1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: This is Masters in Business with Barry Ridholds on Bloomberg Radio. 2 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: So I have a really unusual and fascinating guests this week. 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: And I know this every single week, but I guess 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,479 Speaker 1: this week was Harry Shearer. Uh. You know him from 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: sn L, The Simpsons, This is spinal Tap. He's produced documentaries, 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: he has a thirty two year old radio show. It's 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: been running thirty two years called The Show. Obviously, everybody 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: knows The Simpsons. He's half of the voices on The Simpsons. 9 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: I don't know if they could do the show without him. 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: And and he's just really a thoughtful, intelligent, interesting guy 11 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: that has some real insights into the entertainment and television business. Unfortunately, 12 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: we only had him for about forty five minutes. He 13 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: had a run, uh to catch a plane, so we 14 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: were a little tight for time. But um, it's really 15 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: an interesting and entertaining conversation. And the next time he's 16 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: in New York, he lives in New Orleans. The next 17 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: time he's here, we'll get him back to talk about 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: an update to the documentary he did ten years ago 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: about New Orleans. It's it seems really really fascinating post Katrina, 20 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,479 Speaker 1: what happened, Why it happened, what failed. I'll let him 21 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 1: tell you the story. It's it's it's intriguing and just 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: generally talking to somebody with the breath of experience that 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: he has in film, theater and music, um, television, radio. 24 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: He's really just a general entertainer and I found our 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: conversation delightful. I hope you do as well. Without any 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: further ado, my chat with Harry Shearer. This is Masters 27 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: in Business with Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg Radio. This week 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: on Masters in Business, we have a very special guest. 29 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: And I know I say that every week, but it 30 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: happens to be true. We have an actor, comedian, writer, voice, actor, musician, author, 31 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: radio host, director and producer, the one, the only, Harry Sheer. Harry, 32 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,639 Speaker 1: welcome to Bloomberg. Thank you very much. So for those 33 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: of you who may not know who um Harry is, UM, 34 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: which includes me, I don't know who I am. You 35 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: know I have a question about that coming up. We'll 36 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: get to that. I first noticed him not for his 37 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: synchronized swimming on Saturday Night Live, but as the bass 38 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: player of a band whose drummers kept on spontaneously combusting 39 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 1: called spinal tap. Do you hate the word mockumentary or no, No, 40 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: it seems like that's been beaten to death. That was 41 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: the first mockumentary, or at least it feels like that. Yeah, 42 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: I co wrote with Albert Brooks a sort of precursor 43 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: to that, called Real Life, but it wasn't shot in 44 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: exactly the same way, so it didn't quite qualify as 45 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: a as a mockumentary. But yeah, I mean I don't 46 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: get as sick as that as I get of television 47 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: shows sort of taking the visual style of the movie 48 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: without any purpose at all, you know, just to make 49 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: it look a little different, just to make a little 50 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: little edgy. Uh. You know, speaking of television, you've dabbled, 51 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: and I've dabbled. I've dabbled in a cartoon show for 52 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: about twenty seven years. He is again for those of 53 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: you who may not be familiar with The Simpsons, he's 54 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: essentially Harry is essentially half of the characters. Here's the quote. 55 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: He's half of the regular characters. And quote he pads 56 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: his resume with God, the Devil and Hitler on the Simpsons. Um, 57 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: and you're some of the really big characters. So Mr 58 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: Burns Mr Burne, Smithers and ned Glanders, reverential love Joy 59 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: Kent Brockman, scratchy auto principal Skinner and Brockman really sounds 60 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: the closest to yours, you think, so I do. Interest, 61 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: we'll talk a little more about The Simpsons and a 62 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: little bit. Um, I'm not done with your your curriculum, vite. 63 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: He's the director and producer of the documentary The Big 64 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: Uneasy about the destruction of New Orleans, and then there's 65 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: a ten year version of that, an anniversary of that 66 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: coming out at radio documentary for the BBC called The 67 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: Crescent in the Shadow, which runs on on BBC's National 68 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: Service in Britain and also in the BBC World Service worldwide. 69 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: Are we going to see it here BBC America or 70 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: anything like that. It's not. It's not. It's radio, right, 71 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: I mean, it's uh some we can some public radio 72 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: stations carry World Service, so it may be. I listen 73 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: to BBC two on streaming over the internet Radio two. Yeah, 74 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: So so I should like that middle of the road music, 75 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: do you? Um? I like what's his name, um, Bob Harris? Yeah, 76 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: I just I mean, you know, it's funny because I 77 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: every now and then on the blog on on the 78 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: big picture, I'll throw up a music post or something. 79 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: And people have said to me, you found Amy Winehouse 80 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: before anybody ever part over here. I go, oh, Bob, 81 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: And there's a half a dozen other people along those 82 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: lines that I used to on the in the winters 83 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: when I'm working indoors on the weekend. Now, you're from California, 84 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: so you're spoiled. But here, when the weather is nice 85 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: and you have worked to do it, you go out. 86 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. And there I'm told the weather is 87 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: always nice in California. Yeah, mainly I live in New 88 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: Orleans now, and the weather nice except during the summer. 89 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: You're a California kid, though, didn't you grow up out there? 90 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: When when did you make the move to New Orleans? 91 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: Well started. I first went to New Orleans and eighty eight, 92 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: and then just kept going more and more often, and 93 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: finally my wife and I decided not to subsidize the 94 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 1: hotel business there anymore, and we bought a place in 95 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: the mid nineties, and then we bought our present huge 96 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: spread and uh, it's not a spread, it's a pile. 97 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: In two thousand six h post post. There you go alright. 98 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: So so let's get into a little detail about your background, 99 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: because I find you to be um fascinating for many 100 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: reasons beyond the Simpsons. So let me ascu you this question. 101 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: You meet somebody, they don't know your work, and they 102 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: ask you, so, what do you do? How does someone 103 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: like you answer that question? Well, you know, I have 104 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: the occasion to to answer that very question quite often 105 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: because I go to London and they don't know who 106 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: you are there. No, they know who I am. But 107 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, on the on the landing form 108 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: you have to say your occupation and I just put 109 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: entertainer and that's it. Yeah, I mean everything I do. 110 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 1: You know, even when I was making that very serious 111 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: no jokes uh documentary about why New Orleans flooded, I 112 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: had an entertainer's clock working in my head. It's a narrative. 113 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:38,919 Speaker 1: You want to tell a story, but if the people 114 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: are if the viewers aren't interested, the point never gets 115 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: got ninety minutes max. If I haven't got the story 116 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: told by that time, I've lost him. I should learn 117 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: that here because I go two hours sometimes with something 118 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,720 Speaker 1: you need, you need my my clock inside your head, 119 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: all right, you know we tell people if it's too long, 120 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: listen to it in two segments. Um, so let's listen 121 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: to it faster. You can do that with the line 122 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: of the playback stuff. So the story that you've you've 123 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: discussed about how you got into the business sounds like 124 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: an urban legend. You have a piano teacher who decides 125 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: I'm going to become an agent. Yes, and goes to 126 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: your parents and says, hey, your your boy would make 127 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: for a good child actor. She was the mother of 128 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: a of a child actress, so she already knew people 129 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: in the business had contacts. Um. I don't know if 130 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: she went to the parents of all the kids that 131 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: she taught, or just to mind that that's lost in 132 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: the midst of history or lack of history. But she 133 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,160 Speaker 1: did come to my parents and say, do you mind 134 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: if I try to get Harry work. They were both 135 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: immigrants from Eastern Europe. Um they thought this was fantasmagorical 136 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: and they'd never hear from her again. And then seven 137 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: months go by and finally she calls with an audition 138 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: for the Jack Benny Program. And I was a very 139 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: good reader, and so I went in and just aced 140 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: the first reading and got the job and worked for 141 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: Jack Benny for eight years. You're listening to Masters in 142 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: Business on Bloomberg Radio. My special guest today is Harry Shearer, 143 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: best known for The Simpsons Spinal Taple Show. You've put 144 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: out a number of musical CDs, including Greed and Fear, 145 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: which we'll get back to later. Has a little bit 146 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: to do with the financial crisis and other things. But 147 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: I'm intrigued by your early work with you were eight 148 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: years old, seven years old, seven years old, Aben and Costello. 149 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: What was that like? Well, Uh, Abbott wasn't there that day. 150 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: I worked one day in Abbert and Costell go to Mars. 151 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: Uh Costello was was nice. You know, I basically was 152 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: a binary world that a child actor exists, and either 153 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: they're nice or they're not nice. That's that's, that's it. Yeah, 154 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,719 Speaker 1: Jack Benny was Jack Benny was extraordinarily nice. And I 155 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: knew him for eight years, so I mean I have 156 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: I had a fairly special relationship with him. I thought, 157 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: when you were working at that time in Hollywood, were 158 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:52,199 Speaker 1: you aware the fact that hey, this is the end 159 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: really of an era, that the Hollywood machinery was starting 160 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: to really change into something else. And I was more 161 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: aware of the fact that it was the end of 162 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: a very specific era, of the era of big time 163 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 1: network radio, because I started in on Jack Benny's radio program, 164 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: and people were doing comedy programs and dramatic programs on 165 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: the radio like they still do in England, interestingly enough, 166 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: but all that was dying as I was entering it. 167 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: So within a few years Benny had had added a 168 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: television show and I worked migrated to that, and I 169 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: saw these radio shows just sort of falling in the dust, 170 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: and the radio networks following. And yet You've stayed with 171 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: radio your whole career. I love radio. Um it changed, 172 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: and I was really profoundly influenced by a comedy team 173 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 1: and a newscaster. A comedy team was Bob and Ray 174 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: worked in New York for forty years together and really 175 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: invented the modern way of doing radio, not on a 176 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: big stage in front of an audience with an orchestra, 177 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: but by themselves in a little studio. There was a 178 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: third guy, to Gean Shepard, who was a storyteller on 179 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: the radio, again just by himself in his studio. And 180 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: then Paul Harvey, the legendary news broadcaster who again sat 181 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: in the studio talking to the audience. Personally, wasn't a 182 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: big show anymore, but it was this incredibly powerful fifteen 183 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: minutes of radio, and I became aware of how easy 184 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: it is to paint pictures with radio. I do satirical 185 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: sketches on my radio show, and the work that I 186 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: do to create a picture of Hillary and Bill talking, 187 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: or Obama, Richard Nixon, Pritchard Nixon, or Trump looking with 188 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: his advisors would take a hundred a crew of a 189 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: hundred people on television. For me on radio, it takes 190 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: me and you having a gift for voices, so that 191 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: allows you to do things that perhaps one person working 192 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: by themselves normally might not be able to correct. But 193 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: even even with that alleged talent, to do it in 194 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: television would take a lot more people, and a lot 195 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: more money and a lot more time. So radio is 196 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: something I can do while I'm doing the rest of 197 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: my life. So let's let's shift gears a little bit 198 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 1: and talk about spinal tap. I just fell in love 199 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: with the movie in college, so that that tells you 200 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: how how old I was and tells me he went 201 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:18,079 Speaker 1: to college. Um, they you know, I actually went all 202 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: the way I wow kept going until they said, that's 203 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 1: what you've done. Oh you mean with your studies, with 204 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: my studies, it's exactly that's exactly correct. Um yes, well, 205 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: um hence you can see I'm on radio, so that 206 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: those sort of braggydicio does not really take place. So 207 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: the film was made in twenty five days something like that. 208 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: What was that set? Like you have you? Christopher gets 209 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: Michael McKeen and Rob Reiner directing this. That had to 210 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: be a hilarious group of people. It was, and then 211 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: we had all these really funny people coming in to 212 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: do other parts. Billy Crystal, uh, friend Dresher, Fred Willard. 213 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: Fred Willard is the one who who challenged to not laugh. 214 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: I mean it was almost impossible when Fred Willard came in. 215 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: He is he is from another galaxy. Uh, you just 216 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: can't fathom where this stuff comes from. And he's relentless 217 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: and his energy is just overpowering and he So that 218 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: was really the challenge was not to laugh during Fred's scenes. 219 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:21,559 Speaker 1: But yeah, it was. It was great fun. Uh. We'd 220 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: have about three or four takes maximum and then it's 221 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: rolling on mostly IMPROVV Two lines were written in the 222 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: entire moved. That's the entire thing, famously improved. How much 223 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: good stuff didn't make it into the fun hours of stuff, 224 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 1: So there there. There was never really a Spinal Tap 225 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: Director's cut DVD. There was a DVD with some some 226 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: extra scenes, but there's a few minute I mean, like, 227 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: if there's hours worth of stuff, I gotta think, especially 228 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: given how the audience for this developed. It came out 229 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: a lot of people didn't necessarily get it. Some reviews 230 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: were really laudatory, so not so much. And then it's 231 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 1: slowly developed its own following, and now I think it's 232 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 1: on twenty nine of the hundred, number twenty nine on 233 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: the best Comedies, the first suck filler. I can tell 234 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: you one thing about Spinal Tap. It is probably in 235 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: the annals of relatively successful movies, the only self marketed one. 236 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: Nobody ever spent a dime on marketing. You never saw 237 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 1: a billboard for that movie. You never saw saw a 238 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: post or somewhere. We had it. And I worked in 239 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: the campus films with with a friend, and there was 240 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: for the for the for the video, for the for 241 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: the theatrical film, and uh, you know, there was I 242 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:43,959 Speaker 1: think there was one newspaper ad when the day it 243 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: opened it was it was all of the success has 244 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: been self marketed, basically by fans telling each other word 245 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: of mouth. It's a classic word amount story. Yeah. This 246 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: is pre internet too, so that it was tweeting about. 247 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: So this is a horribly cliche question, but I have 248 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: to ask it. So you make this movie that turns 249 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: out to be this incredible cults longevity film. When you're 250 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: doing it, do you have any idea that you guys 251 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: got a little bit of a lightning in a bottle. 252 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: Well we had to. We had to pitch it to 253 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: Hollywood studios, all of whom turned it down. And what 254 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: I would say to them is, look, everybody in the 255 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: world in this in this day and age, in that 256 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: day and age particularly, uh knows all about rock and roll. 257 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: Rolling Stone has shoved every detail of rock and roll 258 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: down their throats. This is not an unfamiliar story. Uh, 259 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: this is a familiar story. Forty million people have taken 260 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: guitar lessons. This will strike so to speak. Um, they 261 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: all turned it down. Fortunately, Norman Lear was running Embassy 262 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: Pictures for a few moments and picked it up. But 263 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: by the way, since it's a financial show. I think 264 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 1: it's important to say that despite all the success it's enjoyed, 265 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: according to what we're being told officially, the film has 266 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: not yet gone into profit according to Hollywood account, yes, 267 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: although that has chan changed with the The Watchman Call 268 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: at the Coming to America litigation. No, that just put 269 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: it to that. That just all that did was pay 270 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 1: a few people to go away so that the studios 271 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 1: didn't have to open their books. That was it. So 272 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: Spinal Taps still in the red because seventeen dollars and 273 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: forty three cents to make it's gross billions of dollars. 274 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: But you know there's a lot of other costs involved 275 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: that don't show off on That's correct. They're they're just 276 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: they're they're palazzos in Italy. We don't even know about. 277 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: You're listening to Master's in Business on Bloomberg Radio. My 278 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: special guest today Harry Shearer, you know him from The Simpsons. Uh, 279 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: Spinal Tap the show. We could keep going down the 280 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: whole list of things, maybe Jack Manny and and Avian 281 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: Costello for some of our older audience, The Mighty Wind, 282 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: the Christopher guest movie, that's right, And what else have 283 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: you done with Christopher guests. I did that and for 284 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: your consideration, the last Cristifer Guest movie the the the 285 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: Oscar mockumentary, so to speak, I recall that and you 286 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: were not, you were not, and best and show I 287 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: was not. I was making my own movie at that time, 288 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: which was a comedy about a lightly fictionalized comedy about 289 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: the uh secret, supposedly secret retreat of the richest, most 290 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: powerful white man in America. The real one is called 291 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 1: Bohemian Grove Show. The movie was called The Teddy Bears 292 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: Pechnic because if you go out in the woods today, 293 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: you're in for a big surprise. Okay, there you go. Um, 294 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: let's talk a little more about spinal tap before we 295 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: get into um the big uneasy um. So you still 296 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: record occasionally, as Derek smalls, how how often is is 297 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: that going on? Or write songs in his voice. I'm 298 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: in the middle of a Derek Small's solo album project 299 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: as we speak. I've been writing the songs and UH 300 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: doing demo versions of them, and my producer and I 301 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: are working on on, you know, getting together and getting 302 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: an all star band together to play him, and UH, 303 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: is anyone willing to be the drummer for Derek Smalls 304 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: or does that come with its own liability. I think 305 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: we'll just get a machine. We bought a drum machine, 306 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: but it explode it. So I don't know what we're 307 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: gonna do, but yeah, I think we'll get some drummers. 308 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: We once had drummer auditions for Spinal Tap, and uh 309 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,679 Speaker 1: we had it at the l A Coliseum just because 310 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: it's capacity was ninety three thousand and three hundred people 311 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: showed up and uh, the drummer for Fleetwood Mac came 312 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 1: in an asbestos Uh yeah, you know, just to make 313 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 1: sure he didn't. When when was this done? This was 314 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,120 Speaker 1: in the ninety two when when our second record came out, 315 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: Break like the Wind, and I just like saying, break 316 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: like the one. Of course that's the only the only 317 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: other way to break. So so let's get serious a 318 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 1: minute and talk a little bit about the big Uneasy. 319 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: So you've been a New Orleans resident for quite a while, 320 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:47,440 Speaker 1: and in the documentary you basically say this, this wasn't 321 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: an act of God. This was a man made disaster. 322 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 1: I don't say it. I bring you the people from 323 00:17:53,040 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: two universities, UC Berkeley and Louisiana State who organized independent investigations, uh, 324 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: much of its pro bono work lasting months and months. UH. 325 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: They did all the the forensics, they did all the 326 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: literally deep digging, and they came up with remarkably uh 327 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: identical conclusions that, in the words of the co author 328 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: of the Berkeley Report, this was the greatest man made 329 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: engineering catastrophe since Chernobyl. That had the so called protective 330 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: system worked as advertised system that the federal government built 331 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 1: for New Orleans via the US Army Corps of Engineers 332 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: after the hurricane, the worst Katrina would have inflicted on 333 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: New Orleans would have been quote wet ankles. That's pretty much. 334 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: And and you know there were I recall, post Katrina, 335 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:50,880 Speaker 1: everybody starts finding and re rediscussing and retweeting. I don't 336 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,239 Speaker 1: remember if it was Twitter or some other media at 337 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: the time. Was probably pre Twitter articles that had predated 338 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,439 Speaker 1: Katrina warning, hey, you know, this levy system ain't a 339 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,360 Speaker 1: whole lot of No. They were warning about what would 340 00:19:03,359 --> 00:19:06,360 Speaker 1: happen in New Orleans if a Category five hurricane hit 341 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: the city. Those were all the predictions was the city 342 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: is in big trouble if a Category five hurricane hit 343 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 1: the city. Two things Katrina wasn't a Category five hurricane 344 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: by the time it went in the vicinity of New Orleans. 345 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: It was a strong one or a week category two. 346 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: That's according to the National Curricane Center's final report, and 347 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: two it didn't hit the city. It went thirty five 348 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: miles in the northeast. So this was not the widely 349 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: foreseen disaster that people had four tolds. This was just 350 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 1: an engineering failure. This was a widespread The system, so 351 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: called the corp of Engineers itself admitted, or the head 352 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: of it admitted at one point this was a system 353 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 1: in name only. It had been built over forty years. 354 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 1: It had never been completed piecemeal piecemeal. Uh. It broke 355 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: in over fifty locations. So here we are a decade past. 356 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: You live in New Orleans, sir? Do you feel safe 357 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: for now? I feel fine because I live in this 358 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,199 Speaker 1: part of the city that did not flood in in 359 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: two thousand five. It's called the Sliver by the river, 360 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: It's by the Mississippi. It's the highest ground in New Orleans. Uh. 361 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,400 Speaker 1: If I look at the system that, at a caxspayer 362 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: cost of fourteen billion dollars, has been built by the 363 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,200 Speaker 1: same people who built the last one, and I read 364 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,719 Speaker 1: what the the educated people, knowledgeable people say about it, 365 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,640 Speaker 1: which is it was built to a lower standard than 366 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: the one that failed. So we got nothing to worry 367 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: about it. I got. I'm cool. So in the last minute, 368 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: we have New Orleans still susceptible to a Cat five 369 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:42,679 Speaker 1: hurricane and still susceptible to a near miss with high flood. 370 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:44,680 Speaker 1: Was well, cat five is not Yeah, I mean cat 371 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 1: You know, Miami, every every city on the Atlantic and 372 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: Gulf Coast is susceptible to a Category five hurricane. That's 373 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: not the issue. But New Orleans if a lesser hurricane 374 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: comes by with very heavy rainfall in the next two 375 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 1: or three years, there might be a problem. You're listening 376 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: to Master's and Business on Bloomberg Radio, and my guests 377 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: this week is voice actor best known for The Simpsons, 378 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,239 Speaker 1: Harry Shearer. So, so let's go through the list of 379 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:18,879 Speaker 1: all your voices, all your characters on The Simpsons. Mr Burns, 380 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: who you've described as the most difficult character you currently do. No, 381 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 1: I have not, I have not. No, he's fine. Uh. 382 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: Dr Marvin Monroe, well you you don't do him anymore? No, 383 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,439 Speaker 1: although they brought him back last season. They brought him 384 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: back from the dead. No, Burns is find The only 385 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,400 Speaker 1: time I had problems with doing him was when we 386 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: were doing a video games and I'd be doing Mr 387 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: Burns for four consecutive hours and the only direction, the 388 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 1: only direction I'd get was louder. Then they then he 389 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:49,479 Speaker 1: gets a little strange, stressful, you know, and then and 390 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,919 Speaker 1: then Mr Burns assistant Smithers. Who's Who's a wonderful character, 391 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: one of my favorite voices. Thank you. I believe the 392 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: correct description of him is is emmanuensis. Okay, and we've 393 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: we've talked ned Flanders, and ned Flanders really developed into 394 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:11,640 Speaker 1: a whole different character than originally planned, or so I've read. Yeah, 395 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: you know I've read that, and I have no memory 396 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,399 Speaker 1: of that. Uh that if that ain't an urban legend. 397 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: I live in Lake City. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, 398 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: it may have happened. I couldn't swear either way, but 399 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: it's it's out of my can I just remember, you know, 400 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: being handled a script and saying you're this guy? So 401 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: so was the hey Didley Doodle stuff written? Or did 402 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: you kind of create that? I couldn't even answer that question. Kidding, Yeah, 403 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: I mean you know that's in the in the in 404 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,440 Speaker 1: the in the beginnings of stuff you don't really keep 405 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't keep a diary. I wasn't, you know, 406 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: taking notes. I wasn't keeping score. This is mine. I'm 407 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: owning this. I should have. But uh, you know, so 408 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: I I couldn't say with any degree of certainty. It 409 00:22:57,800 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: may have been written. It may have been an ad libe, 410 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: and may have been an I lived that then the 411 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: writers expanded upon, and may been something written that I 412 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: expanded upon. So so given that, let's let's digress a 413 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: little bit. So what sort of planning or thinking or 414 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: or inspiration goes into each of these characters? I would say, basically, uh, 415 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: almost none. Okay, I was shattering my I'm trying childhood, 416 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: trying to I would see these scripts. We would never 417 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 1: see the in the early days, and never see the 418 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: drawings of the characters, so we had no idea what 419 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: they looked like in the boarding stages. When you say 420 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: early days, you mean like the Tracy Ullman show, the 421 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 1: first couple of Simpsons. I wasn't on the show when 422 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 1: I came to the Simpsons, and we would start, you know, 423 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 1: I would start doing characters. They started sending me scripts. 424 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: You're this guy, You're this just so, there's this guy, 425 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:53,200 Speaker 1: there's this guy, there's this guy, there's this guy. I 426 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,359 Speaker 1: wouldn't see a drawing. I just have a one line description, 427 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: you know, Old Miser runs the nuclear power planet in 428 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 1: case Mr Burns, and I would make uh an intuitive 429 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 1: leap as to how the person sounded. And I figured, 430 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: if they don't like the intuitive leap, they'll tell me 431 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: to stop. And if they don't tell me to stop, 432 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: I'll keep doing it. I didn't think I keep doing 433 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 1: it for twenty seven years, but is it that long? 434 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: But so there was not it was not an analytical process. 435 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: That's what I try to impart is that, uh, it's 436 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: it's it's intuitive. Uh. There are only two people, only 437 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:31,719 Speaker 1: two characters that I do that had any resonance with 438 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: people I'd already done before or people in the real world. 439 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: One was when they had me doing real Red love 440 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,400 Speaker 1: Joy and uh, who's Who's actually a sort of charming, 441 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:49,600 Speaker 1: albeit whacking. He's one of I do two characters on 442 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: the show that years after the Christians were denouncing the 443 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: show for Bart being a bad role model, they discovered 444 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,399 Speaker 1: that my two of my characters were the only two 445 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: professed Christians on American television, Prime Time, Love Joy and 446 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 1: at Flanders. So I had done. I've done satirical takeoffs 447 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 1: on this evangelist named Ernest Angeli who was a healer, 448 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,679 Speaker 1: and uh so I took his voice and just changed 449 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: it a little bit for revn Lovejoy and then Principal Skinner. 450 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: I was really running out of intuitive leaps. And you 451 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: may remember a guy who used to be on CBS 452 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 1: named Charles Kirault. He was on the road, and he 453 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: was on the road because he had a squeeze in 454 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: Montana in a cabin hidden from his wife. You know 455 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: that story, right, No, I don't. We'll talk about it anyway. 456 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:42,880 Speaker 1: Uh So, I just took that particular kind of nasality 457 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: and sped him up and made him less avuncular and 458 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: more sinister and turned him into Principal Skinner. Oh that's unbelievable. 459 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,719 Speaker 1: So um, what about bus driver Otto? Where does that 460 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,880 Speaker 1: come from? It comes from the part of the voice 461 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,160 Speaker 1: that I hate doing. That's that's the pain painful part. 462 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:00,439 Speaker 1: So well, Dr Margra Morou is more pain full of that. 463 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: Otto was kind of a trick. But Marvin Monroe was. 464 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: He was written as a character he was a family therapist, 465 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 1: and the whole joke of his character was he was 466 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 1: a guy who was far from being you know, somebody 467 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: a healer. Just made you stressed out from listening to 468 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: him talk because he had such an irritating way of speaking. 469 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 1: So that was the whole idea. So let's talk a 470 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: little bit about Skinner. Right, I didn't even mention you're 471 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,359 Speaker 1: working on SNL. We haven't even gotten yeah swimming, you 472 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: mentioned we were, so we were so ahead of our time. 473 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: There is now a male synchron i swimmer and so 474 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:36,639 Speaker 1: so you guys actually pre pressingly appreciently anticipated. So so 475 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: let's go back to principal Skinner. So not a couple 476 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 1: of years ago, the writers decided to basically take, however 477 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: many years that Skinner had wormed his way into everybody's 478 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: heart and turned around and basically say he's right, let's 479 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: let's let's just make him a fraud star. Yeah, and 480 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: you really pushed back on this. Yeah. You know, the 481 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: one thing that we in the cast, everybody that Cass 482 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: tries to do is is, uh, keep faith with the audience. 483 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: Who's kept faith with us? Uh, they know these characters 484 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: were kind of the institutional memory of the show. And uh, 485 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 1: it's a protective it's a it's a writer's show, as 486 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: most television is, but we're protective of the characters. And 487 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: I said, boy, this is you're not you're not making 488 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,119 Speaker 1: you're not rewarding the audience for their years of attention. 489 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 1: And of course that's that's now an episode that's never 490 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 1: spoken of. So they did it and then kind of 491 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: forgot about it. And Skinner what happens with him afterwards? 492 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:39,159 Speaker 1: Now he's back to like nobody ever. It was a dream. 493 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: That's the that's for words of you always need to 494 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: know about television. It was a dream. Well, that seems 495 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: to be the classic ending if you can't come up 496 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: with any any other ending. So I have a quote 497 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: of yours I have to throw out because I love this. 498 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: And again, we're a financial show, and this talks on 499 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 1: the finance. But quote says Harry Shearer, as an actor 500 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 1: on an insanely sucessful TV series, I am, by any 501 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: standard of the human species, obscenely overpaid. It is also 502 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 1: true that, as an actor on one of the most 503 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: insanely successful television series of old times, I am getting 504 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: royally screwed. Both things are true. Discuss Um. You know, 505 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:26,400 Speaker 1: I've just been through a very uh somewhat publicized by 506 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:31,560 Speaker 1: somewhat pumblicized you mean entire internet worldwide, Twitter, Facebook, linkedinwhere 507 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: else discussion and a series of discussions with the show, 508 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,720 Speaker 1: which resulted satisfactorily in my return to the show. Both 509 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: of us, I think, are satisfied with the result. Um, 510 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 1: that was not about money. Uh. It is apparent that 511 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: the guys who got in early, um got the lion's 512 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: share of what was going on. And I don't mean 513 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: the cast members um and UM, there may not be 514 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: anything more there at this point. Uh, So I'm I 515 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,760 Speaker 1: have to be happy with what we got. You know, 516 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: uh understood, it's not chicken feed. I know we've been 517 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: concentrating on the first part of that sentence. The Wikipedia 518 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 1: actually lists what your your per episode UM payroll is, 519 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: and it looks like a lot of I have to work. 520 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: You know, if you're in finance, you have to work 521 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 1: like two weeks to get that. This is you know, 522 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: what you do in an hour, so you're you're really 523 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: really well paid. But that's we don't get paid by 524 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,560 Speaker 1: the amount of time we work. We get paid by 525 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: one intro business gets paid by the amount of value 526 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: we create, don't we all wish we can say that? Well, 527 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: but I mean it's true. It's true of sports figures, 528 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: and for sure of celebrities sports figures. How many people 529 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: in the world's are Michael Jordan or Lebron James or whoever? 530 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: You know. I always have this debate with people when 531 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: you could do something fairly unique and there's a demand 532 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: for that service you could charge with the market. And 533 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: my feeling about when when in the old days Fox 534 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: used to say, however, how much or how quick we 535 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: we how much time or how quickly we could do 536 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: these shows? I would always say, yeah, if you've got 537 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:19,360 Speaker 1: the thirty years of experience that allows you to do 538 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 1: with that quickly. If you want to hire a guy 539 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: off the street, he'll take you two weeks to do it, 540 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: you could have that. Writers are fond of saying, I 541 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: apologize for the length of the letter. I didn't have 542 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: time to write shorter. It's the exact same, exact same things. 543 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: So so let's go through the development of a typical 544 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: episode of The Simpsons. How involved are you given your 545 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: background and ad lib in comedy and snl in in 546 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: all these things. Do you just come in and voice 547 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: the characters? Or is there a little back and forth? Um? 548 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: The back and forth is basically what we were talking 549 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 1: about earlier, about defending the characters? Uh or or yeah, 550 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: what about in the service of the funny? How does 551 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: that work? They're they're in charge of that. Um. Now, 552 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 1: this year I may be writing a script or two, 553 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: so I may getting more deeply involved in that problembly 554 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: done that previously? Is that something that that's been You 555 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 1: would think that that's a natural fit. You have a 556 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 1: long career as a writer, a comedy writer. How is 557 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 1: it that you've worked for them for twenty seven years 558 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: and no one said, Hey, this guy Harris here, he's funny. 559 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 1: You should get him to go to ask one of them. Really, 560 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 1: it just never came up, never came up. Well, I 561 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: suggested at one point and they said, no, we're fine, 562 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 1: and I saw I dropped. Were good. There's plenty of 563 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: people coming out of Harvard Lampoon we could do this 564 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:39,479 Speaker 1: was this was not my suggestion this time around. It 565 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: was proposed to me, and I thought, okay, so that's 566 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 1: a very nice gesture. Yeah. So we'll see I have. 567 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 1: I have a couple of ideas. So oh that's exciting 568 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: and let's keep um. You know, we're talking a little 569 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: bit about We talked earlier about radio before we started, 570 00:31:55,840 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: but talking about your career. You've done TV, you've done 571 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:04,480 Speaker 1: on film, you've done radio, You've written books, you recorded 572 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: c ds, I've acted in plays. So what turns out 573 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 1: to be your your favorite form of media? You know? 574 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: I used to say, uh, much like my friends Christopher 575 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: Guests and Michael McKean, I like doing it all. That's 576 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: why I do it all. But there was one year, 577 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: about five or six years ago, when it was about 578 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: this time of year, and I realized, well, we did 579 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: a spinal tap record, than I did some live gigs 580 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:30,720 Speaker 1: off of not the Green and Fear record, but the 581 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: one before that with great musicians. Then we did uh, 582 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: Michael and Chris and I did a tour where we 583 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: were going out touring as ourselves but playing spinal tap 584 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 1: music and folksman music. Not God, it's been eight months 585 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: of doing nothing but music. I've never been happier. Really. Yeah, 586 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,840 Speaker 1: that's fun. So is there more music, uh well coming 587 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:52,560 Speaker 1: up in your future? Yeah? I mean this Derek Small 588 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: solo album. So when is that coming out? I don't 589 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: know yet, but it's all base. No, no, it's not, 590 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: but it's I think we're gonna call it so Low. Okay, 591 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: that works as a solo record, and there's a reference 592 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: to the basis and now, but not right now. I'm 593 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: working on a Christmas single, charity Christmas single, so I'm 594 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,920 Speaker 1: getting a bunch of singers involved and it's sort of 595 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: a uh maybe out this Christmas hopefully. So I'm always 596 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: working and I write songs every once in a while 597 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,719 Speaker 1: for the radio show, So, the show, which you've been 598 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: doing for how many thirty seven thousand years? Right, so 599 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 1: you've been doing this for longer than you've been doing 600 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: the Simpson So Radio. Really you you talked about the 601 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 1: various shows and the various people who are influences. I 602 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: know I only have you for a few more minutes, 603 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: So let me let me turn to some of my 604 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 1: favorite questions that that I ask everybody, um, and one 605 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: or two that I just asked. I gotta talk politics 606 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: a little bit. Okay, So you come of age in 607 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:54,080 Speaker 1: the sixties, clearly some political bend. What what what was 608 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,480 Speaker 1: the motivation for that? What other than avoiding going to Vietnam. 609 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,320 Speaker 1: That was a big one that works so biggest is 610 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: that the thing that really colors your perspective more than anything. 611 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: It colored my perspective on a couple of presidents who 612 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,759 Speaker 1: wanted my ass. Yeah, but no, I grew up in 613 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: a political in a family that was My parents, as 614 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: I mentioned, were European immigrants, so they had they had 615 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,560 Speaker 1: serious reasons to pay attention to politics. I mean, the 616 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 1: most life and death reasons imaginable. Sure that they leave 617 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: Europe during UH before the hal offaust just before, and 618 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: the only ones out of their family. Nobody else had 619 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: made it. So I was, you know, raised by people 620 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,799 Speaker 1: who read the paper, talked about it all the time 621 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,719 Speaker 1: at dinner time. We paid a lot of attention to it. 622 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,640 Speaker 1: So and yet you still voice Hitler for the Simpsons. 623 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 1: Is there any irony in that? Orum? Mel Brooks did 624 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,480 Speaker 1: a whole movie about Hitler, you know, I mean, yeah, 625 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: one one, uh Freud said you make fun of the 626 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: things you fear. Makes sense, right? He got that one, right, 627 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 1: Yes he did. So. I you know, the only thing 628 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: that's really changed for me is, uh, I've got a 629 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:10,400 Speaker 1: lot less fascination with the day to day machinations of 630 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: current American politics, because so much of it seems to 631 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,240 Speaker 1: be a shadow play these days. I mean it's always 632 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:20,799 Speaker 1: it's there's always some aspect of that. But as the 633 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:27,360 Speaker 1: as the Democratic Party uh found that its source major 634 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: source of funding was being dried up as the Union 635 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: movement shrank, it was forced to turn to many of 636 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: the same sources for money as the Republican Party. Exhibit A. 637 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: Barack Obama's the largest contributor in the two thousand and 638 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,399 Speaker 1: eight election was Goldman stas So. And by the way, 639 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 1: the fascinating thing about that, that's not a secret. That's 640 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: pretty widely known. Bloomberg writes about it. I mean, I 641 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:53,879 Speaker 1: know it's it's not a secret, but I would say 642 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 1: most most most fans of Barack Obama have chosen to 643 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,759 Speaker 1: ignore it, to have forgotten it. Yes, have chosen to 644 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,760 Speaker 1: forgot it, forgotten it. And if you look at Hillary Clinton, 645 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,720 Speaker 1: Bill Clinton, for that, lots and lots of Wall Street, well, Bill, 646 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:10,880 Speaker 1: Bill Clinton, you know, bears responsibility for the repeal of 647 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: Class Stiegel and the commodity futures modernization I so Quick 648 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,480 Speaker 1: Fund to Telecommunications Act, which Bob Dole said was a 649 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:20,799 Speaker 1: seventy two billion dollar giveaway and was right, and it 650 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 1: was you know, a quick funny story about the Glass 651 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: Stiegel repeal. So I've written a number of things about that. 652 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: I actually have a book for you to take a 653 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: plain weeks um and uh. I get a call from 654 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 1: media matters that are fact checking Bill Clinton saying Glass 655 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: Stiegel didn't cause the crisis, that they repeal Glass. The 656 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:47,760 Speaker 1: repeal of glass Stiegel did not. Right now, Phil Graham, 657 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 1: if you want to have blame somebody, that's right. If 658 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,400 Speaker 1: you look at the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, I have 659 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 1: a list of fifty causes. Graham is near the top. 660 00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,359 Speaker 1: Bill Clinton doesn't escape criticism. But I really look at 661 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:04,400 Speaker 1: the repealed Glass st Eagle as it didn't make banks 662 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 1: do stupid things. It allowed banks to become bigger. So 663 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 1: when they did stupid things, they damage. You know, if 664 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,400 Speaker 1: you're gonna jump out the fifty floor or the floor 665 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 1: well off the fiftieth floor, that splat is bigger, but 666 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 1: you're dead regardless. It's that sort of nuance that it's 667 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: really not all his fault. It was the Mariskuito cherry 668 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:25,319 Speaker 1: at the top of the same day of disaster. That's 669 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: a fair, fair way to describe it. You know that 670 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:33,719 Speaker 1: I'm always anytime somebody says this caused in this really complicated, 671 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: intricate system with a million moving parts, that life is 672 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 1: rarely that easy. Absolutely absolutely, you know. But that said, 673 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:45,360 Speaker 1: the Marichino cherry is a is a perfect metaphorature. So 674 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: so God, I'm really pressed for time, and I don't 675 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:50,319 Speaker 1: want to let you go. You sure you don't want 676 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:52,239 Speaker 1: to take a flat out in the morning, all right, 677 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:54,359 Speaker 1: So I'd rather be at home or in New York. 678 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 1: So we didn't get to Mill Blank. So let's talk 679 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: about your your early mentors and luncers. How did you 680 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:03,400 Speaker 1: ever meet mel and what did he? Mel Blank was 681 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: a member of the cast of The Jack Benny Show, 682 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:08,799 Speaker 1: and so Willie Nilly we were working together, and he 683 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: had a son who was my same age. So I 684 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:16,719 Speaker 1: think he felt a sort of potter familiar quality, not 685 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,319 Speaker 1: in the Catholic priest's sense of the word, but you know, 686 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,319 Speaker 1: very very benign. And but he never said, hey, kid, 687 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: here's how you do voices or anything like that. It 688 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: wasn't that. Did it ever come up? Did you ever know? 689 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 1: So this is just a wild, random quin. Absolutely, you know, 690 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: but if you're writing my life story, please don't. But 691 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: if you're writing my life story, it would seem like 692 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: the most obvious straight law from mel Blank to one 693 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 1: of the most famous voice actors in history. You worked with, 694 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: but he really didn't influence you, all right, No, I 695 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 1: mean I was a fan. Couldn't help but be a 696 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: fan of the greatest voice actor of his generation. I 697 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 1: would say ever ever, okay that ever, uh, I tell me, 698 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:59,760 Speaker 1: I wouldn't dare say you're wrong. The Luney Tunes characters 699 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:04,880 Speaker 1: are are unforgettable and timeless and genius inventions, just brilliant, 700 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,320 Speaker 1: just just I'm I'm fond. And he was a wonder 701 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,239 Speaker 1: and he was a wonderful guy, very funny guy. Uh, 702 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:14,080 Speaker 1: lovely person to have. I don't dare do a voice 703 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 1: in front of you, No, you don't. But the the bugs, Bunny, 704 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: the space invader, guy who's a bowling ball Earthlings make me. 705 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,880 Speaker 1: And that voice has stayed with me since I was 706 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,879 Speaker 1: this tall. I just always barry, you're only this tall now, 707 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,360 Speaker 1: well now, but I used to be that now. I 708 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:34,239 Speaker 1: used to be this. That's the thing you can do 709 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: in radio that you can't do anywhere else. Um, let's 710 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:41,319 Speaker 1: talk about some of your favorite books. What really influenced you, what, 711 00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:46,320 Speaker 1: what stayed with you, what had a an impact on you? Um, 712 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:51,279 Speaker 1: As a New Orleans I can't uh not cite Confederacy 713 00:39:51,280 --> 00:40:01,560 Speaker 1: of Dances a brilliant fantasia about life in New Orleans. Uh. 714 00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:04,800 Speaker 1: It captures so much of the craziness and the unpredictability 715 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:09,760 Speaker 1: and ah, the weird routines of of life in that city. 716 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:12,960 Speaker 1: It's just a masterpiece. I love the rhythm of the 717 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,480 Speaker 1: title Confederacy of Dunce's Parliament of Whoors. There have been 718 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,600 Speaker 1: a number of books that carried that same sort of 719 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,719 Speaker 1: verbal rhythm that just grabs you and it and it 720 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:25,320 Speaker 1: has so much residence. Cash twenty two, when I was 721 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:27,799 Speaker 1: a kid, was a profound you know. It was like, 722 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 1: You're trying to think, am I crazy for thinking that 723 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,680 Speaker 1: this stuff is crazy? And here comes a guy saying, no, 724 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,920 Speaker 1: you're right, this is crazy. It was very powerful influence, 725 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,399 Speaker 1: to say the least. Um, what sort of advice would 726 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,759 Speaker 1: you give to a millennial or someone graduating college who 727 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:46,480 Speaker 1: wanted to have a similar career and entertainment as you 728 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: do live at home with your parents? No? Uh, any 729 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,400 Speaker 1: of them. Many of them still are, I know, for 730 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,080 Speaker 1: as long as humanly possible. Now, I I always say 731 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,320 Speaker 1: this when I'm asked that question about show business, because 732 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:04,040 Speaker 1: the big this exists to find young talent, find the 733 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:08,440 Speaker 1: one specific thing that young talent can can be narrowed 734 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:12,400 Speaker 1: down to mind that as quickly as possible, as as 735 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,600 Speaker 1: deeply as possible, and then throw it away. Tossed you 736 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: to the curb before harvest the organs, and then but 737 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:21,880 Speaker 1: put the rest into the site. So I say, talent 738 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,120 Speaker 1: is good, luck is better, But nothing beats sheer, brute persistence. 739 00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,280 Speaker 1: That's quite fascinating. You know. The role of luck comes 740 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:32,880 Speaker 1: up on the show constantly, and I get to interview 741 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:36,160 Speaker 1: a lot of billionaires, and when these guys say, you know, 742 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: you can't discount how important it is to get lucky, 743 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,680 Speaker 1: occasionally it comes up time and time again. And I 744 00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: don't think that's a false humility. I think it's it's 745 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: the real deal. I mean, I I know so many 746 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 1: brilliantly talented people in in show business who haven't had 747 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:53,080 Speaker 1: that luck that I had to. You know, have Matt 748 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:55,560 Speaker 1: Graining be a fan of my radio show when they 749 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,120 Speaker 1: were doing the casting on the Simpsons. That's how it happened. 750 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:01,200 Speaker 1: That's simple. Yeah, wow, that that's amazing. If I weren't 751 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,480 Speaker 1: a stubborn s ob and continuing to do the radio 752 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:07,920 Speaker 1: show for no reason at all, for no money at all, 753 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: Matt wouldn't have been a fan, and I wouldn't be 754 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:14,920 Speaker 1: sitting here going I own you. And that's that's the 755 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 1: beauty of finding something you really love and and working 756 00:42:18,719 --> 00:42:22,799 Speaker 1: at it. Even if there's no a parent financial comp 757 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:25,800 Speaker 1: Even if there's no apparent financial compensation, you're still running 758 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: a thing called a life. And uh, speaking of which, 759 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:32,560 Speaker 1: I have a print out of your entire retirement account here. 760 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:34,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to discuss some of your some of your 761 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:38,400 Speaker 1: stock picks before you run off to the airport. I'm gone, 762 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 1: I'm so gone. Let me give you the last question. Um. 763 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 1: I asked all my guests, and it's simply this. What 764 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:49,280 Speaker 1: do you know today about your chosen profession show business, acting? 765 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,640 Speaker 1: Whatever you want to describe entertainer that you wish you 766 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:57,520 Speaker 1: knew when you started out all those decades ago. Just 767 00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,640 Speaker 1: how hard it is, really, yeah, just how hard it is. 768 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: You make it look easy. I wasn't and I'm not 769 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:04,920 Speaker 1: just saying that to blow smoke. That's you seem to 770 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 1: be naturally. You seem to be very comfortable with it. 771 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,759 Speaker 1: And well, I don't see the perspiration, don't I don't mean. 772 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:13,240 Speaker 1: I don't mean the work. The work it comes easily 773 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,440 Speaker 1: because you have one has perhaps a certain talent. But 774 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:20,480 Speaker 1: the survival, the the weathering of the storms, the grind, 775 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,800 Speaker 1: the grind, the fact that if you're in show business, 776 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,440 Speaker 1: many of us, because it's something you love and you 777 00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:30,080 Speaker 1: have to do it. That's the other thing I say 778 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:31,920 Speaker 1: to kids is, don't get into this if you think, well, 779 00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:34,000 Speaker 1: this would be nice. Get into it if you have 780 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:36,320 Speaker 1: to do it, because that that will be the basis 781 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: of your persistence. But because you love it, because you 782 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 1: adore it, because you have to do it, you have 783 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:46,839 Speaker 1: given a rusty ice pick to the executives who run 784 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,840 Speaker 1: the business to scrape into your innerns at any given moment. 785 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:52,400 Speaker 1: And that's the that's the hard part. It's just it. 786 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:56,640 Speaker 1: It's unrelenting and uh until your for profit business. And 787 00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:59,279 Speaker 1: and that's it's more than that. It's it's the it's 788 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:01,480 Speaker 1: the egos of guys who are in a business where 789 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,799 Speaker 1: people are getting adored and revered and they're sitting there 790 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:08,560 Speaker 1: going on when it's making effing money. I hate these people. 791 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: That's good money, if money is the best money. But 792 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, it's there's a there's a 793 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:20,960 Speaker 1: certain uh envy that the executives have of the people 794 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:23,320 Speaker 1: who supposedly have all the fun and they're going to 795 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 1: get their piece of the There there a ton of 796 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:28,960 Speaker 1: flesh right for for for whatever I know you have 797 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:30,799 Speaker 1: to run. I'd love to keep you here another hour 798 00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 1: and a half. You've been listening to Masters in Business 799 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:37,200 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Radio. Our special guest today has been Harry Shearer. 800 00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:39,320 Speaker 1: People want to find you, they can go to Harry 801 00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:43,080 Speaker 1: Shearer dot com and on Twitter at the Harry Shearer 802 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 1: at the Harry Shearer. I knew it was just a 803 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:48,440 Speaker 1: little off from your name. I'm Barry Ridholts. Thanks for listening.