Episode 61 - A Very Phil Spector Christmas! Music, Madness and Murder

What do you get when you mix a megalomaniacal record producer, a blonde bombshell and a smoking gun? Today’s episode of Death in Entertainment! Just in time for the holidays!

Phil Spector is responsible for some the greatest pop songs of the 1960s.  He also created one of the most popular Christmas Albums of all time.  But that didn't stop him from going to the dark side.  His life would eventually turn into a crazy media circus filled with guns, wigs and Navy Grogs.  And after one fateful, drunken night, he would be charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

So pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab a few Gingerdoodles and get cozy by the fireplace because you're in for a heck a tale. 

Transcript

0:01

What do you get when you mix a megalomaniacal record producer, a blonde bombshell, and a smoking gun? This week's episode of death and entertainment. Hello, this is Phil Spector. May we wish you the very merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Year's and thank you so very much for letting us spend this Christmas with you Live from Los Angeles. 911. What is your emergency? Here in Hollywood now. 2 counts of murder, injury and death! Oh my God! Shocking new details that has stunned the entertainment world. Um, This makes me a little nervous. The hair stood up on my arms. Just like in the movies! What do you call this thing anyway? Deaths in entertainment Hello hello hello everybody. Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas, Deados! Merry Deathmas, I say. Again Yeah, yeah, the whole month of death miss. The whole month of death. 25 days of deathmas. You lucky bastard. You get 25 days of this. You lucky so and so's. You sons of the bitches. What's going on everybody? My name is Kyle Ploof. My name is Mark Mulkerron. And I'm Alejandro Dowling. And we are going straight into Episode 61. Oh my god discussing a very controversial figure in the Los Angeles scene at large I would say yeah, Chelsea Handler Yeah. Uganda be kidding me. Come on. Ye. Nay. Oh, hey, you guys got a good repertoire here. Kan-ye. Yes. Talking about naz-eys. Whoa, yeah. Yeah. True, actually. factually correct. It is factually correct. And you know what else is factually correct? We are doing an episode that's taking us all the way to... February 3, 2003? What a time! 2/3/03. We got, in the box office at this time, going crazy. Number three. Biker boys. Yes. Boys with a Z. So you know what's really worse? It is with a Z? Yeah. How can you not have it like are boys? Yeah, the 90s were carrying over a few years. Yeah. This is a movie that was all produced in the 90s. But for some reason came out. And it has nothing to do with Dogtown and Z boys? I have no idea. Yeah. Z No, I don't think it has nothing to do. This is just a, um, it's just like a narrative about dudes that ride bikes and they like kill each other like gangs. Yeah, I just I remember. What's the guy's name? He was always in John Faavreau movies. big dude. We got Laurence Fishburne in here. Derek Luke. Megan Goode. Sally Richardson. Orlando Jones, who was the original 7 up guy before, uh, Godfrey took over. Oh, really? Yeah. I wonder what the behind the scenes of that struggle? I want to see that movie. Rather than biker boys. Yeah, it's like the the Letterman and Leno made-for-tv- movie. The night shift. The late shift. Make 7 up of yours. Exactly. That was the big joke. And it was funny one time. Yeah. The 15th time. Yeah, not so much. Number two is a sequel, a big sequel. And I think it might be the first movie that, we've talked about with one of our favorite actors. Final Destination to with Mr. Devon Sawa. Yeah. yeah. For the Sawa heads out there. I'm a Sawa head. Let's go. Yeah. He's He's played three characters in the new Chucky TV show on USA and sci fi three. He's played three. He played a set of twins in the first season. Then the second season he plays a priest. Wait, he plays a whole different character? Yeah, he plays, It's like he's in a running narrative. That's like... No,it's like an inside like wink. Yeah. That's what they do on law and order. Like some of the people are so good. Like if a woman was playing like a crazy crackhead in court. And then two seasons later, she's playing the chief of police. And like no one even notices. Yeah. Final Destination 2 to is responsible for everybody's traumatic memory of the logs coming off the truck and going through people's windshields. If you ever drive behind them, you immediately think of that movie. And if you didn't know that, now you do. You do. There you go. I do think of that every time I'm driving on the highway and I'm behind some kind of trailer or a huge truck like that. I had that happen on the 101. some rocks. They must have felt Vaughn of a car but they broke my windshield when I was on the 101 going like 80 miles per hour and it's like I had to pull over and I was all the way up in like San Luis Obispo, whatever it's called. I had to I had to call someone, like, like a glass person and be like, how do I get home show? Jesus? Yeah, it was fucking rough. You're lucky to be alive. I am. Yeah, it was kind of scary. Yeah, it is on the 101 When I first got my motorcycle, I'm flying down the highway and there's a truck in front of me and glass tiles for like someone's bathroom fell off. And they're just exploding. And I'm like, Oh, this isn't going to hurt that bad. And they're just like shards just stabbing me as I'm going through I tiles that are going yeah, they actually... You could be a stunt man in biker boys. That's what it was about. One podcaster's wild ride into Hollywood. I don't think it'd be number three. Wouldn't even be number twenty. And number one at the time is the Recruit. Which I don't remember. That's with Colin Farrell. Yeah. And Al Pacino, ooh, you're the Recruit! Remember that? He was, uh...Yeah, it's like a CIA like training movie. And itwas one of Colin Farrell's first starring roles. Yeah, I think he was starting to get like the bigger roles. Yes. Because he had done Minority Report. Yeah. Made a splash. Yeah, I just saw him in The Banshees of Inisherin. Which was really good. Getting some Oscar buzz. Yeah, a lot of Oscar buzz. And he did the penguin earlier this year. Yeah. He was great. And, you know, little known fact, he played Brendan Fraser in the Whale, as well. Wow. He's got range this guy. HE's really good. I think it's his year for the Oscar. Yeah. Yeah, so that's the top three. Well, let's hear about the music going on right now. February 3, 2003. Top three songs right now. Number three. Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. I thought this is when she was dirty. She was dirty. She was dirty. Then she's Beautiful. Which one? Is it? Yeah. Both. Yeah. In Kyle's world they're both the same thing. Yeah. Listen, women can be whatever they want. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. So I'm the one yeah, you're the oppressor. I'm the oppressor. Colonizer! The song is beautiful, though. Is it? I'm just naming the song. You're not critiqing the song. No, literally just saying the title of the song. Okay, words can bring me down. to reiterate that. Number two. B2k, Bump, bump bump. That's three bumps right there. Song about cocaine. Oh really? Yeah. In the bathroom? I was in the bathroom doing bump bump bumps. Yeah, on my key. Um, number one all I have by Jennifer Lopez. which is your favorite? I wouldn't say favorite. But I like her. Yeah, she's she's a'ight. She's Jenny from the block. I can't think of what I would like her that much from. The cell. Really? the movie The Cell. Anaconda. Anaconda, too. Yeah, They got snakes out here this big!? I just remember that line from Anaconda for some reason. Ice Cube saying that. But yeah, that's the that's the music and we got the movies. And that's it. The world is set. The stage is set. Oh, you got it, buddy. Oh, yeah. And the snow is snowing. The wind is blowing. And we about to go into the story of Phil Spector. Oh! Harvey Philip specter was born December 26, 1939 just after Christmas, how about that? That's crazy. Yeah. I don't know how I would feel about having a birthday the day after Christmas. Yeah, he but he was Jewish though. So he didn't really celebrate. So I don't think that's that big of a problem. you're right. I'm talking about me. Yeah, speaking of his family, they were Russian Jewish immigrants living in the Bronx. Really? From the Bronx. He had one older sister Shirley, and his mom Bertha, and Dad Ben. Yeah, Bertha. You don't hear any more Berthas today? That's a very old timey name. Yeah, well, how do you look at a baby and just say, Bertha, or look at a baby and say, Beatrice. Yeah, but Beatrice is kind of a nicer name though. Or even a sexual partner being like, oh, yeah, Bertha. Yeah, I want Bertha or we're gonna birth ya. Is there a hot Bertha out there? There has to be. That's the new reality show. America's hottest Bertha. Next Top Bertha. It's the Holy Grail. I could see it now. Dad Ben was an iron worker. But he wasn't so happy. He killed himself in 1949. Self asphyxiation From Bertha. oh, no. He parked his car. And you know, took the pipe. You know, put the handkerchief in the exhaust... Like the opening scene of the Client. Yeah, like the Client. Whatever his name is. Yeah. So Brad Renfro could have witnessed Big Ben killing himself in 1949. If it were a movie in 1949. Yeah, you know, a lot would have to be changed for that to work. For you to buy on to that one. Perhaps it was money troubles. People don't really know. Really? Yeah. And maybe it's his nine year old asshole son.

Yeah, he's like, I sense you're going to be a real problem. But talented. On his gravestone it was written: 11:14

"To know him was to love him." And keep that phrase in the back of your mind. He wasn't like one of those people at the funeral. Everyone's like, yeah, he kind of sucked. No, the family moved to LA after that. In 1953. To change the scenery. Phil Spector spent time in his room, became obsessed with music. He learned how to play guitar. He was very talented. And, you know, this is the story of a lot of these producers. Musicians. Like Brian Wilson. just hanging out in his bedroom, doing stuff. Not really relating to a lot of people his own age. Also, he had a dimin-utive, dimin-utive. How do you say this, Mark? Diminutive? Yeah. I was gonna say "small." Then I was like, go for it. You know, you only live once. Pronounce it 10 times, but you only live once. And it went amazingly. He had a small figure, you know, he's a tiny guy. And I think he was bald already then. Really!? Spoiler alert. You never know. Yeah. Okay. He was fighting a lot with his family... with his remaining family. His mom Bertha. Sister Shirley. That must have been a rough household there. Shirely, Bertha and Harvey all under the same roof. He's out numbered there big time. Bertha who did not have a dimin-utive, dimin-utive...

He dove right back into it. Say it again: 13:09

diminutive. Bertha, who did not have diminutive figure. That's like pulling out of the car crash going right back into it. I'm smart! It is one of those tough ones. I have words I'm like, I don't even know. I'm never going to say it because it's too tough. It's like I'm Tanya Harding and I'm going for the triple axle and then I flop. You do it one more time. All right. In school, there was a girl named a Annette Klinebard. He says to her. I liked the way you sing. Let's form a group. So they formed the teddy bears. Oh, that sounds cute. Like a little pop band. They have kind of a slow start. But then he writes a song called "To know him is to him." Wooo. Whoooooo. It's coming right back! Like saying diminutive a second time! So where did we hear this before? Oh, at the funeral of the Father on his gravestone. On his gravestone! Yeah. Phil Spector wrote the song. He was a member of the teddy bears, too. Okay. And I have a clip. In this clip. You'll see that early on. He was already Phil Spector. Kind of kooky? Yeah. They're creepy and they're spooky. The Spector family. So this is Annette talking. So we're at rehearsal at the Perry Como show. And when I went to go for the high note because it's at the top of my range. My voice cracked and I was mortified. Just absolutely mortified. Phil put me up against the wall. And he said, If you fuck up my song, I'm gonna kill you. Ahhh! And then when I went to sing the song... if you look at the show, there is a moment before I go for the high note that I have a look of please God, please let me hit this note. Let's see if she hits it. then he smacks her. Yeah, there he is on the right there, Phil Spector. Wow. It was a very high note. But I hit it! To know him is to love him reached number one on the charts and stayed there for three weeks. It was actually the biggest selling single in 1958. It's a good song. It's catchy. Yeah, he has very good catchy songs. So that's pretty fast. Success. Very young. out the gate. It sold a million copies. How old are they? They're they're like 18 there? Yeah, yeah. The group split the following year. So the teddy bears went bye bye. Yeah. In Left Eye's bathtub. Nice. Call back to another episode. Yeah. In the universe. Annette saw one of his other projects afterwards. You know, the woman from the teddy bears. And she noticed that the girl sounded like her. And realized, oh, he doesn't need me anymore. He just uses people. It's just a formula. And that was it for her. Wow. Like she had you know, she went on to do things but she wasn't invited to Phil Spector's party. I wonder if it was like the voice cracking that one time, that was what did it for her.

Maybe for someone like Phil Spector, that's probably how he operated. He needs perfection. One crack, like: 16:54

Alright, get out of here. Let's try someone new. Yeah, probably. That brings us to Philles records 1961. He formed this company with partner Lester Sill. Oh, Chester. The molester. Chester the Mo, is his nickname. And very catchy and that's where they got the name if you didn't notice. It's P H I L L E S with Leicester and Phil. There's two Phils! Hey, the Philharmonic over here. Yeah, Brilliant. Philly Cheesesteak. Philly cheese dick. Whoa, Okay. Yeah, no, Harvey Keitel here yet. But he is coming up. Get out of here. Nice. In a convoluted way, but I'll make it happen. We'll jam him in here somehow, just like diminishing. Diminutive.

Oh,it's so easy to say now. When he's not thinking about. Diminutive. You're like, what's her name -- trying to hit that high note? That's your high note: 17:53

diminutive, I cracked under pressure. Yeah. That was like when I said vociferous. oh yeah, that was episode one. Way callback. Phillies signed a group called the crystals. They had a couple of hits. And early single by the crystals was named he hit me and it felt like a kiss. Oh my God written by Carole King. Pro woman beating? It received some radio play but also controversy. It was big amongst like working class drunks. Hey, you hear that new song? I love it. So that's an early Phillies hit. A doo diddy. And you know how Phil would work like he would bench some people bring some other people in. Clearly, like the teddy bears. He discards them? Well, the manager of the crystals was getting kind of annoyed. He's like, You need to release a song by the Crystals soon. And this guy's name is Joe Scandore. I've heard of Jos Scandore. He had mafia ties. Yeah, he was also Don Rickles manager You don't cross Scandore! He talks like this as Joe Scandore. you never heard Rickles do his manager impression? maybe I'd have to revisit it. Yeah And he sent a thug to threaten Spector, saying yeah, you need to release another crystals single. Is it like your your your brain tears? Your signature is going to be on this. Oh, yeah.

And then he tells Spector: 19:41

otherwise, I'm gonna kill your family. I'm gonna kill your friends. Break your arms. Wait, what? Yeah, yeah, he was like... Give us a new song. He threatened to kill people's dogs and shit. Wow. He was like a dog assassin. Well, the Mafia was all over the place back then. They were running the comedy clubs. Yeah. But they're out in LA too now. Yeah. I think that this was one of Sinatra's managers too, I think, Scandore. Maybe yeah. I just love all these families that have like a horrific beginning where someone gets killed or, or something horrible happens and they just go, let's go to LA where it's safe. Yeah. Even worse things happens, right? Yeah, it's crazy. The crystals, though, did start out in New York City, I should add. Okay and that's where Scandore came from initially. And that actually is a good segway to this next thing, because Phil Spector heard a song he liked written by Gene Pitney called he's a rebel. They were about to release a version of that song with somebody else singing. And so then, Spector went and recorded his own version with Darlene Love. Yeah, I'd like -- there was a lot more of that going on. Like, there would be like eight renditions of songs. Yeah, exactly. Because they're all just recording it and trying to get the biggest hit out of it. And once in a while one of them would be like this standard. Yeah, like Jimi Hendrix all along the Watchtower to those Bob Dylan's songs. Oh, shit. There's hundreds, you know? And of course, I can't even think of one. They don't do that much anymore. Maybe because there's no more good songs coming out. There's nothing to cover. Right. Yeah, who's gonna do the second version of bump bump bump? Yeah, you don't hear someone doing another WAP. The DIE Guys. Yeah, we should record a WAP. This is a wet ass podcast. So Spector records "He's a Rebel" with Darlene Love on vocals, backed by this other girl group called the Blossoms. But what does he do when he releases it? He attributes the song to the crystals. So he gave the crystals another head. It's just none of the actual crystals were on it. Wait, what? so did they get paid for it? Well, they got credit for it. I don't know exactly their financial agreement... So Scandore really shook the you know the life out of this guy. Oh, yeah. Spector is pretty scary. Yeah. And La La Brooks from the crystals says that since that happened with Joe Sacandore. He had bodyguards by his side all the time. After that. Yeah, after that incident. Yeah, he was a very weirdly paranoid guy. But I guess he had a legitimate reason. If you got Joe Scandore going, he's like, "I'm gonna kill your dog and your grandmother." You know, maybe I'd get bodyguards."I'm gonna break your knuckles." He was terrified after that. "I'm gonna cut your toes off""I'm gonna rub your belly button." Now it's just getting Yeah it's just weird. It's not even violence anymore. It's kind of sexual. All right, I'll make another song. Okay. Yeah, just get outta here, Scandore."He's a rebel" becomes a huge hit. And the crystals have to learn how to perform it live, because they had nothing to do with it. And at this time, Phil Spector develops what is known as the wall of sound. Okay, yeah, I've heard this. And it's a technique he developed at Goldstar studios in LA. He used session musicians, the best in the business. And they were known as the Wrecking Crew. Yeah. And basically what the wall of sound is. It's pop songs with an orchestral aesthetic. okay And it included instruments that aren't usually associated with rock music. I think that's kind of cheating though. like violins. you can't get ...you're not getting all that in the live rendition of the song. Is it cheating? Does it matter though? I don't know. That's the age old question. It is the question. Then he would use more common rock instruments in an ensemble way. For instance, five guitars playing at the exact same time. That sounds so expensive. Oh, yeah. Definitely. But it's a fuller sound. Its like POW just hits ya. That much coming at you. Yeah, it's powerful. The Ronettes auditioned for him, and they sang "Why do fools fall in love." Originally a hit by Frankie Lymon. Phil Spector stood up and exclaimed, that's it. That's the sound I've been looking for. So he's literally saying like Back to the Future. You know that sound you were talking about? Listen to this. Oh, yeah, exactly that moment in the biopic Oh, really? Well, in the theoretical biopic. We all know the Ronettes signature song. Be my baby. Be my baby. It was released as a single in August 1963. recorded with a full orchestra. The band rehearsed for four hours. Well, I bet they rehearse their ass off because they got like this maniac Spector with these bodyguards now like, you fuck up one thing in this song. And you're dead. You're dead! Yeah it's like Stanley Kubrick. Let's recite the line 100 times. You know, just because. Well, and then he did that over and over to Harvey Keitel and Harvey Keitel says "I'm fucking out of here That's right. On Eyes Wide Shut. Yeah. All right. Well, there's our first Harvey Keitel... First Keitel of the podcast. And "Be my baby"-- This really showcases the power of the Wall of Sound technique. It has that iconic drum intro. Well, it was iconic in Goodfellas. That one shot when they go to the Copacabana basement. In order to go in there. You're actually thinking of a different wall of sound song. What am I thinking of? Then he kissed me by the crystals. Really? Why did I think? I literally thought those are the two same songs. But I can shoehorn in another Harvey Keitel reference. It was the opening credits of Mean Streets. Ah, that's why maybe I was confused With our boy Harvey Keitel. And De Niro. Like, I'll show you a mean Street. I really like this Wall of Sound. Know what I'm sayin? Hey Phil. good. Good wall of sound. you know. How do musicians do this? Pretty good. Can you milk me? Pretty good sound. And Scorsese used it without any permission. he just put it in the movie. That's how people used to do it. They just run with it and just you know, see who sues you. This is my song now. Phil Spector was hanging out with John Lennon. And John Lennon said "Oh, did you see that new movie? Using your song? Oh, really? He, like, riles him up. What a rat.

And then Phil Spector was saying, Okay, you got to pay me royalties. He was gonna take him to court, and then Scorsese's like: 26:34

"Uh, it's alright. Let's work something out. I'll pay you back later. Like we'll get something going like please. The movies already in some film festivals like...da da da da. So he wanted to like stop all airing or like viewing just because it was used illegally. Like a cease and desist or something? And then Lennon said, "Oh, let it go, Philly." He riled him up and then talked him down. Imagine the Hangout between these two. What a fucking weird duo. And Phil Spector was like, "so I dropped it. And I was basically in control of Scorsese's entire career. Oh my god. Because if I had taken the song out. There would be no Mean Streets. I don't know if it's accurate or not, the impression. I believe it. You'll hear his voice later. I've never heard his voice. He's like constantly out of breath. I don't know. I love the impression. Okay, so back to "be my baby," the song. Ronnie Spector. Formally, Veronica Bennett. By the way, she was not Ronnie Spector yet. I didn't know that. It's like It's like similar to the Ramones. Also, who could probably come up later yet that they? None of them were Ramone Well, did you think they coincidentally had the same last name? I didn't know. As a kid. I'm like, Yeah, sure. They're all brothers. She laid down the vocal track with her signature vibrato. Did I get that word, right? I don't even know that word. And Brian Wilson was obsessed with the track and made Don't worry baby in response. And I believe he's still obsessed with it. To this day. He was a very vociferous fan of a of a lot of other bands. Like he loved the Beatles and stuff. And he would just I think he probably put together his orchestra to like mimic the wall of sound a little bit because they would use like, you know, especially on Pet Sounds they use like a huge, fucking, you know, set of musicians for that. Yeah, he chased it for years. And he thought like, Well, Brian Wilson, that's a whole other story, but he... I he thought Phil Spector was like bugging his house. And he thought Phil Spector was like, following him and stuff. And like, I think these are two like crazy dudes. Oh Yeah. Like, they were both very paranoid that people were stealing their ideas. And he thought, I think he thought Phil Spector was like linking into his brainwaves. Oh, God. I swear to God. I like how two nutcases can make each other nuts. Yeah. And Brian Wilson's like on coke and like an acid and stuff. So that's not really helping someone who's already got mental problems. Phil Spector's big thing was drinking. Was he a big drunk? Yeah. He was a small drunk. Yeah, he's a little Yeah. He was a diminutive drunk. A diminutive drunk! see, he says it like, fuckin, like he's breathing air!

Songs written by Phil Spector: 29:41

Spanish Harlem, made famous by Ben E. King. Chapel of love, made famous by the Dixie cups. Do Ron Ron and then he kissed me by the crystals. Baby I love you, Ronettes. He's on a tear here. Christmas baby please come home by Darlene Love and covered by a million artists. Also in Goodfellas. is it? Yeah. The Copacabana sequence? Yeah. I'm 0 for 1 here. Yeah. Well, I'm over one here. Or one for two, hopefully. Yeah. But yeah, I think when they do Lufthansa heist and it's around Christmas time, yes. River deep mountain high. I can Tina Turner. Okay. And incidentally, he was producing the album with a container, taking her to the next level. Yeah. And I was like, an asshole. Oh, yeah. We'll get along. Of course, you said his punches felt like kisses to Oh, boy. You produced I really liked that. Yeah, I felt like that was a direct right of me. I live by it. Yeah. And the last hit I'll mention is you've lost that loving feeling. Oh, God made famous by Top Gun. Yep. Yeah, by the righteous brothers, which is an absurd scene where he just starts singing with a microphone. Bar. And everyone's like, on board with it. Yeah. It's a good song. Good song. So Phil is very diversified with his music portfolio. Yeah, what we're saying. Albums he produced after his whole wall of sound era in the 60s. Let it be by the Beatles. Really? Yeah, you did that? You didn't know this. I did not know that. Oh, yeah. Famously, what happened is the Beatles breakup. They have a bunch of songs left. They recorded but it's a big mess. None of them are interested in going through them all. It's like a big like project or movie or something. Someone who's writing and just abandoned. Yeah, like, okay, let's Yeah, let's start with track one. Let's see what we can do. Yeah. And so he got up his sleeves and he gets a good record at it. Yeah. Cuz they wanted it to have a live sound because there were a couple of performances like get back on the rooftop. Yeah. And he pretty much kept it to that. He did add some stuff that Paul McCartney hated. Like all the interludes on it. Yeah. And voices. That was all Phil Spector. Like, I dig a pygmy. Y'all really? Yeah. And like the long and winding road, he added his typical orchestral sound. Yeah, with a full orchestra. And that sounds great. McCartney hates it to this day. Really? Yeah. Wow. Because it takes away from his voice or what was just didn't like the mix. He thought it was too much. So after doing, you know, the one before that was Strawberry Fields and stuff. That's pretty much what they were doing there. Maybe it's ego. Yeah, could have been how can we really measure what's right or wrong in this scenario, because the Phil Spector version is the one we all grew up with. Yeah. So it's hard to say you don't like it after letter B, which we all know was a huge Smash. It's the last Beatles record that yeah, that's they performed on the roof after that. And then that was it. Classic rule don't meet he did all things must pass. George Harrison, one of my personal favorite albums ever. I don't even know that song. I'm sure it was an album. Okay, but it's also a song on the album. It's the one with My sweet lord. Okay, and what is life? Yeah, what is life also from Goodfellas? I'm just gonna listen. Yeah. And then he did imagine the album with the song Imagine like John Lennon. And he did a bunch of John Lennon and George Harrison stuff in the 70s Paul McCartney wanted nothing to do with him. But they like wonder why that is it like you said ego thing. And they just, you know, they kind of butted heads and they both maybe played similar roles to the entire band. That makes sense that way. You were saying that Paul McCartney was the workaholic? Yeah. If John Lennon was a little more laissez faire about things then Phil Spector is the guy to work with, and I think he won't. Yeah, and I think he just had a better ear, you know, McCartney's fine. I just, I think I just think he's all right. Yeah. I was exemplified by how good wings was because that was his entire band. If you look at Wings, you're like, is this all Paul McCartney has to offer you you met the sitcom based on Martha's Vineyard? Did you know Paul McCartney created? Yeah. It's based off the band. Yes. He's like, I think we should get Steven Weber. Yeah. He's very funny in that other guy. Who was the other guy Thomas Haden Church. Monk. Yeah, totally sure. He's from Wisconsin, by the way. Oh, no need to live Shalhoub. Okay. He also produced death of a ladies man by Leonard Cohen and his final album, 90 and ad end of the century by the Ramones. Oh, it's not their best album. No, but not most, not very many. horrible snow blitzkrieg but no, no. I don't know why English guys Santa McCartney, so yeah, sure. I don't remember that much. I more remember hearing the stories about their interactions, the Ramones and Phil Spector than I do about the songs but we're gonna get into that right now. Okay, let's do it was McCartney store genius or madman? That is the question Angel. Yes. Because Phil Spector brilliant producer, but awful to deal with if you weren't doing what he wanted. If you weren't at the top of your game, yeah, if you were kind of fucking around doing drugs and just like wasting his time, he probably didn't like that. No, but he may waste your time too. Or you just might waste Yeah, yeah. Right. Like he did his dad. I'm not. Oh, there's a theory. There's a big, that's a big theory. Darlene Love recalls a time when she saw everybody clearing out of the studio. And when she asked what's going on, someone said Phil's pulling out his gun again. Again. So he pulled out his gun and he's joking around and she was like, why is he allowed to do this? Yeah, people are just enabling him. So yeah, like you said this is where he's getting paranoid. Yep, power hungry and becomes fascinated with guns. You could have like a small man complex to that 100% And he's like, just to equalize you know the the playing field when he's like, working up against the remote who are crazy, dude. These are not normal people either. None of these gave me you got land in Cape Town. No normal people here. There's no regular Joe's amongst his crew. Yeah. And he was five foot five in case you're wondering. Okay, yeah. So not to worry. He grew up in the Bronx. You I truly took a lot of beatings down there. Short King is what they call short King. Yeah. There's a little bit better of a connotation to it. Yeah. Another time when he was with Lenin in the studio. He grabbed the pistol from his hip holster and fired at the ceiling. Yeah, right near John Lennon's ear Holy shit. And so then John Lennon's like if you're gonna shoot me shoot me, but don't take away my hearing. Oh my god. That's gonna be the closest I'll ever be to a bullet. Okay, well, I almost died today. Thank you for that concern. Yo, girl. that brief moment of concern. You Oh, that'd be a good song. I wrote with Chuck Berry, please. Shoot me now. So I don't have to listen to Yoko. And drink her cocoa. I just imagined Phil Spector in you know, with the producer board with the guns in his hand just like changing the gears and stuff and like shifting things up and down but with guns. And another time he was chasing Landon around the studio with the guy like horseplay these these poor English kids come out over here, they got this nut five, five, maybe from the Bronx, you know, putting guns in their faces left and right. And 1977 produces the Leonard Cohen album death of a ladies man. They spent three drunken weeks together, writing songs really? Yeah. Sounds like a decent time. And their arguments were term vicious. Sometimes. There was one instance where Leonard Cohen was feeling tired. Yeah. So he's like Uber guy when he got famous, like as an older guy. Yeah. And if you've heard Leonard Cohen, it's like you Yeah. And so he's like, I'm gonna sit this one out. And tomorrow. I think it'll be better. Yeah. And then Phil Spector. God has gotten out, pointing it right it Cohen's neck and said, No, you're not get your butt back in the studio. We're gonna lay the track down. Tonight. You don't just put guns in people's faces like, this is crazy behavior. Someone asked Leonard Cohen like why would you put up with that? And then he's like, there was a certain electricity about it. And I was fascinated by his process. Process. Yeah, gun to your neck. That's a process such a dumb term when people are just like covering up lunatics. Yeah. Yeah, that's when you could get away with that crazy behavior. Yeah, the album flapped. Oh, wow. And his fans didn't like it either Cohen's fans. Well, it was the same Paul McCartney thing. Same with the remotes. Yeah. Like it's to Phil Spector eyes. Just really you know they wanted their RAW artist. Everybody knows the dog is digging. It's all like very sad like weird. Sounds like he's got the gun down his throat while he's Debbie Harry came out oh boy and set yourself. Yes, she went to his mansion wants to discuss a possible collab and she ran off when he pulled out a 45 automatic and stuck it in her boot. We in her boots. You know why that's a weird thing to happen. Well, it's safer than in the throat was he she was he threatening to shoot her foot up to be a fly on the wall? Yeah, but that meeting, and he pulled a revolver and Dee Dee Ramone? Yep. This is what when he wanted to go home for the night and told them you're not going anywhere, man. And then another instance, even by the late 90s. He was up to these antics. Joan Rivers told a story. Oh, my God. She's like, I heard the rumors about him. But I'm like, Yeah, sure. I didn't believe him. Yeah, he's pulling guns on everybody. Yeah. Then she invited him to a party and he ended up pulling a gun out on Walter Cronkite daughter. Oh my god. So then they had him escorted out. I would put was different people's heads off in the party. And Joe just like oh my god, who are you wearing? Are you wearing I'm wearing Walter Cronkite wearing what a fucking maniac wearing gunpowder was praying to you wearing and that brings us to Phil's chaotic personal life. His first marriage to a net mirror. So different than that. That was on the front end net. Wow. Two minutes of the specters three another group he had produced long Oh, I thought that was his ex wives the Spectre three. Shit. No. Yeah, this was after the teddy bear. I was just wondering that I knew he got rid of one in that and went for another and that wow, look out Annette Bening. Well, he's dead but we need to dodge that but yeah, Bertha. If he married a Bertha that we kind of interesting. That'd be weird. Eventually, Phil started having an affair with Ronnie Bennett of the Ronit. Yeah. And divorced in that in 1966. Ronnie became Mrs. Phil Spector. In 1968. Lucky her, Mrs. Phillip spectrum. They adopted a son named Dante in 1969. Like the devil they adopted Damian. Yeah. And then Beelzebub. Yeah. And get this. He tells Ronnie to pretend she's pregnant, so that they'll think that she gave birth to the baby. Oh my god. Pretend you're pregnant. You your kids. 10. Yeah. Later on. He's smoking. He's like a 48. Yeah, that guy just came out of me. You wouldn't believe it. It's got a receding hairline. He worked. He's a shoe salesman. You want to buy some shoes? Later on? He surprised Ronnie with twins for Christmas. Louis and Gary. Was he just going out and finding kids and then bringing them up back home? And when I say he's surprised, or he basically acted like they were bicycles or something? And he put them under, basically. Yeah, they're like stocking stuffer, kid. And he's like, Oh, okay. I mean, obviously, they're her kids. She loves them. Yeah, but that was a very weird way to present it. No discussion. Yeah, it's a complete shock to her. Yeah, I got what you wanted. She says that the first year was good of the marriage. How right I can't imagine fine. Good. Yeah, this media. I put the gun away and I was just stealing kids. Yeah. Got a lot going on. He didn't shoot me once. And somehow, with Darlene Love the crystals, the raw nets, they all were fine with what went down in the studio for some reason. They don't have that much bad to say about him as a producer. Yeah, even though he's a maniac. Yeah, they like the result. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Some of the greatest pop songs ever robbed at gunpoint? Yeah, that's a good point. Yes. What Joe Jackson did to Michael Yeah, true. That's what my dad would always say about the Beach Boys are a lot of these people like, you know, they got them working. Like these maniac dads that would like fucking destroy their kids. Yeah, say what you say but the years of torment. Yeah, you got them working. Yeah. Michael turned out fine. Yeah, he wasn't messed up. Future episode dead. Yeah. Coming in 2023. Michael Jackson. Yeah. Get ready. Is he here? Oh, yeah. I'm here. I see in 2023. Ronnie says that after that, for his happy year, things were extremely dysfunctional. her music career stalled because she was held hostage in the mansion for years. Wow. And when I say held hostage, he would lock the doors from the inside. There was barbed wire. And a horror movie being married to this guy. And when she would run errands, he would make her drive with an inflatable life size doll in the passenger seat and it looked like him so then man wouldn't watch man wouldn't hit on her like driving by Yeah, that's like a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where he wants to go in the carpool lane. This is just for so that man. Don't bother. Yeah. Probably got more people attracted to her like, Oh, she's out of her mind. Yeah, exactly. Like date me. Look, I was gonna hit on Yeah, but I saw your doll. And so he got married. Yeah, everyone knows it's clearly a fake thing. They're just like, this crazy guy. It's got its mouth wide open. Just a sex doll. Put your gun right in there. And other occasions, Phil would tie her up and lock her in the closet. Oh my god. Dante and Gary later alleged that he abused them as well. Dante says he was blindfolded and forced to have simulated sex with his dad's girlfriend. Why and that Phil would call it a learning experience. Okay, what House of Horrors going it is I it was pretty nice house so yeah, it's like nice houses my dad. He's a provider it was on a nice carpet. It's kind of like Bob crane. Remember he would tell his son about the bimbos. He thought about everything. I mean, it's not as bad as you know, having the bimbo go in the room for your son. Yeah. Yeah, it's there's lines that I've been blurred. blurred. Yeah, thank you. In 1972, Ronnie fled the mansion barefoot, and ran away. Why was she barefoot? Because Phil would hide her shoes, so she couldn't run away. Oh my god. This like It's like sleeping with the enemy with Julia Roberts beyond dysfunctional. Wow. The divorce was finalized in 1974. Also, that same year, Phil is injured in a car wreck in Hollywood. And he's almost killed. severely injured. That would have been the best thing to happen to his family. Yeah, they will probably be like, thank God. Yeah, sure he's dead. And for. It was just the sextile. For him to his legacy, that would have been the best. Yeah. Can you imagine Lana Clarkson would still be alive? Spoiler alert and foreign to the episode yet and those songs and stuff but he didn't do any of that. He did the Ramones after that, but yeah, we could live without a tree. Yeah, the some of the his best work was behind him. Abs. Are you kidding me? It was all behind him. Yeah. And after the accident, he had extensive head injuries. It caused him to adopt the practice of wearing wigs. Why? Yeah, because he fucked up his scalp. Oh, in the same thing happened to Michael Jackson after the Pepsi commercial. Yeah, they say that's when he started wearing wigs full time. And that happened to Joe Pesci too on the set of home alone. Gone Fishing. They burned the top of his head off. Oh, no. Yeah, didn't know. They really burned his hay thinking of the scene in the movie. They really put a blowtorch on his head. Documentary home on CBS News December 1, Joe Pesci says he got serious burns to his head during making of home alone. Wow. Wow. Yeah, that sucks. But it was a big hit it yeah. Exactly. My dad's you know, rationale is all worth it. Yeah, it led to home alone too. Yeah, of course that the classic and then three loss in New York. Yeah, he really didn't know that was two. That was two. Yeah, well, those were Trump. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Three is the one without McCauley or jopa Yeah, back to the miners. Yeah. Electric Boogaloo. Joe Pesci reveals Home Alone to fire hat prank went wrong. I sustained serious burns the top of my head told you I variety. Yeah, but he didn't wear like hairpiece. No, he does wear hair pieces actually. In the blowtorch scene. It must have been that was the only time that he got Yeah, imagine if it was another scene. Yeah, I did well in the blowtorch Yeah. When they were just taking out the plays before it all goes down. Yeah, it's the same way he just walks into the house at the beginning pretending to be the cop. Yeah. Well, that was a good great Christmas fact. Yeah, and a Christmas episode. You're welcome. So he becomes a recluse after the accident. And here's a clip from a documentary called All You Need Is Love that he filmed around this time. Let's see it lonely in this big house must be very lonely. Oh geez. All them rooms to roam around in? Like a one man show. Damn, it must be lonely. He looks like at like a British judge or something. You know what I say? Stupid powdered wig. Yeah, but live in one room like Howard, is you in the bathroom? Okay, I don't see what we're talking about. Loneliness is a state of mind. He seems very well adjusted to be aware. Be aware of that guy. He's a sent sanitary dog whatever it is. You haven't Make your child as sick. This reminds remember Conan would do celebrity secrets Yeah. Yeah, we're like your wife. Make your wife right around the sex doll. It's dress just like us so ever put a gun in Deborah Henry's boots on remember when Conan would do the inappropriate Yeah, bro you can say this about a lot of his antics. Yeah. Is he doing in that house? You saw it going insane. I will say though good shot with the with the billiard too. Yeah, well done. Well, he's a perfectionist is even going completely insane. He's a perfectionist in that you can make good art while being a lunatic. Yeah, look at large venture. I mean, this is exactly what happened to everybody during the pandemic, though. Like we all became. Yeah, we were some version of that. Ever been the bathroom lonely. We should lip sync that so yeah, we should do a bill as you could tell, lonely guy he didn't like when people left him. He said it would change the chemistry. What like, What do you mean people like his brain chemistry he was dating or just like, all of the above. Even if you're just hanging out with them. It would change the chemistry of the room if you left. Like if you got up and left right now. You'd be changing the chemistry. Okay, and that's not okay. What a weird guy. So you gotta catch a bullet. Now. I know. Yeah. And even in that last clip from the documentary, he reportedly asked the film crew to stay a little longer and hang out. Do you need anyone? He's like a lonely guy. He's like Bryan Cranston in the second last episode of Breaking Bad. Okay, well, he's trying to get Robert Forster to stay longer with him and play cards with Heidi now. Yeah, this is what Phil Spector's life is like, yeah, extreme codependence? Yes. It turned from sad to sinister when he would occasionally lock people inside the mansion. Making the act of exiting. A difficult endeavor. That's like A Bronx Tale is like now you can't leave. She was weird like that. You would even do it to friends. lakum inside. That's insane. I can't wait till my company leaves most of the time. They leave it already here. They've been there. 15 minutes. I have a reverse lock on my door. Get me out of here. No, it's just crazy. Yeah. The death of John Lennon in 1980 Hit him very hard. Perhaps that's why he retreated from the limelight. for good, yeah. And he was that he was like I could have killed him. I should have been the one. I should have been my bullet. Jealous of Chapman. Yeah. I dare you overshadow me. Yeah, my friend my murder. Like he did his dad upstage me. Yeah. Who hasn't read Catcher in the Rye? Yeah. I'm surprised he wasn't in The Catcher in the Rye. Remember when we talked about all the lunatics are into it? For some reason? Yeah. New Yorker also, surprisingly, I think he's just like, cuz he's so out there. We've been asked to it's not enough for him. And rumors started to spread around town that he had gone insane. Gone. It just started gone. Yeah. manic depression was the bipolar. His sister Shirley suffered from mental illness later in her life. Yeah, it's a family affair. I have a Bertha. But she Okay. Well, not really. I mean, her husband killed himself. Yeah. It's just got this crazy kid. Yeah. And they would fight all the time, which is why he left so early to start the teddy bears. Yeah, imagine how bad that house had to be in order for him to leave because he doesn't want to leave anyone ever. And that from the teddy bears actually remembers how badly they would fight. She said it was vicious. You couldn't be around it. It sounds awful. Sounds like the worst house ever. Yeah. And then he just continued that dynamic. Yeah. As he went through life, and that you ever have those kids? You went to their houses? And you're like, This is fucking This is rough. Yeah. I hate this place. Oh, yeah. Out of a friend. Every time I would go over his place. He would fight his dad. Yeah, living room and just knock everything over. And I'm just like, why am I going on? Am I supposed to fight the dad? I got winter here. Yeah. Can't get over here. That his mom would just be like, get the fuck out here. Like, why am I involved in this? Yeah. Did that ever happened? Yeah. Where one of the parents would get unreasonably mad. While you were there all the time. It would be so frightening. Yeah, all the time. But my friend I him and his brother were fighting in he threw a fork at the brother and it's stuck in the brother's leg. Well, that sounds kind of funny. Yeah, it was kind of fun. Yeah, the brother was he was a bigger guy. So he could he could sustain it. But it was just like, this is like, yeah, one of those things. What the fuck am I doing there? Yeah, it's like Cletus, get over here. You didn't change the laundry? Yeah, yeah. Like, can't you save these insane family fights until after I yesterday go, which should be now. And they look at you. What do you want for dinner? Yeah. Why aren't you saying for dinner? Sit down. We're locking the door from the inside. Boy ID Yeah, that dinner sucks. Like, it's not even a good company sucks. The dinner was rarely a good dinner when you had to stay for dinner. Yeah, it's like yeah, beans or something. Am I right? Yeah. Am I right here. In 1989 He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Phil Spector made his scene with his bodyguards and rambled about George Bush during his speech thrower against this aggression will not stand man without any push dialing love out of the way. Oh, nice. George W. Bush. He was calling he was talking about but seeing the course. This is 1989 Oh, I think you said 9099 89. Yeah. In 1982. He had twins with his girlfriend, Janice avala. Nicole and Phil Jr. Were the twins. So like actual actual care isn't just go in. And then bring him home. From a Kroger parking lot. The other kids are out of the picture. By this point. He moved on from the kids. Well, they clearly hated him. Yeah, well, the guy was 48. So like, you know better for everybody. You guys leave me I'll replace Yeah. They relocate. Yeah. Like Valerie. Yes. Yeah. They relocated from Beverly Hills to the Pasadena area, Nigeria. Tragedy struck in 1991 when Phil Jr. One half of the twins died of leukemia. And the relationship fizzled after that with Janice, his girlfriend. But she would continue to work for him. What doing what? I don't know, like the administrator administrative state stapling paper picking up this picking up that yeah, because at this point, he's not really working that much. He's not Yeah, there's a lot of false starts. He just living off of royalties and just kind of A living off his wealth. He was trying to do something with Celine Dion. Oh man in the mid 90s. And that did not work collaboration resulted in nothing. You put a gun to her arm or something. Yeah. And he didn't get along with Rene. Oh, yeah. Her husband's very strong minded. Yeah, maybe every day is like he's gambling every night. Go see what Renee thinks. Renee told me to tell you like the gangs he lost very bad at blackjack. is really making things worse half of fortune. Yeah, he gambled all the money away. Poor overnight rest in peace. Cheese. Yeah, maybe he's playing the poker game in the sky. Right? Yeah. Phil Spector. He's losing badly. For Phil, life became kind of a living hell after his son died. He just wasn't motivated to do anything. As he already wasn't really. That'll do it. Apparently though. He was trying to do the family thing. Yeah. For what it's worth, yeah. Making his son have sex with his girlfriends. No family fun in the sun. They call Nicole the surviving twin. She seems to really love her dad. Really? She's like the one person speaking on Yeah, she speaks in the Showtime documentary and she says that it was all normal. When she grew up she had and what she considered a normal dad. Yeah. And loved him. So that's good. Yeah, she and she seems to have turned out well, yeah. Wow. Surprised against all odds. Yeah. So I don't know. Maybe he had a momentary normal came down to earth for one moment. Yeah, exactly. Well, yeah. Is that depicted in the Pacino version of those buttons? No, but we'll get to that. Oh, I love this one kid. Oh, you my favorite twin? Because he didn't die. Die. Yes. Stronger. Yours. Maybe you want to put a gun in your boots. Boots Are Made for walking. Whoa. Made for shooting. ever held a gun? Oh, that's the entire movie. I'd pay good money for that. Yeah. That's a caricature. But it's Al Pacino. More than his films back there. In 1998. Phil Spector bought a replica of an 18th century Iranian Chateau and now hombre Okay, where the fuck? Oh, that's near Pasadena. Pasadena. Yeah, it's a sprawling 33 room mansion with 88 steps leading up to the front driveway late like a piano key. Yes. Oh, wow. corny. That's long and winding steps. He probably paid so much money for that bullshit. 208 Price tips. It was like a family and I actually I'm surprised it was so cheap. If they made sounds and Tom Hanks danced on it, then I'd see it but other than that, fuck those steps. Wow. It's not too late. You're just saying by it. You like big I love that's a long way to go around another child that has sex with a grown woman. That's true. She wasn't that shocked enough to find out. She was fucking a kid a 12 year old. Yeah. In the movie Big. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I thought you were talking about because he gets out of the car and gento His clothes are too big for him. Like whoa, all right. Well, that's something that happens. Yeah, I was fucking that kid. A car gentles? Like, what's wrong with that? Now so yeah, he moves the family there. He's basically raising his daughter there. And he says that she inspired him to be a better person. Oh, that so it must have stuck. He stopped drinking in 1997 and remained sober until around 2002. We had a low what happens? Yeah, will relapse. You know, everything was fine, though. In January 2003. He gave his first interview in 25 years to make brown for The Daily Telegraph. Quote, I take medication for schizophrenia, but I wouldn't say I'm schizophrenic. But I have a bipolar personality, which is strange. I am my own worst enemy. I have devils inside the bite me. I have not been well, I wasn't insane. But I wasn't well enough to function as a regular part of society. So I chose not. I end quote. I disagree about the insane part. The article was published on February 1 2003 with the headline found Pop's lost genius. That's not a great quote to put out two days before you murder somebody. Yeah. That was gonna happen is the right one though. Imagine you go to a PR PR firm like I'm trying to find out the best quote to use before I murdered someone. I did not kill him. Who what didn't do it? Crazy Al Pacino played one of the robots. I did not kill him. Let him do it. I did not do then he smacks Will Smith. That's for Chris Rock. That's a future crime. Well, my note and Colin Farrell, who says in the movie that's currently numbered, like an alpha, alpha channel, one man show where he's just riffing on just random topics for future things. Yeah. So I was thinking we could take a break from Phil Spector for a moment. Okay, to talk about what Lana Clarkson who's is, she is an actress and model. Oh, she was born on April 5 1962. in Long Beach, California. The LBC. Yep. Snoop Dogg and Cameron Diaz's stomping grounds. That's right. There was high school together. They did. Oh, really? Yes. She sold now. Yes. He told her weed or the round or something. Yeah, he sold her. She sold him weed. You never know. That'd be badass. Yeah, that's how we started. Yeah. She taught him how to rap. Yeah, they were both Crips together. So why not? She's a six foot tall, blonde, striking actress. She just towered over him. Yeah, well, anyone does anyone. So did Leonard Cohen so to Diddy remote now when he's got those guns out? He's seven feet tall. grime? Yeah, like a mountain. Who was that? Phil Spector? I thought that was Lois Griffin. I want to climb a mountain. She launched her acting career in the early 1980s. With a role as Mrs. Vargas in Fast Times. Oh, which. Okay, TV show bit parts include Three's Company? Who's the boss? Knight Rider. Love it. And nikecourt love my favorite nikecourt movies that line appeared in brainstorm. Does that sound familiar? Not really. Yes. But what is that? Is that a John Landis movie 1983 film with Christopher Walken. And Natalie. What? Oh, yes. That's where they kind of were hanging out together. That's right. I like this movie. I'm gonna kill you. You're gonna die at my hands. Yeah, I want to throw you off the boat. Get off the boat. She appeared in Scarface. What part did you play on that? I think in the Babylon club. Okay, maybe some random girl that Steven Bauer was going after. So imagine the movie. All you can picture is Al Pacino with a chainsaw. Yes. That a bunch of like fluorescent bikinis? Yeah, she was one of one of these. Yeah, she wasn't the James. No. She was the bikini. Yeah. By the way, Scarface think of the irony there. cockaroach Al Pacino played Phil Spector in a movie. Oh, yeah, that's true. She also made an appearance in Amazon women on the moon, directed by John Landis. So as promised, all the connections, there's a lot of Connect guy connections are being made here. Later on one of her last credits in 2001 was in the James Dean TV movie with James Franco. And who did she play in that? Who? Jane Mansfield? Really? Power to the daughter Kyle Zane Mansfield? Yes, we're making connections. Here we are. So she must have been, you know, a pretty good looking person. Yes, play gin. Mandeville, but her most prosperous Hollywood collaboration was with Roger Corman, the one and only Yeah. And a series of movies including Deathstalker and the barbarian Queen movies, which inspired the series Xena Warrior Princess. Oh, did you know James Cameron came up under his tutelage. A lot of people did so did Jack Scorsese Jack Nicholson also came up under Kevin Sorbo tutelage. Yeah. Oh, was Lucy Lawless was that Kevin Sorbo moment where he's like trying to realize he's reading stage direction. He's like, act scared line. That's hilarious. I have to find that. So here we have the trailer for one of the barbarian queen. Just your power to the data of such who held it in another time. Trust to me what no man can touch. Whoa. Without the blessing woman guide 48 hours there won't be a rebel ally means that first thing within the Vatican intensity, extraordinary genetic force. Nothing could take this blonde cyclone and her band of ravishing warrior Lana Clarkson if you've never seen her before, or again or again, very unclean to the Empress Strikes Back. This is like a Monty Python movie isn't. She's gorgeous? Yeah. Yeah. And Roger Corman movies, you know, they're fun. It's kind of like trauma. Yeah, but less violent. It's low budget, you know, kind of ridiculous Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and tomatoes, which I just found out the main guy from that the guy who also originally played Gomez Adams is Sean Aston's dad, John Astin. Yeah, I had no idea. Let's Rudy's dad this whole time? Yeah. I had no idea. Mind blowing because I take you out of it. Yeah. It makes no sense to me. Nothing like it makes no sense that in Hollywood, there's nepotism. Yeah, brand new to you. I didn't know Sean Astin was like a legacy guy. Yeah. Weird. How else do you think they jammed him in these movies and you think you are pure talent? I actually have one that will blow your mind. I'm ready for it. Robert Downey Jr. is the son of Robert Downey senior. Her career started to stall in the 1990s because she made the mistake of getting a little older and Hollywood. That's a big mistake. Unforgivable. Unfortunately, the wall is undefeated. That wall of sound Wow. Wow. She started to do more voiceover work and commercials. And she wanted to pivot towards stand up comedy. That's where people always fail to get some yucks. Yeah, she made a tape and some Yuck, she she made a tape. And I saw some of it. And she was she had a nice delivery, but it was more like a one woman show though. You're making fun of her bimbo persona and all that. I think it worked. I don't know. Apart from the one woman show aspect how she would have fared you know, at or hypsi or ha ha cafe in North Hollywood. Yeah. She wasn't a dummy. Yeah, she knew she's not gonna get the same role as you know, the bikini and Scarface forever. The clock's ticking. She's to make a pivot in her career. And she made a website with a message board early on. Really? She was put into the internet innovative. Yeah, this is like 9899. Yeah, yeah. And she invested in Amazon. Oh, yeah. And she came up with the Facebook. Yeah, who needs any rolls after that? She bet on the Yankees winning the 1999 World Series. Marty gave her the book. Yeah. She regularly volunteered for the AIDS charity project angel food, even when it wasn't so trendy. I heard of angel food. I was going to actually volunteer there. But I just never showed up. You said that. You're proud of this. Oh, I felt very bad about it. But I was working. I just couldn't do it. Well, she showed up. I've crap. Okay. I don't mean to do a laundry list of all her accomplishments. But it must be known. She was a very nice lady. She was a kind purse. Yes and multifaceted. She was savvy. Yeah. And I think always hustling. I think she would have become more known. was some some role. Yeah. Someone would have given it to her. Like a good like, sitcom or something. Yeah, exactly. Perfect. Yeah, I think CBD city or something like that. Yeah. But even later, like in the 2000s. Yeah. Because in the 90s She's still struggling. I think because it was she was still doing Roger Corman movies. Just like what happened to more famous people. Pamela Anderson. Yeah, she tries to audition for LA Confidential and is laughed out of the room because they just see her as Baywatch. Well that. I found that out in Pam and Tommy show. If you heard Oh, that's when of course yeah, yeah. And I was like kind of shocked. that she thought she was gonna get the Kim Baysinger role in LA Confidential but she was so let down. I'm like, did you really think you were gonna get that? Maybe she could have I don't know. Yeah, well now I don't know if it's because a Heath Ledger and Kevin Nolan's version of Batman The Dark Knight, but like now I feel or Nolan, would I say Kevin Kevin Nolan, Kevin Nealon Neil. Well, I like having no lead. Yeah, no, thank you though. I feel like what did they call it like stunt casting before it now I feel like people actually want to convert, like, comedians into good actors are like they want to mix it up now. Yes, like, yeah, maybe I don't know. Marc Maron was in Joker in like a couple of things. Yeah, Sam Morel, too. Yeah. But for some reason, when there's a beautiful blonde, who's tall, people have trouble accepting them as anything else. Yeah. Even if they're good. The industry can be very cruel to Yeah, like that. In 2001, she produced a tape called Lana unleashed. And she made it to promote herself. She played different characters like a talking Barbie doll. A Las Vegas show, girl and even Little Richard. Whoa, she didn't do the blackface. Well, I was gonna pull out the clip later, but we know because they played it during the trial. Oh my god. I thought you're gonna say they played our funeral. Oh my god. I see the video. Wait a second. Wait. Which side played at the trial? Bills? Of course. Yeah. Oh, my. This is terrifying. Dude. Wait, can we? Yeah, one second. Sorry. I'm trying to get a queued up. Oh my Lord. I already feel nervous about I do too. You should be I don't know why but I feel unsettled. Okay, this is very unnerving. Bamboo. Oh my god on the home shopping network to present to you my latest contribution to the world. Let's get down to the nitty gritty ladies. I am now going to talk with John a little. Now y'all know I'm getting a rapid roll. we innovated the amount of data the originator and, and all it stands for because the prices were so high that's why that's why she got got in trouble if you want to do it again. Play that at the end of the podcast. Sign off it wasn't as frowned upon then. Even though bamboozled came out a year earlier. Yeah, but that was like a response probably to that video. All right. So I guess what that shows is, you know, she she was all over the place some people don't know that. You know, they I think they know racism exists but they don't know how racist they're being in scenarios like that. Yeah, I mean, I'll give her credit. She went for it. Yeah, she's doing it for something you know what attention to detail. I did notice there she wasn't just doing blackface she was doing black hand also. Oh, yeah. The color was on her hand. Also, I'm like Jesus Christ, man. It's called commitment to the bit people Yeah. Oh my god. Why Baba Luba? Like I wonder how many takes that took to to get that down? That was gonna be in my nightmares. I know. It's she really is going for it. That's the one thing that's gonna be your nightmares so far. Yeah, I feel Spectre now. Are the gun in the booth. Was that like, hurt? SNL audition to exactly. She she wanted to do something like I said now? Like bad TV or something? Yeah, yeah. Anything. And so imagine Quincy Jones watching that for Mad TV? Bunch of characters. And she thought, Okay, this shows what I can do. Yeah. And clearly, she didn't have a filter. You know, obviously not well, and also no one's there. Telling her maybe this is not the best idea. Jimmy Fallon's like, yes. Okay, just do it. I got my own coming. Quiz Christmas Eve. 2001. She's at a party and she's Irish dancing with her friends. Do an Irish jig in six inch stiletto heels. Ooh, that's going for it. Yeah. I couldn't see Michael Flatley doing that in heels. She slips on a rug and breaks both her wrists during the dance. Oh my god. Yeah, cuz she tried to put her hands down but the black paint was still on him and that's snap snap the Irish jig works Yes, he's trying to do it in blackface and someone pushes her that's probably Little Richard she sends her taped a Little Richard. Oh my goodness. She gets arrested. You're, you're gonna love this impression I do have you. Blows Billy Crystal Sammy Davis out of the water. My God. I didn't even think of that. Jeez. So Lana was out of commission for the better part of nine months. Yeah, that's a hard thing to come back from like, you need a lot of help. If you break both your wrists Yeah, she couldn't even hold the phone. Yeah, and this is right after, you know, for better or worse. She made that tape. Yeah. And she's chopping it around. Now do the guys at ca popping that in and watching it I mean, yeah, that becomes like a story that people Oh, what is going on in this world? Herberg after recovering from the wrist breaking, yep, double wrist break. She's excited to get back in the game. Yeah, but she's setback because she lost almost a year. Yeah. You know her little Richard's out of date. Now it's not relevant anymore. Yeah. It wasn't great to begin with, or good or irrelevant. Irrelevant than what she does is she takes a job at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip as a hostess January 2003. Wow, man, that's a fall from grace. Don't judge I'm not judging, but it is. It's yeah, it's a it's a step. That was me and another direction cause guttural reaction was like, Oh, they say it was strategic because then she would be in front of the industry's top. Well, you got the Comedy Store right across. Yeah. She really believed that really? That she was it was going to die. Oh, hold here. Carl. Can't tell you. How I was reacting more than when he saw the the blackface. Yeah. So yes, she really? Yeah. Anyway, she had hoped that she would meet the right person and yeah, be enamored by her. It's just like saying like, Oh, I'm gonna be a janitor at Rockefeller Center. And SNL cast me is like, the next guy. Yeah, no, it's not just it's not how it works. It's not how it's gonna happen. It's not ever how it's gonna happen. Yeah, it's either you got like, talent right out the gate, or people are gonna react to or tape or something. Or that. Yeah, so I feel bad. I just know too many people that have come up concocted situations like that seems like yeah, this is flawless. Yeah, and I think it's gonna be the next big thing and it's, it's like a good networking possibility. I'm gonna clean the porta potties at the Laugh Factory. Yeah, yeah. Unfortunately, yeah. People. People worked at the Hollywood improv thinking it's gonna lead to them being you know, yeah. Discovered and it's just like, there's you're pretty much doing that cleaning. Yeah. What are you doing over the snake and drains? Yeah. I'm their house plumber right now. And her wrists are finally feeling better. Feel Great. Anybody want to cast me? Sorry for listeners who can't see. us doing that hilarious. Band wrist? Press. No, I'm good. How are you? That brings us to February 2 2003. Ooh, day that will live in infamy. The article in the Daily Telegraph had just come out. Remember the title? It said pops last genius. Yeah, Phil's got a little pep in his step. Even though it says he's lost. We found him. Yeah, we found exactly the murderer, when as his ex girlfriend had stopped working for him recently. And so he was a little lonelier than usual. Yeah, he had emerged from seclusion and had been going out more often. Yeah, by this boy. And remember, he started drinking again? The year before? Yeah, we also read Only I'm assuming maybe some of these places he's going to he's just going alone to like a restaurant. No. He has a longtime friend, Rami Davis, and they went to high school together. Okay. And so he and Rami had been going out to dinner that weekend, all three nights is and now it's Sunday, a bunch of Ramiz. getting kind of tired of them. Oh, yeah. So this is the third night, going out to dinner. Yeah, they're doing it again. Geez, they're doing it again. Oh, Seinfeld's the maitre d. Around 7pm. Phil leaves his castle in a fancy Mercedes limo driven by Adriano. The Southside was that he's his limo driver. That's his guy. Yeah. I thought that was like another former famous like person. Yeah, there's like, yeah, like a tenner or something or Yeah, like a singer that just fall from grace Bocelli? Yeah. They pick up Rami in Studio City, and then they go to the grill on the alley in Beverly Hills. For dinner, specter talks to waitress Kathy Sullivan and tells her that he's going to take you out later that night. So if you're keeping up with me, he's with Rami. Dave is having dinner, but he's hitting on the waitress now. Yes, because ROM is just a platonic friend. Yeah. What a scumbag and specter orders to daiquiris. It's not known if he finished them both. And Rami says that he was acting strange, and she hadn't seen him drink in the five months since they had been reacquainted. Yeah, you know how crazy Phil gets off a daiquiris? Yeah. I assume he finished at least one of them because why would you order a second one just like put it next to this other filled one that I haven't even touched? It was mainly the mixing of booze and pills that made her concern. That's always a telltale sign. That's not a good thing. Around 10pm Spector drops Rami off at home. So specters driving. What No. Oh, the limo driver. Yeah. Yeah, no. Yeah, of course. Kathy and Phil go to Trader Vic's to keep the night going. Not Trader Joe's no trader Vic's. Trader Vic's. Yeah, that's a buyer. Okay, that's still still going. Yeah. Oh, wow. And then, on top of the tour, he orders a navy Grog, which is a strong rum drink. That sounds like such an old like Country Club drink. And apparently it's like two drinks in one. Yeah, like a Long Island Iced Tea. It's just a mess. afterwards. Kathy the waitress drops her car off at home and they continue on to Dan Tannaz. That's a very famous La spot at about 1am Apparently Phil had been going there since the 60s. Yeah, I gotta imagine. And then he drinks another Navy Grog. If I was a bartender and some gold guy says give me a navy. Grog. Give me the grog. I punch him in the face. Yeah, around 2am They decided to go to the House of Blues. But Lima Clarkson stops him at the door and he pulls a Don't you know who I am? And she responds, No, ma'am. I don't. A good Lana thought he was a woman because he was wearing a long wig and had a feminine jacket. Oh, yeah. A white jacket. He must look insane. If you saw some maniac come in looks like that I call the cops. The manager steps in and tells Lana to treat Phil as if he's royalty. Because that's Phil Spector. Yeah. He tells her treat him like he's Dan Ackroyd because Dan Ackroyd was co owner of the House of Blues. Oh, could you imagine Yes. Someone telling you to treat someone like the Dan Aykroyd? Yeah, as if it wasn't already bad enough for her. Yeah. conspiracy that some goes conspiracy theories maniac forces treats Bill Specter. Yeah, he's rocking neck. Right Dan Ackroyd they get seated in the VIP Foundation, Rome, Kathy and Phil. But at this point, Kathy has done drinking. She's just having water. She's done. Yeah, she's done with Phil and with drinking. Yeah, sound smart. Phil ordered some more rum. And he's annoyed that she's drinking water. Yeah, so then he's like, Alright, get out of here. If you're not gonna drink with me. Oh, wow. He actually kicked somebody out. Yeah, so then the driver takes Kathy home and then returns.