an artist, how important it is to 460 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 2: go to the theater and see any movie this movie 461 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 2: in particular. 462 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 3: Well, I think that you know, if when you're looking 463 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:23,640 Speaker 3: at comedies or horror movies, horror thrillers, those you want 464 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 3: to share with people because it intensifies the experience. There's 465 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 3: nothing better than being with a group of people and 466 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 3: laughing at something, and that's infectious. And the same thing 467 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 3: with a with a you know, thriller or a horror movie. 468 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 3: You can't experience that at home. People watch it at home, 469 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 3: they put it on pause, they go to the bathroom, 470 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 3: they go get something to eat, and it's not that 471 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 3: same experience. I can tell you something that it really 472 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 3: bugs me, and that is when I was doing All 473 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 3: in the Family. This is back in the you know, 474 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 3: in the seventies. And by the way, a lot of 475 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 3: young people never even heard of All the Family. They 476 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 3: don't even know what it is. But for those who don't, 477 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 3: it was the number one show in America for five 478 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 3: years straight. Every single week was number one. And we 479 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,479 Speaker 3: were a country of about two hundred million at the time, 480 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,880 Speaker 3: and every single week, forty to forty five million people 481 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:20,640 Speaker 3: watched the show. And they watched it at the same time. 482 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,159 Speaker 3: They had to because there was no DVR, there was 483 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:27,520 Speaker 3: no TVO. There was no video cassettes. You had to 484 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 3: watch it when it was on. That meant that there 485 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 3: was forty to forty five million people having a shared 486 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 3: experience and being able to talk about it, and it 487 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:41,159 Speaker 3: had an impact on the way people, you know, have 488 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 3: viewed it and the way they talked about it. Now, 489 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 3: we're a country of about three hundred and forty million people, 490 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 3: and if you have a show that's seen by ten 491 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 3: million people, that's considered a big hit, and they don't 492 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 3: even watch it at the same time they're streaming it, 493 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 3: they're watching idea. Don't tell me what happened. I didn't 494 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 3: see that episode yet. I'm still on season two, whatever 495 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 3: it is, And so you don't have that communal, shared experience. 496 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 3: I think that's important. It's important for theater and it's 497 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 3: important for movies to have that. And you're right, COVID 498 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 3: had a big impact on it, and so did streaming. 499 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 3: Streaming has had a tremendous impact on it. So you know, 500 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 3: I'm hoping people will have it. They'll enjoy it. I 501 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,119 Speaker 3: know they'll have a better experience and they'll enjoy it 502 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 3: if they go that they go to the theater. 503 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 2: So two more questions. Rob. First of all, how do 504 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 2: you want fans, both longtime followers and new audiences to 505 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 2: walk away after seeing the sequel. 506 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 3: I want them to say, I had a great time, 507 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 3: and here's it's something interesting. We screen both. You know, 508 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 3: we screened the sequel for an audience recruited, you know 509 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 3: people regularly. Half the audience had seen the first film, 510 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 3: the other had never seen the first film, and the 511 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 3: reaction was exactly the same. The cards came back and 512 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 3: said exactly, they enjoyed it equally. And so hopefully I'm 513 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 3: making a film that stands on its own, even if 514 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 3: you haven't seen the first one. If you have seen 515 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 3: the first one, there are some references you'll get that 516 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 3: you wouldn't get if you didn't. But I want, I 517 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 3: feel obligated to put something out there that's a piece 518 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 3: of entertainment that stands on its own. I read this 519 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 3: book by Frank Capra many years ago, where you know, 520 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 3: in the days when that's when you went you went 521 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 3: to the theater, and he said, you're asking people to 522 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 3: pay money to sit in a darkened room with strangers, 523 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 3: and you're asking them to pay attention for two hours. 524 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 3: You better have something to show them, and so I'm 525 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 3: hoping that people come away saying, yeah, I had a 526 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 3: great experience. I liked the first one, I liked the 527 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 3: second one, and if you hadn't seen the first one, 528 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:01,360 Speaker 3: you'll still like the second one. 529 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 2: So inclosing beyond spinal tap, are there stories you're excited 530 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 2: about additionally that you're working on now that you can share. 531 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 3: I have one story that I've been playing around with. 532 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 3: It's going to sound crazy, but I've been playing around 533 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 3: with it for over fifty years, about fifty five years 534 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 3: as it is, because it came out of a sketch 535 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:27,800 Speaker 3: that I worked on when I was writing for the 536 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 3: Smothers Brothers. This was back in the sixties and sixty 537 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 3: eight sixty nine and I was writing. Steve Martin was 538 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 3: a writing partner with me. We were together and Carl Gottlieb, 539 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 3: who wrote Jaws. We wrote this sketch was a Christmas sketch, 540 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 3: and Tom and Dick's mothers and brothers they came out 541 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 3: and they said, you know, they say he's falling in love. 542 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 3: Is wonderful, wonderful. So they say, who are they? Who 543 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 3: are these people that say these things? They say this, 544 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 3: they said, So we had a thing where it was 545 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 3: an office and on the office door it said us 546 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 3: and you'll walk, you know. You go in there and 547 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 3: there's Tom and Dickett typewriters, manual typewriters typing out. Look 548 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,239 Speaker 3: before you leap, and he rips it out. He goes 549 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 3: ding ding, He hits a bell, you know, a messenger 550 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 3: comes in. He says, take it down. Hayes makes waste 551 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 3: ding ding ding, take it down. Absence makes the heart 552 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 3: grow reader a fonder fonder. Yeah, they take it down 553 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 3: and they keep, you know, giving it to the messenger. 554 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 3: And then he says, do unto others as you would 555 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 3: have them doing to you. And he starts to hit 556 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 3: the bell and the other guy stops him and says, no, 557 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 3: what He says, what are you doing? Says we can't 558 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 3: send that down. He says why not? He says, remember 559 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 3: the last guy we sent that down with, Remember what 560 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 3: happened to him. They're not ready for it yet. And 561 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 3: that was the end of the sketch. And I always thought, 562 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 3: what if there was some kind of modern in this 563 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 3: modern world that message came down, what would happen? What 564 00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 3: would happen? And so this is the basis of something 565 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 3: I've been working on for a while. I haven't gotten 566 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 3: a script that I like. But the trick is to 567 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 3: find a way to do it that's that's real, that 568 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 3: has humor in it and also is emotional and has 569 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 3: this philosophical thing to it. So I'm gonna see if 570 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 3: I can pull that one off. 571 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 2: Well, if I'm fortunate enough to talk to you again, 572 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 2: I'll ask you about the famous fart choke that you 573 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 2: guys created. 574 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, no, we were the first one. We were the 575 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 3: first one. Steve Martin and I wrote a sketch for 576 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 3: the Smothers Brothers where Pat Paulson it was an actor 577 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 3: on the show was he was the president of the 578 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 3: Acme Novelty Company, and he was demonstrating all these little 579 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 3: gadgets and gimmicks, and you know, there was you know, 580 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 3: the pucker gum and the dribbled glass and the and 581 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 3: the thing where your finger gets stuck in the thing. 582 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 3: And then at one point he sits down and you 583 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 3: hear a big like this, and he goes, oh gee, 584 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 3: they slipped a whoopee cushion in under me when I 585 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 3: wasn't looking. And he gets up and there was no 586 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 3: whoopee cushion there, so it was the You know, we're 587 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 3: very proud of the fact that we wrote the first 588 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 3: fart joke that was ever on national television. 589 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 2: See the movie, Get the book. I'm grateful beyond belief 590 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 2: Rob Reiner to speak with you on Taking a Walk. 591 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. 592 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 593 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,960 Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 594 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 595 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 596 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.