280: Hal Sparks and the Tales of La La Wood

Movie Meltdown - Episode 280 This week we’re joined by special guest co-host Hal Sparks. You may know Hal as a stand-up comic, an actor, a musician… he is a man of many talents. But this episode he sits down with us to reminisce about growing up in a small town, and his struggle to make it all the way to Los Angeles. And the personal conviction it takes to work in the entertainment industry. Plus we discuss some of the movies that inspired and entertained him over the years And along the way, we also discuss... the nearest hospital without chickens in it, George Carlin, Sigourney Weaver in Alien, Joe vs. the Volcano, Heavy Metal, all we tried to do was be a little too free… and the hammer came down, Spiderman 2, in Mandarin, Antichrist, the hardest role for an actor to play…, Peter MacNicol, fixing mandolins, Brian Johnson of AC/DC, I’m trying to help you people… and no one is listening to me, Michael Palin, Brighton Beach Memoirs, dentistry hasn’t changed that much, Blade Runner, MacArthur: hyper puritanical dickhead?, Cabin in the Woods, I’m focusing on being a performer… and my performance comes in several different shapes, Bobcat Goldthwait, Fritz the Cat, Captain America, Flashpoint, Let the Right One In, just you and a microphone, Mindwalk, Scooby Doo, Japanese rules against pornography, Sam Raimi, The Nutty Professor, Jiminy Glick, the greatest bullshit story ever told, Mitch Hedberg, Zapped!, Steve Martin, The LEGO Movie, The Avengers, having a tin center, Bob Dylan, on-stage persona, the first mixed-race couple on a network show, a two-story set, why we come up with jokes, Fletch,old LPs, how far can you skate… on just what you were given, Richard Pryor, The Shining, Running Scared, Groundlings, Bill Cosby, banjo took over his life, Spinal Tap, art is about imparting either emotion or understanding, Billy Crystal, Beverly Hills Cop, Growing up in Peaks Mill, Star Wars, John Lennon, China vs. the US, Doug Stanhope, Second City, failure has a clock… an abstract based on a puritanical work ethic that’s from Philippians… and I have no interest in that… behaviorally or intellectually or philosophically at all. “It’s just supposed to make you mad at your life, so you f-ing do something!” For more on all of Hal’s work, go to: halsparks.com