The VD Clinic – Episode 54 – Wet Hot American Summer

Thank you.

And welcome to the VD Clinic. Here we are, closing out summer. I'm your host, one of your hosts, Vanessa. And with me as always... is your other host, Darren. Please call me Darren. You taste like a burger. I don't like you anymore. He's pretty foul. I'm sorry. But we will get to that. We will get to that, but I got interrupted. No, it's all good. How have you been doing?

You know, doing alright. Like the people in this movie. Just sort of wrapping up summer. Getting some stuff out of the way that I thought I'd be done with before summer was over. Um, you know, getting ready for the fall. Now it's either the season or of the American empire. We never know. It could be both. Yeah. Well, I actually, I actually, yeah, very, very much a fall person. But, yeah.

I'm looking forward to that, but you've got to try to fit in some summer. And here we are, some wet, hot American summer, right? Yes. Last day of camp. Yeah. Or what does the poster say? Something like the first day of the third week in August, which. Yeah. Yeah. Which is not today. No. No. Now, we are covering what, Hot American Summer, the 2001 movie. Now, Darren, tell me, I know you've been busy running around.

With Danzig, has he gone to, I mean, he's too young for sleep away camp, I would say, but he's doing day camp. He's done a couple this summer through his school. They had various things. He did something to outer space. He did a little week or two of space. And he just started back. At a hockey class. So he's, he has talked about sleepover camp, but there's not this, not going to be this summer. Um, did you, did you yourself?

Go to camp. Yes, I went to quite a few camps. I think the first camp I really remember going to was Girl Scout camp because my mom was a... whatever leader, pack master, troop leader. I don't know what they're called. I don't know. I wasn't a girl scout. And my older sister was a girl scout. And they had a cabin for the little brothers that had to come along. So, yeah, we did that. There's a decent amount of the camp firewood type stuff there.

Sixth grade, there's the class trip to Camp Templed Hills, I think it was called, in northern Ohio. I've still got two scars on my leg from that camp. And in eighth grade, I got asked by somebody at my school if I wanted to go to this thing called leadership retreat where... We learned how to help our friends avoid doing drugs. And I had already started.

with some drugs. I was thinking it was a Christian camp when you said that name. I'm just pointing that out. It was through. Sorry, that's a stereotype. No, it was through public school, but they did rent out. a religious camp because all the cabins had like apostle names and shit, but it was really just, it was kind of, it was probably. But I got to miss a week of school and not have to do any makeup work. And it was mostly camping, but there was a decent amount of, you know, sort of.

people like the counselors from Adam's family values coming out like, okay, kids, you know, but I, I, I survived dare. So this was nothing. And yeah, I went to that and we did weird things like chasing people pretending we're wolves and building rope ladders. And I helped my friends. Get good drugs and stay safe when they were on drugs. But yeah. And then so that was that was eighth grade. And.

I went camping a lot when I was a kid, but we went and set up camp places. It wasn't like this. It wasn't Camp Firewood or whatever the place in Meatballs is called. Anyway, how about you? I did not go to camp, like, sleepaway camp. I did do some, like, day camp. type things like through community centers and stuff um like mostly like arts types things um

I was all, you know, I was just too busy being the inside kid. I was very involved in the... the summer library program oh yeah summer reading was always good that was one of my big summertime activities especially since my my best friend's mom was like the head librarian at our at our library. So we kind of had to do it. She'd say something.

especially if it was nasty out and we were just hanging out inside. So why are you guys playing so many video games? I see you haven't finished a book in a while. See, and to me, like, I went camping. A lot of times with my family growing up from the time I was four months old, basically. And. To me, the camping is you go out in a tent. You don't necessarily have to dig your own latrine. But I've had to do it.

That, you know, you don't have to necessarily bathe in a clean stream, you know, whatever stream. There, I mean, to me, it's like shower facility.

type thing is okay but still it's kind of weird the idea of a camp with cabins I don't know why the really the only my only reference for my genuine understanding of camp is like what I've seen in film and like And it's probably inaccurate to some degree, but it's like what I've seen in this, what I've seen in Sleepaway Camp, what I've seen in Adam's Family Values, the parent trap. however many horror films. We played a lot of cards at camp in sixth grade. I remember that.

I think that's when I learned how to play spades and euchre. Now, I can say I actually taught arts and crafts. day camp for the Jewish Community Center in Cincinnati. There you go. Did you get counseled by any young people because you couldn't find the markers? No. I had a good group of kids, but I was the strange... arts and crafts person who would incorporate or try to incorporate art history into the whatever you made with your regular arts and crafts supplies. And I...

Having to do this when they would have events for the JCC as a whole. Hanukkah or Christmas time because they're like, oh, everything's closed. come in on Christmas because everything would be closed and the Jews all wanted some place to go so they would take the family there and I was there to But, yeah, so I was the arts and crafts person. And I thought you'd find that funny because, no, I was not quite Gail.

I had a bunch of kids that were pretty awesome, I will say. And I mean, I would screw with them all the time because at one point, and the ages... ranged from, I think, 5 to 11. Yeah, that. And basically, at one point, I convinced them that they didn't know the alphabet. because they were singing the alphabet song one day and I said no you're all wrong and I was just like so deadpan and I really just had them going for a good minute and they really was just

And then all of a sudden I said, I know, I'm just kidding. And they all cracked up. I mean, we had that kind of... I joked with them enough, but... I felt it was okay. But I also have a twisted enough sense of humor with kids. But... Yeah, no, I was like, so that's my lesson to you that just because someone may be in charge, you can question them if you're not sure they're right. Because they may not be. Right. And they were like, ah.

teaching them to be subversive already. Oh, uh, another camping type thing. Speaking of digging latrines and, uh, showers and stuff like that. As I've mentioned before, my parents were very much children of the... Or, you know, early adults of the 60s and 70s and continued on that way. So like many of them did at some point, they bought a patch of land somewhere. So... There was this area down near Marietta, Ohio, I think it was.

that had a bunch of hills and there were some roads I think that had gone through there. So there were some broken down cars and they had just a bunch of them pulled together and got, it was just called the land. And there was, uh, An outhouse and some places for tents and other things. So we went to a lot of copperhead snakes. So yeah, I don't go camping really. I think the last time I was technically at a campsite or anything like that was one time when...

My band was on tour. Nobody at our show in D.C. had a place for us to sleep. So we ended up getting a campsite with a parking space. outside dc and slept in the van because we didn't bring a tent with us or anything but we just needed a place to sleep without getting hassled um So yeah, I did plenty of camping, but only half of it was cabin-like stuff. Especially communal cabins, because they eventually did build a cabin down at the land, but it was more of a...

shanty or a unabomber type thing rather than a group lodging. Yeah. Sometimes when we were backpacking, we'd stop at a place, but that's not the same thing either. Yeah. Yeah, the last time I went camping was up near Woodstock, New York. At some... Festival, I don't remember. And my friend and I were camping. in my tent and but there were cabins there if you wanted to rent those um But, you know, there were showers and like a communal, like basic kitchen type area.

I feel you. Like a couple of them at places so that people could come up and use a burner. You know, you didn't have to just use a fire. outdoor but yeah a little bit but then they also had yurts that you could rent Yeah, the yurts were kind of cool. I will say that. And my friend, my friend was there because if this festival was this whole thing that my roommate. Um, who was running this, uh, lesbian magazine at the time. Um, she, anyway.

She was somehow involved in like putting it all together. So we got in there like for free. But my friend was. like massage therapist so you know she was there working i was just there and like got to kind of do whatever it was Very beautiful. I would like to go back, but I have gotten to that point where I'm particular about camping. Need a little bit more comfort.

Or at least a couple amenities. Well, no, I just need to... I just at least need a bathroom and shower facility. I can deal with doing the rest on my own. But I at least need that. I kind of like sleeping in a tent. I kind of like cooking outside. That's real camping of me. But I'm weird that way, and I don't know. My family's weird because that's, like I said, they got me started doing it at four months old. So. Get it out of the way early. I think my dad's still.

Likes to go camping a bit. And my mom basically, yeah, my mom lives near the beach in a little one sort of like a fancied up little. Cabin type thing. She sold her house to my little sister when she was getting her divorce and built a little... thing at the edge of the yard. Don't talk about my mom that much, but I think she's got chickens and still doesn't ever wear shoes.

Anyway, sorry. That's okay. We both got a little derailed. I mean, but no, I think putting us in context of... your view of how you just look at camp movies, you know, because you said even meatballs and I'm like, I didn't even think about that. I don't even know if I've seen meatballs, truthfully. No, I've seen one of them. The one where the alien and it's been so long, I think.

Well, I might have seen both of them. Great podcasting. Pee Wee Herman drives the bus in one of them or both of them. Okay. And in one of them, an alien. Helps the little boys make a guy who is boxing in a dress fly in his match against the dickheads from the military camp across the river or across the lake. That's really all I remember. Okie dokie. I will take your word for it. Back to Wet Hot American Summer.

Yeah. Keep derailing us. Yeah. So anyway, this, I don't know, how do we want to go through this? I mean, there's so much, it's such a great cast. The music, I mean, the sound.

The soundtrack is great. The cast. Janine Garofalo. Yeah. Michael Showalter. Paul Rudd. Christopher Maloney, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, David Hyde Pierce, Marguerite Moreau, Zach Orth. Yeah. I mean, yeah, Michael Ian Black, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper in his film debut, Elizabeth Banks. Bradley Cooper did not show up. I don't know if he was invited, but he did not show up at the... semi-cast read-through at SF Sketchfest in 2012.

I forget who did his readings. Did you ever watch that? I know I mentioned it, but you didn't know if you had access to it or anything like that. Paul Rudd showed up. Paul Rudd did all his stuff, and he... busted out the sunglasses when he did that one scene where Andy has to put his food and tray back. Yeah.

Oh, my God. We were going to get to that. But I just want to say, everybody says this all the time, but has Paul Rudd aged? Not really. Only since pandemic, when I've seen him a little for unshaven for a little bit longer, not even like beard, but just a little bit longer, you can tell there's. a tad bit of like gray maybe in there but that's the first time ever i've seen that that's the only thing that could even possibly age him he's still he doesn't

I have wrinkles. I think he's preserved by his general niceness and pleasant demeanor, unless it's all a big act. And he's like. Evil like people say when they're joking about like Mr. Rogers or Tom Hanks. And they're like, well, what if they were the opposite of what people think they are? But, you know. Yeah. Yeah. He seems relatively ageless.

And good sport. I did double check that this was before, I think it was before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I feel like he would show up today. If he had time off and they were doing a read through, he had a, he seemed to have a blast. I think. Yeah, because that's why I said, I mean, he would. show up to a read through i mean that's just the kind of guy he is he's much more humble than certain other actors uh Hold on a second. Okay, now. He... He joined the Marvel Universe.

And then he even came back for Wet Hot American Summer First Day of Camp, the prequel series that they did on Netflix. And then the other one, White Hot American Summer, 10 years later, the sequel that they did on that miniseries on Netflix. Like he did all that amidst like Marvel films. That's pretty cool. Yeah. I mean, so he clearly, he clearly is still like, you know.

intermingled in his career and still going back and doing Marvel films after he does something like that. He goes back and forth. It shows his versatility. as an actor, but just also, yeah, it shows the, I mean, that is why it's the only reason. We can get away with watching this character on screen because he really is an insufferable. He is an asshole. Andy, the petulant douchebag. Yeah. Yeah.

So many Andy-isms throughout this movie. I mean, yeah, you're right. Just the way when he puts on the sunglasses when he has to pick up this stuff. How many dead kids thrown out of vans? Cause he's got to make out with, uh, um, shit. What's her name? With the girl, Abby. Yeah. uh until she yeah abby with the until she gets the barbecue sauce but then that only is a temporary oh no oh no that's uh

That's a different one. Oh, is Abby the barbecue sauce? Is Abby the one that the guy that thinks everyone wants to fuck him? The victor. Yeah. Yeah. Dan, not Dan Marino. What am I thinking? Ken Marino. Ken Marino. Yeah. Yeah. And no, Elizabeth Banks, her character. What is her character's name? Lindsay. Lindsay. Yeah. Yeah, Marissa Ryan plays Abby, the one that was making out with every guy.

Little tiny part for Joe Lotrulio, who was a fan of him on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. really came into, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, this, I mean, and for me, like, I have always loved Janine Garofalo. Just, yeah. Yeah. I have a big crush on her. It was a bummer that she didn't make it to the reread. Well, I don't know if it was a bummer, but I was like, oh man, this would have been cool if she made it.

Especially since, I mean, she's a very busy person, so she might have just not worked out. But, you know, Paul Rudd was there. Right. Christopher Maloney. made a makeshift he made a makeshift apron for the read through and was like he is in this movie just of course he did of course he did of course he did i i love Maloney is just, he's another one who's more versatile than, he's more versatile than you think. Which, you know, because he's gotten so.

He was Law and Order SVU, but he now has his own Law and Order organized crime. And what, he was in 12 Monkeys too, wasn't he? Yeah. I saw that not too long ago. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, of course. And a show I used to watch. I used to watch Oz. I think I've seen all of Oz at least once. Yeah. Oz. Wasn't he in all of the Harold and Kumar movies just as different characters? Oh, right. He was the tow truck driver in the first one. Yeah. Yeah. Freak show.

And, I mean, like, he played all these different crazy weird characters under prosthetics in those movies. Yeah. Yep, I just checked while you were saying that, and he does play... The Grand Wizard in Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Credited as Reverend Clyde Stanky. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Christopher Maloney. He's fucking great. Yeah, it's definitely. And he is just priceless in this.

If we were going to do a scene, I know that he was going to be involved. I know. I thought about it, and then I was kind of like... Yeah, but neither of us can do it justice. Nope. Just in only the way Maloney could. It just doesn't work. And so why even try? Yeah, I never looked into his acting training, but he's got a good stage presence and a confidence that I think lets him experiment with weird shit and pull it off. Yeah.

Yes, I would agree. Well, he's a New York-based actor, too. I think all or most of these people are or were at that time. New York-based. Except for, like, the kids. And... I don't remember... Because I know Zach... Because I'll tell you... Zach Orth... that's in here um he is uh at the Was it at the time or after this? He was doing voiceover work for Toyota. I know because I was working on an account that was working with him. Yeah. And he was doing stuff for them for a while.

I remember seeing the state. I think the state was on when I was like 12 or 13. Yeah. So that's how I was familiar with half or more than half of these people. Right. But yeah, I feel like my very first Christopher Maloney was Oz. Yes, same with me. What did he play? Christopher? Killer. I like that he almost always has his tattoo, that big arm tattoo he's got. He doesn't cover it up or whatever in anything. I always kind of like that one.

I don't know if it's religious or not. Kind of looks like somebody being crucified without a cross. It looks like it might be. military or something but I don't know if he was in the military. It wouldn't surprise me. Amy Poehler. Hello, Amy Poehler. I love Amy Poehler so much. Choreographing slash producing or. She is. Oh my God. I am so happy with, I was, so I was totally the. I totally would have been in the inside kids table at that inside kids table, but, um, yeah, but I was so,

Into theater. So I was torn. I was torn at times. You know. Yeah. It was hard, but I couldn't stand a lot of those, like some of those theater people that were like, that were so, I have met those kind of people. that are like what they're portraying here. But thankfully, I never had to work for any of those people.

Like, at least, you know, when I was in high school. I just want to let you guys know that my kids suck dick and they didn't even try. I know. She's just asleep. I don't care anymore. Allow me to be mad. Like after. It's actually like after earlier. The whole thing. I mean you can just see she's had rage issues. All these different times throughout the movie. Like when. Beth is like you gotta like let you know Steve the weird boy whatever that's been

Sitting by himself. That led him in the talent show. And she's like. After Beth leaves. She throws down her clipboard. She always wins.

Bradley Cooper goes to pick it up. She's like, leave it! Allow me to be mad. Let me be mad! Yeah, she's just... I like how they talk about, you know, before the big baseball game, they add that sort of typical... deconstructive the state kind of comedy it's like we just kind of figure it's might as well just not go through with it because what's the point which that yeah I guess another

No, go ahead. Oh, no, I was going to say that that does seem to be a thing is the overemphasized importance of a sports game in a summer camp thing where most of the people don't really care. if it was real if it was in real life uh but what were you gonna say well no i was just gonna say i there's so many just little things to this that are hysterical like um where beth is telling

being counselors, what they're assigned to do. And she's like, Oh, go over here to take this bunk. They want to watch, you know, they want to watch China syndrome again. And I'm like, what demented children want to repeatedly watch the China Syndrome? And then I stopped and thought about it, and then I was like, that probably would have been me, though. Yeah. Yep. On Betamax. It's a good movie.

That is one of the things about talking about this or whoever did a kids in the hall brain candy on either this or psychosemantic. It's a lot of it is just this joke was funny. You know, because it's sketch people making a movie. It is a, it does tell a full story. It does. And I told you, I wanted to do a scene from this, like the two of us. But there was nothing in here that was really long enough of a scene for just two people. There were either longer scenes that were longer time.

That would have been okay if we had more people, but we didn't. Or there were just something that was like a good monologue. And I was like, but again, it wasn't. super long so it is a bunch of sketch things kind of tied together but there is this common thread it's like a sweater that's connected Yeah, it goes through – they go through the camp day schedule and then all the other stories are spread out and then they all link up later in the conversation at the talent show. But yeah, there's –

Ken Marino and Jolo taking, you got to take the kids out on the lake. No. Okay. How about the kids go out on the lake and you take them? So he's trying to get back. Joe's chasing him. We've got the Coop and Katie camp romance thing or whatever, you know, teenagers. Yeah. Teenagers and like. And there's Beth and what's David Hyde Pierce's name? Henry. Henry. And then Henry's got his own little side thing with Skylab, him and the inside kids, which was what? Medieval boy.

Mall Girl, Cure Girl, and I don't know, Dungeons and Dragons Kid, who is played by John Hodgman in the read-through on the special features. Yeah, who was... Was that all of them? Hold on. Caped Boy is what they call one. Mork Boy... Yeah, because I thought there was an extra one. Malgrat Girl. Cure Girl. Yeah. I tried to make mental note of it when I was watching the credits that they actually had nicknames, but...

Yeah, I think that's them. That is their name. It's Kate Boy is what they call the Dungeons and Dragons Boy. Douchebags are hygienic items. I consider that a compliment. That kid. Compliment? Yep. Oh, and Judah Freelander pops up. Oh, as Ron. As Ron. The ex-husband of, uh, Gail. You'll be back.

Oh, God. Yeah. And this camp, it isn't necessarily a Jewish sleepover camp, but the campers are mostly Jewish. And when I worked at the JCC... The JCC had a sleepover camp that was associated with it, and I did have to go out there for like a couple day trips over time. And yeah, it was just like, when I saw this movie after I, you know, the couple years after I stopped working. After I stopped working at the GCC, I immediately was like, that's all I thought about.

All the campers. Cause all the, you know, some of the names and you're just like, and I love that there's the one scene where Beth is just. reading down the list of campers like names like oh you should get your you know luggage together and she's just like half making up names and she throws in the name of like old prime ministers of israel rabbis you know just Yeah, she's just like making it sound like picking just any Jewish name she can think of to put in there and make it sound more like...

But it's obviously even those to the end where they have their talent show thing and Michael Showalter plays his secondary character, whatever, who is obviously like a book. Alan Shumper or whatever. He's obviously like a Borscht Belt comic. You know. So it seems to be set up. Yeah, this seems to be set up in, I guess, Maine from... Because of... Oh, when he says Maine, obviously. Pierce's character. Yeah, but Coop and Katie live in New York or Long Island.

Right, because they say get together in the city. In the city, yeah. And I think they do say when putting out the luggage thing for the early south bus to Boston. Or something like that. Or down to Boston. Yeah. Especially, I mean, that's the other thing about that talent show where you're talking about... with the, the kids and his terror. Well, you didn't say they're terrible jokes, but they're.

pretty corny jokes and Amy Poehler being all bothered by her kids. And they put on that really good version of God spell and everything's been getting, which. laughs and cheers and you know all that shit and then they do that that's sorry and all i've got to say though i am one of those people who feels godspell is a really just shitty musical i don't think i've ever seen all of it i've just seen people do songs from it in movies and shows it's i just i'm not into it

And I'm not saying that because it's a really Christian musical. I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that because I don't like the music. And I'm because I fucking Jesus Christ superstar, even though I don't like that's not my religious beliefs, but. I love fucking Jesus Christ Superstar. I will rock out to some goddamn Jesus Christ Superstar. I have sung it at karaoke even. So, you know.

Godspell is just not my thing. But that said, this was still nicely sung. Those kids were doing a good job. Could the choreography have been more complex? It may be, but they weren't doing a bad job. And as far as we know, they were doing the choreography as taught. because the Amy Poehler characters seem to be focusing on... Yeah. But I love the one, I think...

In one scene, you see where you have Bradley Cooper in the back and he's starting to do part of the choreography with the kids, like dancing with the kids. And he is holding like a badminton. or tennis racket and he almost hits one of the kids in the head with it and then all of a sudden when she yells stop he's like hugging it But he almost hits someone with it. I don't think it was intentional. Right. But it's perfect. I just noticed it when I watched it last night. Yeah.

And, of course, he's Ben, and he and McKinley have a bit of a romance going on. Yes. Lots of camp sex for them. or at least well yeah and all McKinley's friends think that he's not you know that he has no one Meanwhile, they're peeping on girls. He's having fun in the sports equipment shed. Exactly. Balls everywhere. Precisely. Yeah, I mean, this is just one of those movies, though. I love that they buy him a gift. I love that they buy him a gift from Crate and Barrel. This is for you.

I forget what it is. We didn't know if you had one. I liked that because the traditional camp movies are steeped in misogyny, homophobia. All other shit. Which they use a couple words like that in this film. But I feel that they're... put there in selective points because this is supposed to be a throwback. to 1981 but i feel it's more in a commentary sense yeah i mean they totally want you to think that they're gonna do something worse than get him a wedding present because they don't

Use the F word. More than once. I don't think. No. And when they do. It's only immediately. And then. The next thing we see them interacting with Ben and McKinley, it's them with a gift. It's like they don't... know the language I know I had that thought for a minute where I was like yeah it's like they didn't know the language but it's it's not like they actually have a problem with their friends being together.

Yeah. You know? Because it's like they get it. It's just, oh, okay, these are two people. Whatever. And the confusion, like watching the ceremony is pretty obviously just, oh, I am changing who I think my friend is. I don't really know what's going on. Not like. Oh, we got to. Yeah, I think this was very smart use of the situation. Yes. Yeah, I know. I thought that was actually. Because it could have been seen as... Why did you have to include that? Because in a way, that to me...

I feel is more purposeful than where Andy calls, um, Oh, right. What's her name? Katie, the girl, a diet. Katie. Yeah. When he, when he calls her a dyke, you know, I'm just, to me, that doesn't. Yes, that would be in character for Andy. But I think it's unnecessary, especially if you're going to have your kind of moment of... kind of commentary and selective use of the other later but it could also just be a con to contrast see there are people who are in lane

Some people just are assholes. Yeah, Andy is not enlightened. Andy is an asshole. No, it's obvious. I mean, he is so misogynistic in so many ways. I mean, it's ridiculous. Yeah. You taste like a burger. I don't like you anymore. I love that line, but it is absolutely vile and disgusting at the same time. Like if someone ever said that to me. Ever. I'm not a violent person, but. You'd consider it.

I would consider it. I guess, well, we've made it this far without talking about H. John Benjamin as mixed vegetables. Well...

played by Bobcat Goldthwait in the, in the read through. Uh, uh, well, I want to talk about a Sean Benjamin. In this, because I love that he plays the character in the prequel series. Did you see that? When it first came out. A nonsense. So it's all vague in my memory. He played a person who was, I believe, a camp counselor. Or head of the camp. Head of the camp. I think head of the camp. And there was like a nuclear accident nearby.

And somehow he got turned into like, he like melded fly style with a can of vegetables. They've got his origin story. And that's his origin story. And you have him, he starts, he's talking. Yeah. Just be honest. But yeah, I think he was the head of the camp. Oh, I do too. So many things, like everything he does, everything. And there's that all interconnectivity. Cause wasn't he.

Well, I know he's friends with Janine Garofalo and Sam Seder, but wasn't he involved in Air America when they were too, or am I making that up? Oh, I don't... Not that I know of. Okay. So I'm just making that up because the three of them are connected and Janine and Sam Seder were on there. I think she got fired and left right around 9-11. But anyway.

I feel like Skylab doesn't really get talked about anymore. Skylab. I can't, I can't even remember when, when was this movie or Skylab in the scientific NASA sense? Well, that was in the seventies, right? That's why I'm asking. Are you talking in the context of this movie? I'm just saying because we've had such random conversation today. I just can't tell. I'm trying to keep it chronologically in the movie.

oh okay uh because i don't remember if there was ever really a part before we move on sorry no and before we move on and talk about sky lab and saying about the Tasting like a burger thing. Mm-hmm. Elizabeth Banks with the barbecue sauce all over her face. Trying to be sexy is one of the funniest things. She is so good at just... Like, somehow she pulls it off. Because she's still kind of sexy. And then you're like, no, it's just so ridiculous looking.

I just know I can't. It's just a bit much. No. Oh. But I love that she can do that with like a straight face and like not crack. But I'm like, how many takes did it, you know? Yeah. How many shoots? She got her MFA at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Neat. Ah. But she's from Massachusetts. So, again, all the East Coast comedians. or New England era. Yeah, yeah. Well, the camp was in Pennsylvania, so I'm guessing the kids were kind of a...

relatively local area. Oh, the actors? Yeah, that were in the movie. So I'm thinking they would be keeping a lot of the... cast just from east coast you know upper east coast yeah this this movie is just one of those movies that i could watch whenever yeah um anyway let's Take a break. I need to get some more water. All right. Yeah. And then we will finish talking about this and then we'll wrap up the show.

Okay. Sounds good to me, and you're all stuck with whatever we decide, so sorry we didn't get to check your vote. Okay, be back in a minute. This'll keep you quiet. Oh, hi there. I didn't see you. You caught me cutting a new show. I'm Beau Ransdell, and I'm one of the many creators you can find on Legion Podcasts. I said quiet!

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Do you like horror movies? I sure do. Well, did you know that most horror movies are inspired by real life horror? Really? Like what? Well, take The Shining, for instance. That's based on Stephen King's real life addictions or The Purge. which could be our country any minute now. Oh, and The Strangers, which is based on a real-life murder. People should be talking about these things. Hey!

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We were talking about H. John Benjamin as the can of vegetables, the Zen master can of vegetables. And Maloney says all these different things. When the vegetable can starts dispensing the advice and he says, and you know what? I can suck my own dick. I do it. I do it a lot. A lot. Just be honest about it. Just be honest. If you're going to hump the fridge, then do it. I'm going to go hump my fridge. Yeah.

Behind the scenes I don't know if you had that if you watch that on your disc but copy of this but um they just have like footage of many different ways that he jumped up there and humped the fridge it was hysterical Oh, he's the best. Christopher Maloney is one of my favorite parts of this movie. Oh, he is just...

I mean, in the dance, his little bit in the dancing and training montage. Learning the new way with Coop and the other guy that works with him in the kitchen. Show me the fever. What's his name? Getting it higher. This movie's got two montages, at least. There's also Town. It has. It has multiple montages. It has, because where Victor is running back to camp to get Abby to make out with her. There's that kind of montage. And then there's the one where they go into town. Oh, I love this.

Beth is driving, and they're like, ah, they pile in the back, and there's the Rick Springfield song. And... they're like doing whatever errands and then all of a sudden you see them like it's scoring whatever drugs in a back alley and then they end up in some sort of you know drugged in like one of them sprawled out on a mattress like Amy Poehler in the middle of a hallway like with the guy that sold them the drugs in the alley I think

He shows back up later. Well, and some random people. Yep. Yeah. And I guess there were some parts cut out from that too. Of course. And they beat up an old lady in that bit. I love that. It's fun to get into town even for just an hour. Yeah. Yeah, but right before she leaves, where Nurse Nancy or whatever comes up and is like, Go, I need you to get something for me. I need you to get some lube for me.

pussy like the way she whispers it she doesn't you know say lube discreetly she just like and then but Janine Garofalo's facial expression as a response to that. She's really contemplating it. I don't know.

She's like, okay, I'll get it. She takes a lot of stuff in stride in this movie. Janine Garofalo does. But Skylab for real fell in... Yeah, Skylab. Which is, I mean, they start tracking it pretty early on in the movie, so we could still jump back wherever, because with David Henry. It was just staring up into the sky. It's like, oh, it's nothing to worry about yet, Beth. But anyway, where are you in your notes?

No, well, I love that when he says, I have something to tell you, and she says, oh, don't tell me you have crabs. No, she says, don't even tell me you have crabs. That was the wording, precisely. And I'm like... Well, yes, but that's not the point. And he's like, no. And then, no, but that's not the point. Or yes, but that's not the point. That's when he tells her about Skylab. And that is a threat. That's the introduction. So. Yeah. But just. Yeah.

The montage thing is definitely used multiple times in this, but I feel like you can't have anything that you're portraying as 70s or 80s movie. Something that was supposed to be that era without having at least one montage. Yeah, time period plus summer camp movie, you have to have at least one. I think they did the ratio right. They could have probably done one more, but...

Their comedy is better than my comedy, so I trust them. And can I just say that... Did you have any more to say about Skylab? No, I just... was trying to figure out if that was actually a thing that happened in a way or if it was something that people thought was going to happen but didn't. And then I checked it out when we were on break. Ah. Thank you for doing the research. I did not. Yes. 1981 Skylab's orbit decayed and it disintegrated in the atmosphere.

Yeah. And this is supposed to be 81. Yeah. So. So. Lines up. Good job, people. David. There he is. The math.

I have to say that the point in the film where all of a sudden the Neil Cump character comes in back to the camp after he's been chasing Victor. And he runs in screaming to Beth's office. When I watched this movie last night, that entire scene where it starts, where he runs in there. the shot continues from room to room it's like one continuous shot the way it's done

It looks like it. And then it goes from room to room. And then they're screaming here and there. Where's the phone? And then things. like, throughout this entire movie, actually, are just randomly being thrown everywhere for no reason. Like, just, it's totally nonsensical.

and but they're all screaming and then just the way though in this sequence though the camera is following from room to room while they're screaming that from room to room and when i was watching this last night, that scene tickled me so hard that I just had to stop the movie and stop laughing. before I could continue. I have been so, I've been working so hard. I've been sleep deprived. And it's just a funny scene anyway that normally makes me laugh.

It just, it hit that spot last night and then I just, once I got started laughing, I couldn't stop. Yes. So, that was my commentary on that bit. I mean, there are a lot of one-liners in this movie, but then you have scenes that are little bits. That are just some that are nonsensical and most of it is nonsensical. Let's call it what it is. But it's fun. Yeah, well, because, okay, Steve at the end of the talent show and conjuring the wind. And.

meanwhile Skylab is doing whatever it does and they're preventing the meteor from Or what, no, Skylab from hitting the wreck haul. Because it was going to land on the wreck haul. Because it was going to land on the wreck haul. So they're trying to divert it with whatever device.

uh yeah it's just so ridiculous but it's fun and the um yeah and in the middle of like the wind and everything you see people like as people are like falling over and everything you see christopher maloney standing there still like very because he's supposed to be you know the vietnam that you know hardened guy he's still standing there his arms akimbo and very stone whatever like every

The wind is blowing all this shit into him and he's still standing there and trying to stand there without flinching. It's like forever the military man. And then the two girls start making out in the middle of it.

just but yeah and then then at the end of the movie where you have like okay this is supposed to essentially have been 24 hours later and that is we're supposed to be it's the entire what seems to be a long emotional even though we know it isn't it is seemingly relationship the way that this is acted out and dialogue wise Um, this whole...

It's seemingly like this relationship between Beth and Henry has been going on for a long time, and they've been trying for a long time to conceive, and she's all of a sudden pregnant. It's like, wait a minute. You just spoke to one another the day before. You could technically be pregnant, but... I don't think nurse Nancy would be able to tell her that length of time. Yeah, I know that's, that's, you may not be able to tell even. And also.

Yeah, if you've been trying to conceive for a long time, that doesn't jive. But I love the way that they engage these on, you know, this crazy timeline. whatever, it's like there's these time warps going on. Just like all of a sudden Gail and the 12-year-old boy are in a... like long-time relationship are gonna get married in a week or two and just don't jerk jumbo shrimp you know but i'm allergic to oxymorons

But do we think they would get away with that now? Oh, joking about her marrying a little boy? Yeah. It depends on who's doing the joke. But they probably would stay away from it. I would think. Yeah. I would think. Even though it's not like you show them kissing or anything. Right. He's just acts like a quote unquote adult the whole time that. They know each other. Yeah, I mean, and he like, you know, he touches her lovingly, but it's not, it's like arm on your shoulder.

you know, kind of thing. And, you know, his hands where he's giving her a massage, but it's not even in a creepy manner. It's just like a friend that cares about you. Right. Like, hey, relax. Ron's who he is. And you can't change that. Right. Yeah. So it sounds and it seems like he's a little adult. Yeah.

And that is the joke. Yeah. But I don't think that they would do that these days. Right. I don't think that they would do that these days. I think that they would, most people would stay away from that now. Yeah. That's just. I mean, that's one thing that did stand out where I was kind of like, I don't know if they would do that as a joke now. Maybe, but probably not. Probably not. Otherwise, I think... I mean, there's... What? No, go ahead. I was gonna say, otherwise, I think...

There are definitely some movies that people will say, well, it's a product of its time. But I don't know. I feel like this movie, other than that part, could have been made very recently. It doesn't really, it's not as dated as a lot of 2001 movies. And maybe it's because. Oh, absolutely not. You know, maybe it's because of the people that did it. The people that directed it were.

I don't know if you want to say ahead of their time, but a lot of these people weren't famous and a lot of them went on to become very well known. Although I guess not really. I mean, some of them had already been established, but it's not like, yeah, just some movies are either accidentally or on purpose. kind of insensitive to shit. And I feel like they actually worked on not being insensitive about some of the shit that they joked about in the movie.

And I did actually read that originally they had scripted it for the 12-year-old boy. To give Gail a kiss. Even. Like. On the cheek. Or something. And. The. Like, writer, director, and the kid's parents could tell that the kid was uncomfortable with even that, and they were like, no, then it's just going to get cut out. You know, they were very mindful, even of that. So I feel that that does make this work and why, even though this is a 2001 movie.

And this was handled much better than it would have been by many other writers and directors. Yeah. i feel like it was a you had smarter a smarter group of people working on it you know behind the scenes i mean they weren't it was smart it's this is smart Stupid comedy. Because you can have stupid comedy that's smart. And this to me, you know, is mostly... Like most of the jokes in here are that. But yeah, sure, it still engages in like fart humor. It's not above that. Right.

With David Wayne, I feel like he's a relatively smart person. And Michael Showalter, who played Coop, was co-writer of the movie, if I'm not mistaken. David Wayne I did see is from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Ah. Yep. And he went to a young Jewish summer camp in Maine. On which wet, hot American summer is loosely based. So he doesn't live here anymore. A lot of people are from Ohio, but get famous.

Dave Chappelle still lives here. Unlike Dave Chappelle, who keeps a place. Yeah. But yeah, I like them. Yeah. Yeah, I think, I think why, I think this film has such a rewatchability factor for me because It has aged well enough. Yeah. I mean, as again, as opposed to other things of this time. And I mean, like we said. Sure that one thing they probably wouldn't include in here, you know, if they made this now. But... But it doesn't come across as...

Yeah, it's still not a certain level of offensive. I feel like it's handled well. It's more of a, I feel like it's more of a friendship type thing. You know? Yeah. I think we're kind of making it... I think we're saying it again, but yeah. I think we're pretty obvious that we would recommend the movie. Well, I would recommend the movie. It sounds like you would recommend it. Yes, I would too. I was going to ask you...

So did you have the disc where we've deleted scenes from this? Yep. I've seen it a couple of times. I was just laughing at every. But Christopher Maloney, every single deleted scene of his, like where he was like bullying the goth girl about the corn. Because she's like, what do you have for vegans at the barbecue? And then he's like, you eat corn, right? And she's like, yeah, but is it...

whatever, like, farm husked corn or whatever she calls it. And you can see, like... christian maloney behind the other one just like getting like angrier and angrier and then all of a sudden he's like just eat that fucking corn very spit talking And then there's another deleted scene where she starts to complain. He's like, shut up. shut the fuck up and eat the fucking corn. And she's like running away from him. It's hysterical. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I was like, that was just. Yeah. And oh, the.

And so now have you seen on the behind the scenes? I've probably watched all of the special features at least once. Okay. Well, they had in there. You know, they talk to the actors just like as an ad lib thing to answer like as if they were in character. Like, oh, it's 10 years later. you know what are you what is your character doing now and so they like dress them up in wardrobe and they let them come up with whatever they sorry

Zora's knocking shit over. So they had them answer whatever, and it was just... It's so funny. And then it's so it's like, then you have to stop and think, well, what would these characters be doing now? And some of them, yes, you know, would be doing like the most menial things, whatever. And then. These, you know, and these other ones who've been talking like such big things, whatever. And then, of course, Katie. Yeah. Just be, I mean, just be.

a housewife which that's fine if that's what you want to be but it right it's like yeah no I never wanted to have any options That's her only option. She sees for her. Yeah. Anyway. Interesting. That they have that. And then Garofalo. Playing with her dogs on set, which I kind of loved. Anyway, that was my last thing. So Vanessa also recommends checking out the special features. I do. I do.

Yeah. So, yeah. I guess that wraps up our discussion on that. Darren. Yes. Unless you have anything else, right?

No, I think we did a pretty good job, if I don't say so myself. Okay, I'm just double checking. Okay, good. So now, Darren, tell us. What's coming up next month? Okay, next month I had two different ideas. If you don't want to do this first one, I've got my backup that we will do. So mystery door number two, or we do the 19th. This is the end of summer right here, right now, as we're talking. Well,

For school, for beginning of fall, for whatever. We could be doing the 1979 musical comedy Rock and Roll High School. starring the Ramones and PJ souls and other people paired with Mary Warnoff. Yes. Awesomely Mary Warnoff, uh, paired with or without. Punk Rock Blitzkrieg, My Life as a Ramon by Marky Ramon and somebody that's a writer. That's about 300 pages long.

So, first thing is, do you want to do both of those, or just the movie, or the mystery door? Or what? Or the mystery choice that will just... Do. But you don't know what it is. Why don't I get to know mystery choice? Well, because you should know if you want to do this. Well... I certainly am intrigued. I definitely could be into it. I know we're reading a book for October and I haven't seen how long it is. Do we want to have reading or not in September? We can have reading in September. Okay.

It doesn't have to be super long. The other idea has option for reading as well, which would be shorter than this book. Which would be shorter. That might have to weigh the option for me. Cool. That is finishing up season one of The Boys and seeing if you read any of the comic. Because there's two or three episodes left of season one. Yes. I could do more of the show. I don't know if I still have not finished volume one of the comic.

I've been going back part of me is like I think I'm pretty I think I'm relatively close to the end but I don't know if I want to be a completionist and read it or if I have enough interest to read it. That's why I said, and see if you read any more of the comic. Because part of this whole thing is your lack of interest in...

Superhero things was met by the boys, and it's been changing, and you did start gravitating more towards the show, but you're not really giving a shit about or liking the comic. So, yeah. The mystery option that you decided to go with was finish up the boys and see if you do any more of the comic. So that is what we are doing in September. Followed by something Vanessa is working on setting up for October. That, I've already said, has reading involved. Yeah.

Okay, so for the comic, right? Yeah. Are we doing the boys? Did I just hear you correctly? We are finishing the season of The Boys. Okay, thank you. And you will tell us if you've read any more. Sorry, it's been a long day. Yeah. Okay. I don't think I was muted when I said that. what sorry um when the so the comic as it goes on Is it? Well, probably not. Never mind. I want to ask. Is it less the things that you don't like about it? Is that what you're going to say? Not really.

I mean, they do, they focus on different things, but the things you don't like about it are from Ellis, who is involved in the entire project. So. Yeah. That's, yeah. But that's why I wanted it to be open-ended because that way you telling us. what happened, if anything, and your developing opinion on the stuff. I guess I would have to say...

I can't remember if it's in the first or the second book, but have you got to 9-11 yet? Which isn't why I picked it. Like I said, I was thinking of School and the Ramones and Rock and Roll High School. Okay, yeah, it's either in the first or the second book, but it's... Well, I mean, I had not gotten to the plane going down. thing in the comic either. Okay. They are close together. Okay. How about this? I will at least finish the volume that I have. Yeah. Sorry. I will at least eat my broccoli.

So I can be dismissed from the table. Yeah, whatever you read before then, it will never get brought up again. You never had to force me to eat broccoli. As a kid, I was always willing. Yeah, I love broccoli. I got a bunch of broccoli and green beans in the house right now. But anyway, yeah. No, I...

It's, yeah. If you are not, if you don't want to read any more of the comic, you're not going to want to read any more of the comic. Basically. It's a lot more of the same. Well, like I said, like I said. I will at the very least finish the volume that I already started just out of the sense of being a completionist.

For that. Okay? Okay. Can't promise I'm going to go any further on the comic. That's fine. But I'm definitely up for whatever, however many... episodes are left in this the first season it was like two or three yeah two or three episodes left in the first season then you're tapping out of talking about the boys on podcasts

Well, I'll still talk about the series, but... No more comic. I don't know about the comic. That's fine. You're always more wanting to read than I am. I'm just trying to put it out there. yeah no so cool that is what we're doing long story short too late yeah and sorry we're so wishy-washy folks That's the end of summer. Yeah. Drugs from town are wearing off. Yeah. I need a vacation.

And if we weren't worried about copyright, this song would probably, well, I don't know how David feels about the Go-Go's, but Vacation would be good. song if we have the rights. What song from this movie would we have to have in the episode? Because there's so many songs in this movie that are just perfect. Yeah, you know, I'm not sure. You got one in mind? Hmm. We always do the, um... One that they do the dance and training montage to. Show me the fever. Clean the fire. Yeah.

That one's, yeah. I think I sang part of it. Great shit. Fun movie. You can watch it lots of times. Now I'm actually kind of... If it wasn't so hard... Actually, I don't know. I was talking to... I hear... It is difficult to find in the UK right now. I believe it was Matt Jones said that he missed out on watching it when it was on Netflix. And he had seen that I was watching it. And he can find the sequel and the show. But he was having a hard time. I think he's going to have to...

buy a disc or sail the seas here. It's only available on iTunes and direct like ATT direct TV or something like that on the streaming platforms. Yeah. Hmm. But seemingly easier to get here. All I can say is. Yeah. Is there. So what else is. Going on for you, Darren, outside of BD Clinic. Let's see. There's still my second year. I've been watching.

Movies from the final list of movies that I've been talking about with some people doing on Psychosemantic. It's not the final list, but I have a list. that I just give to people sometimes. And so one of those that's been on there for a long while is supposed to be coming out soon-ish, not too, you know, probably.

Keep your eyes open. I'm not sure when this episode's dropping, but it hasn't recorded yet, so I don't want to talk about it, because every time I say that I'm going to record something, it doesn't happen. So far, if I've recorded it, it's been okay. Yeah, I get it. Oh, and my year on the... Podcasts on the Stairs summer series. I've got one more year over there to come out. I think that comes out in a couple weeks and gearing up to do the roundtable.

Or I think, well, I'm only going to be on one, but I think Duncan's doing three or four round tables for that. I know. I haven't been able to listen to all of the content, especially when it's like how many hours or something. It's hard. Oh, I can cheat if I want to. It's overwhelming. Yeah. We'll eventually get a list before everybody else knows and we'll be able to cheat if we like.

With some of the marathon ones. But I was on relatively, well, short episodes for the series. I think they were both under five hours. That's what I mean. Well, I think one of them was the shortest one this year or tied for shortest one. And the longest, I think, in its history. Duncan said was the one that came out the week that we're recording this. The one that's like almost eight hours or something like that. Yeah.

So, yeah, that's pretty much just that podcast wise. I've got a couple of psychosemantic recordings lined up and exiting summer.

Going into the fall. Yep. Yep. Yep. Get at us at BD Clinic Pod on Instagram, Twitter. Gmail. Facebook. iTunes. All those places. Yeah. Hope you had a good summer. Well, all things considered. Hopefully you had a safe summer. And... Yeah. Um... Cool. I think, yeah, that's goodbye from me. All I can say is I'm going to go fondle some sweaters. I mean, fondue some cheddar. I think that has to have been the last line.

Thank you for listening to another episode of the VD Clinic. If you'd like to get in touch with us, you can find us at Twitter at VDClinicPod or reach us via email. at vdclinicpod at gmail.com We also have a Facebook group, VD Clinic Podcast. We'd love to hear your feedback, suggestions, and more.