Newcomers: Scorsese, with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus - The Last Waltz (w/ Stephanie Allynne)

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

Turn up the volume, because it’s time for what's hailed as "one of the greatest documentary concert films ever made": Scorsese’s The Last Waltz! While The Band was joined by folks such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond and Neil Young, Lauren and Nicole are so excited to round out this episode's band with very special guest Stephanie Allynne (Tig Notaro: Hello Again, One Mississippi, The L Word: Generation Q)! Together, they chat about the power of live music (And, of course, The Eras Tour), the differing cultural impacts of The Voice and American Idol, and why it’s so important to label who everyone is in a documentary. Follow Stephanie: InstagramNext week tune in for our next episode covering Raging Bull (1980)! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5 stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Nicole and Lauren to read on the pod!Follow the podcast on Letterboxd.Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a HeadGum Original. Object is to keep your balls on the table and knock everybody else's eye. The band has been together 16 years. The band has been together 16 years. It's a f***ing impossible way of life. I couldn't live with 20 years on the road. I don't think I could even discuss it We gave our final concert the band's final concert we called it the last waltz

Why'd you have to get so drunk and lead me on that way you just picked up a hitcher prisoner of the white lines on the freeway hand it up hand it up little behalf radio

hand it up that's enough so you know it's got soul radio sing it long and sing it loud and come dry your eyes I'm up to reach. I buy you a wedding gown. Well, I'd do anything in this catamount world if you'd just let me follow you down. The road has taken a lot of the great ones. Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Janice, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis.

It's a damn impossible way of life. The Last Walls, a film by Martin Scorsese. Newcomers Martin Scorsese. Also, we have producer Allie and producer Anya here. And this season's going to be 10 episodes, so we've picked all the essential movies of Scorsese's super long and prolific career. But of course, we can't get to everything, and we've seen The Wolf of Wall Street. We've seen Wolf of Wall Street. Today, we're going to be discussing what is considered one of the greatest music documentary films ever made 1978's the last waltz yep and the last waltz is available for free

on tubi and freebie with a subscription on prime and you know you can get it for a fee if you want to pay for it on on other streamers i am i'm honestly so surprised that all of his movies are on Tubi. I'm just like, I'm finding this I'm just flabbergasted. I love it. Tubi Originals and Marty Scorsese. Those are the two options you have. And we're going to spoil this music documentary

for you. We're going to tell you who sings in it and why. We're going to tell it like it is. But honestly, I would say watching this makes more sense than hearing us talk about without watching it because you want to hear the music. But we're so excited for our guest today. We have with us Stephanie Allen, who is an actor, writer, and comedian who you know from The L Word, Generation Q, One Mississippi, and In a World. And you also may have seen her perform with Mae Martin and Alana Johnston in their show Ask Us Anything.

And you can watch Tig Notaro's new special Hello Again, which Stephanie directed, streaming on Amazon Prime now. Stephanie! Hi! Stephanie! Thanks for being here! Guys! Thanks for having me.

We're so excited to sit down with you and talk about this. I know you love movies. Do you feel a deep connection with Scorsese movies or where are you yeah i like and then watching this i'm like he's so good yeah what's your favorite oh i like casino oh are we gonna watch that are we watching that okay great i think i don't know have you guys seen that no we don't know sure haven't but we're excited i was so surprised that this was a documentary i wasn't expecting it me either and then and well in our previous episode um the action boys were telling us that scorsese's made like a lot of great documentaries that are amazing. And I'm like, OK, I didn't know. I didn't know that at all. And I.

Had you heard of this movie? No. And I like the band. I actually like totally listen to this kind of music in high school. This is like my this is my wheelhouse. Yeah. For a special period of my life. So, like, I'm shocked. I hadn't seen this because it is so the kind of thing I would have watched in high school. I'm like, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Um, Nicole, I already got a glimpse into your personal opinion. I'd love to hear just a little bit. I didn't know anything about the band. I didn't really know anything about any of these people. I didn't really like the music. I thought the shots were interesting. But this this was for me, not for me. Yeah, yeah, that's fair. I mean, honestly, if I didn't have a history with

listening to like classic rock, I don't think I would, I don't know what I would be thinking watching like I this, this was the kind of music my friends and I would drive around and listen to in high school, like all the time. So I felt very like, but at the same time, I didn't know anything about the band. And I never seen any of the people in it. I don't know any of their names. And I knew some of the singers who came out to join them, but I didn't know everyone. And actually at the beginning, there was one person like, and obviously no introduction needed.

I was like, gonna have to put a name on the screen. I do need an introduction. Like it made me think like we should have names on things like even like any like current pop star documentary, put every single person's name. We don't, you're gonna, you don't know who's gonna be watching this or when like we need the facts and I feel like now I noticed that watching

it too that now you would totally have a name what they're like what they play what they're from and everyone that came on is just like and here they are I know I know well I saw it was kind of great though because it's like that thing of like, when I always think about music, that like in the 70s, there was much less music than there is now. You kind of could know all of it. Yeah. You could like hear all of it. And you would in your life.

Yeah. You would just be in the know because you're like, okay, there's 10 artists. Great. I know all 10 of them. Now there's just so fucking many know all 10 of them now there's just so fucking many too many and my tiktok singers who i love so much can't keep up with all of them oh this is i but okay so we have this new segment called spotted where we look into the movies and see if we see any of the following celebrity sightings. So is one of Marty's boys there,

which would be Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, or Leonardo DiCaprio? Do we get Marty's mom, Catherine Scorsese, or do we get Marty himself? I think it's only Marty. Yeah, just Marty. I wanted more, actually. More Marty or more of his friends?

Well, yeah, I would love to see Leo. I wanted to see Leo. A baby. And he's like, he's going to be a star. I wanted more Marty because I was kind of like, I think maybe it's just kind of how documentaries are now where people are, they explain a lot more. And that was cool that it wasn't like that but i kind of

wanted more information just and i thought maybe he would talk to us about why he's making this or who these people are like even though i know that they're a very famous band we didn't get a ton in the interviews even explaining like why this is so crucial that we document this and like i just yet they had i feel like robbie robertson had such a vibe which so many people then did of like this is important and what we're doing is important and we established culture and we must and like now if somebody was doing that, you'd be like, you are a loser. It's totally true. He was so he was so sure of their position in culture.

Well, and the fact that they named their band The Band. The Band. Yeah. Like you're just going like that's it was hard to Google them. Yeah. Like you're just going like that's it was hard to Google them. Well, there's another band named Da Band that was created by Sean P. Diddy Combs on Making Da Band. Yes.

And now I know that's not an original name. They stole it from The Band. This was Making The Band and then he did Making Da Band. Because The Band was taken the band was taken but not the band um do you guys want to know why they are called the band yeah yeah actually they talk about it in the movie a little bit where they're like they do everyone just call it because they were bob dylan's backing band and everyone called them the band. Well, and they had horrible ideas for their name. Otherwise, they were like, they were like, we were thinking about honkies or crackers. Yeah. And I was like, that's bad. I'm glad nobody went with that. Like, you're not going to be lasting. Like, it is important to have a decent name for your band.

Like it's that will get in the way. But you have to like say it out loud like welcome to the stage the crackers oh no the honkies and then the drummer the drummer looked like he was on my two dads did anyone else feel this his hair was like feathered so beautifully but then when you saw him in the interviews it was like a stark contrast like he was sort of like he had like what davis sidaris calls party teeth party oh yeah party teeth which i love what is that like when they're like chipped and look wooden i think they're just doing their own thing having a little party everyone's having a nice time in that mouth mingling one's going to the bar one's in the back dancing this felt more or less like a documentary and more like a concert film with a couple of interviews yeah because they really did play the entire song every song or yeah like even as someone who

enjoys it and i was actually like tapping my toes and moving my i was like i was having a good time i literally i was like sitting at my kitchen table like i was like yes but it also kind of took me all day to watch because i was like yes pause move do something like it was like, okay, I'm going to watch full performances. But I wanted to actually see every moment because it felt like it was shot specifically a certain way. I didn't want to just let it wash over me and miss something. But yeah.

Okay. Well, let's take a quick break. We'll come back and we'll get into the whole doc. get into the whole doc. privacy. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, protect your online identity by hiding your IP address, and allow you to use public Wi-Fi hotspots safely. I'm using a NordVPN myself. And honestly, it's very easy to use. You connect with one click to enable auto-connect for zero-click protection. It has amazing speed. NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs out there, and it supports every major platform, Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, even Android TV. You can switch your virtual location to access apps and websites in other countries. Get an exclusive

NordVPN deal here at nordvpn.com slash newcomers, N-O-R-D-V-P-N dot com slash newcomers. It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Link is in the episode description. We're back. This documentary was released April 26, 1978. Now, The Last Waltz documents the farewell performance by the influential Canadian-American rock band The Band. Also didn't know they were Canadian.

They're so country. They're so Southern. At the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Thanksgiving 1976. Did anyone else really want to see more of San Francisco outside of that venue? Yes. I was like, this is the craziest place. San Francisco still can feel wild when you go there but it's of course been like you know very cleaned up in many ways and like it's all like a lot there's a lot of areas that are just like high-end shopping but like

this was like fully cracked out like i was like what's who what is this line i think it was the line to go to the concert but it like looked insane I was like zoom in on these people I want to see who they are and then I feel like it's like there were some people too like this woman had on like a little bow tie and a jacket and I was like oh right Annie Hall would have just come out the year before and you can like just that whole little vibe you know that's so. What would that be now? Like, I guess, dressing 90s? Yeah, whatever is going on on TikTok. Like flared leggings are a thing,

which I'm like, these are just yoga pants. Wow, flared leggings. I had some of those in eighth grade. I thought they made me look amazing. Yep, those are my little Steve Madden stompers. Yes! The platforms that you can slide into oh my god yeah they're back they're back i actually almost bought some from target that were like the steve

madden ones and i was like can i just buy these and i was like i don't need this shoe like for many reasons a i'll be six three b i just don't need it it's like it it's like maybe not a good look for me at my age you know i don't know i think you should get them okay i'll do it okay i actually have them this is what i was tapping my toe in um the band was made up of musicians robbie ro, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm. And they started as a backing band for the rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins, but gained recognition as Bob Dylan's first electric rock backing band in 1966.

Where do you all stand on Bob Dylan? I don't really know Bob Dylan. I truly knew nothing about this going in and didn't learn that much I feel like I just was like oh okay I'm watching I'm watching performances yeah you were you were just being susceptible to like a Woodstock moment yeah well that's because I love Bob Dylan so much and I love Joni Mitchell. I love all those performers. And then when just watching it again, I'm like, are they all just so weird? Like, like, and just like glaringly unhealthy, which I know is what they were saying. But I'm like, they're 30. They're like in their early 30s in that they look so much older everyone looks so much i feel like everyone looks older in like the 80s and 90s and maybe like the the late 2000s people started looking a little younger does that i know no i think i think that's true like i think

50 kind of became like youthful in a new way now and i just saw this funny video on instagram that was like um j-lo and like uh blanche from golden girls like switching hair and how it makes them look they were the same age and how it makes them look so different so funny and it is so much of what it is like we have a style now for as you get older the stuff at least what's trendy now is more youthful looking I think but I wonder if that was the perception then that like the bigger hair or the shorter hair or whatever was youthful I don't know but yeah I mean I do think hair plays such a role but they but like a lot of their hair like Joni Mitchell was like kind of the same her whole entire life like her style yeah, she's so amazing.

And she was the only woman which I really noticed. I was like, what's that like? And I kind of assumed she wasn't part of those sort of rock and roll lifestyle just based on who she is. But maybe she was. Do you know, Stephanie? If she was. Like partying and being. I think so.

Yeah. I don't know if as hard as all of them though I don't they just seemed like really fucked up I know which they say like I like Martin Scorsese says in that time period like he was just doing cocaine 24 7 and I know even on this movie they in post like removed coke from a lot of their noses. Oh, that sucks. They should have left that in. Don't you think they should have left that?

Get that little white ring. But I feel like that's sort of the thing that this movie is missing is like the reality. Because like there's a point where I think it's Robbie who's like, or one of them is like, you said we weren't going to talk about the women or something and we're going to leave that part out but it's like so otherwise you're just sitting around chatting like that's not what's happening really boring story so boring and so slow like I was like speed it up like what happened what happened who did what okay okay like I think they were like let's focus on the music and not the salaciousness of it but I'm like but that's's focus on the music and not the salaciousness of it. But I'm like, but that's a part of the music that influences the music.

That to me is interesting. And it's also like, I think maybe, but maybe that's just from our experience of like seeing where life goes from then to now. Like where it's like, oh, that is actually the interesting part. But like when you're making that and there aren't that many documentaries like this, you think that's going to make it look bad or something? I don't know. Or yeah, or that makes you look bad, but then it almost makes them seem worse. So they're like, don't talk about all the pussy we're getting.

I know. And then to like say pussy, I was like, you guys, like, it's so odd. I was just trying to think of one person today if they were like at the height of their career, like smoking, drinking, being like, Like, it's so odd. I was just trying to think of one person today, if they were, like, at the height of their career, like, smoking, drinking, being like, gotta get off the road, and all the girls.

Like, you'd just be like, yikes. Yeah. And they were, so they were doing it for 16 years, like, touring, which I'm like, that's a long, that's such a long time. And especially if that's what you're doing the whole time is it's mainly that and then you mix in a banjo or two or whatever you mix in a banjo or two well they went on to release several influential albums on their own played woodstock and charted with hits like the weight which i had never heard and up on cripple, which I had never heard, and Up on Cripple Creek, which I had never heard.

But after 16 years of playing music and touring, Robbie Robertson was worried that drugs, alcohol, and the rock and roll lifestyle out on the road would be harmful to himself and his bandmates, so he asked the band to call it quits. It's funny that it took 16 years for someone to go, this isn't good for me. I know.

And also, it is weird, though, because they're not showing any of that, know and also like it is it is weird though because they're not showing any of that that you're like is it that bad like i don't know like there's a part of me that was going like i mean it sounds bad just to do that for 16 years um but you're not seeing we weren't seeing any of the like actual behind the scenes and like it literally looks like they just sit around and they were like they told that story about someone who was like spitting into a bucket and then he thought it was like um tobacco or something then it was all blood and i was like what's this story it was like who are who are they talking about and then the guy died and then he died and he was like it was like why we were he was gonna

be in the band but then wasn't or was it just a random story of like, yeah, and then we found out he died. So that's what the blood must have been about. Right. And I was like, but what is this? What are you talking about? It's just a fun memory. It's the part where they're talking about Sonny Boy Williamson. Okay, who is that?

Because I missed the name. Like an old blues musician. I think they're just talking about like crazy times in the road meeting crazy other musicians. And then, yeah. And then who's that? So Robertson wanted to do one final show and he planned a gig at the venue where they had their first show as the band in 1969. Robertson had met Scorsese at the premiere of his movie Mean Streets and could tell from the way the director used music in that film that he had a deep connection to it. And in his memoir, Robertson wrote, Marty was the right man for this.

He had music under his skin. What a funny thing to say about someone. Not music in his bones, not music in every fiber of his being. It was under his skin. Like the bugs crawling in me when i'm on coke um oh wait was it joni mitchell who had that thing where she thought she had bugs in her oh yeah oh yeah this is like a this is like a it's like a i don't know what you call it but it's like a sort of like mental like is it a psychosis yeah but yeah i don't i don't know how permanent it is but i feel like she had it

for like a good amount of time or where you feel like you have bugs on you oh my god so scary johnny mitchell like kind of in her later years has sort of been like i never got my due i should have been like because she was a woman she's, I feel like nobody studies my lyrics like they do Bob Dylan. Like, he's a genius, but I'm not. That's interesting. I didn't know that people perceive her that way because I feel like she's really revered. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

But I don't think she ever got the money or the, like, I don't know, all of it. Yeah. Well, now she's having this moment with Brandi Carlile where it feels like she's really being, being like put on a pedestal i don't know if you know about this nicole but like this sure down here brandy carlisle who's like she kind of to me kind of came out of nowhere but became like really huge um she's been like touring with joni and like singing her songs with her and and joni's probably in her 80s now i would assume and is so she you know needs extra help and all this stuff but then like they have these big epic moments on stage so it feels like she's getting like some of that now yeah and she can't stand so she like i saw brandy carlisle at perform

with her and and then the whole hollywood bowl saying happy birthday to Joni Mitchell while she like sat in her chair like a throne. And it kind of seemed insane. I mean, yeah. I was like, what are we doing? The whole Hollywood Bowl singing happy birthday. This woman who can sing is being shouted out by people on the wrong key. And she's like like i'm a legend she's like this is one of the worst songs ever written thanks for shouting at me

that's so crazy that's cool you got to see that were you up completely close yeah it was pretty close but it just also felt yeah yeah I guess it was great. But now she's doing this. It just kind of feel like, oh, and we're bringing her out. And everybody just goes, you know, yay. I mean, I love Joni Mitchell. No, me too. They had a good performance on the Grammys. That was really cool.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, I saw that. She was in her chair. She had a little stick. I said, ooh, she casting a little stick i said she cast in a spell yeah she's gonna do a spell uh let's see where are we okay at first robertson just wanted to have ronnie hawkins and bob dylan join them for the farewell show since they were such a big part of the band's success but soon a long list of their fellow musicians and musical mentors signed on,

and the set list grew to over 42 songs, which is too long. In the end, the show lasted for over five hours. I would be so mad if I went to a show and it lasted for five hours. Show promoter Bill Graham even managed to serve a turkey dinner to all 5,000 attendees before the music even managed to serve a turkey dinner to all 5 000 attendees before the music began wow that's too much dinner that's like such a specific oh because it was

thanksgiving i was like why are you just deciding why turkey seems like a lie yeah um i see okay i'm curious where you guys both stand on this. What do you feel about concerts in general? I like concerts. I think they're nice. I don't think they should be five hours long. I think two, two, maybe three. I think Beyonce was three and I enjoyed every moment of that. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm always surprised when people say like they hate live music, but they're definitely, I think it's weird when people say that because I'm like have you ever been to a concert have you been to a good one no and that's why because I

connect to these songs there were a lot of moments I was watching I was like oh my god it would have been so cool to be in the audience for this like this would have been a really amazing five hours I don't know but maybe in the 70s I would think that was good I don't know what else would I have to do I can't know. What else would I have to do?

I can't look at my phone. I feel like when you, like, really like someone, there's nothing better than seeing them live. But then if you're, like, not into it, it's just pure torture. And it feels even, like, I don't know, if I don't like the music, I'm like, God, hurry. Oh, my God, you're doing another song. I've been to concerts where I wasn't super into the artist, but I had a good time because other people were having a fun time.

So then I was like, oh, I guess I could for now, you know, get into it a little bit. Yeah. My friend who had never been to a taylor i didn't know anything about taylor swift went to the taylor swift concert by herself to like see what was up and she was immediately a swift research yeah i was like she's getting to the bottom of it instantaneously she was like the crowd was insane and i got it like it was like i'm so i mean so i totally think you can be influenced by that, too. Like the excitement of everyone around you. I love this friend who said, I'm going to get to the bottom of Taylor Swift alone.

And then immediately was like, I love her. I get it. It was honestly the best Instagram stories of the night for me. And this person didn't know any Taylor Swift songs? She didn't really. She kind of just didn't know what the whole thing was. But it was like when that big Eros tour was happening and she was like, I just want to know what this... That big Eros tour.

She got last minute tickets and went alone. I know, look at how I'm talking about it. I'm newcomer's Taylor Swift. But yeah, I was totally like, oh, this looks so fun. So production for Scorsese and his crew was intense he hired seven cinematographers which seems like so many it didn't feel

yeah that's a lot all heavy hitters that had worked on some of the most iconic movies of the time like Easy Rider and Close Encounters of the Third Kind

he storyboarded each song in the set list for certain angles shots and light cues to line up with the song lyrics. However, when it came to the day of the show, it was impossible to keep up with Scorsese's plans in the live concert setting. And not all songs were captured as they had to take breaks to reload film and change batteries. They weren't even sure the 35mm film cameras they were using would hold up to that many hours of constant shooting.

It had never been done before. At one point, Scorsese had instructed all the camera operators to shut down and reload, would hold up to that many hours of constant shooting. It had never been done before. Whoa. At one point, Scorsese had instructed all the camera operators to shut down and reload, but one cinematographer had taken off his headset because he was so annoyed with Scorsese's constant instructions, and his running camera ended up being the only reason they captured the performance

with blues legend Muddy Waters. No offense to anyone involved, why would you have everyone stop at the same time? Yeah. If you have seven cinematographers you probably have more than seven cameras just keep keep three going yeah two down you know that but you know who am i i'm i'm i'm not martin scorsese i don't know i'm not criticizing him i know nothing about filmmaking. I know nothing about filmmaking. That's just, you know, a little thought that, you know, popped in. He hears this and he's like, I should have done that. He's never thought about it.

He's never understood why. I will say, like, I didn't love the music. It was not for me. But I could tell that there was thought behind how it was shot and it did draw me in at times and i was like oh okay i i think i like this and i was like i don't know i spent a lot of time being like do i like this yeah i mean i even felt that way as someone who likes the songs there were points where i was like okay I don't like I never listened to the band all in a row you let the band comes on the radio and you like that song like I don't feel like I'm like let me

put on a the band album like yeah so like it was kind of the most the band I've ever gotten at one time um but I loved the cameos and like we're gonna get into the the songs but the um van morrison i cried actually really like i love van morrison but i've never seen him sing and this i i just don't really seek out like old the videos of old singers and I just don't really do that but I will listen to the music and love the music but like he's amazing like watching him live I was like this is amazing and I would have been floored if I was there and like he also made me think about because he's like this kind of like looks like just like a your average drunk white dude honestly and I was like again a lot of things connect back to improv for me I was like this

is what improvisers in Chicago feel like on stage like I'm a rock star and it's like there's like I knew guys who like were just like that guy and I but then I'm like but then you're Van Morrison you're like your voice is like this amazing iconic voice that just like can stir so much emotion and i was just i was like i really loved that part it made me want to seek out more old footage he does really especially in that he really has that like guy at church like yes gets drunk. He probably was. A church that gets drunk. Oh, that guy loves the Lord and a little alcohol. The final film starts out with the band performing their encore song,

a cover of Marvin Gaye's Don't Do It, then flashes back to the start of the night and follows the rest of the set more or less chronologically. Now, I also wanted a history i wanted like old photos or like some things to be put in like because when i thought of them doing it for 16 years and they they looked like they'd been through it but they also looked young that i'm like how tiny were they when they started their little babies when they started a little baby band i would have liked to have seen like some footage of like their first shows and like i don't know because i just really i really i feel like we don't also get a lot of in the culture we don't get a lot of like

random bands doing that you get like the beatles like there's like a lot of like you see those things over and over again but i'm like i have no idea what this would have looked like i don't know what kind of audience they would have and like it's this very specific genre compared to like you know the 60s other 60s stuff and i feel like now we're so well versed in documentary that the expectations of what you need or it's like so high and then with that it's just like oh wow so they just like like got martin scorsese when he wasn't even he hadn't done like all his huge movies like he was just getting going and and he's just like they're all just fucking around yeah like that's what I kind of liked about it where it was like wow you have

for hearing like all of his planned shots it almost seemed like they had no plan then it was just like when they're walking around, it's like, so, okay, walk through here, show me what, what's in this. Like, you know, when they show the studio, he's like, you lead the way. Yeah. And there's like a random guy sitting in a room and there's like a guy in the bathroom. But there's no, it's not like, Hey, get out of the shot or, or, Oh, we might, we need to include you now that you're in it.

It's just sort of like maybe no one noticed. Yeah. Like we don't care who that guy was. Yeah. Have you seen the Bee Gees documentary? Yeah. I did not think I would care. And it I was wrecked by that. I'm like, I forgot.

And then I got into their music like hard because you kind of think bgs are disco and there's so much more and then they have and they have such a bad time with disco they're like so torn down everyone's like disco sucks and they would like burn their records and like tell them to eat shit really and then they also have all this crazy stuff that goes on like in their lives it's just it's actually a really really good documentary the whole disco sucks movement like what was that about why were people so mad about racism and homophobia yeah okay yeah okay oh oh okay oh Well, living right along. Racism and homophobia.

Yeah, so that's why that. But weren't the Bee Gees white? They were definitely appropriating it from black. It started in black gay disco clubs and stuff. But they brought it to the mainstream and then everyone's like, actually, it's rock and roll is the only thing and let's have white people make it. Yeah. Fun. everyone's like actually it's rock and roll is the only thing and let's make have white people make it yeah fun it's really interesting great documentary yeah um and you and like i just didn't ever think i would care and i did um but then i think that's

your point stephanie that like the way what we expect out of a documentary now where i'm like that gives me this like huge retrospective on like the way things were and the way they became and blah blah and this is just capturing a moment in time. It's a very different thing. And they're all fucking around. And that's what I was like, whenever they would tell those stories and you could tell they were like, even when Robbie Robertson's like, oh, ask me that again. And then he like asks him again. And then he kind of says it, but it's not, it's like, oh, he wanted to get that just right in the way in which he was telling it but it's so funny to leave in the like say it again because

it's like obviously you're supposed to cut around that yeah right but showing how much he cared i think like and the same like we weren't going to talk about that like they just what they were going for i guess yeah i think i agree it was like not polished it was just like a moment in time like just encapsulated but at the same time i feel like what they were saying they were trying to make it very specific like here's what i will share about this like it's like you're capturing it, but like it's controlled. Right. Yeah. Was there any song that that really worked for you, Nicole, or that you were like into? Yes. Wait, which one was it?

It was there was a lady singing on it. Oh, maybe it was the weight with the. Oh, yeah. Singers. Yeah. That was awesome yeah yeah that was i really enjoyed that one and then coyote with joni mitchell when she i love that and she was like but it kind of felt like she was like a featured extra like it didn't seem like

they were like it really to that point actually stephanie i really feel like they didn't even i thought she was almost backstage part of it. Like, I'm like, get her out there. Like, I don't know. Yeah. I know. And then she's there at the end. And then they have Emmylou Harris,

who I actually, I'm not that familiar with, but I associate with, like, later music. And what was that part where they were, like, on a different stage? I have no idea. You know how they were like throughout? Yeah, I think there was like two songs that they recorded separately that weren't part, just weren't part of this that night. And then they added it in?

Like with the staple singers and I think, yeah, with Emmylou. It was like very clearly suddenly on a soundstage. Yeah. Then there's the ending when they sing I Shall Be Released, and it's Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr from the Beatles, and many and Joni and like many other people from

the show already, and Van Morrison. And it was almost like I was like, you can't have 20 people with distinct voices and styles sing the same song. I'm like, I just want to hear one of them. I liked it. It felt like We Are the World.

It was like that. It was like, ooh, okay. But it's like you have Van Morrison doing his thing, and I'm like, you got to blend in there, little buddy. And you want to know something shocking about this movie that I read was that it got financing because Bob Dylan said he'd do it. And because he did it, they, which I'm like, wow, even in the seventies, it came down to like, you could have all those people and it wouldn't have financing. And then Bob Dylan.

He had the most Instagram followers. That's so weird. There's some interesting stuff in the production where during the show, he said he didn't want to be filmed as much as they wanted to film him. And they almost like in the middle of the show, they almost like had this whole thing and they knew that they were only getting the money if Bob was in it. And so like he almost, it was like this big panic backstage.

Do you feel like he was trying to not take the spotlight or what? What did you read this, Stephanie? Do you want to go for it? Well, I would, I, he,

he basically had something coming out, right. He had a movie coming out that he was like, well, I don't want this to sort of overshadow my movie. And they were like, so he's like, I'll still perform at the concert,

but you can't film me. And then they were like freaking out because they only got the money for the movie. And so right leading up to the show, he was like, I'm not doing it. And they sent in, I think one of the producers to talk to him and he agreed to let them do two, uh, film him for two songs, which again is so crazy that they were making a documentary and didn't film any of that like that's like if you were making a documentary now you'd be like oh my god shit's hitting the fan right day of like that would be like gold in your documentary that's so true and like completely not even included do you feel like that's because of reality tv like why do we yeah like we want we want some drama it's like i want the juice i want to know what's happening behind closed doors i want to know about the drama how it almost didn't happen

yeah like in j-lo's documentary where nobody wanted to do her movie oh my god have you seen those clips i haven't seen the documentary no i haven't seen either of the things. I haven't. Well, there's a bunch of people who are like unavailable. And J-Lo literally is like, I say that when I don't like the script. What do you mean they're unavailable? It's just for half a day. And it's like, oh, this is heartbreaking. Well, don't tell everyone you say that when you don't like the script. Because then it makes it look like it's bad.

Unavailable. Oh, no. But I also think there's like culturally you don't protect people anymore it's like correct they fucking did that and i want people to know what this person's really like whereas they wanted him they wanted to like preserve him for the sake of like the the movie because it makes it look cooler that it went well with him that he didn't want to do something that they wanted right yeah i think you're right there is a lack of privacy now in a way where like back in the day it was like oh we'll just preserve this person's private life

we're not going to put everything out there you know right which is kind of nice it is I think we should in that sense alone everything else like I feel like now though it is like you expose everyone for everything they do like the second it happens like so and so stormed off the set of whatever like we know about it like right when it happened or you know it's just it is like you can't live with that duality. It's like, I can't stand that anybody loves this person. If only they saw on a day to day basis the hell they cause. And it's like people can't. It's like that truth. It's like, oh, you must know. where like when we were growing up I mean I've heard like movie people who are like movie stars then like kind of say there are no movie stars now like I saw I was reading something about this but like that like we would see it as like a sort of separate entity and be like they're a movie star and then like we'd get tabloids but that was like all we got and you kind of wonder if they're fake and then that's it and then you don't you don't have the Instagram of them showing their real life

which feels so accessible and like too accessible with a lot of people. We were like, wow, I can see inside so-and-so's home right now. This is like, this is great. It's cool. But then it takes away that mystery that we like so much about people and makes movies more fun. Yeah. So this movie was considered one of the greatest music documentaries and concert films ever made. But drummer Levon Helm wasn't happy with the final version.

He felt like the entire thing was driven by Robertson and Scorsese and that the film makes the rest of the band seem like Robertson's backing band. Kind of true because there are I was actually surprised by how much the drummer was singing. And I was like, what's this drummer doing he's a big part of these songs but we didn't get he didn't talk too much we got a good amount out of him though honestly i did feel like he he spoke up he was talking about pussy wasn't he talking about pussy wasn't he was he yeah yeah pussy robertson loved the movie and he was proud of what he accomplished with scorsese i can't say that man's name scorsese we gotta work on it i need like scorsese say it stephanie well i always wondered if it's because i've heard people say scorsese which is what i say and then scorsese yes and i i say scorsese, which is what I say, and then Scorsese. Yes, and I say Scorsese,

but then I'm always going like somehow I feel wrong. I do feel wrong. Someone will tell us, you know. We'll find out when we're done recording this and then they tell us in months. He went on to collaborate with Scorsese for decades, working on the music for his films Raging Bull, The King of Comedy uh the color of

money casino gangs of new york shutter island the wolf of wall street the irishman and killers of the flower moon are we watching all of those not all but many yeah we we're gonna see raging bull casino gangs of new york irishmen and killers of the apartment oh man um you're so good you're so good no i'm excited i am excited but he uh so so he made like music for the films he's like a music supervisor and yeah like helped with the soundtracks for all of those films oh interesting that's i mean that's crazy that's like a very long relationship i feel like he really like made this movie and then was done like that's what blows my mind about him is that he was really he really did it it's like he didn't perform again and he just went and did movie stuff and

studio stuff with him yeah because it does feel like one of those things that you see people say like we're gonna stop and then they just keep going and it's fine but like they actually did yeah i think the band went on without robertson share had a farewell tour for years and then landed in vegas she'll never stop i love share same every interview with her i'm like this is the best interview that's ever been um much of the no this i don't know how i feel about this much of the music we hear was actually overdubbed later in a studio oh okay the band's producer john simon later said richard wasn't singing well rick's bass was out of tune and robbie wanted to improve his guitar solos the great thing was that levon helm didn't need to do it over he got it right the first time

wow in a film helm came to loathe he looked and sounded the best during the band's live performances they all were like plink plonk plunk later they did five hours and they were like we sounded like shit like everyone there is like it was the worst concert ever. We hated it. It was five hours long. Nothing was in tune. Everyone was off key. But I got some turkey.

I had cranberry sauce. That's so crazy. All right, we're going to take a quick break, and we'll be back with more at the last waltz after this. And we're back. And this is the new Academy Awards, a new segment. Despite his films having been nominated for over 100 combined Academy Awards, Marty himself has only won one uh but so far he has won four new Academy Awards uh the newcomers franchise prestigious

annual awards in excellent and Scorsese movies just gonna get wilder and wilder as it goes on so uh Anya and Ali and or we'll read off the nominees to us and we will all vote on what we think should win. Okay. All right, here we go. Best line delivery. The nominees are it's a goddamn impossible way of life. That was Robbie Robertson or the greatest priest on 52nd street and on the streets of New York where the musicians. They were doing the greatest healing work. They know how to punch through music, which would cure and make people feel good. And that was Garth Hudson.

I mean, I think it's a goddamn impossible way of life. I like that. It's very curmudgeon-y. And it felt like his whole mood the whole time. There's no way we could do it again. Okay, beautiful. He also could be like i feel like he was just like if we keep going we'll die and then he names all those people that like the road got when he was like jimmy hendrix and chance chocolate yeah

i want that's it's not really a thing now everyone's like i could keep doing it yeah now yeah i think they have people being like yeah you're on a private jet don't do too much cocaine just drink a little less yeah everyone's doing fine okay our next award is for best dressed we have the nominees are bob dylan neil young joni mitchm. Levon Helm. Okay, so there's a scene where he has like a trucker hat that's like sitting atop his head. And it looks like it was filmed yesterday. Like I literally was like, it does look very current. And it literally, he didn't say,

oh, I better put this hat on so it doesn't fly away with a gust of wind. Just truly cynic. That was the only time I thought he was attractive. It was when he had that hat on. It helped a lot with just the shape of everything going on. Neil Young, no. It's a no.

It's not attractive. He's very sloppy. I mean, his voice is iconic, but he's um i don't i don't enjoy exactly the he looks like a murderer there we go a little and bob dylan i'm really not attracted to like point blank i have no interest joni mitch Mitchell I thought looked beautiful I'm gonna go with Joni Mitchell I think she looks stunning She has on like a leotard like a skirt And like beautiful layered

Beaded necklaces and her hair Is just she's so simple She's so like just classic beauty Elegance I think she wins Yeah Okay great and then we kind of did this but best soundtrack song

Helpless with Neil Young The Wait with the Staple Singers The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down or the finale I Shall Be Released I really liked The Wait I did too I thought that was great

I really liked oh go ahead no please no no please no please you well you didn't say this one. Did you say it makes no difference?

No. That's not nominated. You can write them in. You can write them in. I'm writing that one in. That's my favorite song. I want to write in the Van Morrison song. I don't remember.

They sang radio, but is that what it was? Caravan, I think. Oh, okay. Because maybe he blended two songs together. Or maybe that's what that's called. But I really liked it. But I would vote for The Wait, weight too because i thought that was great and i've never heard i don't think they're ever on that in like a typical release of that right the statement singers and it really added like a great

layer well congratulations to all the nominees now it's time for score sazy where we read reviews and we give a score to this film so we read reviews from a letterboxd and then we'll each give a one sentence review ourselves and a star rating for the movie and if you don't know by now you better fucking know that letterboxd is a social platform where people can write in their reviews of their own films. And we have our own Letterboxd at newcomers, which we learned a couple of days ago. Yeah.

All of our reviews are listed on because that makes so much sense. It makes a lot of sense. And I can't believe I didn't put two and two together like a little idiot. So you can follow us and see what we've thought of every movie we've ever watched. And there are so many as you know and this review is from logan kenny who said who cares if it's real it's beautiful anyway perfect movie um stephanie do you want to give your star in one sentence review okay oh i see, I see. Of the movie. I thought it was just something.

I'll hit what he said. Yeah, what do you think of that review? Yeah, what do you think about Logan Canning? We should just make it like an inception of like... No, like it doesn't make no sense. Okay. I'm going to give this movie... What's the top?

Four? Five? Five. I'm going to give it a three and my review is um they were cool then but losers today oh my god i love it okay our, do you have a review for us? Yeah, I'm going to also go three stars. And I'm going to say it made me consider growing my hair long and having a middle part. And that's about it.

That's good stuff to bring into your life. Yeah. I'm going to give it four stars. And I say that it's the original celebrity self-made documentary oh okay i feel like you can tell that robbie robertson was like include this don't include this and now everybody's like that's the beyonce documentary yeah that's crazy interesting yeah i think i'm gonna give it three and a half for capture. It captures a moment in time very beautifully and also captures a lot of my favorite songs from high school and gives context to them. And it's fun to see all these people come together in this way.

It is very like we are the world, like you're like mixing in all these people. Also, aren't they? This is unrelated to my review, aren't they um doing this again like there's like a reunion of this or something or that already happened or this happened like years ago i don't know i i saw something most of them have died okay oh no i saw something let me see but nicole please But Nicole, please tell us what you think of the movie. So my star rating is, I think, a three, maybe three and a half. Even though the music was not for me, I did feel transported. And I did enjoy it at some times. And I thought the cinematography, I thought all seven cinematographers did an excellent job.

All seven of you crushed it. They did do a Last Waltz tour in 2022, but it looks like it might be something complete. No, it is. This epic tour continues the tradition of capturing the excitement of the band's historic 1976 Thanksgiving concert, hailed as the greatest concert of all time.

And then there's just, but there's pictures of people I just don't know who they are. And I'm like, they there's pictures of people. I just don't know who they are. And I'm like, they must be people from something. I don't know, but it's a lot of big bands probably are musicians,

but this is right. Are you seeing this on you? I'm seeing this. I just don't know who any of these people are. Me neither. I'm so confused. And no offense to them. No,

no, I mean, either. I mean, I'm like, I don't mean to offend anyone. I'm literally just going like, they don't look old enough to have been there the first time. And maybe they're just doing tributes or something. It happened and it was amazing.

It happened and it was amazing. They're like famous musicians, you know, but not, they weren't, obviously not any of the original members, but maybe like in other iterations and they're maybe doing a tribute. That's like, what's his name in Queen? Adam Lambert. That's right. I loved when he, when he jumped into Queen. I was like, that's amazing. He's got a great voice.

It's so cool. It's one of those things where you're like, he grew up listening to this and then he's the lead singer. Like that's insane. Yeah. His voice is amazing. All because of American Idol. One of the best shows ever made. I love American Idol.

So do I. Has The Voice produced any singers that we know? We're never talking, no one is ever talking about people from The Voice. It's always American Idol, isn't it? That is interesting. But they're all amazing singers, obviously. Everyone's slapping their buttons and spinning

around to see them. Everyone's slapping their buttons. Yeah, that's the premise of the show. Slap them buttons. I mean... Especially seeing how you love The Voice and American Idol and then this movie, it's like

our true taste always comes out it's always shocking to even ourselves but like just american idol by the way used to be like the meanest show ever I mean like when you think back they would bring in people where like they clearly couldn't sing and they're like get in there go get in there do it and then they're gonna love you they're so confident and then everyone's like you're a piece of shit and like we're

at home like lol-ing and we're in 8th grade Lauren you said this like a few years ago and it makes me laugh so fucking hard about what is the woman's name who was like, she sang like from Les Mis. Susan Boyle.

Susan Boyle. And then you were talking about how mean that setup was where they like, she comes out and then they like, they do like audience shots of like, ew. It's insane. They of like ew it's like saying

they're like there's no way they're like there's no way this could be good sing this old lady yeah they're literally their faces are like and then she sings and then they're all like oh oh and then they literally say like all of us in this room thought otherwise like we all thought just like the weirdest like terrible ugly person and she's just like thank you i know it's so messed up and it makes no sense that you would assume someone can't sing because of how they look it makes no sense but like that's also like so much of our culture is like all singers are hot basically and it's like that's not actually how life is but like we only put them up if they're like we like to look at them too it's it's awful what an awful awful poor susan boyle she's doing great right didn't she what is she now i don't know she must have made tons of money singing oh she looks good let's see she got every surgery haircut

oh she got some wing liner on okay though she did you know what because she didn't she they i don't know what's going on. Her hair does look really nice. All right. It is funny. She looks like a nice 40-year-old woman. And everyone said, ew, which is so mean. It's so crazy. And then she's like, I dreamed a dream.

And everyone's like, holy fuck. And everyone's like, oh, my God. She dreams? But she's so ugly. How could she ever? It's so awful. You've taught us all a lesson that really was like part of it yeah and now i think it's much nicer though i think it's much more like we just send in people who are good and then they get cheers and then we just see how far they go and but i'm also looking at susan boyle it she wasn't ugly She just wasn't wearing makeup and she didn't know

what to do with her hair. And everyone said, we hate that, that you can't figure out your look. Which is so, I mean, it's like, it's not, she didn't care probably.

She was like, I love singing and like, she has a full life and she's like, I don't really, you know, care about styling my hair

a certain way. And then everyone's like, that's your biggest flaw. And then make fun of her dreams too. and she's like i don't really you know care about styling my hair a certain way and then everyone's like and that's your biggest flaw make fun of her dreams too like she's like i want to be like eileen page everyone's like oh my god you and your good luck i bet they probably too like they she probably thought they were gonna put makeup on her before they sent her out on tv they were were like, no, no, no. No, sorry. You got to get out there just like that. Yeah, I was listening to Kelly Clarkson on Smart List and she was talking about how she doesn't care about hair and makeup. She kind of hates having it done.

She appreciates it, but she's just like, it's not my typical day-to-day thing. And that was an issue when she was filming american idol that like when they would shoot her documentary style like when it wasn't like on stage she never had hair makeup done and they were always like don't you want to do that and she's like no i don't just this is my life you're gonna come to my house and see my thing and whatever but like it is such an issue for you know productions wow hey it's hard to be a woman she's one of the best singers we've got i think so she's my american idol she is mine too first one best one first one back well that's obviously why we came here to gather today do you have anything you'd like to plug

plug um you uh no you can just catch me at largo in los angeles and dynasty typewriter and the elysian with um ask us anything and may martin show so fun everyone should do that if you're in town very funny and thank you so much for being here and talking about this with us your opinions are so funny and we encourage everyone out there to write a review for Newcomers on Apple Podcasts and rate the podcast on Spotify. Just click five stars because you love it. You love it. And we'll be back next week with Raging

Bull, which honestly, I don't know anything about. I don't know what that means. Me either. I don't know what that means at all. I don't know what that means at all. We don't know. Is there going to be bulls? Is it set in Spain? It could be any of the ores. I don't know what that means at all. I don't know what that means at all. We don't know. Is there going to be bulls? Literally. Is it Wall Street? That's hilarious.

It could be any of the ores. Wolf of Wall Street came later, but. All right. We'll see. We'll see you then. Please watch the film and we'll check in with you next week. Bye. Bye.

Newcomers is a HeadGum original hosted by us, Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus. Our executive producer is Anya Kenofskaya and our producer is Ali Khan. Our theme music, editing, sound mixing and mastering is done by Ferris Monchi. Listen to new episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday. That was a Hidgum Original.