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[3:14] Patrick H Willems: When did you first see this film and did you were you a Prince fan first, or was this your introduction to it?

[3:21] Patrick H Willems: Okay. Uh, I'll try to make the story as short as possible. I first saw this film in the fall of 2006. Uh, before that, I didn't have strong feelings about Prince. I mostly knew Prince from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Uh, because I grew up watching the '89 Batman movie a lot, and famously, Prince composed an entire album of songs for that movie. And two of them are featured in the movie. And, uh, so I was aware of Prince; I had no strong feelings about him, was not very well versed in his music because, well, like, uh, he was not at his peak when I was like getting into music as like a middle schooler. Uh, that was kind of, I feel like I started getting into music when Prince was, uh, known as the artist formerly known as Prince and was going by an unpronounced symbol.

Um, so, uh, and then, uh, the fall of 2006, my freshman year of college, uh, my very first semester, I took a class called Musicals and the American Film Culture that was all about musicals. And, uh, I had never, despite seeing some of the, you know, the really iconic film musicals as a kid, you know, a lot of stuff like Rogers and Hammerstein stuff, uh, that kind of thing. I never thought I was into musicals, and then I took that class and was like, hold up, musicals fucking rule. I love these; they're, and I learned so much about the history of the genre, and, uh, I will say I, uh, musical theater remains kind of a blind spot for me, but musical movies I'm much more well versed in. Um, but the class was pretty extensive, and it wasn't just like, oh, right, the classic MGM stuff.

It got into more modern stuff. And one night, like our screening for the week was Purple Rain, and it was a transformative experience for me. Uh, I had never seen the movie. I don't, I, uh, I'd probably heard the title song before, but I didn't really know the music, uh, from it. Also, the whole screening of just like everyone in the class, by the end of the movie, we're all like waving our, like, flip phones like back and forth, uh, there in the classroom. And I went back to my dorm room, I, uh, downloaded the album Purple Rain, and then I downloaded the entirety of Prince's discography, which is extensive. I'm even talking stuff like his, like, late '90s freeform jazz album The Rainbow Children, stuff like that.

And I just got deep into Prince, and, uh, I, I, I'll put it this way. I, uh, I just recently picked up the, uh, the records day, uh, or, uh, record store day, uh, uh, reissue of, uh, The Gold Experience, his, I believe '94 album. I think his last album, no, his first album released as the artist formerly known as Prince. Uh, so I am a big Prince fan, and it mostly started with that viewing of Purple Rain. Uh, and, uh, so it's a movie that, uh, altered my taste in music, and, uh, it's a movie that I love.

[6:31] Patrick H Willems: Man, I'm jealous because at film school, like the only things that we got screened for were like, um, Crash, because our teacher was friends with Paul Haggis, so I had to sit there.

[6:41] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, the bad one. Um, yeah, don't watch Crash, don't watch Crash, guys.

[6:47] Andrew DeWolf: Um, what's your connection to Prince? Do you have one?

[6:49] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, yeah, I like some Prince. I mean, I know like the big songs, like, you know, uh, Purple Rain and, uh, uh, Bat Bad.

[7:01] Andrew DeWolf: Sounds like what a dove, Crazy Little Red Corvette.

[7:04] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah, uh, Raspberry Beret. That's a good one. But, you know, I, I'm, I have not listened to the entire discography. And, uh, I didn't watch this movie until yesterday, so I feel like we've got a good, like, like Patrick knows this film, knows Prince, listens to it all. Andrew knows a little bit. I am the Prince novice walking into this film and baffled by the things I see.

[7:30] Andrew DeWolf: It is a baffling watch, and I'm sure the context of who Prince was as an artist and his impact, especially in the mid-20th century, would have painted this differently to me. But I'm just seeing a narrative like The Room, but if Johnny did actually hit Lisa.

[7:47] Andrew DeWolf: Is it, is it that's a good one?

[7:48] Andrew DeWolf: It's uncharitable, I feel. I feel like this it's basically just Eight Mile. I have not seen Eight Mile, and I know I'm a Detroiter, and so that is like terrible to say. Bree's face right now. I can see it in her face. It's literally always on TV. Who has cable anymore? Before that. How did you not see it? Probably because of the League of Our Own resign. Maybe. Like, I just I was too busy watching Rogers and Hammerstein musicals to like watch about contemporary artists. The thing you gotta know about Jess is he's never seen anything if it's not a musical.

[8:25] Jess McAnally: That's not entirely inaccurate, but not entirely accurate either. I talk about those films. I had to watch Crash.

[8:33] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, Crash isn't a musical, but would probably be better if it was.

[8:37] Jess McAnally: Yeah, yeah. I think that marked the end of Brendan Fraser's rise and the start of Sandra Bullock's rise at the same time. That's a wild movie. I Okay, I'm not gonna go into detail into Crash. There I have a lot of things to I could say about that.

[8:53] Andrew DeWolf: That's fine. Wait, so basically, I'm going to be the Purple Rain defender on this.

[8:58] Jess McAnally: Yes. I'm afraid to say that I was but context-wise, you gotta convince me because I'm in the middle here. I double featured this with Pirates of Penzance, which is what we're covering next week. So those are two different vibes.

[9:12] Andrew DeWolf: They are. So I will say again, I did not originally see this movie as a Prince fan.

[9:17] Jess McAnally: Right.

[9:18] Andrew DeWolf: This movie made me one. Because the thing that I think is very important to establish about this movie is that every five minutes or so, one of the greatest songs ever written is performed in the movie. It is the look, the movie deservedly won an Oscar that is not around anymore for best song score.

[9:42] Jess McAnally: Yes.

[9:43] Andrew DeWolf: Basically just like best movie album. But I'm like, yes, this movie has narrative problems. Yes, it has a weirdly inconsistent tone that you know swings wildly from like comedy to like really intense drama, you know, sometimes within the same scene. But it is also the greatest fucking album ever made. And I feel like that's an unimpeachable thing. It is like the last like 20 minutes of this movie are so like ecstatic that I'm like you can't no one can argue with that. It's the best thing in the world. Like genuinely, like I last saw this movie in sorry to just take over this episode.

[10:28] Jess McAnally: It's okay.

[10:29] Andrew DeWolf: We'll rein it in. It'll happen. I like Purple Rain a lot, but last time I saw this movie was in 2016. It was, I believe it was five or six days after Prince died. And right away, like within like less than a week after he died, AMC Theaters re-released Purple Rain in theaters. And I live in New York City, and I went to go see it that weekend at the AMC D, I don't know where you guys are based.

[11:00] Jess McAnally: We were just in New York, yeah, New York Detroit.

[11:03] Andrew DeWolf: Okay. So the AMC 25 on 42nd Street, the biggest theater in the city. I went to see Purple Rain there. And it like a sold-out, packed audience. The last 20 minutes of the movie, the entire audience was on their feet dancing for all of it. It was just a concert. It was one of the best movie watching experiences I've ever had. And again, the power of this movie and the power of Prince. And so I it's a thing where I'm just like I'm never I'm never gonna top that. Even watching this movie again, nothing will ever reach the heights of that experience.

[11:45] Jess McAnally: I want to butt in and say that I agree with both of you entirely. I think that the soundtrack is incredible and Prince fucking rocks.

[11:56] Andrew DeWolf: Um, but I think the issue I have is a lot of the songs don't really like feel like they fit into a story at all. So it ends up being like a concert movie more than a musical.

[12:07] Jess McAnally: Yeah, but that makes sense. Steven Burns stop making sense doesn't have a subplot where he hits his girlfriend a bunch.

[12:13] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, so it's like it's like a weird vibe where it's like you just want him to keep playing songs, but then sometimes they cut to like other stuff, and it's just like I don't know if I care. And some of the other stuff is great. Like anytime Morris Day is on screen, I am thoroughly convinced he is the hero of the story. Like, I think that this is told from the villain's point of view. Like, and it keeps trying to convince me that Morris Day is somehow the villain, and I'm like, nah, I want to root for him.

[12:39] Jess McAnally: I mean, Morris Day is great. Morris Day and Jerome, one of the great screen duos of all time.

[12:46] Andrew DeWolf: Uh actually, you know what I just remembered? I did have a reference point for this movie before I saw Purple Rain.

[12:53] Jess McAnally: Is it Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back?

[12:55] Andrew DeWolf: It's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. A movie that I was really into when I was in like seventh grade. And I was I was I was a big Kevin Smith fan in like middle and high school. And in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, early on in the movie, they established, like, I believe Jay says that he and Silent Bob like modeled their whole lives after Morris Day in the Time. After Morris Day and Jerome specifically, and then at the end of the movie, Morris Day shows up and they like dance on stage to "Jungle Love." And so, you know, it's an influential film. I'd say that Kevin Smith must have been high, but I know he wasn't.

[13:32] Jess McAnally: Not at that time.

[13:33] Andrew DeWolf: No, it's just a bafflingly weird choice. I mean I think that the thing that is like really key to talk about with this movie is that it is a semi-autobiographical film.

[13:45] Patrick H Willems: Isn't it's the same thing that Eight Mile did. It's the same thing that was less successfully done with 50 Cent with Get Rich or Die Trying, which is the artist stars as basically themselves in a loose retelling of their origin story.

[14:07] Patrick H Willems: Because it's like the First Avenue Club in the movie is the club where Prince made his name and became famous in Minneapolis. Like Morris Day and the Time were another band from Minneapolis. These were all local acts. I will say a thing that has always fascinated me in it is that in the movie, Prince's character, the Kid, has a black father and a white mother, but in real life he's not mixed race. Both his parents are black. And I've always wondered about that choice, because a lot of people based on this movie then just believed that Prince was biracial, and he's not. So interesting. Because again, it like the point was to basically be like kind of based on, you know, to an extent on his actual life. But the thing that is an interesting choice, yeah.

[15:05] Patrick H Willems: It's a choice, but and the comparison to Eight Mile, I see what you're doing, but Eight Mile had a director with a vision that like Eight Mile was directed by the same one that directed LA Confidential, which is like a proper film with like a story. This is just one of Prince's music video directors that really didn't do anything outside of Purple Rain, aside from a couple of Prince music videos. I feel like this is Roxy directed by Prince in a way.

[15:28] Patrick H Willems: It pretty much is, but I think there are sequences in the movie, especially like the opening number, yes, where like the filmmaking craft is like actually incredible. Like the editing of the opening sequence, the cross-cutting of the performance of Let's Go Crazy, jumping back in time to Prince, oh well to the Kid getting ready for the show, Apollonia arriving in the city, and like getting to the club, and just like the rapid-fire edits of just like the intense close-ups of people in the audience of just like Prince backstage before the show. It's like it, as someone who just finished watching the whole filmography of Bob Fosse, I'm like, oh, there's like the editing rhythms remind me a lot of like All That Jazz and Cabaret and stuff like that.

[16:23] Patrick H Willems: There's like, I think there's especially when it's just like doing like music and visuals, I think there's really incredible stuff happening because this is like the really early days of MTV, like the music video form was a very new art form. And yeah, I think there's, I mean, even just little things like the sequence where, or not, not I'm not even really a sequence, like the brief scene when Apollonia is in an alley out behind the club and is like lit by like these thin shafts of like blue light coming down through the fire escape, and then you just have the Kid like emerging above coming down the fire escape, just shot below from her perspective, and just he that he only appears in these like quick cuts of like his feet and stuff like that until the motorcycle like kind of roars to life and you get the like iconic action movie turn as he goes, as he just like looks like turns into the camera and says, get on. It's like I think it's awesome stuff. I think it's like it is deceptively well made.

[17:28] Patrick H Willems: I think those moments are really well made, but then there are moments like that style works in a scene like that, in a scene where you find like your house destroyed and your father about to kill himself. That's when that style and editing and things like that kind of just feels jarring and inappropriate.

[17:47] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, but I mean Prince messed that house up afterwards. I mean he went full Tommy, Lizzo, slash Orson Welles, slash whoever we want to say on it.

[17:54] Patrick H Willems: I thought that was actually a pretty good part though. I like him smashing all the stuff. It was good.

[17:58] Andrew DeWolf: So many jars of like canned goods.

[18:01] Patrick H Willems: What was in those jars?

[18:03] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know.

[18:04] Patrick H Willems: Fruit preserves that they were keeping for next winter.

[18:10] Andrew DeWolf: I yeah. I mean, look, to be fully clear, I think it's a pretty silly movie.

[18:16] Patrick H Willems: Yes.

[18:16] Andrew DeWolf: But I, but it, I'm not saying this is like high art, but I think it is very entertaining. And again, every few minutes, one of the greatest songs ever is performed. I think honestly, I think the biggest flaw in the movie, which is something that I find kind of hilarious, and it doesn't actually really bother me, is when in the kind of like the I guess like midpoint, I actually for a lot of the first two-thirds of the movie, the owner of the First Avenue Club keeps talking about how the Kid isn't bringing him in like he used to, like he used to, and like his music isn't as good as it used to be, and then you've got stuff where like everyone is like, oh my god, you're losing the crowd, like what was, what the fuck was this performance?

This was like, this was weird shit, the music is bad. I'm like if he actually performed Darling Nikki like that, like for a live audience, they would be losing their minds, and there would be like a line like, you know, down the block to the next state. There is no universe in which people would watch that and not be into it.

[19:27] Patrick H Willems: But you can't have him perform poorly on purpose. Because no one wants to see that. It's just so funny to watch this incredible performance of these amazing songs and have the audience be like, I don't know what that was. That was bad. It's so funny.

[19:43] Andrew DeWolf: You lost me on that one.

[19:46] Patrick H Willems: I do also appreciate, and I was talking to Andrew about this earlier, that the villains are still equally as talented as Prince. Like they aren't like comically bad performers either. Like they seem like an actual proper threat to Prince or the Kid.

[20:01] Andrew DeWolf: Oh yeah. I mean, you can see like the Time is, you know, doing like a more obviously crowd-pleasing show. No one's writhing around shirtless and humping the speakers. But they don't have them perform badly on purpose, which is something like a less subtle movie would do, I think.

[20:19] Patrick H Willems: Well, yeah, it's hard to say subtle with this one, but I suppose that would be how you would say it. I don't know. I mean, you know, they're real bands.

[20:27] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[20:27] Patrick H Willems: Like that is the thing. And I was impressed. The dancing the Time was doing, I'd be into it. Also, the thing is whenever the Time performs, they also have all these people in like up in like the rafters and in the audience, all also doing the dance. It's like they have hype men like throughout the club just to get everyone really into their new dance moves. It's great.

[20:52] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, the move when they're doing Jungle Love, when Jerome comes out just to hold up a mirror for Morris, it's in the lyric, like, get a mirror for me or something, and then it comes out and all that. They have like honed that act so perfectly. It's like I would absolutely go see the Time.

[21:13] Patrick H Willems: I agree with everything we're saying, but there's still a movie around it. Like if this were just a concert film with like a slight plot around it, I think this would be even more adored. It would be played like on every screen they could put it on at all times.

[21:28] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. But then again, that might turn people off.

[21:32] Patrick H Willems: The part where he drives the girl to the lake and then tells her to jump in.

[21:38] Andrew DeWolf: He doesn't do that, what?

[21:39] Patrick H Willems: He does not do that. She has to purify herself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

[21:43] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[21:44] Patrick H Willems: And she just assumes that that's like Minnetonka. So she gets topless and all the way down to her skivvies and then just jumps in, and he's like, that ain't like Minnetonka. And then he, yeah, so like, what the fuck? And then he just drives away and is like, okay. Uh-oh. You get on it. And there's like a Three Stooges bit where she tries to get on freezing cold and soaking wet. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. And I could not figure out what the hell they were going for. And that's all. It's like, am I supposed to, is this like charming? Am I like, oh man, Prince, he's such a goofball.

[22:18] Patrick H Willems: He ha, I mean it is so weird. And it's one of those things where the first time I saw it, you know, it was very much an, like that scene was I was very much like this is weird, I don't know what it is, but it's kind of funny. And now having seen the movie like, I don't know, five times, I'm just like, I'm just fully into it. It is, and to be clear, oh look, I'm fully aware this is a movie that does not treat the female characters especially well.

[22:47] Andrew DeWolf: Or they're, oh yeah, there's like two, three, two and a half.

[22:47] Patrick H Willems: Two and a half, three female characters. Well, there is the one. They do at least get their song they were playing trash.

[22:56] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, you're right. That's a good scene. I remember that. It's one of those things where I recognize what is problematic there. I also recognize that picking up a person and throwing them into a dumpster is objectively funny.

[23:10] Patrick H Willems: It is funny, and he's supposed to be the bad guy, right?

[23:12] Andrew DeWolf: So he is the bad guy. So it's like you could kind of forgive the movie for like, well, the bad guy does a bad thing, okay.

[23:19] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, but then the good guy. I think we the audience are supposed to be laughing with him in that scene, though, so I'm not really sure.

[23:29] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, again, it's a movie just went in '84. I completely agree.

[23:34] Patrick H Willems: Oh, but compared to the things that we're used to, the fare that we're used to, seeing Prince try to finger a girl while beautiful wind hits them, it's just like, man, I don't see this on this show very often.

[23:47] Andrew DeWolf: You don't. I mean, this is part of what's fascinating about the movie to me, that like for, you know, this was, I mean, Prince was successful, and it was like pretty big before this, and but Purple Rain is what like the movies and album together are what like took his career to a new level. That's what like made him like one of the biggest artists in the world. And it is like kind of a ballsy move to be like, okay, my huge star vehicle is gonna be a movie where I am often unsympathetic and I'm basically like a dick to my whole band. I spend most of the movie refusing to even consider playing a song that my bandmates are in like a rude way, too. Like, oh no, no. Get this garbage out of here. I'm not listening to that. How would you do that to Wendy and Lisa?

[24:38] Patrick H Willems: Uh oh, but here's a fun fact. Back in, I think, yeah, but in college, for a couple of years, my ringtone on my phone was the intro to Computer Blue, which is the Wendy, yes, Lisa, is the water warm enough? And so on. Yeah, I really had a big Purple Rain phase.

[25:00] Andrew DeWolf: Patrick, but I got a question for you. And I wonder, like Brie, you're in the room. I want to know if this move would work. Did you ever bring a girl home and just turn on the radio and it's just women moaning? Like, did you do that?

[25:12] Patrick H Willems: Is that a move?

[25:13] Andrew DeWolf: In reverse. You mean crying in reverse?

[25:16] Patrick H Willems: Yes. Yes. Sounds like laughing.

[25:18] Andrew DeWolf: You know, I, that's a move I never did. I think Prince is the only person who would drive that.

[25:27] Patrick H Willems: Well, I mean, this is the thing. I think this is a major thing about the movie. It's that, you know, whether you're looking at the Lake Minnetonka scene or the weird, here's my backwards recordings of women crying that I just have.

[25:46] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[25:48] Patrick H Willems: Well, because he had also like, you know, he, there was like, you know, beats behind it. He was clearly like, you know, using that in some kind of like musical creation. But Prince has this fascinating screen presence, I think, where he, because he's a short little guy, like really tiny. Part of why he wore high heels was just to give himself a couple more inches. But like in the Lake Minnetonka scene, he has this sort of like impish charm. He's just like a weird little like trickster, who's like, I don't know, like five five or whatever. Like, like he's shorter than Apollonia. And that because like a lot of the movie is just him like posed, just him like sta, like he basically attracts Apollonia.

Obviously, you know, I'm anyone, any human being walks in and sees him performing Let's Go Crazy, and they'll, I would imagine they would throw themselves at him. But then he just like stares at her in like with like, you know, his back very straight, and he'll have like often his sunglasses on indoors in the club. And he, he like there's all this stuff with him in the dressing room with the band where he has like puppets and stuff, and he'll do like kind of ventriloquism and just like talk to his. He has that little cone with the puppet inside of it. He's such a weirdo. And he has the puppet say like asshole things to his bandmates.

[27:18] Andrew DeWolf: He does. That's okay. Jeff Dunham thing.

[27:20] Patrick H Willems: If the puppet says that, I'm not gonna get in trouble.

[27:23] Jess McAnally: Right.

[27:24] Patrick H Willems: Well, I mean, you know, the movie is basically him realizing that he should stop being an asshole.

[27:29] Jess McAnally: Is it?

[27:29] Patrick H Willems: I feel like the climax is a very good thing.

[27:31] Jess McAnally: That is a lesson, right?

[27:32] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[27:33] Patrick H Willems: You know, he basically realizes that he can't be like his father.

[27:38] Jess McAnally: But then dedicates the song to his father.

[27:42] Patrick H Willems: Right. Well, you know, I mean, there's the thing where because like there's the part when he comes downstairs to the basement and his father is playing the piano, and he asks his father if like he ever like wrote any of these songs down. He's like, no, like I wouldn't do that. That's like, you know, I don't need to write them down. I'm the best. I've got them all in my head. And then, you know, he realizes, oh, his father did write all this. Like his father's like was so obsessed with, you know, with keeping up this facade of like, you know, like strength and masculinity and toughness and could never show any fragility at all, could never let anyone in.

[28:19] Jess McAnally: Toxic masculinity, all that.

[28:21] Patrick H Willems: Exactly. And like was lying about writing the songs down, and he's, you know, I again, I'm not saying it's like really elegantly done, but in the end, like the climax is basically him having to like apologize to people and like and realize that he cannot continue on the like toxic behaviors of his father. He makes up with his band by realizing like, oh, I don't, you know, I shouldn't be a control freak. Like I should, you know, I should be collaborative and let other people in, and then he wins.

[28:58] Jess McAnally: Yeah, yeah.

[28:59] Patrick H Willems: It's a beautiful story about the dish little man who loves fluffy shirts.

[29:07] Jess McAnally: Hell yeah.

[29:08] Patrick H Willems: Pirate shirts.

[29:09] Jess McAnally: Yeah, yeah.

[29:10] Patrick H Willems: And he never stops wearing it. One little touch before we move on to our next segment, I do want to bring up that baffled me at first, but kind of became like one of the more compelling parts of it is the fact that he still lives with his parents.

[29:21] Jess McAnally: I don't know why that just kind of like Prince still lives with his parents.

[29:25] Patrick H Willems: He's an artist. You think he's making money?

[29:27] Jess McAnally: I mean guys, I thought about the I have a theory now that I formed on this viewing.

[29:34] Patrick H Willems: All right. So Prince is a struggling musician. He's like doing okay. He's got a band and everything. They're, you know, they have an audience, but he's still living with his parents. So, you know, he doesn't have like a record deal yet, but he's making some money. And I believe what is happening here is that while he could be saving up the money he makes from the gigs and maybe getting his own place, getting his own apartment in Minneapolis, instead he put all of his money into buying a custom motorcycle with his logo on it. And that is what he did instead of how much do custom fitted purple suits go for, you know?

[30:17] Jess McAnally: That's a great question.

[30:18] Patrick H Willems: Unless that I don't know, maybe that was just the style in Minneapolis at the time. You just go into any menswear store and you're just it's just purple suits everywhere.

[30:27] Jess McAnally: Exactly.

[30:28] Patrick H Willems: Purple suits with the pirate shirt.

[30:29] Jess McAnally: Exactly.

[30:31] Patrick H Willems: Big like Dracula collars on them. That the most unrealistic thing about the movie is that everyone else wasn't dressed like that.

[30:38] Jess McAnally: I wish. I want to live in a world where we all dress like that.

[30:41] Patrick H Willems: I'm seeing an average price of $500 for a purple suit.

[30:45] Jess McAnally: Okay, wait, are we talking like just like regular like two-piece suit?

[30:50] Patrick H Willems: Are we talking like Joker suit or are we talking print suit, yeah?

[30:54] Jess McAnally: This is like a suit you would wear at a prom.

[30:57] Patrick H Willems: Okay.

[30:58] Jess McAnally: So nothing.

[30:58] Patrick H Willems: That's not quite so I just at least triple that, triple that.

[31:05] Jess McAnally: For 1984 time.

[31:07] Patrick H Willems: $500, um, that might be a little different.

[31:11] Jess McAnally: That might be true.

[31:12] Patrick H Willems: So $500 might be on the money for 1984 money.

[31:18] ⚠ About 4 minutes of audio could not be automatically transcribed.

[35:46] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, this one was just a lot of big words to try to hide. Like, I don't like that there's like drama to this music film. I really find this one specifically condescending in a way that the movie doesn't deserve. I, speaking of media about this movie from the time, have you folks ever seen the MTV special from '84 about the premiere, like the world premiere of what happened? I mean, it's just it is such an incredible time capsule. You've got like, you know, Eddie Murphy and all these people showing up just like to see the movie and being interviewed. You know, a lot of real cocaine vibes from that event. And it's just I'm sure it's on YouTube, but it's really worth watching. Free, play a clip of it right here.

[36:42] Jess McAnally: Alright, wow, wasn't that an insane clip? Cocaine, am I right? But I think we need to move on from the literate folks over there at the New York Times and the Washington Post to the true critics of the internet. It's time to compare our opinions with those of the insane folks at Letterboxd.com. It's time for reviews part two. One star, five star. Alright, Patrick. Here's how it is. You're going head to head with Andrew right now. I just posted my new Letterboxd review an hour ago. I don't think I... Is it a five star?

[37:15] Patrick H Willems: Now it's four stars.

[37:17] Jess McAnally: Damn. Can't win it. So, this is a binary. We are gonna read you a full review, and these are all real reviews from Letterboxd.com. And you have to guess just based on the content of the review alone. Was it a one-star or a five-star review? And you and Andrew are head to head. Um, whose team do you want to be on, Brie?

[37:33] Brianna Jones: Patrick.

[37:35] Jess McAnally: Alright, Patrick, you and Brie are up against each other. You guys go first.

[37:39] Patrick H Willems: Okay. One star for each time I cried. Exclamation point. Is that a one-star?

[37:46] Jess McAnally: I'm gonna say it's a five-star review.

[37:48] Patrick H Willems: It is a one-star.

[37:52] Jess McAnally: This but they cried?

[37:54] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, these are yep. One time. They cried one time.

[37:58] Jess McAnally: They cried one time, apparently. But that's okay. We'll get him next time. Alright. Andrew, are you ready for this?

[38:04] Andrew DeWolf: Uh yeah.

[38:05] Jess McAnally: Yeah, yeah. Prince did not have one ugly person in his band. He said bad bitches only.

[38:12] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, five stars.

[38:15] Jess McAnally: That is correct. Oh no, okay. Um, let's see. Hmm. They just put a sad face.

[38:25] Andrew DeWolf: Like Colin, sad face.

[38:29] Jess McAnally: Uh that's the whole review? Just a sad face.

[38:34] Andrew DeWolf: Uh I probably I'm assuming it came out when he died. Uh five stars?

[38:39] Jess McAnally: Yeah.

[38:40] Patrick H Willems: That is some sad. That's a good, that was a good assumption. That's a good one. Alright. Andrew, you ready?

[38:46] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[38:47] Jess McAnally: I don't think nearly that deeply about them. I just go with my gut.

[38:52] Andrew DeWolf: I love this like I love Superbad.

[38:56] Patrick H Willems: I knew Patrick would get fucked up by the... okay. Do you have any context on that one?

[39:00] Jess McAnally: Nope.

[39:01] Andrew DeWolf: Um, star.

[39:05] Jess McAnally: That's a five star.

[39:07] Andrew DeWolf: They love Superbad.

[39:08] Jess McAnally: And they love this.

[39:09] Andrew DeWolf: They love Superbad. I'm assuming these are not like the highest rated most popular reviews for the movie.

[39:17] Patrick H Willems: He digs through for the garbage.

[39:19] Andrew DeWolf: Well, I'm very lucky that.

[39:21] Patrick H Willems: I would not have clicked like on these reviews. The best thing about Letterboxd is that you can arrange from highest reviews to lowest reviews, so I just make two tabs. I'm like, what's the most insane one on this one?

[39:32] Jess McAnally: Alright, that's going in. Sometimes you literally just can't tell.

[39:38] Patrick H Willems: Yes. The post a review like this was the best movie I've ever seen. One star. Because if you change your review later and don't like update the text, it'll just change the score without changing your review. It's great. I love Letterboxd. It's a funny place.

[39:56] Jess McAnally: It is. Okay. I love my short king.

[39:58] Andrew DeWolf: Five stars.

[40:01] Jess McAnally: That's a one star. We don't really know why.

[40:06] Patrick H Willems: Letterboxd makes no sense.

[40:08] Jess McAnally: Alright, Andrew, you're ready.

[40:10] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah. You can never make this film today because Prince would have to wear a helmet when driving his motorcycle, and that would make him look ridiculous.

[40:17] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, that would make him look ridiculous.

[40:19] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that's what it would be. Um, star?

[40:25] Jess McAnally: That's a five-star.

[40:27] Andrew DeWolf: Fuck me. I don't know.

[40:30] Patrick H Willems: What are you going to make it today? Cause he'd have to worry about it. What is this boomer shit?

[40:37] Andrew DeWolf: I'm just I'm just saying I'm not gonna follow any of these people.

[40:41] Patrick H Willems: I'm not gonna either.

[40:43] Jess McAnally: Okay, this one says, This is my Mac and Me.

[40:51] Andrew DeWolf: Mac and Me is not a good movie.

[40:53] Patrick H Willems: Mac and Me is a great movie. What are we talking about?

[40:55] Andrew DeWolf: It's better than pretty funny.

[40:57] Patrick H Willems: It is pretty funny. I've watched it so many more times than E.T.

[41:02] Andrew DeWolf: I mean I don't know, one star.

[41:06] Patrick H Willems: Five.

[41:07] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[41:08] Patrick H Willems: I was trying to do this like circular logic thing being like, well, that means bad. And so maybe they mean that it's bad, unless they ironically love it. And it's like none of these make sense. I think Letterboxd I'm deleting my account.

[41:24] Patrick H Willems: What is what is Purple Rain's uh uh wheelchair off the cliff scene? Um I I'd call it the Lake Titty Kaka scene or whatever it is. No pun intended, now that I've actually said that. Uh actually that might be it. There's there's one there's one moment I've always found it's a very serious moment, but I always found it a little bit funny. It's uh near the end uh when he like bursts into his parents' house, like looking for like he he can see that there's like signs of violence, and uh, and he's like going through the house and he's really angry. Uh uh and and I believe he sh any and he shouts, Where are you, motherfucker? And then he like and it's in a wide shot, and he says that, and then he just kind of spins around.

And it's his movements are like very precise and like kind of dancerly, and I always kind of loved the like the like the toughness of that line delivery and then like the gracefulness of his little spin. He just does a little twirl. I love that so much. Um I was gonna pitch the penultimate shot, the second to last shot, which is just him twerking. It the second to last shot of the film, just his ass. 10 out of 10.

[42:38] Andrew DeWolf: Um I forgot whose turn it is. Uh I believe it's Andrew's.

[42:41] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, it is my turn, I believe. Alright, Andrew, you ready?

[42:45] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[42:46] Patrick H Willems: Bizarrely accurate representation of show business. Watching people switch back and forth between exhibiting otherworldly talent and being detestable pricks. Uh five stars.

[42:54] Andrew DeWolf: That is correct.

[42:56] Patrick H Willems: Oh, I actually got one. I think it was like the second one.

[42:59] Andrew DeWolf: You're still in the lead by one point, Andrew.

[43:02] Patrick H Willems: I got literally one.

[43:04] Andrew DeWolf: That means you're only one behind Andrew. You can still win this, Patrick.

[43:08] Patrick H Willems: Oh, I thought that was the last one.

[43:09] Andrew DeWolf: No, no.

[43:10] Patrick H Willems: No, no, no. We have plenty. We got a couple more, don't worry.

[43:13] Patrick H Willems: I'm like, I feel like I'm just losing my sanity as this game goes on.

[43:18] Andrew DeWolf: You're not the first.

[43:20] Patrick H Willems: You have to turn your brain off to like understanding. You gotta meet them at their IQ IQ level. You're too smart for this game, Patrick.

[43:30] Patrick H Willems: I'll try to be dumber. Just rewatching the computer blue part again as part of my daily ritual.

[43:36] Andrew DeWolf: Five stars?

[43:37] Patrick H Willems: That's a five-star.

[43:38] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, we tied this up.

[43:41] Patrick H Willems: Oh.

[43:42] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Andrew, we gotta win this back.

[43:45] Patrick H Willems: No, you don't. We don't have to.

[43:47] Andrew DeWolf: I want to give me an easy one then. I want what Morris and Jerome have. You know, if I had buddies that would pick up women that are like talking to me and throw them in a dumpster.

[43:58] Patrick H Willems: Um five five stars?

[44:03] Andrew DeWolf: That is correct.

[44:04] Patrick H Willems: Okay.

[44:05] Andrew DeWolf: Okay, okay. We're we're I think like one more each, and then I think we can wrap this up.

[44:09] Patrick H Willems: These last two actually kind of made sense.

[44:13] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it was like there was like a level of logic to them that I'm like, wait a second. Like, oh, oh, I I can sense actual like positivity from the the text there.

[44:24] Patrick H Willems: Well, here's one that I don't know if it makes sense. Prince is so gender.

[44:33] Andrew DeWolf: You can say that about anything, really. I feel like this is when like Gen Z kids say like something is aesthetic, and it's like that's a now.

[44:40] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, that's it's like what do you mean?

[44:44] Andrew DeWolf: I think I know what they mean. I think they mean that Prince is every gender. Like, so instead of like such a opening lines of I would die for you are I'm not a woman, I'm not a man.

[44:56] Patrick H Willems: So gender.

[44:57] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it's not gender. That is a very gender thing to say. Let's say five I don't know. Let's say five stars again.

[45:03] Patrick H Willems: It was a one.

[45:05] Andrew DeWolf: Don't really know why. Prince is too gender. I felt like Jess was leading you in the wrong way.

[45:12] Patrick H Willems: I don't know if you could see me giving it to the city. I I still genuinely don't know if being gender is good or bad.

[45:24] Andrew DeWolf: According to this, it's bad.

[45:25] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[45:25] Andrew DeWolf: That or or the princes so gender thing, excuse me, is unrelated to how well they like the movie. That is, I think, the most likely situation. Alright. Andrew, you ready?

[45:37] Andrew DeWolf: Uh yeah. I only watched this because of Jay and Silent Bob strike back.

[45:42] Patrick H Willems: Well, they made it sound like an obligation, so I'm gonna go one star.

[45:45] Andrew DeWolf: That is correct, and you have one brief use today, Andrew. Congratulations.

[45:50] Patrick H Willems: You're gonna kill it next time when you come on. I know it.

[45:52] Andrew DeWolf: You know, it's not it's not really an achievement. Like, you don't get to brag about winning this.

[45:58] Patrick H Willems: I don't have to I feel like I genuinely feel like your brain has to be broken to do that.

[46:04] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like if I ever do this again, I will just guess what feels like the wrong answer for everything.

[46:10] Patrick H Willems: And I can see it. Because sometimes what you feel like is the wrong answer is still the wrong answer.

[46:21] Andrew DeWolf: And it's like, wait. I can't believe how much this stressed me out.

[46:25] Patrick H Willems: I'm so sorry.

[46:27] Andrew DeWolf: You are not the first person to say this either. Nothing makes sense. What were the highlights? Which what review did you like the best? Would you give it a one star or a five star?

[46:39] Patrick H Willems: I oh my you know what? I I've forgotten most of them already, and I think I'm better off that way. Princess Ogender.

[46:47] Andrew DeWolf: On that note, how about we take a little break? We go into a mid-show.

[46:51] Patrick H Willems: Alright.

[47:02] Andrew DeWolf: Hey guys, sorry to interrupt in you in the middle of the show, but we've got a sh shill at you. Andrew, tell us a little bit about Patreon, what we got up there.

[47:09] Andrew DeWolf: Oh man, Patreon is uh, you know, where you can go if you want to give us a little money. We have some uh patron only commentaries. You can get our episodes early, you can get video versions of our episodes, and there's just a lot of extra content up on there, so you know.

[47:22] Patrick H Willems: Video versions of the episodes. Right now, you could be seeing Patrick H. Willems' face, and oh my god, he's doing backflips. Patrick, stop that. Get down from there. That's dangerous. Oh god. That doesn't look very safe.

[47:34] Andrew DeWolf: I just love so much. He's so into it. Oh, and I can just see right on the tip of his lips. He just wants to say you you guys should join Patreon. I see him wanting to say it.

[47:45] Patrick H Willems: Patreon.com slash Patrick H. Willems.

[47:51] Andrew DeWolf: I've been waiting for so long for one of these creators to do that. They have not done it until now. It has been so good.

[47:57] Patrick H Willems: They're all like.

[48:00] Andrew DeWolf: Congratulations on being the first one.

[48:02] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, I've set everyone else to do that in that same way. Everyone's like, yeah, join them, whatever. Um, those people are not the uh, you know, ruthless capitalists that I am. Just determined to accumulate wealth at all costs. Filthy commies coming on our show.

[48:19] Andrew DeWolf: Oh my gosh. On top of that, like, don't you have like a film to promote on Nebula? Like a streaming service that you made.

[48:26] Patrick H Willems: I figured I'd do that at the end. Whatever.

[48:29] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, our current supporters are Melissa Goldman, Layton Ackles, Danielle Rennix, Jess the Stampede, Ioan Casty, Monica Thoreau, Mina Miniri, Brent Black, Lithanial Stacey Coombe, Joseph N's Green, Carrie Hearn, Mary Lou Choquet, John Van Alz, Russ Walker, Musical Hell, Emily Gracie, Kyle Summers, Jen A C, Scoot and the Technicolor, Dream Code, Liz Lim, Alison Stella, nothing is certain except Beth and Texas, Desbean, Ren Colin, Rafael Martinez Alaz, Jessica T, Marchell Young, Chai T Cup, Katie McDonald, Timothy Keys, Chris Marcode, Mimukib, Maria Anastasio, Layla, RJ Larija, Super Antelopes, Charlie B, Patrick Deering, Avery Brinson, Bjorn Hermans, Erica S. Toriana Frazier, Sammy the Most Lopez, Liana Morris, Angela, Kayleigh Blazier, Birdman69, Cinemaginema Getting Reviews, Villanus Miss, Sophita, Ali, the Omega Geek. I haven't read these ones as often.

[49:10] Andrew DeWolf: Katrine Evans, Paige Pearson, Matty Wargle, Elena Resnick, Elisa Erdman, Anna Lokustova. I said it right last time, fucked it up that time. Jessica Vera and Sarah Dan Blaker. They give us a little extra financial support that helps us keep the lights on.

[49:26] Patrick H Willems: Here at Musical Switchies. If you would like to join them in supporting us, you get tons of fun perks, such as your page-only commentaries, or episodes a day earlier or even earlier. Come join us over at Patreon. Also, there's a brand new commentary where me and Andrew watch the Camp Rock series.

[49:38] Andrew DeWolf: Let's get back to the show.

[49:49] Patrick H Willems: So, the opening scene, Let's Go Crazy. Amazing opening to a film, no matter what comes afterwards.

[50:00] Andrew DeWolf: Where's your name in the hand? Take a little rat. Come on, lady.

[50:24] Patrick H Willems: This is my favorite Prince song. Uh, by a good margin, I think.

[50:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[50:29] Patrick H Willems: I mean, I it's up there for me. Um, what is my favorite Prince song? Oh, I I think my favorite Prince song is Mountains.

[50:37] Andrew DeWolf: It's not on.

[50:38] Patrick H Willems: I think I've heard that one. Uh what's it go like? It's pretty funky. It's uh it's off of Parade, which is the album from his second movie, uh, Under the Cherry Moon. The like black and white period piece that he directed himself. Um, but uh, but uh let's go crazy is like I feel like one of the greatest album openers of all time. Like just you know, you had that like that opening like synth note and then dearly beloved, like the speech begins. It's it's the best. It's great.

[51:12] Andrew DeWolf: In in in the movie here, it goes on for like eight minutes, I think. It's like long. But there's stuff in the music that's in the movie that's not in like the album version of the song.

[51:22] Patrick H Willems: Oh yeah, yeah. So I was uh I was into it, and it was a great start to the movie. Um I couldn't quite understand what was going on with the other characters joining in and whatever, uh just in the background, but you you don't really even need to pay attention to that. Just listen to Let's Go Crazy, my god. I mean, you can kind of turn your brain off whenever a musical number is happening and just kind of like experience it, which is probably the biggest virtue of this film is as soon as like a song number starts, you're just in it. You're like on for the ride and let's go.

[51:53] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, and I I think that the the musical sequences are also shot really well.

[51:58] Patrick H Willems: Yes. Like they like they are they they don't cut too much. They other than when they're doing their like like stylized uh editing, but like they are like shot to highlight what Prince is doing at all times.

[52:12] Andrew DeWolf: A thing that I I've heard about this movie actually is that apparently they had to reshoot some of the performance sequences. I think specifically this the stuff like kind of in the middle of the movie, because the audience uh were they were told act like you're not really into it, uh, and they were too into it. They weren't able to do it. Right, and then they would like edit the scene, and it's like, well, all the characters are talking about how no one likes what he's doing, but the audience is going to be a couple of things. It's just going crazy.

[52:40] Patrick H Willems: Uh Patrick, here's a question for you. Uh like in all the musical numbers here, like the audience is obviously into it. Have you seen a movie moment where an audience is just like enraptured with a performer as much as like this in like recent years, like within the last 10 years?

[52:58] Patrick H Willems: In terms of like, we're talking recent movies in which the energy matches this. In which there's like a performance sequence.

[53:07] Andrew DeWolf: Yes. Um, I'm trying to think now. Because I've only got one in the back of my head, and like I'm like They've been doing a lot of these like biopic type stuff now, but I feel like they don't they never really match the energy. I mean what this goes for.

[53:24] Patrick H Willems: Yes.

[53:25] Andrew DeWolf: But the one where it feels white.

[53:27] Patrick H Willems: Oh yes. That that is Andrew, we gotta cover it. That's the only scene I've seen.

[53:31] Andrew DeWolf: That's the only scene I've seen so far.

[53:34] Patrick H Willems: Wait, which scene?

[53:35] Andrew DeWolf: The he's white.

[53:36] Patrick H Willems: Oh. I mean, uh, because it can that has now like gone super viral on Twitter. It's so funny. I don't even understand what's happening. It's hilarious.

[53:46] Andrew DeWolf: The thing is, uh it's all like that.

[53:50] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[53:50] Andrew DeWolf: The entire movie is pitched at that that same energy.

[53:55] Patrick H Willems: Have you seen any of his levels?

[53:58] Andrew DeWolf: Me?

[53:58] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[53:59] Andrew DeWolf: Uh not every film, but I've seen a decent one.

[54:03] Patrick H Willems: You've seen Mohan Rouge and Romeo plus Juliet.

[54:06] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I I mean, you know, uh like Great Gatsby. I I watched all of the get down on Netflix. Uh I'm I am versed in in Lerman's work.

[54:14] Patrick H Willems: And this and Elvis is is a Baz Luhrmann film. I I thought it was turned toned down Lerman, even when I saw it. I was like, man, there wasn't enough Lerman in that movie.

[54:24] Andrew DeWolf: You think they could have gone further?

[54:25] Patrick H Willems: Oh, I do. I mean, apparently there is a like a cut that's an hour longer. Release the Lerman cut. So I mean, like, the movie it is my thing with Elvis is because I like I like it, but I don't love it. Uh, because it is it in still in like so many ways, like it is like a serious version of Walk Hard.

[54:46] Patrick H Willems: It is like hitting these, like, the annoying biopic cliché is so hard, but then you have these sequences of like just utterly psychotic, like virtuoso filmmaking.

[54:59] Patrick H Willems: Uh especially like and some of the like I mean, like like the scene when like when Colonel Tom Parker first sees Elvis perform, just like just absolutely crazy stuff. And I'll even when the movie begins, it's like you think it'll begin with like, I don't know, Elvis about to go on stage and thinking about his entire life before he performs, and it opens up with like Tom Hanks dying in this bizarre Las Vegas fever dream is the first like third uh the first 30 minutes of Elvis are are the kind of thing where I'm I'm like, is this one of the best movies ever made? And it doesn't quite maintain like that level, but uh you gotta see it.

[55:09] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[55:09] Patrick H Willems: The first 30 minutes is what I want the whole film to be, and I completely agree with you, and all those things. However, there's only one thing that like uh I want to get back to my original thought because I don't want to lose like my pitch. The only thing that feels the same way as all these print scenes in relationship with an artist and their physical audience in the room is any song number where they're live on like uh live on stage during the new Star is Born with Bradley Cooper, which is a very flawed movie. But when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are performing in front of an audience, and you can just get the energy of the audience in that room reacting to what's going on, that is pretty magical in the same way that this is.

[56:15] Patrick H Willems: I'm trying to think, because I I really, really like A Star Is Born.

[56:19] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[56:19] Patrick H Willems: Uh and I can recall like really great musical performance sequences. I can't remember the audience that much. Cause like obviously, like, like the shallow sequence is like the most iconic one. And I I remember that being very much just about like their connection there, and like the audience just seems it's also like a festival, because the audience is like further away. I think they just performed at Coachella, so like anything that they do, you you no matter what you're hearing their reaction, whatever it is, like if there's a note being sung or something like that, like the cheering, I'm like, okay. And it feels sporadic and the way it would be at a concert, not like in Elvis, where it's like these are the chosen moments where people would scream. And I feel like that is the brilliance of here.

[57:06] Patrick H Willems: Like, what we'll move on to Jungle Love, which I guess is like our villain song. Like, this is our friends on the call it a villain song.

[57:14] Andrew DeWolf: You got a pretty car.

[57:39] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, I'm gonna show you.

[57:45] Patrick H Willems: Oh, jungle Love. I love the scene. It's a good one. I like this song. I think it's fine. It's it's a good song. I'm also thinking about the whole thing of like you see Morris Day going to the club, the way he like goes down the stairs from his home. Like he he's like he's just he's just a cartoon character.

[58:00] Andrew DeWolf: Oh yeah.

[58:04] Patrick H Willems: And uh yeah, like you I could see there being like a Hanna Barbera sitcom or none of the or a cartoon just about Morris Day and Jerome just getting up to wacky adventures and like you know, trying to like get catch people in traps, throwing every episode ends with them dancing up on stage.

[58:23] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly.

[58:24] Patrick H Willems: I want this. Like I even not even that much, just like guesting on Scooby-Doo like the Harlem Globetrotters would. Like it's Morris Day in the Time.

[58:25] Andrew DeWolf: Scooby-Doo featuring Morris Day in the Time.

[58:35] Patrick H Willems: That'll be good.

[58:36] Patrick H Willems: I yes, honestly, that would be the perfect venue for them post Purple Rain. Like what did they do outside of Chain Saw Massacre Strike Back?

[58:46] Andrew DeWolf: They were I mean they were maybe they just stayed being like kind of like local celebrities.

[58:51] Patrick H Willems: Maybe. And uh, you know Well, there's a whole Wikipedia page about them, and uh you don't get that. Apparently, just this year there was an issue with the Prince Estate where they don't they're saying that uh Morris Day doesn't own the uh name of the time.

[59:06] Andrew DeWolf: What?

[59:06] Patrick H Willems: Oh in any capacity. So they uh lost their trademark to it.

[59:11] Andrew DeWolf: They should just change themselves to um Morris Day and the place.

[59:15] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, so I I guess there's there were some issues with with Prince owning them in a way. Like in the way that he owned the uh Apollonia Six.

[59:25] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[59:26] Patrick H Willems: I will say it I think it's pretty funny that in the movie the villain creates the band Apollonia Six and real life Prince did it.

[59:32] Andrew DeWolf: Yep.

[59:33] Patrick H Willems: Well, I mean, in real life, Prince created all all of the bands that are in this in this uh movie. He he he created a lot of stuff. He like he wrote a lot of music that you know he didn't record. You know, like obviously, like he wrote like uh nothing compares to you and stuff like that. Uh yeah, he's uh he's a prolific guy. There's that the legendary vault where he just made like dozens of albums and like movies and documentaries that were never released.

[1:00:03] Patrick H Willems: But then there's that um like the Kevin Smith story where Kevin Smith was brought in to do like a Jehovah's Witness film for Prince.

[1:00:12] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[1:00:12] Patrick H Willems: And then and he like made a documentary for him, and then he was like, What's gonna happen to it? And there was like, oh, it's gonna go in the vault with uh all the other unreleased stuff. Shit's wild.

[1:00:22] Andrew DeWolf: Um man, I Prince is a weird guy. I guess I knew slightly more than that Muppet Tonight scene, but that Muppets Tonight scene is really good.

[1:00:29] Patrick H Willems: Have you seen it, Patrick?

[1:00:30] Patrick H Willems: Yes. I have that is pure insanity. I love it.

[1:00:33] Andrew DeWolf: Well, like I think have you um like I assume you've all seen like the Chappelle show episode with like Yeah, the Charlie Murphy story.

[1:00:42] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, you know, game blouses and all that, and like cooking them pancakes and stuff like that. There's also uh the the really good new girl episode that Prince is on that actually like shot at his house.

[1:00:52] Patrick H Willems: Wow, and and they turned out Kardashian for Prince.

[1:00:56] Andrew DeWolf: Yep.

[1:00:56] Patrick H Willems: If Purple Rain does anything right, it's that the weirdness and nonsense is just it perfectly fits Prince's like aesthetic and vibe, you know?

[1:01:07] Patrick H Willems: It's a dive into Prince's mind for better and for worse.

[1:01:10] Patrick H Willems: Um the bad, the good, everything.

[1:01:12] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it is it's just him. I feel like they it embodies Prince in a in a way that nothing else really can be. Except for Batman and his music.

[1:01:20] Patrick H Willems: Um oh Bat Dance. Hey, that music video directed Oh wait, do you see right behind me? Um that is that is a a print uh by Erica Henderson of uh Prince from the Bat Dance music video as his character Gemini, where he's uh he's like half Batman and half Joker.

[1:01:38] Andrew DeWolf: Is that canon to the Batman DC universe?

[1:01:40] Patrick H Willems: Yes.

[1:01:41] Patrick H Willems: Okay. Yes. I mean, I mean he he exists uh in his own earth in the multiverse. Uh but in its Prince.

[1:01:48] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah.

[1:01:49] Patrick H Willems: It's the it's the Prince Verse.

[1:01:51] Andrew DeWolf: The Prince Prince World.

[1:01:52] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[1:01:53] Patrick H Willems: Um Prince World. It's uh everyone wears purple and puffy shirts.

[1:01:58] Andrew DeWolf: It it's to Andrew, have you seen the Bat Dance music video?

[1:02:01] Andrew DeWolf: No.

[1:02:03] Patrick H Willems: You are you familiar with the song Bat Dance?

[1:02:06] Andrew DeWolf: I don't think so.

[1:02:07] Patrick H Willems: Okay, so you know the movie Batman.

[1:02:09] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[1:02:09] Patrick H Willems: Uh you know that Prince did the whole the whole album soundtrack for it. Um so two there are two songs featured in the movie, Party Man and Trust. Great, just like like fun pop songs. And they're like Joker theme songs. Yeah, they're like like a party man plays when the Joker's like defacing the art museum, trust plays when he has the parade through Gotham is throwing money away. But uh, but the lead single from the album was neither of those songs. It was a song called Bat Dance, which is actually five other songs that Prince had made before spliced together along with audio clips of the movie Batman.

[1:02:48] Patrick H Willems: This song went to number one on the US Billboard charts. It was a giant hit pop single. And it's not it's not even a song. It's it's it's basically it's like a weird mashup, and it's probably one of like the five or so strangest like number one singles in like US history.

[1:03:13] Andrew DeWolf: Look at this.

[1:03:13] Patrick H Willems: It's so weird. Look at this.

[1:03:16] Patrick H Willems: And again, this video from the director of Purple Rain.

[1:03:30] Andrew DeWolf: Get the Ronka!

[1:03:49] Patrick H Willems: No, no, go with a schmide.

[1:03:54] Andrew DeWolf: How did that ever get the top one?

[1:03:56] Patrick H Willems: Yeah.

[1:03:57] Andrew DeWolf: I uh that's the thing. It's it's not even a song.

[1:04:00] Patrick H Willems: It's not a real song. There are great songs on that album, and yet though they released the one that's not a real song, and it was a hit. Imagine if they had released a real song.

[1:04:10] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, uh seriously, like like Party Man, it's a banger.

[1:04:13] Patrick H Willems: Um but like that's the power of Prince.

[1:04:15] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[1:04:16] Patrick H Willems: He could take that bizarre musical experiment and make it a number one single.

[1:04:21] Patrick H Willems: That's right. Patrick, what is your favorite song in Purple Rain?

[1:04:27] Patrick H Willems: Oh okay. I need you to clarify that. Um I have I have a favorite song on the album, and I have a a favorite uh performance in the movie.

[1:04:38] Andrew DeWolf: Let's just do both of those.

[1:04:39] Patrick H Willems: I I think we should just do both. What's performance of the movie first?

[1:04:43] Patrick H Willems: Um it is uh Baby I'm a star at the very end. I think it's just like euphoric. It is like like what a way to like because I think it's important to note on the actual album, uh, Purple Rain is the final track.

[1:04:58] Andrew DeWolf: Makes sense.

[1:04:59] Patrick H Willems: Uh, but they were smart. It's like we want to send the audience out on a high. So we're going, I would die for you, then baby I'm a star. I mean, his dance moves in Baby I'm a star, his like weird little like shuffle across the stage when he's like moving his hands around his head, it's it's the best.

[1:05:15] Andrew DeWolf: It's so good.

[1:05:17] Patrick H Willems: Hey, I got number.

[1:05:24] Andrew DeWolf: Hey.

[1:05:26] Patrick H Willems: Check it all out. Maybe I know what it's all about.

[1:05:43] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe I'm fire.

[1:05:48] Patrick H Willems: Any movie that's willing to give a full close-up of an A man's ass is it twerked. Only Joel Schumacher would I have the audacity outside of this.

[1:05:55] Andrew DeWolf: I I love it.

[1:05:57] Patrick H Willems: Yep.

[1:05:58] Patrick H Willems: Um I will say favorite favorite track on the album is actually Computer Blue.

[1:06:02] Andrew DeWolf: Where's my love line of that?

[1:06:06] Patrick H Willems: Can be a good one.

[1:06:16] Andrew DeWolf: Where's my other?

[1:06:36] Patrick H Willems: What makes that one? Because that one's actually surprising to me.

[1:06:37] Patrick H Willems: I don't know why it is, but it feels just so different. Yeah, it well, I mean, there's obviously the amazing Wendy and Lisa intro.

[1:06:44] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[1:06:45] Patrick H Willems: Uh I don't know. It's just I've always really I mean it it is like to be clear, Purple Rain is one of like my like three favorite albums of all time.

[1:06:53] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[1:06:54] Patrick H Willems: Uh I I think for me my least favorite song on the album is The Beautiful Ones, which is an amazing song. So you know, there's no dud. Uh yeah, I don't know, I don't know. Uh you know, I granted it changes day to day, but uh I but Computer Blue is kind of my like dark horse choice.

[1:07:12] Andrew DeWolf: Fair enough.

[1:07:13] Patrick H Willems: I I think that's a f those are two very good songs. Um sadly, when doves cry, favorite scene in the movie, favorite song on the album, good song. I feel like no one's gonna fight me on the easy answer.

[1:07:33] Andrew DeWolf: Dig if you will the picture.

[1:07:41] Patrick H Willems: The sweat of the body covers me. Can you my darling? Can you picture this code? An ocean violets in blue. And the most striking poses the feeling, the heat between me.

[1:08:04] Andrew DeWolf: It's a normie choice, but it's it's not a bad one.

[1:08:07] Patrick H Willems: It is such a great song. It's uh it is it's it's so funny to me that that arguably the most famous song on the album in the movie is not performed. It's played over a montage. That is the most like music video-y the movie gets, because there's all this footage from deleted scenes, and there's just like shots of him just like posing by the lake, just like standing there with his really wide stance.

[1:08:36] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, it's just that's just a music video in the middle of the movie where he's like thinking and feeling things.

[1:08:45] Andrew DeWolf: Hell yeah. And Andrew, what about you? What's your favorite song in the film on the album all the above?

[1:08:51] Andrew DeWolf: I already said "Let's Go Crazy" is my favorite. Can't fight it. Just in general. So that's it. That's the one.

[1:08:57] Jess McAnally: That's fair. Bray, do you have a favorite Prince song just so that I can hear what you think?

[1:09:08] Brianna Jones: Favorite of like all time?

[1:09:10] Jess McAnally: Yeah.

[1:09:10] Brianna Jones: I don't know. Raspberry Bray comes to mind because it's just a good song, but I'm sure there's another one in there.

[1:09:16] Jess McAnally: Fair enough. Raspberry Ray is very good. You guys familiar with P Control?

[1:09:20] Patrick H Willems: Umly from R. Kelly.

[1:09:21] Jess McAnally: Uh, this is The Jokeman.

[1:09:26] Brianna Jones: Yeah.

[1:09:28] Patrick H Willems: After this is done, listen to P Control. It's on the Gold Experience. It is incredible. It's a real good time.

[1:09:39] Jess McAnally: What is our overall thoughts on Purple Rain and our cheese rating? Andrew, why don't you start us off?

[1:09:45] Andrew DeWolf: Sure. I have mixed opinions because I feel like it's a sloppy in some places, but really well crafted in others. But honestly, I think if you like Prince even a little bit, it's a fun watch. It's fun enough that I'm gonna say I'd say check it out. There's some good stuff, and there's a lot of great songs and good performance shots. So I'm gonna give it a cheese rating of Cheesecake Funk, which is a cheesecake place in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

[1:10:20] Patrick H Willems: Heck yeah. Which is where you should purify yourself, Lake Minnetonka.

[1:10:25] Andrew DeWolf: You're not incorrect.

[1:10:27] Jess McAnally: Alright, Patrick, do you get a vibe of what our cheese rating is? Like, literally, no criteria. Any cheesing can somehow justify is your cheese rating. But what are your overall thoughts on Purple Rain?

[1:10:37] Patrick H Willems: So I would like to apologize right now for monopolizing so much of this episode and just talking over everyone about I looked at it.

[1:10:46] Jess McAnally: How dare you talk on a podcast, Patrick?

[1:10:48] Patrick H Willems: What the fuck do you think this is?

[1:10:52] Jess McAnally: You know, I'm unbelievable. I never get to talk about Prince on podcasts, like ever. And so I got the this is what like you, you know, you threw out a bunch of good options that I could do. I was also like I was really tempted to be like, okay, okay. I feel like it's an obvious or common thing for like, oh, like, you know, a male movie YouTuber comes on and but he's not gonna talk about like a classical musical where people burst into song. He's gonna do some modern thing because he doesn't like musicals. I love musicals. I was very tempted to do like, I don't know, the bandwagon or something. And then I was just like, I can't resist the urge to talk about Prince. Did you see what Mikey Newman came in and talked about?

[1:11:38] Jess McAnally: No.

[1:11:39] Patrick H Willems: He talked about the Aristocrat's kids with us. It was a blast.

[1:11:42] Jess McAnally: What a mess that Aristocrat's kids was.

[1:11:48] Patrick H Willems: You know, so we're not not the regular movie, The Aristocats.

[1:11:53] Jess McAnally: Yeah, no, we didn't do that.

[1:11:54] Patrick H Willems: No. What is the Aristocrat's kids?

[1:11:57] Jess McAnally: They did a 30-minute truncated version for children to perform of the Aristocats. We watched one of those.

[1:12:05] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, we watched children perform. Because if there is a stage version, I want to focus on the stage version. So he's like, I really like the Aristocats. It's like, can we focus on the Aristocrats' kids? And he said, sure. And we did. And that's an episode. And I think it's one of our best episodes. It's so good, so wild.

[1:12:21] Brianna Jones: Wow. I mean, I love Mikey.

[1:12:24] Patrick H Willems: So wow. Anyway. Sorry about that. But no, no, I'm genuinely curious about I've got to listen to this episode now. Anyway, I think you know my thoughts on Purple Rain. I think the sheer genius power of the music and the performances and just the vibes on this movie. This is also, I think we didn't really talk about it. I think it's a really good looking movie. I think it's really well shot. I just think those for me erase pretty much any flaws that it has as a film. I think it rules, it made me a Prince fan. Big fan of this film. And to me it is just like a delicious fresh slice of goat cheese on a cracker.

[1:13:21] Jess McAnally: Ooh, goat cheese. We don't see that one very often.

[1:13:23] Patrick H Willems: I just had some before I recorded this. Goat cheese is good. I had some goat cheese while I was watching Purple Rain today.

[1:13:28] Brianna Jones: Can't blame you. Goat cheese is great. Bree, what'd you think of our discussion and your cheese rating of that?

[1:13:34] Brianna Jones: It was a wonderful discussion. I'm so happy this was the episode I came back to. I love Purple Rain. It has a special place in my heart. It's one of um it's a movie that gives me good memories with my mother. So I'm gonna give this a Cypress Grove Purple Haze cheese, which is a fresh goat milk cheese with lavender, which I see like the feminine, and fennel pollen the masculine.

[1:14:03] Jess McAnally: All the gender.

[1:14:04] Brianna Jones: All the gender. Prince is O'Center one stuff.

[1:14:09] Patrick H Willems: Thanks, Patrick. Great reading. Great rating. Put a lot more effort into it than Andrew did.

[1:14:16] Andrew DeWolf: I have complex feelings about Purple Rain, where I both loved like my highs were all the way up to the roof, and my lows were really low too. So in the end, it hits in the middle where I'm like, I will watch this quite often, but I think I'll watch it in the format of clips on YouTube where I'll watch moments and segments a lot, but I don't imagine myself revisiting the movie very much.

[1:14:40] Jess McAnally: Fair. Now I understand every single bit of praise it has ever been given by Patrick. It all makes sense. I agree with you. But on the other hand, I can't imagine myself watching it very much.

[1:14:53] Patrick H Willems: I'm sorry to interrupt.

[1:14:54] Jess McAnally: Oh, I was gonna say, well, you know, just wait until I come back on the show to cover its sequel, Graffiti Bridge.

[1:15:01] Patrick H Willems: Which I was gonna ask.

[1:15:04] Jess McAnally: It's gonna be like the funny girl sequel that nobody knows about, or they're like, oh, that exists.

[1:15:09] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, yeah. I've never heard great things about Graffiti Bridge, and so I've just kind of put it off forever.

[1:15:17] Brianna Jones: He's nominated for five Razzies.

[1:15:20] Patrick H Willems: Well, to be fair, the Razzies are a bunch of bullshit.

[1:15:23] Jess McAnally: It kind of is, because there's stuff that gets nominated for that that's actually like really good.

[1:15:27] Patrick H Willems: They don't watch the memes, baby.

[1:15:33] Jess McAnally: Exactly. The Razzies have always sucked.

[1:15:36] Patrick H Willems: Yes.

[1:15:36] Jess McAnally: I agree.

[1:15:37] Patrick H Willems: Um, Shelly Duvall really got standard. And so did Popeye.

[1:15:42] Jess McAnally: Popeye's a good goddamn movie.

[1:15:43] Patrick H Willems: Popeye is sick.

[1:15:44] Jess McAnally: Giggig.

[1:15:48] Patrick H Willems: The only cheese rating I can give this is from Fescalini Cheese Company. It is the Purple Moon wine soaked cheddar. This is just like cheddar that's covered in wine. And I feel like that's a good vibe for whatever this is. Like two things that shouldn't work, and it's not for everyone, but if it's right for you, it is probably the best thing in the world.

[1:16:12] Jess McAnally: I feel like cheese and wine usually do go together, though.

[1:16:14] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, but you don't mix it together into one object.

[1:16:17] Jess McAnally: Patrick, have you had wine this whole time?

[1:16:20] Patrick H Willems: Oh, yeah. Yeah, this entire time. I should go get some cheese and just drop it in the wine.

[1:16:29] Jess McAnally: Oh.

[1:16:29] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, also to be clear, don't worry. I'm not drunk. This is my first glass of wine for the night. I'm not gonna be a slob and just like roll in here.

[1:16:39] Jess McAnally: It's a Copera wine CM wine.

[1:16:41] Patrick H Willems: Just imagine somebody coming in here and being a slob drunkenly drinking wine.

[1:16:47] Jess McAnally: I don't need you.

[1:16:47] Patrick H Willems: I don't fucking need this, Anthony.

[1:16:49] Jess McAnally: I know you're attacking Jess.

[1:16:51] Patrick H Willems: I know you're attacking Jess, but I also feel attacked.

[1:16:56] Andrew DeWolf: I was literally sitting here like thinking, man, Patrick's got wine. I better get wine for the next recording, and now I'm gonna think twice about it.

[1:17:03] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, I have a lot of TCM wine in my apartment that I'm trying to get through.

[1:17:07] Jess McAnally: Hey, it works, and your video on it was great. Patrick, thank you for joining us. I hope you had fun. Sincerely, I hope you didn't feel like you were on the defense the entire time.

[1:17:15] Patrick H Willems: I really don't know. I mean, I was thrown off a little bit at the beginning, and so I went really hard like right away. But no, I had a great time. This was a fun, lively discussion. Look, any time when I got to introduce people to the Bat Dance music video is a good time as far as I'm concerned.

[1:17:33] Jess McAnally: Heck yeah. You have a lot of wonderful things out there on the internet. Please promote them so anyone that's not aware of them can find them.

[1:17:40] Patrick H Willems: Okay, you can get a lot more of me talking about movies over at YouTube.com slash Patrick H Willems, or just Google Patrick Willems. The only other guy that comes up is a Belgian rower, so I'm the one that's not him. Also, I made a movie, a feature-length film that was really hard to make, and so please make it to validate all of the time and effort I put into it. It's called Knight of the Coconut. It's a musical.

[1:18:07] Jess McAnally: I was gonna bring that up.

[1:18:11] Patrick H Willems: I've made a movie that is a musical, so therefore it is relevant to plug on this podcast. It is available on the streaming platform Nebula. And yeah, you can go watch it there. And when does this episode drop?

[1:18:25] Jess McAnally: I think next week.

[1:18:28] Patrick H Willems: Okay Thursday and the next season of my videos on YouTube will begin in September.

[1:18:37] Jess McAnally: Heck yeah, that's exciting. Super excited for all that. Congratulations on you and all your continued success. I appreciate your time. I'm gonna soft pitch and what you should if you come back on. There's something I desperately want to expose you to since you exposed us to Bat Dance. I want to expose you to the Superman musical directed by Hal Prince, the same director as Cabaret.

[1:19:00] Patrick H Willems: I know who Hal Prince is.

[1:19:01] Jess McAnally: Oh yeah. That was like his first project as director. He directed It's a Bird, it's a Plain Superman.

[1:19:07] Patrick H Willems: I've heard of that. I didn't know Hal Prince did it.

[1:19:10] Jess McAnally: Yeah, that was his big first step into musical theater. It was a big failure. But they did do a fully done pro shot, and there is one hit song from it that like got played on Pillsbury commercials and all that. Has nothing to do with Superman, just a song called "You've Got Possibilities."

[1:19:24] Patrick H Willems: I would love to hear how comic accurate this show is.

[1:19:30] Jess McAnally: Okay, I'm intrigued. I am genuinely intrigued.

[1:19:35] Patrick H Willems: Well, it's that or Graffiti Bridge.

[1:19:39] Jess McAnally: You hear the phrase one for us, one for them.

[1:19:45] Jess McAnally: Alright. Speaking of one for us, one for them, thank you guys for listening to our podcast. Please follow us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher at Musicals with Cheese. We're on iTunes, or sorry, we're on Twitter at Cheesy Musicals, Patreon Musicals with Cheese, Instagram musicals with cheese, YouTube page musicals with cheese. We have a patron-only podcast called Patreon with Cheese. We might still be covering Tangled the Musical on there, or we might just stop that because I hear the creator of that show is now writing for the Daily Wire, which I don't really want to promote that then. That news dropped this week. Email us at musicaltheatrelives@gmail.com. Our keeper of the cheese is Juliet Antonio.

You the fucking bomb, Juliet. This show is produced by the incredible, the wonderful, one of my favorite people in the entire world, Brianna Jones. Our themed songs were created by Robin Nash of IOU Music UK. Go send them some love and commission them. They need work. Thank you to the Broadway Podcast Network for having us on the platform and for not kicking us off for talking so much shit about the Bat Dance.

[1:20:42] Jess McAnally: Alright, folks. Is there anything else we gotta say before we wrap this on up?

[1:20:46] Andrew DeWolf: Did you know that there are a hundred and twenty-seven photos of Prince Charles eating cheese on Getty Images?

[1:20:52] Jess McAnally: I did not know that.

[1:20:53] Andrew DeWolf: Holy shit. This changed everything. My life is richer now that I have this information.

[1:20:59] Patrick H Willems: Would you like to see one?

[1:21:00] Jess McAnally: Yes.

[1:21:01] Andrew DeWolf: End this on a right note. This is really good.

[1:21:05] Patrick H Willems: Yeah, it makes them want to join Patreon, Patrick.

[1:21:08] Jess McAnally: It's really just for us because we're gonna cut this up right here.

[1:21:12] Patrick H Willems: Leave it in.

[1:21:13] Jess McAnally: Actually, you know what? People will probably stop listening by now anyways.

[1:21:16] Andrew DeWolf: No, they haven't.

[1:21:16] Jess McAnally: No, we did that experiment, and I got a lot of messages.

[1:21:21] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, I do. This is it. That's the good shit.

[1:21:25] Jess McAnally: Yeah.

[1:21:26] Andrew DeWolf: There's a lot of Photoshop possibilities there.

[1:21:29] Jess McAnally: Oh man.

[1:21:30] Patrick H Willems: It's like weekend at Burley.

[1:21:32] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. Is he still alive?

[1:21:34] Jess McAnally: That's it, no.

[1:21:34] Andrew DeWolf: Alright.

[1:21:35] Jess McAnally: I don't think so.

[1:21:36] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, damn. No more cheese possibilities for him.

[1:21:38] Jess McAnally: On that note. We'll see you next time on Musicals with Cheese.

[1:21:42] All: Bye-bye.

[1:21:53] Andrew DeWolf: My jungle.

[1:21:58] Jess McAnally: You're gonna sing jungle love.

[1:22:00] All: Yes!