Ambitious project is ambitious
Alright, as promised, after many hours, 60 pages of text and all day editing code so this hopefully reads correctly, here is my second offering. It is large. It is so large it probably needs three posts. It is...
The Complete Unabridged Transcription of The Second Breakfast Reunion Special- Live on TheOneRing.net
aka, The One and Only One Ring Monaboyd Interview, aka, the most fabulous Monaboyd interview ever recorded, which is saying something.
For your viewing pleasure, this wonderful interview is available in its entirety on YouTube, right here, generously provided by TheOneRing.net and includes such little gems as the following:
"You got rid of the mustache."
"You hated it, didn't you."
"I didn't mind it."
"You said it tickled."
"It tickled a bit."
And if you're so inclined (although I totally would not recommend it unless you want to end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning) the Drinking Game is as follows.
...Every time Billy puts his arm around Dom.
...Every time Billy checks his phone.
...Every time Cliff propositions Billy, indirectly or otherwise.
...Every time Dom stares at Billy's face.
...Every time Billy kicks his leg or plays with chainmail.
...Every time Dom surreptitiously but deliberately changes the subject.
...Every time Dom looks at or otherwise references Billy's penis.
...Every time they compliment or touch each other (two drinks if it happens at the same time).
...Every time someone says 'Brilliant'.
...Chug a beer when the idea of maturity goes out the window.
(feel free to add your own here)
Quick few notes/disclaimers on the transcription of this… All mistakes and mistranslations are mine. It's very hard to decipher exactly what is being said when they all talk over each other. This took hours of rewinding and pausing and typing between intervals of laughing my head off and squeeing like the Monaboyd fangirl I am, so there are probably mistakes. I'm also omitting all spoken chatroom/twitter handles except for people Cliff works with because I don't want to single anyone out and I don't know how some of them are spelled anyway. I may also omit various "Yeah, Yeah's," "Hmm's" and "Oh's" spoken over others, because there are a ton of them. There are also occasional time stamps every few minutes so you can watch and follow along if you like.
Dom is blue of course
Billy is, as ever, green
Cliff is in Red, for the fez
Background Dudes are black.
I hope I have picked colors that are not too hard on the eyes. I'd recommend clicking through to the community page itself so it can be read on a white background if your journal colors are otherwise set.
---
Quirky Intro...
That's it. *laughs*
*imperceptible Scottish*
*mumbles something* I really appreciate you guys doing this.
Ah, we're into it.
Two long minutes of nothing.
0:02:56
So we hold this...
If you want.
*textstextstexts*
And then pass it around to each other.
Yeah! If you want to, I mean, pull up something like... 'I want you guys to check out this video', or... or
Oh fucking bollocks.
... or any story, there's... hold on a second. You get a new tab, hit that plus sign...
Fucking new tab oh, you fuck.
And it tabs across...
*mumble* Fucking fuck. *mumble* fuck.
Okay, ready when you guys are ready!
*textstextstexts* Are you allowed to swear? *textstextstexts*
No. Probably not.
*textstextstexts* You'd better find out. *textstextstexts*
Are we gonna use live mics, or just these?
We're live right now!
We're live right now! Good!
We're going live! We're going live!
*textstextstexts* When? *textstextstexts*
When? Already, now!
*textstextstextstops* This is live?
Already, now! Yes.
WOW.
0:03:34
Hello everybody! Are you guys seeing that camera hidden in the distance?
*waves*
Oh there it is.
Hello [chat ID] good morning! We can see you! Look! We can see our friends joining us in this live chatroom.
*salutes*
*squints*
Welcome to TheOneRing.net, our TORn Tuesday episode has been moved to an earlier timeslot, thank you guys for being so flexible.
*textstextstexts*
*squints*
I know we have and international audience from around the world, and I couldn't be happier to introduce our excellent guests, our very fine guests, and, and, uh... our slightly odiferous guests.
Thank you!
Yes, you're welcome.
We can read minds? I had no idea we could read minds.
Some of us can.
That's amazing.
Guys, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd here, on our couch. Hello!
Hiya! Now this thing here, this is the World Wide Internet?
*gazes pensively at World Wide Internet for the next several minutes*
That... There's one chatroom for the StickCam, they're our video host. The other Lord of the Rings Chatroom for TheOneRing.net is Barliman's right there. So we can interact with anybody at anytime.
They can see us through the computer terminals?
Yes, they can see us. Guys, we're not getting a video preview on this monitor of what the camera sees, just fyi, but... *thumbs up* Hello Austria!
Hey Austria, Gütentag.
There was someone from Germany a second ago, I know, your homeland, your Deutschland.
Mein Geburtland, ja. Oh, the connection is very bad for [Chat ID], sorry about that.
It's been fixed down here, though.
It's really streaming right now.
*laughs* I can't believe it, we have about 840 viewers live...
Gütentag.
0:05:03
...and we have our friends here to talk about some of their newest projects, and some of their crazy new mischief that they're getting into...
Just tie my jacket up. I'm still carrying around a little holiday weight.
I wish I had a jacket. *textstextstexts*
You're not the only one. So, welcome everybody, again. So, I'm so happy to begin this show with you guys, I've been dying, really, dying to get you guys on my little red couch-and it doesn't sound as salacious as it sounds, okay.
*puts down phone, picks up Gandalf plushie*
Saucy.
Yeah, I'm a little sucio. You know, uh, esta bién, eh?
*nods*
So, what are you guys doing today, what's up in LA?
Well, Dom has been up since the birds get up.
Crack of dawn.
Crack of dawn. What time did you get up this morning?
I was up at about 5 AM, Billy.
5 AM, ladies and gentlemen!
5 American AM, and then I did a...
What for?
I was talking to people on the East Coast for breakfast radio stuff, and then I went and did West Coast TV, and then I came here early, so that I could buy you-*points to Billy*-comics.
A gift?
Isn't that amazing?
That is amazing.
I'm like a modern day philanthropist.
*laughs* You're like Robin Hood.
Yeah… What?
We are at Meltdown Comics, They host our show every week. Meltdown is like the Mecca, the grand center of all geekdom in LA.
True.
You want good comics, graphic novels or stand-up comedy from geeks of all stripes, you know live shows, this is the place.
Yeah, and cos we were doing this today at Meltdown Comics, they had to close the front door, and we actually shut the front door in George Lucas' face. Remember that?
Yeah!
He tried to get in and we slammed it in his face as said 'you can't come in George.
He'll come back later, though, won't he?
He can come back later, yeah.
He deserves it. We keep abusing him and he keeps coming back.
Someone just asked, 'Dom, does Billy have a Gandalf Plushie?'. Does that have sexual reference?
Yes it is, Dom, and do I?
Let's have a look…*checks Billy's lap* Yep! He definitely does!
*nods*
[Chat ID] is one of our moderators in the room, she helps keep people under control when they get wild, thank you [Chat ID] we appreciate that, and there's [Chat ID] and [Chat ID], hello [Chat ID].
Yeah, be careful, no bad swears. You can say things like 'crap' and 'bologna', but don't say bad swears.
No 'bollocks'. You can't say 'bollocks'… oops.
What have you been doing today?
I haven't done much today. I went for a swim.
Ooh.
That was nice.
An aquatic adventure.
Yeah, and I just thought… I felt quite sad that you had to get up so early.
Yeah? Don't worry about me.
But you probably had to do that cos you've got a TV show starting tonight, don't you?
Yeah, yeah, TV.
Why don't you tell us about it.
Thanks about that, Billy. He's always good for that.
*laughs*
Yeah, Wild Things on BBC America, tonight, 10/9 central, which is very confusing because that means it's on at different times, doesn't it?
It is. I'm afraid our country has been split into 4 hours.
Oh, that's awful for you guys.
10/9 central.
So when a piece of news happens, that's important, the other side of the country doesn't hear about until four hours later?
Well, unless there's a simulcast and it's live. I mean the Oscars come on and everyone gets confused, is it four in the afternoon or is it eight o'clock at night? Depends upon what coast you're on.
But how can it be two, ten, nine? What does that mean?
10/9 central.
10/9 central, what does that mean?
10/9 central, I just keep saying it, 10/9 central.
10/9 central? Ok, 10 Eastern, 9 Central, and then 8 Mountain Time, 7 Pacific, so...
That sounds nice, doesn't it, Mountain Time.
Mountain Time.
That's lovely.
*laughs* Yeah, BBC America is going to launch the very first episode of the new series Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan. &9835;Dun-dun-duh!&9835;
*fistpump*
That's me!
0.08:32
And that's gonna be on tonight, and all of our friends in Europe and in England have been enjoying it, and loving the show, but tonight, you know, us Yanks get our very first glimpse of Dominic playing around with Monocle Cobras, and all kinds of bugs and insects and creepy crawlies and, well, animals that are built to kill.
Yeah, yeah, pretty much, and uh, you know, it's a big-
*phone dings, dives for it*
Did you get a text?
Sorry about that, I'll just check it.
Check that. It could be Spielberg trying to get in your front door.
*wheezes laughing*
You never know. Uh, it is a show that I'm really passionate about, and I'm hoping that the Ringers will show up and see...
*textstextstexts*
Another reason why the Ringers should show up and watch the show is because, I was hoping to take Billy with me to New Zealand this season, but we blew our budget, we bought a lot of burgers and beer.
And I'm quite expensive.
Very expensive. But the second season we're hoping to go with Billy to New Zealand, and look for all manner of stuff and hopefully get him to do like the biggest bungee jump in the world...
I love it.
...throw him out of and airplane, you know that kind of stuff.
*textstextstexts*
You know there's unique wildlife and unique animals that are isolated in that ecosystem in New Zealand-
Certainly, yeah.
-that are found nowhere else in the world. That's fascinating to me. Let me ask you, your producers get together with you and they say 'Here's our travel budget, here's our ideas, we can travel the world, let's go'. What do you say to that, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
We sit down and and have a conversation where they say 'what stories do we want to tell?' and I was really passionate about wanting to tell a story about ants and bees this season, because I think ants are probably my favourite animal ever and I wanted to tell a story like that. We also wanted to tell some real dynamic stories so people tuned in, so we did things like the world's largest spider, because that makes makes people kind of go 'oh!' And we did the world's rarest beetle because I wanted to show people that-
And that's not Ringo?
It's not Ringo, no.
*giggles*
Even though they think that, you know, insects are innumerous, there's actually insects that are endangered and this is a beautiful large beetle in Camaroon, Africa, so we tell a lot of stories and then we work out if we can factor it into the budget and I had a New Zealand story ready to go, and then they came to me and they said 'We can tell the story, but if you want to bring Billy, we don't have $14 million dollars, so we need to wait until next year.'
Well, he brings his entourage and his contract demands for plated dinner twice a day, all that stuff, yeah.
*nods sagely* Mmhmm, there's a lot of safety things that you've got to go into before we can eat spiders, et cetera.
It's outrageous. His breakfast requirements are: you have to poach 20 eggs, and he'll pick the best 2. Throws out 18 eggs every morning.
Billy!
Oh, I don't care.
*laughs*
Two tasty, tasty eggs.
Hey, do you guys want to see a trailer of the show?
Yes I do! I've seen the show!
We are!
*grabs iPad* So do I just press play and then flip it?
Guys, if you're ready at the B camera, we're gonna play it off this pad, we've got the preview ready. Welcome ladies and gentlemen, this is your first glimpse of Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.
So I just press play?
Yeah
*fistpump* Wild Things!
0:11:09 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan trailer
Now do I flip it like that?
No! It just happens!
No, they've got it connected in the back.
Guys enjoy it.
Is it on?
There's no sound!
*turns up sound manually, restarts*
Oh, William! Well done, saved the day!
Here we go! Yes! Wild Things!
0:12:03
...because we had to squeeze in. *gets off couch, fumbles in pockets*
Hiya. Now, we have car problems, Billy has to move his car, I have to get my car moved.
This is Los Angeles, after all.
*heavy sigh*
We have a valet.
Do you want to move it? *hands keys off* Don't scrape it.
Yeah.
You'll need to move Dom's first cos he's blocking me in.
Ok.
Are you sure? Yours is in front of mine!
Yeah. I managed to squeeze in.
Okay, my car's already unlocked.
You said we'd be fine there, Cliff!
I thought we'd be fine there, oh shit.
You were like, 'just park there, that's fine'.
Well...
Billy's gone into quite a dark mood.
*makes a grumpy face*
Famous last words.
Here, I'll give you that now. *hands Billy the iPad*
I've never been this sad in my life. Right in the middle of your thing!
No, I was done!
I want to watch it again!
Did you guys enjoy it? *squints at chatroom*
*laughs and waves*
That lady loves our accents. *waves* We don't have accents, you have accents.
'Ha ha ginormous', says someone.
Yeah, I say 'ginormous' a lot.
You said 'ginormous' in the trailer, yeah.
I say 'ginormous' and 'huge' a lot, I don't know why.
Is it a half hour or a full hour show?
It's an hour, yeah.
Okay, that's fantastic.
It's an hour. So there's a little bit of education, little bit of fun, little bit of street food, little bit of football, little bit of travel, lots of stuff that I'm really into, and you know, stuff that Billy and I do. Billy and I went on holiday to Thailand when we were doing Lord of the Rings and apart from really hectic animals, we pretty much did an episode of Wild Things. We went, we kayaked, we played football, we ate crazy food, we, you know… might have met a woman or two? You were single back then, do you remember?
Yeah. You were an whore, I remember that.
I was single too. Ate great food, you know, went on adventures, went to bottle beach, so much fun.
It was fun, wasn't it?
Yeah, you can eat your way one end of Thailand to the other end.
Yeah, it's amazing country.
It's amazing. So, uh...
You know what Dom does, in hot countries...
Go on.
...if we're sharing a room, which sometimes we do.
*giggles*
*giggles*
Not just… Orlando was there as well, there was three of us, you know.
Yeah.
But it was a big group. We all had separate beds, you know.
*laughs*
But, what he does, is he turns up the air conditioning, until it's like Antarctica. It's FREEZING. And then he hides the thing for the...
*laughs*
*laughs*
Because he loves it so cold, that I'm like… I'm in bed with sweaters on.
Really.
*laughs*
In Thailand, and it's like 100 degrees.
Yeah, it's really hot out there.
*keeps giggling* He had a hoodie. *mimes hoodie* He had a hoodie on.
And we were like 'where is the thing!' and he hides it.
I hid it under my pillow cos I knew they'd get it off me, you know. I don't care.
That's so funny.
WOW, MY FLY'S OPEN.
*reaches behind himself* What is this digging into my back? HANG ON.
WAIT A MINUTE.
0:14:29
IT'S THE NEW BEECAKE ALBUM!
There you go!
What! Blue Sky Paradise!
And it's a gatefold…*unfolds CD* OOOH! WHAT!
*with Dom* OOOH! Check it out.
Beautiful. I have to tell you, Billy, my favourite song is Track 7: Waiting for You, or The Clown. Tell us about The Clown!
Wait 'til you hear about The Clown, Dom. What, why should I let you hear, when I can let you see the new video?
OOOH!
Oh, that's even better!
From The Clown.
Beecake is launching their second album, guys, it's really fantastic, it was released on Christmas Day, wasn't it?
I don't know, was it?
Yeah, 25th of December.
No! 22nd!
22nd? Well, in the United States we got the next Tuesday... thing.
Because of the three day… thing.
Time, time. Cos you're on Mountain Time.
We're on Mountain Time..
*giggles*
We're on Misty Mountain time.
Three days difference.
So, seriously, Austin Hall *waves* is one of my music producers and friends.
*textstextstexts*
Hi Austin. *waves* My dad's called Austin.
Yeah, he's saying 'hello, nice, Billy, cheers'. Beecake has produced a beautiful album. It is melodic, it is beautiful, it is so well-produced, and it's really gorgeous stuff. Can't wait for you guys to check it out. Blue Sky Paradise.
You can get it on iTunes.
Yes you can.
You can get it on Beecake.com.
Yeah.
You can get it on signed on Beecake.com.
Wow.
Not by you. You're not in the band.
No, I'm not.
But you can sign some of them.
But, may I say, you sing like a bloody lark.
Why would you say that?
Like a lark!
What a lovely thing to say.
Yeah, You're welcome.
Do you want to see the video?
Yes I do. Yes, very much want to see it.
Yeah, yeah! Let's see!
Now apparently, I wasn't being rude and texting, I was trying to find the video, which is on the internet somewhere, *whispers*privately.
OH.
So, if I press play on this-*points to phone*-people behind the scenes...
Well, actually *points at iPad in Billy's lap* this device is connected.
Apparently someone said I could do this, and
*Tech dude comes to the rescue.*
This is a guy!
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS, RINGERS, TRY NOT TO PANIC, STAY WITH US.
What's your name? Right?
If I didn't know better I'd say we have, we've had over 9,900 people in the past...
That's nice! Where are you seeing that number? Oh up there?
See? *points to chatroom screen* Session viewers 9, 934.
Session viewers, oh we've got to break 10,000, let me just show the gatefold again and then we'll break 10,000 *unfolds CD with a whistle*
What, I do it on here? *holds iPad
Tech dude agrees.
I'll need to find it, then. I'll need to do this… Will you help me with this? I'm not very... Would someone…? I'm not a guy who knows about these things.
*laughs* Yeah you know plenty, Billy, don't let...
No, hold on.
Don't let him fool you, ladies and gentlemen. Trying to be demure.
And here's what interesting. Billy put this in as an art design with the album. If you turn the album 180 degrees, Billy goes upside down.
*laughs*
*gasps* Are you kidding me? That's revolutionary.
You thought about that?
I did think about that.
That's brilliant. That is pretty brilliant.
Alright, hold on, I need to click this thing. Keep talking, Dom.
Hang on, get off Friendster, don't... you shouldn't be on Friendster.
Why? H?
Yeah?
T, T,
Oh, this is gonna be awhile. *drops head backward*
P, S… Talk about something.
Oh that's a secure server!
Yeah!
Oh yeah, he's totally trying to find it.
Let's chat! Let me try my hosting technique on you, and see how you do.
Okay. Go ahead, Dom.
What's your favourite way to eat an egg?
Naked.
Oh, nice!
*laughs* Oh, there we go.
What's your favourite type of cheese?
Naked cheese.
Oh, that's a good cheese.
I'm on my A game today guys, I really am.
If you had the opportunity to do something to Jennifer Lopez and there was no judgement, what would it be?
Oh my gosh, that's um. *whistles*
KEEP IT CLEAN.
You know what? I would like to dance with her in the fountains, like they do in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. I've always wanted to dance with JLo. She'd be a great partner, I would love to dance with her, and not like, you know, the hot oogie-boogie street stuff that kids are doing these days. I mean classic Waltz. I wanna waltz with JLo, that's what I would do. I would love to waltz with her, wouldn't you?
*whispers* Oh, I'd love to, I'd love to.
Which makes me think, that the first track on Blue Sky Paradise-
HANG ON, let me reference this: The Dog's Waltz!
Mmhmm.
OH I LOVE THAT. Is that one…?
See how that went, and came around there?
That song is so good! He's like 'maybe someone else has a bigger stick'.
Right?
Yeah!
Oh, do you want me to do an impression of you at the start of that?
Yeah, do it.
Ready? This is Billy, in the album. 'I dreamt I was a dog'.
That's very good, isn't it?!
*laughs*
That's pretty good, right?
Your Glasgow accent is perfect.
*points to Billy* I hang out with this idiot a lot.
I found the video.
LET'S DO IT.
We have it? We have the video guys, very good.
This is the video for The Clown, which is about materialism and trying to have too much stuff and we're all just clowns. This is it. See if I press play, what will happen? It'll work?
Magic! Magic! Track 3 on the album, guys, Track 3.
It's 4 minutes 22. It's not going yet, it's not going yet, it's not going yet, it's not going yet.
Nah. There you go.
It's going.
0:19:08 Beecake video for The Clown.
Nice.
Am I going to weep?
Oh, do I just fill the screen? Oh.
You messed it.
Is it working?
Yeah cos look. Oh.
Don't full screen it.
Oh, don't full screen it?
Don't full screen it, guys.
*giggles*
We broke 10,000.
It works, yes, everyone can see.
0:23:31
*CLAPS* A triumph! An absolute triumph!
Thank you!
*claps* Super cool.
It was super cool and super cold.
It was?
You make a very, very sad clown. But I've always though that about you.
*hands something to Dom* It's broken.
*tucks object behind his ear*
Billy where did you get the inspiration for this song?
Right, well, as I said, it's about, you know, we collect stuff, you know, hundreds of stuff to the point now, that we have to have storage places to keep our stuff. We don't need that much stuff!
*shakes head*
So the idea is, these guys would rather have all their stuff, in a boat, sinking, and they won't even leave it then! They'd rather die than lose their stuff.
Ugh, clowns.
Clowns. So that's what that's about.
That's so cool.
What do we need? What do you think we do need?
We need love.
Lovely.
We need food.
Yeah.
And we need compassion.
Now, when you say food, do you mean buffalo wings?
No, no.
Oh God, I thought that.
You love buffalo wings, don't you?
Oh, it's fantastic.
That's his one vice.
Yeah it is.
That is your one vice.
It's the only thing I do that is almost illegal.
He will suck the meat... off of 15 buffalo wings.
I'm so glad you finished that sentence.
*laughs gleefully* and the bat off a bat's wing.
One of our friends just said 'I love to play Beecake songs on my ukelele'. How many instruments do you play besides the ukelele?
Forty-seven.
What?!
Yes, forty-eight all-in.
Really?!
Like a mini-Mozart.
*kicks*
*laughs*
And he was mini.
Very accomplished, cos you'll travel with your uke, won't you? Cos it's easier.
I will, often. Cos it's easier than a guitar, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, it's smaller.
Is it?
Yeah, and it's got less strings.
Has it?
Yeah.
*giggles*
*laughs*
*laughs*
Right, what else? Someone said on the forum there that they thought is was a really dark video and they loved it. And I would agree with that.
It is quite dark.
Fantastic.
But I think that's okay.
Is it?
*giggles loudly*
There's something about the musical form, and I want to talk about this in an abstract way, forgive me. Poetry is one thing, but songcraft is another thing entirely. It has a tendency to stick with us more. It has more of an emotional impact, and I really appreciate that sensibility that you bring as a songwriter to all this work you're doing with Beecake. What do you think about the power of music as far as storytelling? I mean, even Tolkien decided it was very important to have songs and songcraft as part of the overall storytelling in LOTR. And you have applied yourself as an actor, as musician… how is it different for you? How does it inspire you?
I would agree with you there. I think music, songs have an immediacy that no other art form has. I think it can, even if it's in a different language, it can touch you in a way no other art form can, and in a very immediate way. You know, like plays are amazing to sit in a room and watch, you know a story being told. Film is kind of our generation's medium, I think, you know, it's the way that we tell stories. But songs I think are so immediate, if they're done kind of correctly, it can touch you in a way quicker than any other art form, I think. And a lot of that, I think, is to do with truth, and I think if I was going to get negative about songwriting, or song direction-
Don't, don't, don't. *grabs Billy's arm*
*grabs Dom's fingers* Oh please, can I just… just for a second, Dom.
Alright, alright. I HATE when he gets negative!
Music sometimes now gets so polished and so, you know, tuned, and auto-tuners on voices and stuff, that it loses it.
It's manufactured.
Yeah, it becomes a nice thing, but it doesn't touch you in a way that, kind of music that maybe has some mistakes in it, or you hear things that you shouldn't hear, that's what makes it wonderful and human.
When you guys, when you and your bandmates are working together on a new song or a new project, how do you approach songwriting? Cos its organic, entirely.
Yeah, kind of. Most of the songwriting I do myself, like to get the song to a place where it has lyrics and a melody, and, you know, maybe some little things, and then we go and we make it The Song, The Band. And then there's a few songs like, say, Rooftop, on the new album that's written by all of us, so it's all of us in a room, just kind of bringing what that kind of evening brought to us, you know, in a kind of truthful way as well. And whatever that brings, we go with. So we don't try and make it… 'oh we have to make the chorus more catchy' or 'we have to make the verse…' Whatever's truthful in that moment, becomes that song.
Fantastic.
We were listening to The Sundays a lot when we were in New Zealand, alongside a whole bunch of artists, but with The Sundays was one of the ones for me that really reminds me of New Zealand. One of things I love about that band-and I know we all did, Elijah, Billy and I geeked out about it-is the fact that, when they're playing acoustic tracks on the guitar, they never take out the scratching of the strings on the fret, you know when you hear the strings go-
Yeah, yeah.
I love that on the fretboard.
Me too, me too.
I love hearing frayed edges where people will plug in, and they'll say 'is everyone ready?' and they'll start. It feels like you're into something a little more intimate, then. It's cool.
I agree. Well, the whole thing about songs and performance, is not alien to you either, you've actually been on stage singing a couple of numbers yourself.
Yeah, well partial songs yeah, I mean Driveshaft had a verse and a chorus and I just did this thing earlier today called 'What's Trending', where they sat me down in front of a computer and they showed me about three minutes of cut footage of people singing Driveshaft. Geeks. And someone had a Lego version of the Driveshaft song, and they had a Mr. Potato head in there. It's crazy, it's got a life of its own.
Really?
I wanted the whole Driveshaft thing to have a real Oasis-y quality to it, you know, just lads having fun, little bit of boy culture, not too highbrow. But, as you can hear from Billy's harmonies, I mean, what he is doing is… on a different level.
It is. It's quite amazing. Quite amazing.
I like Driveshaft, though!
I'd like to go for a drink with them, d'you know what I mean?
I would, yeah!
I feel like they'd be fun. And just to touch on what you said, like Sigur Rós is one of my favourite bands ever, and I don't speak Icelandic, I have no idea what they are saying.
A whole audience of Ringer fans around the world discovered Sigur Rós because you did.
Oh, that's wild.
I went to Amoeba Music and picked them up because, literally, you did.
And they're an amazing band.
You're changing the world.
Aren't I, though?
Very slowly, by using your mind.
One Icelandic band at a time.
Go Björk!
And the thing is I don't speak Icelandic, and also the first album isn't even in Icelandic, they created their own language, I don't know what these guys are saying, but oh, it just touches me, you know. I like to get in a lovely hot warm bubbly bath, and just put it on and just enjoy my mind.
They created their own language?
Yeah, for the first album, it's not even Icelandic. &9835;Oooooh&9835;
My Spanish did that as well.
What did you call it?
Spanish.
And that's just gibberish, they're never even talking?
No, not at all.
Spanish gibberish.
So if I would say to you, in Spanish, 'Hola amigo', what does that translate into English?
It means nothing.
Really?
It means nothing.
You are bending my mind right now.
It's crazy.
That's hysterical.
Incredible.
On to Part Two...
The Complete Unabridged Transcription of The Second Breakfast Reunion Special- Live on TheOneRing.net
aka, The One and Only One Ring Monaboyd Interview, aka, the most fabulous Monaboyd interview ever recorded, which is saying something.
For your viewing pleasure, this wonderful interview is available in its entirety on YouTube, right here, generously provided by TheOneRing.net and includes such little gems as the following:
"You got rid of the mustache."
"You hated it, didn't you."
"I didn't mind it."
"You said it tickled."
"It tickled a bit."
And if you're so inclined (although I totally would not recommend it unless you want to end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning) the Drinking Game is as follows.
...Every time Billy puts his arm around Dom.
...Every time Billy checks his phone.
...Every time Cliff propositions Billy, indirectly or otherwise.
...Every time Dom stares at Billy's face.
...Every time Billy kicks his leg or plays with chainmail.
...Every time Dom surreptitiously but deliberately changes the subject.
...Every time Dom looks at or otherwise references Billy's penis.
...Every time they compliment or touch each other (two drinks if it happens at the same time).
...Every time someone says 'Brilliant'.
...Chug a beer when the idea of maturity goes out the window.
(feel free to add your own here)
Quick few notes/disclaimers on the transcription of this… All mistakes and mistranslations are mine. It's very hard to decipher exactly what is being said when they all talk over each other. This took hours of rewinding and pausing and typing between intervals of laughing my head off and squeeing like the Monaboyd fangirl I am, so there are probably mistakes. I'm also omitting all spoken chatroom/twitter handles except for people Cliff works with because I don't want to single anyone out and I don't know how some of them are spelled anyway. I may also omit various "Yeah, Yeah's," "Hmm's" and "Oh's" spoken over others, because there are a ton of them. There are also occasional time stamps every few minutes so you can watch and follow along if you like.
Dom is blue of course
Billy is, as ever, green
Cliff is in Red, for the fez
Background Dudes are black.
I hope I have picked colors that are not too hard on the eyes. I'd recommend clicking through to the community page itself so it can be read on a white background if your journal colors are otherwise set.
---
Quirky Intro...
That's it. *laughs*
*imperceptible Scottish*
*mumbles something* I really appreciate you guys doing this.
Ah, we're into it.
Two long minutes of nothing.
0:02:56
So we hold this...
If you want.
*textstextstexts*
And then pass it around to each other.
Yeah! If you want to, I mean, pull up something like... 'I want you guys to check out this video', or... or
Oh fucking bollocks.
... or any story, there's... hold on a second. You get a new tab, hit that plus sign...
Fucking new tab oh, you fuck.
And it tabs across...
*mumble* Fucking fuck. *mumble* fuck.
Okay, ready when you guys are ready!
*textstextstexts* Are you allowed to swear? *textstextstexts*
No. Probably not.
*textstextstexts* You'd better find out. *textstextstexts*
Are we gonna use live mics, or just these?
We're live right now!
We're live right now! Good!
We're going live! We're going live!
*textstextstexts* When? *textstextstexts*
When? Already, now!
*textstextstextstops* This is live?
Already, now! Yes.
WOW.
0:03:34
Hello everybody! Are you guys seeing that camera hidden in the distance?
*waves*
Oh there it is.
Hello [chat ID] good morning! We can see you! Look! We can see our friends joining us in this live chatroom.
*salutes*
*squints*
Welcome to TheOneRing.net, our TORn Tuesday episode has been moved to an earlier timeslot, thank you guys for being so flexible.
*textstextstexts*
*squints*
I know we have and international audience from around the world, and I couldn't be happier to introduce our excellent guests, our very fine guests, and, and, uh... our slightly odiferous guests.
Thank you!
Yes, you're welcome.
We can read minds? I had no idea we could read minds.
Some of us can.
That's amazing.
Guys, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd here, on our couch. Hello!
Hiya! Now this thing here, this is the World Wide Internet?
*gazes pensively at World Wide Internet for the next several minutes*
That... There's one chatroom for the StickCam, they're our video host. The other Lord of the Rings Chatroom for TheOneRing.net is Barliman's right there. So we can interact with anybody at anytime.
They can see us through the computer terminals?
Yes, they can see us. Guys, we're not getting a video preview on this monitor of what the camera sees, just fyi, but... *thumbs up* Hello Austria!
Hey Austria, Gütentag.
There was someone from Germany a second ago, I know, your homeland, your Deutschland.
Mein Geburtland, ja. Oh, the connection is very bad for [Chat ID], sorry about that.
It's been fixed down here, though.
It's really streaming right now.
*laughs* I can't believe it, we have about 840 viewers live...
Gütentag.
0:05:03
...and we have our friends here to talk about some of their newest projects, and some of their crazy new mischief that they're getting into...
Just tie my jacket up. I'm still carrying around a little holiday weight.
I wish I had a jacket. *textstextstexts*
You're not the only one. So, welcome everybody, again. So, I'm so happy to begin this show with you guys, I've been dying, really, dying to get you guys on my little red couch-and it doesn't sound as salacious as it sounds, okay.
*puts down phone, picks up Gandalf plushie*
Saucy.
Yeah, I'm a little sucio. You know, uh, esta bién, eh?
*nods*
So, what are you guys doing today, what's up in LA?
Well, Dom has been up since the birds get up.
Crack of dawn.
Crack of dawn. What time did you get up this morning?
I was up at about 5 AM, Billy.
5 AM, ladies and gentlemen!
5 American AM, and then I did a...
What for?
I was talking to people on the East Coast for breakfast radio stuff, and then I went and did West Coast TV, and then I came here early, so that I could buy you-*points to Billy*-comics.
A gift?
Isn't that amazing?
That is amazing.
I'm like a modern day philanthropist.
*laughs* You're like Robin Hood.
Yeah… What?
We are at Meltdown Comics, They host our show every week. Meltdown is like the Mecca, the grand center of all geekdom in LA.
True.
You want good comics, graphic novels or stand-up comedy from geeks of all stripes, you know live shows, this is the place.
Yeah, and cos we were doing this today at Meltdown Comics, they had to close the front door, and we actually shut the front door in George Lucas' face. Remember that?
Yeah!
He tried to get in and we slammed it in his face as said 'you can't come in George.
He'll come back later, though, won't he?
He can come back later, yeah.
He deserves it. We keep abusing him and he keeps coming back.
Someone just asked, 'Dom, does Billy have a Gandalf Plushie?'. Does that have sexual reference?
Yes it is, Dom, and do I?
Let's have a look…*checks Billy's lap* Yep! He definitely does!
*nods*
[Chat ID] is one of our moderators in the room, she helps keep people under control when they get wild, thank you [Chat ID] we appreciate that, and there's [Chat ID] and [Chat ID], hello [Chat ID].
Yeah, be careful, no bad swears. You can say things like 'crap' and 'bologna', but don't say bad swears.
No 'bollocks'. You can't say 'bollocks'… oops.
What have you been doing today?
I haven't done much today. I went for a swim.
Ooh.
That was nice.
An aquatic adventure.
Yeah, and I just thought… I felt quite sad that you had to get up so early.
Yeah? Don't worry about me.
But you probably had to do that cos you've got a TV show starting tonight, don't you?
Yeah, yeah, TV.
Why don't you tell us about it.
Thanks about that, Billy. He's always good for that.
*laughs*
Yeah, Wild Things on BBC America, tonight, 10/9 central, which is very confusing because that means it's on at different times, doesn't it?
It is. I'm afraid our country has been split into 4 hours.
Oh, that's awful for you guys.
10/9 central.
So when a piece of news happens, that's important, the other side of the country doesn't hear about until four hours later?
Well, unless there's a simulcast and it's live. I mean the Oscars come on and everyone gets confused, is it four in the afternoon or is it eight o'clock at night? Depends upon what coast you're on.
But how can it be two, ten, nine? What does that mean?
10/9 central.
10/9 central, what does that mean?
10/9 central, I just keep saying it, 10/9 central.
10/9 central? Ok, 10 Eastern, 9 Central, and then 8 Mountain Time, 7 Pacific, so...
That sounds nice, doesn't it, Mountain Time.
Mountain Time.
That's lovely.
*laughs* Yeah, BBC America is going to launch the very first episode of the new series Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan. &9835;Dun-dun-duh!&9835;
*fistpump*
That's me!
0.08:32
And that's gonna be on tonight, and all of our friends in Europe and in England have been enjoying it, and loving the show, but tonight, you know, us Yanks get our very first glimpse of Dominic playing around with Monocle Cobras, and all kinds of bugs and insects and creepy crawlies and, well, animals that are built to kill.
Yeah, yeah, pretty much, and uh, you know, it's a big-
*phone dings, dives for it*
Did you get a text?
Sorry about that, I'll just check it.
Check that. It could be Spielberg trying to get in your front door.
*wheezes laughing*
You never know. Uh, it is a show that I'm really passionate about, and I'm hoping that the Ringers will show up and see...
*textstextstexts*
Another reason why the Ringers should show up and watch the show is because, I was hoping to take Billy with me to New Zealand this season, but we blew our budget, we bought a lot of burgers and beer.
And I'm quite expensive.
Very expensive. But the second season we're hoping to go with Billy to New Zealand, and look for all manner of stuff and hopefully get him to do like the biggest bungee jump in the world...
I love it.
...throw him out of and airplane, you know that kind of stuff.
*textstextstexts*
You know there's unique wildlife and unique animals that are isolated in that ecosystem in New Zealand-
Certainly, yeah.
-that are found nowhere else in the world. That's fascinating to me. Let me ask you, your producers get together with you and they say 'Here's our travel budget, here's our ideas, we can travel the world, let's go'. What do you say to that, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
We sit down and and have a conversation where they say 'what stories do we want to tell?' and I was really passionate about wanting to tell a story about ants and bees this season, because I think ants are probably my favourite animal ever and I wanted to tell a story like that. We also wanted to tell some real dynamic stories so people tuned in, so we did things like the world's largest spider, because that makes makes people kind of go 'oh!' And we did the world's rarest beetle because I wanted to show people that-
And that's not Ringo?
It's not Ringo, no.
*giggles*
Even though they think that, you know, insects are innumerous, there's actually insects that are endangered and this is a beautiful large beetle in Camaroon, Africa, so we tell a lot of stories and then we work out if we can factor it into the budget and I had a New Zealand story ready to go, and then they came to me and they said 'We can tell the story, but if you want to bring Billy, we don't have $14 million dollars, so we need to wait until next year.'
Well, he brings his entourage and his contract demands for plated dinner twice a day, all that stuff, yeah.
*nods sagely* Mmhmm, there's a lot of safety things that you've got to go into before we can eat spiders, et cetera.
It's outrageous. His breakfast requirements are: you have to poach 20 eggs, and he'll pick the best 2. Throws out 18 eggs every morning.
Billy!
Oh, I don't care.
*laughs*
Two tasty, tasty eggs.
Hey, do you guys want to see a trailer of the show?
Yes I do! I've seen the show!
We are!
*grabs iPad* So do I just press play and then flip it?
Guys, if you're ready at the B camera, we're gonna play it off this pad, we've got the preview ready. Welcome ladies and gentlemen, this is your first glimpse of Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.
So I just press play?
Yeah
*fistpump* Wild Things!
0:11:09 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan trailer
Now do I flip it like that?
No! It just happens!
No, they've got it connected in the back.
Guys enjoy it.
Is it on?
There's no sound!
*turns up sound manually, restarts*
Oh, William! Well done, saved the day!
Here we go! Yes! Wild Things!
0:12:03
...because we had to squeeze in. *gets off couch, fumbles in pockets*
Hiya. Now, we have car problems, Billy has to move his car, I have to get my car moved.
This is Los Angeles, after all.
*heavy sigh*
We have a valet.
Do you want to move it? *hands keys off* Don't scrape it.
Yeah.
You'll need to move Dom's first cos he's blocking me in.
Ok.
Are you sure? Yours is in front of mine!
Yeah. I managed to squeeze in.
Okay, my car's already unlocked.
You said we'd be fine there, Cliff!
I thought we'd be fine there, oh shit.
You were like, 'just park there, that's fine'.
Well...
Billy's gone into quite a dark mood.
*makes a grumpy face*
Famous last words.
Here, I'll give you that now. *hands Billy the iPad*
I've never been this sad in my life. Right in the middle of your thing!
No, I was done!
I want to watch it again!
Did you guys enjoy it? *squints at chatroom*
*laughs and waves*
That lady loves our accents. *waves* We don't have accents, you have accents.
'Ha ha ginormous', says someone.
Yeah, I say 'ginormous' a lot.
You said 'ginormous' in the trailer, yeah.
I say 'ginormous' and 'huge' a lot, I don't know why.
Is it a half hour or a full hour show?
It's an hour, yeah.
Okay, that's fantastic.
It's an hour. So there's a little bit of education, little bit of fun, little bit of street food, little bit of football, little bit of travel, lots of stuff that I'm really into, and you know, stuff that Billy and I do. Billy and I went on holiday to Thailand when we were doing Lord of the Rings and apart from really hectic animals, we pretty much did an episode of Wild Things. We went, we kayaked, we played football, we ate crazy food, we, you know… might have met a woman or two? You were single back then, do you remember?
Yeah. You were an whore, I remember that.
I was single too. Ate great food, you know, went on adventures, went to bottle beach, so much fun.
It was fun, wasn't it?
Yeah, you can eat your way one end of Thailand to the other end.
Yeah, it's amazing country.
It's amazing. So, uh...
You know what Dom does, in hot countries...
Go on.
...if we're sharing a room, which sometimes we do.
*giggles*
*giggles*
Not just… Orlando was there as well, there was three of us, you know.
Yeah.
But it was a big group. We all had separate beds, you know.
*laughs*
But, what he does, is he turns up the air conditioning, until it's like Antarctica. It's FREEZING. And then he hides the thing for the...
*laughs*
*laughs*
Because he loves it so cold, that I'm like… I'm in bed with sweaters on.
Really.
*laughs*
In Thailand, and it's like 100 degrees.
Yeah, it's really hot out there.
*keeps giggling* He had a hoodie. *mimes hoodie* He had a hoodie on.
And we were like 'where is the thing!' and he hides it.
I hid it under my pillow cos I knew they'd get it off me, you know. I don't care.
That's so funny.
WOW, MY FLY'S OPEN.
*reaches behind himself* What is this digging into my back? HANG ON.
WAIT A MINUTE.
0:14:29
IT'S THE NEW BEECAKE ALBUM!
There you go!
What! Blue Sky Paradise!
And it's a gatefold…*unfolds CD* OOOH! WHAT!
*with Dom* OOOH! Check it out.
Beautiful. I have to tell you, Billy, my favourite song is Track 7: Waiting for You, or The Clown. Tell us about The Clown!
Wait 'til you hear about The Clown, Dom. What, why should I let you hear, when I can let you see the new video?
OOOH!
Oh, that's even better!
From The Clown.
Beecake is launching their second album, guys, it's really fantastic, it was released on Christmas Day, wasn't it?
I don't know, was it?
Yeah, 25th of December.
No! 22nd!
22nd? Well, in the United States we got the next Tuesday... thing.
Because of the three day… thing.
Time, time. Cos you're on Mountain Time.
We're on Mountain Time..
*giggles*
We're on Misty Mountain time.
Three days difference.
So, seriously, Austin Hall *waves* is one of my music producers and friends.
*textstextstexts*
Hi Austin. *waves* My dad's called Austin.
Yeah, he's saying 'hello, nice, Billy, cheers'. Beecake has produced a beautiful album. It is melodic, it is beautiful, it is so well-produced, and it's really gorgeous stuff. Can't wait for you guys to check it out. Blue Sky Paradise.
You can get it on iTunes.
Yes you can.
You can get it on Beecake.com.
Yeah.
You can get it on signed on Beecake.com.
Wow.
Not by you. You're not in the band.
No, I'm not.
But you can sign some of them.
But, may I say, you sing like a bloody lark.
Why would you say that?
Like a lark!
What a lovely thing to say.
Yeah, You're welcome.
Do you want to see the video?
Yes I do. Yes, very much want to see it.
Yeah, yeah! Let's see!
Now apparently, I wasn't being rude and texting, I was trying to find the video, which is on the internet somewhere, *whispers*privately.
OH.
So, if I press play on this-*points to phone*-people behind the scenes...
Well, actually *points at iPad in Billy's lap* this device is connected.
Apparently someone said I could do this, and
*Tech dude comes to the rescue.*
This is a guy!
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS, RINGERS, TRY NOT TO PANIC, STAY WITH US.
What's your name? Right?
If I didn't know better I'd say we have, we've had over 9,900 people in the past...
That's nice! Where are you seeing that number? Oh up there?
See? *points to chatroom screen* Session viewers 9, 934.
Session viewers, oh we've got to break 10,000, let me just show the gatefold again and then we'll break 10,000 *unfolds CD with a whistle*
What, I do it on here? *holds iPad
Tech dude agrees.
I'll need to find it, then. I'll need to do this… Will you help me with this? I'm not very... Would someone…? I'm not a guy who knows about these things.
*laughs* Yeah you know plenty, Billy, don't let...
No, hold on.
Don't let him fool you, ladies and gentlemen. Trying to be demure.
And here's what interesting. Billy put this in as an art design with the album. If you turn the album 180 degrees, Billy goes upside down.
*laughs*
*gasps* Are you kidding me? That's revolutionary.
You thought about that?
I did think about that.
That's brilliant. That is pretty brilliant.
Alright, hold on, I need to click this thing. Keep talking, Dom.
Hang on, get off Friendster, don't... you shouldn't be on Friendster.
Why? H?
Yeah?
T, T,
Oh, this is gonna be awhile. *drops head backward*
P, S… Talk about something.
Oh that's a secure server!
Yeah!
Oh yeah, he's totally trying to find it.
Let's chat! Let me try my hosting technique on you, and see how you do.
Okay. Go ahead, Dom.
What's your favourite way to eat an egg?
Naked.
Oh, nice!
*laughs* Oh, there we go.
What's your favourite type of cheese?
Naked cheese.
Oh, that's a good cheese.
I'm on my A game today guys, I really am.
If you had the opportunity to do something to Jennifer Lopez and there was no judgement, what would it be?
Oh my gosh, that's um. *whistles*
KEEP IT CLEAN.
You know what? I would like to dance with her in the fountains, like they do in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. I've always wanted to dance with JLo. She'd be a great partner, I would love to dance with her, and not like, you know, the hot oogie-boogie street stuff that kids are doing these days. I mean classic Waltz. I wanna waltz with JLo, that's what I would do. I would love to waltz with her, wouldn't you?
*whispers* Oh, I'd love to, I'd love to.
Which makes me think, that the first track on Blue Sky Paradise-
HANG ON, let me reference this: The Dog's Waltz!
Mmhmm.
OH I LOVE THAT. Is that one…?
See how that went, and came around there?
That song is so good! He's like 'maybe someone else has a bigger stick'.
Right?
Yeah!
Oh, do you want me to do an impression of you at the start of that?
Yeah, do it.
Ready? This is Billy, in the album. 'I dreamt I was a dog'.
That's very good, isn't it?!
*laughs*
That's pretty good, right?
Your Glasgow accent is perfect.
*points to Billy* I hang out with this idiot a lot.
I found the video.
LET'S DO IT.
We have it? We have the video guys, very good.
This is the video for The Clown, which is about materialism and trying to have too much stuff and we're all just clowns. This is it. See if I press play, what will happen? It'll work?
Magic! Magic! Track 3 on the album, guys, Track 3.
It's 4 minutes 22. It's not going yet, it's not going yet, it's not going yet, it's not going yet.
Nah. There you go.
It's going.
0:19:08 Beecake video for The Clown.
Nice.
Am I going to weep?
Oh, do I just fill the screen? Oh.
You messed it.
Is it working?
Yeah cos look. Oh.
Don't full screen it.
Oh, don't full screen it?
Don't full screen it, guys.
*giggles*
We broke 10,000.
It works, yes, everyone can see.
0:23:31
*CLAPS* A triumph! An absolute triumph!
Thank you!
*claps* Super cool.
It was super cool and super cold.
It was?
You make a very, very sad clown. But I've always though that about you.
*hands something to Dom* It's broken.
*tucks object behind his ear*
Billy where did you get the inspiration for this song?
Right, well, as I said, it's about, you know, we collect stuff, you know, hundreds of stuff to the point now, that we have to have storage places to keep our stuff. We don't need that much stuff!
*shakes head*
So the idea is, these guys would rather have all their stuff, in a boat, sinking, and they won't even leave it then! They'd rather die than lose their stuff.
Ugh, clowns.
Clowns. So that's what that's about.
That's so cool.
What do we need? What do you think we do need?
We need love.
Lovely.
We need food.
Yeah.
And we need compassion.
Now, when you say food, do you mean buffalo wings?
No, no.
Oh God, I thought that.
You love buffalo wings, don't you?
Oh, it's fantastic.
That's his one vice.
Yeah it is.
That is your one vice.
It's the only thing I do that is almost illegal.
He will suck the meat... off of 15 buffalo wings.
I'm so glad you finished that sentence.
*laughs gleefully* and the bat off a bat's wing.
One of our friends just said 'I love to play Beecake songs on my ukelele'. How many instruments do you play besides the ukelele?
Forty-seven.
What?!
Yes, forty-eight all-in.
Really?!
Like a mini-Mozart.
*kicks*
*laughs*
And he was mini.
Very accomplished, cos you'll travel with your uke, won't you? Cos it's easier.
I will, often. Cos it's easier than a guitar, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, it's smaller.
Is it?
Yeah, and it's got less strings.
Has it?
Yeah.
*giggles*
*laughs*
*laughs*
Right, what else? Someone said on the forum there that they thought is was a really dark video and they loved it. And I would agree with that.
It is quite dark.
Fantastic.
But I think that's okay.
Is it?
*giggles loudly*
There's something about the musical form, and I want to talk about this in an abstract way, forgive me. Poetry is one thing, but songcraft is another thing entirely. It has a tendency to stick with us more. It has more of an emotional impact, and I really appreciate that sensibility that you bring as a songwriter to all this work you're doing with Beecake. What do you think about the power of music as far as storytelling? I mean, even Tolkien decided it was very important to have songs and songcraft as part of the overall storytelling in LOTR. And you have applied yourself as an actor, as musician… how is it different for you? How does it inspire you?
I would agree with you there. I think music, songs have an immediacy that no other art form has. I think it can, even if it's in a different language, it can touch you in a way no other art form can, and in a very immediate way. You know, like plays are amazing to sit in a room and watch, you know a story being told. Film is kind of our generation's medium, I think, you know, it's the way that we tell stories. But songs I think are so immediate, if they're done kind of correctly, it can touch you in a way quicker than any other art form, I think. And a lot of that, I think, is to do with truth, and I think if I was going to get negative about songwriting, or song direction-
Don't, don't, don't. *grabs Billy's arm*
*grabs Dom's fingers* Oh please, can I just… just for a second, Dom.
Alright, alright. I HATE when he gets negative!
Music sometimes now gets so polished and so, you know, tuned, and auto-tuners on voices and stuff, that it loses it.
It's manufactured.
Yeah, it becomes a nice thing, but it doesn't touch you in a way that, kind of music that maybe has some mistakes in it, or you hear things that you shouldn't hear, that's what makes it wonderful and human.
When you guys, when you and your bandmates are working together on a new song or a new project, how do you approach songwriting? Cos its organic, entirely.
Yeah, kind of. Most of the songwriting I do myself, like to get the song to a place where it has lyrics and a melody, and, you know, maybe some little things, and then we go and we make it The Song, The Band. And then there's a few songs like, say, Rooftop, on the new album that's written by all of us, so it's all of us in a room, just kind of bringing what that kind of evening brought to us, you know, in a kind of truthful way as well. And whatever that brings, we go with. So we don't try and make it… 'oh we have to make the chorus more catchy' or 'we have to make the verse…' Whatever's truthful in that moment, becomes that song.
Fantastic.
We were listening to The Sundays a lot when we were in New Zealand, alongside a whole bunch of artists, but with The Sundays was one of the ones for me that really reminds me of New Zealand. One of things I love about that band-and I know we all did, Elijah, Billy and I geeked out about it-is the fact that, when they're playing acoustic tracks on the guitar, they never take out the scratching of the strings on the fret, you know when you hear the strings go-
Yeah, yeah.
I love that on the fretboard.
Me too, me too.
I love hearing frayed edges where people will plug in, and they'll say 'is everyone ready?' and they'll start. It feels like you're into something a little more intimate, then. It's cool.
I agree. Well, the whole thing about songs and performance, is not alien to you either, you've actually been on stage singing a couple of numbers yourself.
Yeah, well partial songs yeah, I mean Driveshaft had a verse and a chorus and I just did this thing earlier today called 'What's Trending', where they sat me down in front of a computer and they showed me about three minutes of cut footage of people singing Driveshaft. Geeks. And someone had a Lego version of the Driveshaft song, and they had a Mr. Potato head in there. It's crazy, it's got a life of its own.
Really?
I wanted the whole Driveshaft thing to have a real Oasis-y quality to it, you know, just lads having fun, little bit of boy culture, not too highbrow. But, as you can hear from Billy's harmonies, I mean, what he is doing is… on a different level.
It is. It's quite amazing. Quite amazing.
I like Driveshaft, though!
I'd like to go for a drink with them, d'you know what I mean?
I would, yeah!
I feel like they'd be fun. And just to touch on what you said, like Sigur Rós is one of my favourite bands ever, and I don't speak Icelandic, I have no idea what they are saying.
A whole audience of Ringer fans around the world discovered Sigur Rós because you did.
Oh, that's wild.
I went to Amoeba Music and picked them up because, literally, you did.
And they're an amazing band.
You're changing the world.
Aren't I, though?
Very slowly, by using your mind.
One Icelandic band at a time.
Go Björk!
And the thing is I don't speak Icelandic, and also the first album isn't even in Icelandic, they created their own language, I don't know what these guys are saying, but oh, it just touches me, you know. I like to get in a lovely hot warm bubbly bath, and just put it on and just enjoy my mind.
They created their own language?
Yeah, for the first album, it's not even Icelandic. &9835;Oooooh&9835;
My Spanish did that as well.
What did you call it?
Spanish.
And that's just gibberish, they're never even talking?
No, not at all.
Spanish gibberish.
So if I would say to you, in Spanish, 'Hola amigo', what does that translate into English?
It means nothing.
Really?
It means nothing.
You are bending my mind right now.
It's crazy.
That's hysterical.
Incredible.
On to Part Two...