Interview with Harry Shearer (Part 2 of 4) - IGN
You've Come This Far...
By Kenneth Plume
FilmForce correspondent
recently talked with actor/writer/composer/director .
Shearer has acted and voice acted in over fifty movies and TV shows over the course of his almost fifty-year career, among them:
The Simpsons (he's the voice of Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Principal Skinner and more than a dozen others), This is Spinal Tap, The Truman Show,
Godzilla, and Saturday Night Live.
In his four-part conversation with Ken, Shearer discusses his start as a child actor in television and radio, working with Jack Benny,
the radio comedy group The Credibility Gap, his work on Saturday Night Live, This is Spinal Tap, his syndicated radio program
Le Show, The Simpsons, and his upcoming directorial debut.
to read the first part of Ken's disscussion with Harry Shearer.
Also, on Tuesday, April 25th, head on over to FilmForce's live
chat with Mr. Shearer at the
at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET!
So now we're in the late '70's. At what point did you join Saturday Night Live?
The Fall of '79.
So you were there with the remaining original cast...
I replaced John (Belushi) and Danny (Aykroyd).
What was that dynamic like? Didn't many see the show in decline at that point?
No, it was still enjoying its early success. It was just not a real pleasant place to work.
How would you describe the work environment?
Living hell.
What made it a living hell?
The way it was organized... The way people were treated... The approach to the material...
Treated by each other or by management?
Management.
Was it basically a cattle approach?
No, it was meaner than that. It was smarter and subtler and meaner than the way they treat cattle. I've talked about it way too much in public anyway -- I'm trying to be discreet about it at this point, but it was about as far from pleasant as you can possibly get. It was extremely challenging.
How many years did you spend on SNL?
I was there for a year, left, and came back five years later when I thought things had changed - and found to my dismay that they hadn't.
So was that the "all-star" cast year with Martin Short, Chris Guest, and Billy Crystal?
Was it slightly better than '79?
Was it because of the people you were working with?
Chris and I were coming off of This Is Spinal Tap. Basically, they'd offered the three stars of the movie to come on the show. So they were being nice to us in the early stages of it.
And Michael declined?
Michael declined... He got his punishment later. The first year I was there, the real saving grace was that I worked with and got to know Paul Shaffer. The second time I was there, the saving grace was that I got to know and work with Marty Short - so there was always somebody there who was fun to play with.
Sort of a life-preserver?
After the '79 experience, what made you want to go back?
Nothing would have made me want to go back, except that Spinal Tap had been a musical guest of the show in the Spring of '84 - when the movie came out - and we got treated so well and the situation seemed different, because of the difference in who was running the show, that I got tricked into thinking it was different.
So they lulled you into a false sense of security...
Well, I won't hammer on SNL any more. When did Spinal Tap begin to come together?
After I came back from the first season of SNL, Rob, Chris, Michael and I got together and we got a small deal to write a first draft screenplay for a company called Marble Arch, which was Lew Grade's American company. We realized very soon that we couldn't write this in screenplay form, so we took the money and made a 20-minute demo of the movie we wanted to make. Over the succeeding two years, we would go around with a can of film under our arms to basically all the majors in town and show them the 20 minutes and watch them have utterly bewildered expressions on their faces.
Was the concept always what it eventually became?
Yeah... We were very clear about what we wanted to do, and some of the jokes in the movie were presaged in the demo.
What led you all to that concept?
We'd done those guys in a TV environment and thought that they had more possibilities, and then we'd all gotten sick of seeing rock 'n roll movies where people clearly weren't playing. The dominant aesthetic seemed to be, "Nobody will notice." We wanted to do one where we got it right. There'd also been this spate of rockumentaries that had come out, and we just wanted to send up that form. Those were the three reasons that merged in that project.
Who eventually greenlighted it?
Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio down at Embassy Pictures. It was really Norman... I don't think Jerry ever wanted that movie to be made.
So, once you got the greenlight, what was the process of making the film?
We sat down and wrote a scene-by-scene breakdown. We never wrote a script, but we wrote a scene-by-scene breakdown of what happened in each scene.
So, basically a guidepost...
Basically for the actors. And we got a documentary cameraman, Peter Smokler, to shoot it. We wrote the songs, recorded the songs, cast the picture, made the picture in 25 days, and then survived a succession of, basically, guillotine blades coming down just behind us as we tried to push it through to exposure. The company was really collapsing around us at that point - it was really a shell of a movie company more than anything else. Their two other releases in that previous year were Paradise and Parasite, so they were kinda running a little dry.
Are you surprised by the lasting impact that the film has had?
Well, given its dubious parenthood in terms of the company that released it, yeah. In terms of what I expected when we were pitching it, no. I always thought that we were hitting a chord that was fairly deep in the audience and that if we were allowed to do it the way we thought was right, it would hit home - but it almost didn't get released at all, so from that standpoint, it's very surprising that its had this kind of impact. You can never expect a movie to have a life that lasts this long, really. It's just a very happy circumstance.
What were the thoughts that went through your head when you do this mockumentary about these fictional characters, and later on actually go out on the road touring as these characters?
Partly, it was just part of our idea for the project... To complete it. Basically, to do the rest of the joke and to have the fun of doing the tour and to say to the people who wondered, "Yeah, they really did play." It was to sort of cement the sense of reality we were trying to build in to the band - not that we wanted to have that career, but we just wanted people to buy into it as much as possible. That this band really did exist, and that alternative rock 'n roll universe we created was a real one.
So much so that a reunion tour was mounted...
Originally, that was what we wanted to do at the time the movie came out... It just took us awhile to get around to that part of the project, so it became a reunion tour.
It probably increased the size of the audiences by waiting, since you had a secure fan base by then...
Probably... probably. It was an opportunity to do more protracted musical jokes and to do more jokes with the stagecraft than we could in the course of the movie, and to sort of play off the jokes in the movie - so in the reunion tour, for example, the Stonehenge was too big. In my mind, it was basically completing the project.
How many doors opened up to you after Spinal Tap?
Aside from being asked to do Saturday Night Live, I wouldn't say it opened up a lot of doors. I was really surprised that - given the fact that it was a really collaborative movie - it's taken a long time for both Chris and me to be able to do our own pictures. Basically, no one was saying, "Hey! You're one of the four guys who created Spinal Tap! We're interested in whatever you want to do next." I didn't find that. I don't know whether Tap itself led to the shows I did at Cinemax - I think I was just, at that time, known from Saturday Night Live. When I came off of the second season of SNL, Cinemax said, "We have this series... Why don't you do some shows for us?"
Do you think a lot of the industry's accolades were placed on Rob Reiner?
Yep. I think the industry basically looks at who gets the director credit and...
Figures he must have guided it completely?
So '85 is when you went back to SNL...
That's when I left. I went back in '84.
When did your syndicated radio program, Le Show, begin?
It began in December of '83.
What moved you back towards radio?
You know, you sit around trying to get things done - that was in the period of time when we were waiting for Tap to come out - and in this business you're spending a lot of time trying to get stuff done, but waiting. I'd done some radio during the mid-'70's at KMET on my own, doing a show like that, but didn't really like doing it in the world of commercial radio - didn't really think it was a good fit. I got fired for playing a Mel Torme record, so I figured, "Well, this is not a great place to be." A friend of mine was working at KCRW and remembered my show from KMET and said, "Do you have any interest in doing it again?." I thought, "Well yeah! That would be a place to write and do stuff every week. That would be okay." So I started doing it - I suspended the show for eight months while I went to New York for the second time at SNL - and then picked it back up when I came back.
How would you describe the show?
Whatever I want to do on the radio.
Be it skits or song parodies or commentary...
Yeah... It's whatever I choose. Sometimes I'll not do any of that and do an interview with a New Orleans piano player that I admire, so it's basically my little sandbox... Not literally - not like Brian Wilson, but you know. The show is syndicated by KCRW and is picked up by about 90 stations around the country.
Has the station ever tried to censor you or have they given you complete freedom?
Carte blanche.
It that why you continue the show?
Yep... It's very rare in contemporary America to have access to what is still, arguably, a mass medium and have nobody review the script or the tape before it goes on the air and have no meetings about it afterwards. It's just the thing itself. It's a very direct contact with the audience - albeit one-way... Which is the best.
Unfortunately, they don't carry the show in my area...
Well, that's why I put it on the Internet (). I put it on the internet precisely because of the benighted approach of the stations in several areas of the country.
So now we're in to the late 80's, when you started getting more and more acting roles films, and definitely became one of the more recognizable people guest-appearing on TV shows... Was it just a matter of keeping working, or were you approached for a lot of those roles?
It's both. I think the secret ingredient in show business is "Brute Persistence." Just refusal to go away. It's true, because it can be such a frustrating business that a lot of people think, "Why do I need this?" and get shaken out and others come in - obviously - all eager to replace them. I've been around it all my life, and it's what I do, so I'm not going anywhere.
Do you think it takes people a long time to learn how to navigate those waters?
I took a particularly patient approach. I had a particularly long range view of what I was going to do. The results ended up being more long range then I expected. I early on realized that I did not want to be a guy sitting around in his 40's going, "What happened? Where did it go?" Very often when you hit fast in your 20's, that's really the dangerous situation, because you can get used up and spat out before you know what hit you.
Do you think the ones that take the short-sighted approach or live in the moment are the ones who are shaken out of the industry?
No, I think it depends on your luck more than not going through the process I just described. It also depends on just your psychological make-up. A lot of people just can't take all these hits. This is a business where you're in it basically because - unless you're making a serious mistake - you really have to be doing this. Because you feel a compulsion to do this... Not just because it's a cute idea. So you're fairly deeply connected to the work you're doing, and what that does is just give a fairly rapacious group of executives a set of hooks directly into your innards - which they love to use at any time. There are people who psychologically do not do well in that situation, and they're well advised to find a less challenging environment.
So it comes down to people deciding whether they're in it as a lark or as a career?
Yeah, but I do think there are a lot of people who would love to do it as a career, but just can't take the hits. It's really a hard, hard, hard business. It's very, very hard, because the hits are so utterly personal. It's about you. It's not about down-sizing. It's not about corporate assholes. It's about you.
Do you think people often don't realize that when they enter into the industry?
Yeah... Yeah... It looks like fun. And it is, too. It's both those things.
But you have to learn how to take the knocks in addition tot he accolades...
Yeah... Both of them are very challenging. That's my point - is that the very fast, sudden success is equally as challenging as the lack of it. What I was trying to do was see if I could survive in this business as sort of a long, slow, upward ride.
You definitely have achieved a level of success. You're known both by voice and face by a good chunk of the population...
Yeah, I am from time to time... Especially when I go outside Los Angeles. So I am. A lot.
to jump to the third installment of Ken's interview with Harry Shearer -- in which Shearer discusses working on The Simpsons, the possibility of a Simpsons feature film, and some cool details about the upcoming This is Spinal Tap DVD...
IGN RecommendsLulled - definition of lulled by The Free Dictionary /lulled
lull (redirected from lulled)Also found in: , , .
(lŭl)v. lulled, lull·ing, lulls v.tr.1.
To ca soothe or calm: The sound of the waves lulled me to sleep.2.
To deceive into trustfulness: "that honeyed charm that he used so effectively to lull his victims" (S.J. Perelman).v.intr. To become calm: The wind finally lulled.n.1.
A relatively calm interval, as in a storm.2.
An interval of lessened activity: a lull in sales.[Middle English lullen, possibly of Low German origin.]lull (l?l) vb1. to soothe (a person or animal) by soft sounds or motions (esp in the phrase lull to sleep)2. to calm (someone or someone's fears, suspicions, etc), esp by deceptionna short period of calm or diminished activity[C14: possibly imitativ related to Middle Low German lollen to soothe, Middle Dutch lollen to talk drowsily, mumble] 'lulling adjlull
(lʌl)
to put to sleep or rest by soothing means:
to lull a child to sleep with singing.
to soothe or quiet.
to give or lead to feel a false sense of safety.
furious activity that finally lulled.
a temporary calm, quiet, or stillness:
a lull in a storm.
a soothing sound:
the lull of falling waters.
a pacified or stupefied condition:
The drug put him in a lull.
[;50; of expressive orig.]
lull′er, n.
lullPast participle: lulledGerund: lullingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativelulllullPresentI lullyou lullhe/she/it lullswe lullyou lullthey lullPreteriteI lulledyou lulledhe/she/it lulledwe lulledyou lulledthey lulledPresent ContinuousI am lullingyou are lullinghe/she/it is lullingwe are lullingyou are lullingthey are lullingPresent PerfectI have lulledyou have lulledhe/she/it has lulledwe have lulledyou have lulledthey have lulledPast ContinuousI was lullingyou were lullinghe/she/it was lullingwe were lullingyou were lullingthey were lullingPast PerfectI had lulledyou had lulledhe/she/it had lulledwe had lulledyou had lulledthey had lulledFutureI will lullyou will lullhe/she/it will lullwe will lullyou will lullthey will lullFuture PerfectI will have lulledyou will have lulledhe/she/it will have lulledwe will have lulledyou will have lulledthey will have lulledFuture ContinuousI will be lullingyou will be lullinghe/she/it will be lullingwe will be lullingyou will be lullingthey will be lullingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been lullingyou have been lullinghe/she/it has been lullingwe have been lullingyou have been lullingthey have been lullingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been lullingyou will have been lullinghe/she/it will have been lullingwe will have been lullingyou will have been lullingthey will have been lullingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been lullingyou had been lullinghe/she/it had been lullingwe had been lullingyou had been lullingthey had been lullingConditionalI would lullyou would lullhe/she/it would lullwe would lullyou would lullthey would lullPast ConditionalI would have lulledyou would have lulledhe/she/it would have lulledwe would have lulledyou would have lulledthey would have lulled
Switch to Noun1.lull - a pause during which things are calm or activ "there was never a letup in the noise", , , ,
- a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something2.lull - a pe "there was a lull in the storm" - an absence of strong winds or rainVerb1.lull - "Don't let yourself be lulled into a false state of security", , , , , , , ,
- "quiet the dragons of worry and fear"2.lull - become qui "the fighting lulled for a moment", , , , ,
- cause to
"Please silence the children in the church!"3.lull - "quiet the dragons of worry and fear", , , , , , ,
- "Don't let yourself be lulled into a false state of security" - calm (someone, especially oneself); "She had to compose herself before she could reply to this terrible insult", , , , , , , ,
- cause to be mor g "She managed to mollify the angry customer",
- "The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe", , ,
- give moral or emotional strength tolullnoun1. , , , , , , , ,
(informal),
a lull in the conversationverb1. , , , , , , , , , , , , rock to sleep It is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security.lullverbTo make or become calm:, , ,
(down), , , , .nounAn absence of motion or disturbance:, , , , , , , , , , , , .
??????? ??????????????uklidnituspatzklidněnídysse til rolulleopholdpausekyrr?, logn svaefaramyb?s valand?l?tylos valand?l?u?liūliuotiieaijātiemidzinātklusumsnorim?anage?ici sük?netsakinle?tirmeklull [lʌl]A. N (in storm, wind) →
m de ; (in fighting, bombardment) →
f; (in activity) →
fduring a lull in the conversation → en una
this was just the lull before the storm → esto era
B. VT [+ person] → ; [+ fears] → , to lull sb to sleep →
a algnhe was lulled into a false sense of security → se le
lull [ˈlʌl] n →
fafter a lull of several weeks → après une
de plusieurs the lull before the storm → le
vt (= soothe) → , to be lulled by sth [+ motion, music] → être (e) par qchto lull sb into a state of serenity →
de to lull sb to sleep →
qn (= mislead) to be lulled into sthIt is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security → Il
que tout va bien.I had been lulled into thinking the publicity would be a trivial matter → Je m'étais
sans .lull n →
f; (Comm) →
f; a lull in the wind → eine ; we heard the scream during a lull in the storm → wir
den , als der
für einen
; a lull in the conversation/fighting → eine -/; the lull before the storm (fig) → die
vt baby → ; (fig) → ; fears etc → , ; to lull a baby to sleep → ein
; he lulled them into a false sense of security → er
lull [lʌl]1. n (gen) → ; (in business) →
di ; (in conversation) → ; (in fighting) → 2. vt (fear) → ; (person) → , ; (child) → to lull a baby to sleep →
finché si to be lulled into a false sense of security →
lull (lal)
verb to make calm or quiet. The sound of the waves lulled him to sleep. sussing
успокоявам
uklidnit, uspat
dysse til ro
ηρεμ? κπ. ? κτ., ,
???? ????? ?????? ??????
tuudittaa ,
uljuljkati
elaltat, lecsendesít
menenangkan
svaefa ; cullare, ninnare
???, ?????
nuraminti, u?liūliuoti
iemidzināt; ieaijāt
menyebabkan seseorang tertidur , , uko?ysa?
??? ??? ????? ??
убаюкивать
uspa?; upokoji?
vyssja. lulla, s?va, lugna
sakinle?tirmek
使平靜，使安靜
заспокоювати; заколисувати
???? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?????
noun a temporary period of calm.
stilte, bedaring
??????? ?????
затишие
zklidnění
προσωρινη περ?οδο? γαλ?νη?,
momento de calma,
????? ?????,
szélcsend
ketenangan
kyrr?, logn
tylos, ramyb?s valand?l?
(īslaicīgs) norim?ana
reda sebentar
chwila ciszy
временное затишье
upokojenie
uppeh?ll, stiltje
????????????????????
ge?ici sük?net
тимчасове затишшя
????? ????
s? ru ng?; xoa d?u
Want to thank TFD for its existence? , add a link to this page, or visit .
Link to this page:
P or perhaps there might have been shoals of the but lulled into such an opium-like listlessness of vacant, unconscious reverie is this absent-minded youth by the blending cadence of waves with thoughts, that at last h takes the mystic ocean at his feet for the visible image of that deep, blue, bottomless soul, pervadin and every strange, half-seen, gliding, beautiful t every dimly-discovered, uprising fin of some undiscernible form, seems to him the embodiment of those elusive thoughts that only people the soul by continually flitting through it. The s the wind seemed to have lulled off after that furious blast which tore up the tree. Yet I did detect, when the wind lulled and hearing was done away, the finest imaginable sweet musical hum,--as of a distant hive in May, which perchance was the sound of their thinking. He imagines it is music, and he thinks po he lies in his comfortable bed and is lulled to sleep by it. The master, throned on high in his great splint-bottom arm-chair, was dozing, lulled by the drowsy hum of study. All this had been half an hour ago, and the sun, the heat, the dust, the contemplation of errands to be done in the great metropolis of Milltown, had lulled Mr. She ate a great deal and afterward fell asleep herself, and Mary sat and stared at her and watched her fine bonnet slip on one side until she herself fell asleep once more in the corner of the carriage, lulled by the splashing of the rain against the windows. It was as if the wind and rain had lulled at last, after a long and fearful storm. The wind might by this time have lulled a little, though not more sensibly than if the cannonading I had dreamed of, had been diminished by the silencing of half-a-dozen guns out of hundreds. While my companions wandered here and there gathering flowers and fruit I sat down in a shady place, and, having heartily enjoyed the provisions and the wine I had brought with me, I fell asleep, lulled by the murmur of a clear brook which flowed close by.
▲lulled▼
For webmasters: