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Nicky P: Music Podcast,

Welcome all you delightful people to the We came from Celluloid podcast. I'm Mickey P. Here is always with the illustrious, Mr. Brian Pritchard. How are we doing today, Brian? I'm wonderful sir. How are you? You know, I am enjoying the life of a. Man in the dad band in the Ohio River Valley. That is that where we are?

Yeah, I guess so. I don't like dad band that. I, I love it because I love to be as demeaning as possible to myself. Sure. Self deprecating humor, you know, I'm just like, I'm just like, all you rubes.

Brian Pritchard: It's funny when I tell people that I meet in my. Business networking world about my music life. That's actually one of the first things I say is I'm like, I don't want you picturing a bunch of like, middle-aged guys in a, in a shitty garage band.

Like, we're fucking serious about what we do. You know? Like this is a skill that I've perfected over many years. You know,

Nicky P: Even if by chance we are mostly a bunch of middle aged dads in a garage, we're

Brian Pritchard: In a basement brother. We are in a basement. Oh, okay. Okay. But like I, I do run into people that like so much business networking shit is around golf.

Right. And I, I, I've been on a golf course one time in my life and I was like 12 years old with my dad and, uh. I never wanna go on these golf outings because I don't wanna be incompetent in front of other people. You know what I mean? Like especially other people who are good at things, it sucks to be doing an activity that you suck at.

But like at the same time, like that, I'm getting that feeling of like, that discomfort of being really awkward and clumsy and shitty at like golfing or whatever. I have this thing that floats into my head that goes, like my back starts wanting to straighten up and be like, Hey dude, you are like really good at this other shit.

You know what I mean? Like, and you put any of these golfer fucks in front of a drum set and they're gonna sit there and be like, you know. Have no idea what to do. So it's funny the way like music and things get elevated and I, I, this will be a whole other digression if I say it, but just to finish the thought music, and, and like acting and other things that, in the, in the creative arts.

They seem to get elevated by our culture as like really special skills, but it, you know what I mean? Like as, Phil from Pantera pointed out, being gifted with talent, born with talent is like not in and of itself a big deal. Like people are born naturally good at a thing and that thing might be. Mechanically inclined versus creatively inclined versus being a natural caretaker versus being a natural fucking mathematician or whatever, you know what I mean?

But, we're lucky to have a skill that some people look at and go, no matter how good they are at their shit. They do tend to look at our shit and be like, oh, that's fucking magic that you can do that thing. You know? So that's kind of,

Nicky P: I, I, I look, just look at it as like, we all have our expensive hobbies, guys.

You spend a lot of money on those clubs. I spend a lot of money on the gear and equipment to do what I do, but

Brian Pritchard: No one really gathers to watch them play amateur golf. Like, like they don't, they don't manage typically to get crowds of friends and family, let alone strangers showing up to watch them execute.

Even if they've devoted 30 years to their golf swing, they're, they're not gonna get a bunch of people to come up and be like, dude, I watched you fucking play in golf out there today. And that was really something. We get a lot of pats on the back for our expensive hobby.

Nicky P: That was kind of my other point is like, I know they're not historic or they're not routinely getting people to give them hundreds of dollars to come out and do their hobby to at a private party.

Hey, God, you think be really cool if you come out and make, take a few swings for the, the family out this weekend. Could you do that?

Brian Pritchard: That ain't happening. My dude. I, I wanna do a, i I shared right before we hit record that, you know. I'll preface it this way, you, you, you know, that moment in Ghostbusters where the ray conjures up the stay puffed marshmallow man, but it's because of how difficult it is.

Like if I say, don't think of, you know, a purple elephant right now, your mind immediately thinks of a purple elephant. It's like at the moment that I'm trying to resist a thought. It's like that thought becomes, you know, immediately apparent. And I had texted you a couple days ago because we've been playing that 1212 song at practice.

We've got a show coming up this Saturday and we're gonna play it there. Along with the Salsa Rag song, which I did separately text you about. But I, I, I, you know, the 12 12 1 we, we performed at the punk show, at least had it on the set list, but I think we did get to it that night. Um. And yet, to the best of my knowledge, I asked you the other, other day, I'm like, do we have any concepts, going for this already?

Or are you still, you know, open to ideas? And, so leading up to the call today, like just a half hour ago, I'm, I'm thinking about. Oh, you know, one of the things I'd love to do with, with our time on these is like those sort of moments of inception thing. So I had, I had hoped to maybe brainstorm around that topic with you, but then, much like the Ghostbusters example at the point that I'm going, don't think about it.

Don't think about it. The goddamn fucking Tom Cruise Les, you know, pops into my head. You know, like, like this evil blonde haired witch that he is. Um. And I start thinking about the shit that makes me laugh about. About that character. I, you know, there's a line of his, 'cause he likes to taunt Brad Pitt's Louie character, who's a real sad sack.

You know, Brad Pitt's really sad about everything and Tom Cruise is like. Amused by it. He kind of puts up with it, but he's been a vampire a lot longer, and he is just more of an asshole. But he's having a lot of fun. Tom Cruise has like a, a lust for life in that movie. And he's, and he's a total fucking maniac.

Like he's a villain. He's a mean character. He is a, a sadistic character, but he has, a de to be, lame about it that, um. People find endearing. That's why the character, you know, is, is liked both in literature and in, the, the film and the series and stuff. But it's funny

Nicky P: You bring that around because one of the things that has been a staple since before we, we first play the song I wanna address.

To people. Yes, we play shows where there are no lyrics or concepts for songs. I just go up and mumble like stream of consciousness words into a microphone for like sometimes maybe the first a hundred times we play a song and I'm completely content with that. We still sound great 'cause I'm that damn good, but there's been a thing in that song.

That has been a staple since the beginning, and that's that initial verse. Progression has always had two simultaneous vocals going on. Like I've, there's a melody that I have repeating like

That's going on. It opens up the show, but it's always going on kind of in the background. And so like you're telling me this, I'm kind of envisioning like. That's like the voice endless stat's head telling him, Hey, maybe you ought to take it a little easy on this guy. Or, you know, kinda like the angel and devil in the back of his head having an argument about how to treat this guy.

And then ultimately, you know, he's kind of having the stream of co thoughts of, you know, what am I doing? You know, but I'm having a hell of a time. So, you know, is it wrong

Brian Pritchard: To be that? Well, Nick, I, I'd almost go the other, the other way as far as like if, if there's room for any. Second thoughts or doubts?

I'd put it in the crif that, that which we saved for like the middle, but, but what I always heard inside your a melody, you've got that kind of like that coup, that cooing sound, that it could be left alone as like. Just the sound, not even a word, right, that like, that that, ooh, that that part that you do that has a certain attitude of a, of, you know, almost a dandy to it.

So whether you're thinking of like the way the guy pulls his, like lace fucking out of, you know, his sleeves, you know, it's, there's a fanciness, but the, the, the line of dialogue I'm thinking about for starters is, um. He says to Brad Pitt at one point, Brad Pitt goes skulking off, right? And finally, like Brad Pitt's like alone in some like dingy, like rainy alley and Cruz pops up and he goes, I.

All I need to do to find you, Louie, is to follow the trail of rats. And he is like, he's taunting him, right? Because Louis's afraid to, to fucking take a life. He's been dining on shitty fucking rat meat instead of killing people because he doesn't wanna hurt anybody. And Tom Cruise is making fun of him for this.

But he's also coming, you know, to rescue his friend. But that, that line of dialogue and the way he delivers it. Is one of the things I always think about when I think about that movie is I think about him going, all I need to do to find you, Louis, is to follow the trail of rats. And it's just, it's so fucking pompous and dickish, and that's almost the key that I'm tapping into is the, like the question of.

Motherfucker, I'm spilling blood man. Like, why aren't you having fun over here? And so I like the idea of, of the attitude of the a indeed being like a taunt and a tease. You know what I mean? Be like, all I need to do to find you is follow the trail of rats. You know? It's, it is more like that pompous arrogance and, um.

I could see again in that Crif that

That little part, maybe he's, he is a slightly more ponderous, but I would make the case that, the perspective is more one of like, dude, enjoy it. Enjoy it. You know, and he is giving him shit

Nicky P: Moody, the Moody Blues section, the, the chorus as it would be. Hmm. That's, that's how that, that's how I think of that section.

Okay. It's since the, the moment you've played that song, I can't unhear the fact that like, over top of it, the. And I love you all from the Moody Blues' Nights and White Satin needs to be like in there in the mix for me.

Brian Pritchard: Oh. Oh, okay. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Like

Nicky P: I literally want it sampled so I can just hit play and have it click in the background over whatever does end up happening there lyrically.

'cause it's just. Too. Perfect.

Brian Pritchard: Well, but again, that's, that's the sort of thing where you, if I'm hearing that inside the context of that C part, and sticking with that tempo for you to drop in that melody like verbatim to me becomes one of those things that like. It's an Easter egg that no one's ever gonna give you shit for.

You know what I mean? Like, why would they, you know? And a lot of times I, I get that stuff after the fact. Like, I'll, I'll write something and, and I can tell that there's a snippet of it that like. I'm like, shit, I think that's fucking something already. But I don't usually worry about it that much because Yeah, in in context, in the future context, it's, it's just not gonna be an issue, you know?

Yeah. I don't know. I like those little Easter eggs

Nicky P: Talking, I mean, Easter eggs talking, it's always entertaining to me. I just like, 'cause knowing the music that you listen to and like when there's like elements of things that, like I hear in your songs that are very specifically of bands that like I know you would never listen to in a million years.

And I, and this is in my brain 'cause I've, I, I threw myself into the Jurassic Park song this weekend. And like rewatch rewatched, the movie had some fun ideas about, you know, any guest, anytime you get to have fun ideas about Sam Neil and things to be done to him, at some point we'll have a great event, horizon song, I'm sure.

But, but, one of the things that's interested me is to me that song has always screamed Brian's emo song. It is, it, it to me is like, why did Brian suddenly go back and write an alkaline trio song? I don't get it. It works, but like it, it's just so not you. But like I listened to that. So that like, in all of like the performance ideas and like the initial melodies I hear they're very much like, you know, saves the day, could have done, could have like put the elements of that song together.

And I think it's, and I think it's 'cause it's so pop, it's written to be such like a pop song. That it's so easy to kind of find your way there, I guess.

Brian Pritchard: But to, to your point, you know, I like, I don't know any of the bands that you mentioned, like as far as musical references, I've heard, you know, the name Alkaline Dria, but I, I, I shared with you the other day that I wrote that song from one of those, not every song ever is, is this process, but I've followed the process before of um.

I can find really strong emotions, uncomfortable and distracting. And so sometimes if I'm fixated, or worried about something, instead of just sitting there being fixated and worried about it, I will, take out the guitar. And start asking that question, right? Of going, well, what is, what does this feeling sound like right now?

And so the Jurassic Park song, the 45 song. Is about me being worried about my sister suddenly go into the emergency room on her birthday and waiting for, news and, and an update. And, but also sitting there that whole time, and I say being worried about her because that's what you do when somebody's at the hospital.

But I also ha, I remember having. A sense of not being worried about her as well. As far as going like, nah, today's not the day. Like everything's. Totally gonna be fine. Like, and

Nicky P: So what strikes me as how Hailey would've wanted you to be thinking about ha on that day,

Brian Pritchard: But Hailey's also as is, are my mom and dad and most of my family, like, they, they, they take that stuff seriously as far as the ability to send and receive energy, right?

Like all three of them are, Reiki practitioners, right? So they believe that, that, that they have the ability to. Heal by sending energy and, and so without going, all in on those journeys with them, enough of that stuff resonates with me and my own experience. Even like I was talking about last week with the mind at large stuff, the, the, there are things that, I believe.

We, we do trans transmit and receive signals to me is like, you might as well call it a fucking fact, right? And so my ability at that moment to go, I wanna send these signals out. I wanna be a broadcast antenna. And this is the message of love and support and patience that I wanna send out. Yeah.

That's what that song was. But, you know, we do have to tie it into the, the theme for the band. So I wasn't about to sit there and be like, Nick, let's write a song about, you know, when someone's in the hospital and you're waiting for 'em to get out. It's like, no, that's fucking not what we do at all.

Nicky P: You know, but even, even so, I do wanna share, 'cause I actually told you at practice and we'll let people kind of fall behind the curtains here, is that, that resonated a lot with me because on my 12th birthday, my family went to my little brother's little league game.

We'll say probably at like five, five o'clock. Like we just had dinner and like he hit a baseball game and they were all gonna come back and we're gonna celebrate my birthday. That was at five o'clock. Baseball game's usually like an hour and a half, nine o'clock shows up. The family's still not home. No one's calling me by you.

I'm 12, so remember, no cell phones. We're in the landline area, and if it slips someone's mind to call, you know, there may not be a whole lot of opportunities to do it. I end up finding out later that my little brother went to catch a ground ball clipped his glove, smashed half a skull in, and so they're all.

In the er up in Buffalo, New York, like two hours away. And it just hadn't gotten so far as to call me at home. 'cause I spent all my time by myself anyways. You used to being at like wrestling tournaments while I stay at home and do weird nick stuff. But I'm, I'm at 12 home by myself watching of all things the, John Lithgow.

Um. What do you call it, Twilight Zone, the movie. And so just, just sitting at home, getting all freaked out as my family is not around, I'm freaked out about that. It's kind of like, let's just pile on this emotion that I'm feeling right now.

Brian Pritchard: And I remember when you shared that with me the other day, my immediate reaction was to go, oh, it's, it's more the Joe Dante sequence, right?

Where, the fucking little kid, ends up like, taking vengeance on his, you know, family that neglected him and. Taking control over him and whatnot. Oh man. Yeah.

Nicky P: Well, it's, it's, it's always silly the parallels that happen in there. And, and much like, you know, you have, you'd left a little Easter egg in the song about your listening to 40 fives, let's say, you know, a, a little thing for your sister I intend to keep, and like, maybe I need to throw a little something in there for like my own little history with that type of moment.

And so it's, it's on my mind right now as I piece together the lyrics for it.

Brian Pritchard: I, I like, I like the soft touch, light, touch, humorous angle that comes with, taking a movie and using it as like part of the construct for this. But, but to me there's always been genuine emotional resonance. Um. Inside all of it. You know what I mean? Like, like, like stuff that I want it to work on both levels.

I want it to work on many levels, right? Where, where it can be funny and it can be like a spot, the reference game, but like, it, it, I don't know. There there, there's stuff that you write that, that ends up really hitting my heart as, as fucking poetry. There there's stuff that like. Inside like the, the Edward Sci song, man.

It's like, that shit fucking makes me like well up. You know what I mean? Even though it, there's aspects of it that are supposed to be. Humorous, at least as a jumping off point. And Jurassic Park, to me is the same way. It's like, it's, it's a humorous jumping off point to talk about Sam Neil's jealousy and, and those feelings.

But like, yeah, there, there's some fucking heavy, serious shit in there. Like, you know,

Nicky P: To, to talk, I mean, like the, the song what it, it's, because what you gave me was basically Sam Neil kind of talking to the Lord during character in his head. About how like he doesn't want kids and like, this is, this is the, the elephant in the room of their relationship is that she wants a life that he doesn't want.

And what I'm, what I I'm taking is, you know, watching the movie is you watch him kind of soften to that. There was some elements of the inevitability of nature that you're getting from like, what's going on in the movie versus like the whose own life. And it's like the, the, the parallel with. Much as, the Jeff Goldblum character points out, like nature's gonna do what nature's going to do as it does your desire to have like this relationship and be this guy.

Is 100% at the whims of the world around you. And you don't, you don't necessarily make it out of this as like who you are. The world's very capable of changing you, who it needs you to be. And in this case, the world needs him to be someone who's better with kids and okay with kids. Because that, like I. I I, if those kids didn't make it out of that movie from either his inability to care or whatever, I don't think their relationship would make it.

Aside from the fact that he wouldn't be able to be with her because that's something that she wants in the relationship. I don't think she'd have been able to be with him because the horror of that episode. Would, it would have like, I don't think she'd have ever been able to look at him the same had he not gotten those kids back safe.

So there's like all these elements that are like packed into there. It was like, yeah, while it's like it's a silly, you know, it is a silly idea in the first place, but there's always the nuance of life that kind of finds its way into everything. It's like even the silliest of, um. Call it even the silliest of jumping off points when you pour in the humanity like it, there's always more to be talked about.

You mentioned the Edward Scissor hand songs and you know, you, you did a very good job to kind of, I think, open up that song and give kind of like a picture of the scenario in the movie and like, you know, this guy creating beautiful things. And for me, what I wanted to do was approach it from. But he's also in this world that is frankly, very hostile to him.

And the more he makes beautiful things, you know, simple accidents start turning. Even the people that are with him, away from him until eventually he's just like, I've gotta go because this world isn't for me here. But I'll always think of you, you know, and I will be in my castle cutting up ice so that when like the snow falls, it'll remind you of me and it'll be there.

And

Brian Pritchard: No man, I mean, that's one of my favorite songs because it's, it's one of the times where music and message really do align. One of the rare times where, to me, there's. The, the sentiment versus cynicism, ratio, right, is like 90% sentiment versus 10%, you know, cynicism or whatever. Like, like a line like in the Jurassic Park song, um.

In a song that Poppy and that pretty to say, I don't wanna have your kid, right, should fucking shock a listener. I say shock. I mean, you know what I'm saying? I don't wanna sound overly arrogant, but like that, that's the hope at least, is that somebody's listening to something that sounds familiar and accessible and like, sure, I've heard this before, but that there's something in the lyrics that makes you sort of.

Tune in and go, what, what the fuck does that mean? You know what I mean? Like, like, 'cause that's a really hostile message to, to, to put forward to somebody. I'll, I'll jump around to say like, the Rosemary's Baby song idea, right? That, that, I sent you that demo for last week. The same thing happened.

I was over at, at, at my buddy Max's. I'm messing around on guitar and I'm writing this really like upbeat poppy pretty thing, and I had watched Rosemary's Baby the night before and I like that idea of the contrast. So I'm going, what's the meanest thing that I could put on top of? This really happy music, you know what I mean?

And, and that was the feeling of Rosemary's baby in this most recent watching of it was just, again, like, what, what is it to have? So you, you, you talk about your birthday party to come again, full circle in that respect is, is. There's a notion of, of somebody holding a party that no one's coming to, right.

Being one of the saddest things in the world. Right? A little kid with their birthday crown sitting in front of a cake and the table's empty. It's, that's a fucking sad image. Right? And, and Rosemary's baby. Rosemary is going through the experience of an expectant mother. And she's so happy about it and like naming the child, you know what I mean?

Is it gonna be Sally or Jack? You know what I mean? Like, and get in the room ready and she's got a husband and neighbors and a doctor and all these people who are, pretending to be friends while they all know that it's a lie and that, and that, you know, spoiler alert. That, that she's pregnant with the fucking devil's child, you know, and that they're gonna hurt her and, and take this child away and do all this horrible shit.

But like, and so, yeah, it's just, I dunno, there, there's something about like, and then the way that movie ends to me, like, is this implication that she's maybe still gonna go ahead and raise it anyway and love it anyway. And just like. Go ahead and, and just like fall in line with that message. So the notion of, of having this, like what color is his eyes, the same as his daddy's eyes, you know, it's like that catches the ears the way you want it to.

It was, you're going, oh, oh, isn't that cute? You

Nicky P: Know, a couple thoughts. Have you, have you ever watched like the TV show Supernatural? I never watched it when it was on, I got got sucked into a binge a couple mo years ago, and I mean, I, I love my spooky story, so I like the monster of a week like creature stuff that it started out as.

But so much of that show, it's about, it's about these two brothers, Dean and Sam, and certainly in the first arc, like the final resolution is that basically they're the skin suits for Michael. Er to fight each other and, and start the apocalypse.

The thing that you are, like, you're, you're talking about that Rosemary's baby thing gets me thinking about the fact that the whole point is they know what their destiny is like they're, they're very aware of this is who you are and you don't have any say in the matter because God and the devil are going to make you do this one way or the other.

Like this is just inevitable. It is fate, but neither one of them being willing to. Give up the humanity and being able to give up, trying to alter fate, even though like you're told, like, I mean this is your destiny. The angels, the devil. They've all told you this is what's going to happen. And despite like the cosmic force is telling you this is where you're headed, there's always the hope that somehow.

You can find something that's going to, something that's gonna help you wiggle out of it, you know, some loophole, anything that will make it so that you don't have to give up this thing you love. In Rosemary's case, it's a child in, in the case of the Winchesters, it's, you know, their life, their humanity, their desire to not murder their brothers, like it's.

It's, it's, it reminds me a lot of like, that, just that whole idea of, you know, you don't stop loving something because you know it's tainted. You know, I have breitburn is. The, the, evil, Superman movie, right. I enjoyed it. It's, it's out of all of, it's not, that's what, not, he didn't, he executive produced it.

He he didn't write it. Correct. I think James Gunn may have written it, but he was, he was involved in it, but I don't remember exactly to what effect

Brian Pritchard: I'm thinking of Elizabeth Banks. Specifically. Right. That's all that, that in my mind I was going, oh yeah, the, the thing you're talking about really is not what Rosemary's Baby is about, but it's implied in the last two or three minutes because she picks up the baby and starts being nurturing with it.

To me, bright Burn and Elizabeth Banks performance in it is sort of the payoff of that dynamic as far as going. Oh yeah. Like that, because I was starting to think like, yeah, you'd almost have to explore it in the sequel. And then I was going, oh yeah, Elizabeth Banks did a nice job with that as far as the conflict that she showed of still loving her child as she was watching.

Things spinning out of control.

Nicky P: The other thing I did wanna notice is you mentioned something on both me and my daughter love songs that are like incredibly poppy, but have deeply, deeply dark lyrics and, what always comes to mind, you ever listen to the band Mother, mother, very, very, very talented. Um.

They, they started out as like a bluegrass band and then kind of became like a dance pop band at some point in their career. Well, it's not losing a lot of that bluegrass flavor, but in particular they have a song called Wrecking Ball that is almost one of the most poppy songs you've ever heard. It's very major key and his these beautiful, soft, melodic sections, but the lyrical content of the song.

Is I made a wreck out of my hand. I put it through the wall. I made a fist and not a plan. Call me a reckless wrecking ball. I throw my plates against the wall. I give it all I got. I aim to break. Not one, but all. I'm just a big old wrecking ball. I'm unruly in the stands. A rock on top of the sand. I'm a fist amidst the hands, and I break it just because I can.

It's like that is a very, very violent, dark lyrics, lyrical conduct to be under a song that I, I kid it's, it, it's led by this like very, very tinkly bluegrass. It's, it's almost like. Banjo or mandolin because of the, where he plays the, particular part on the guitar with the, capo, but it's just super, super bright.

Bluegrassy beat with this or like rhythm with this back beat and like three part major keyed vocal harmonies. It's just super, super pretty and I love that juxtaposition of those elements.

Brian Pritchard: Well, I'll show it to you next time we're together, especially if I can isolate it. But, um,

I'm debating whether or not I wanna take the drum tracks for the Surf Rock song, which I recorded and maybe repurpose it for the Rosemary's Baby song. But, uh. Yeah, we'll talk more about that offline or maybe online, but, uh,

Nicky P: I don't know. Well. At Sounds like is good enough a place, because I have a whole nother tirade I wanna go on about like, just the, the idea of writing lyrics collaboratively, because I've never done that prior to working with you.

It's always been, what I write is what goes and, and so like the, the whole place of you start me off with stuff and we kind of find a, the medium of, oh, let, let's go there with this. It's just new. But um. That's a whole nother, like, very long conversation. I feel like, not, not the tail end of an episode.

Brian Pritchard: No, but we touched on it. We touched on it today, but yeah, no, I hear you. For, for another time, my friend. It was great to connect with you as always. As always

Nicky P: Folks, thank you so much for hanging out with our, our little old dad band out of Ohio talking music and movies. Hope you had a good time. Stop on over to, we came from celluloid.com.

Sign up on the mailing list so that you can learn about cool things like the show that we're gonna play this weekend, that when you actually hear this will be in the past, but you could have known about it when it actually happened if you're on the mailing list. So take it easy and good day. I said Good day, sir.