WIRX “Decoding Carnivale” Call-in with Clancy Brown • 11-24-03

This is the transcript from Clancy’s radio call-in segment on Southwest Michigan’s WIRX/Rock 107.1, with John Jay and Brother Phil.

(John Jay & Brother Phil were off due to a death in the family. Our condolences go out to them both. D.J., Shelley Morgan, filled in most capably, instead.)

Shelley: Rock 107/WIRX! 8:09 and a lovely 28 degrees, with a couple of flurries here and there. That’s what we’re lookin’ for today – flurries and a high around 28. And … Guess who’s on the phone?!? Mr. Clancy Brown!

Clancy: Yo!

Shelley: Hey!

Clancy: Yo!

Shelley: How are you?

Clancy: I’mmmm… gettin’ there!

Shelley: Yeah?

Clancy: Yes, sirree!

Shelley: Excellent! Clancy, of course, the star of “Carnivale” on HBO. And you were all over the television this weekend!

Clancy: Yes, I was, wasn’t I?

Shelley: I know! I… I couldn’t turn the channel without seeing you! Cuz “Shawshank” was on, which is on like every fifteen minutes, anyway…

Clancy: Right.

Shelley: But “Highlander” was on yesterday!

Clancy: “Highlander” was on… I was back visiting my folks, and THAT’S the one they chose to watch!

Shelley: Oh! (laughing)

Clancy: Young Clancy…It was a little much for me to take!

Shelley: With the long hair, until the end.

Clancy: (laughing)

Shelley: I’m kinda going, like, WOW! I kinda like the long black hair!

Clancy: (evil) Yeah…

Shelley: But there’s another look that I liked, too, in “Earth 2”…

Clancy: Ah… The long curly hair.

Shelley: The long curly hair! The Chris O’Donnell, D’Artagnan from “Three Musketeers” hair!

Clancy: (Laughing hard) There ya go! Well done!

Shelley: Thank you very much! (giggling)

Clancy: That was a fall for Chris, though… That was a wig. Mine was real!

Shelley: Oh, even better! So… The hair on “Carnivale” definitely real, your own?

Clancy: Oh, yeah…

Shelley: Yeah, so… Okay. I had to sit and write notes – which I don’t do when I watch television…

Clancy: (chuckling)

Shelley: Cuz I’m there to enjoy it. And I DID enjoy it last night, but there were things that were happening on “Carnivale” last night, on HBO, from the opening scene of Ben having a dream with Brother Justin in the church… Is this the first time you guys have had…? It’s definitely… (conspiratorially) It’s the first time you’ve touched, isn’t it?

Clancy: Well, yeah, uh… Yeah, it is.

Shelley: (laughing)

Clancy: It’s the first time we’ve touched in the dream plain.

Shelley: Mm-hmm. That was kinda interesting.

Clancy: (chuckling) Well, yes! Going in there and breaking up the sacrament! What was that about, Ben?

Shelley: Hey! There were razor blades!

Clancy: Well, in HIS mind there were razor blades! But, obviously, in everybody else’s, they were okay.

Shelley: Okay…

Clancy: It was HIS dream…

Shelley: That’s very true.

Clancy: Attribution’s very important.

Shelley: Mm-hmm…

Clancy: But we didn’t see that Brother Justin had that dream…

Shelley: No, that’s true. We don’t… Brother Justin’s dreams – I don’t know if I really wanna see a whole bunch of HIS dreams!

Clancy: (laughing) Well, I’m sure they’re very tame…

Shelley: Oh, I’m sure they are, compared to Hawkins! Yeah, yeah!

Clancy: (evil laugh)

Shelley: And so we had Sophie and Libby gettin’ drunk…

Clancy: Yeah, that was, uh… That one turned me around!

Shelley: Oh, um… yeah! I thought you were gonna… I wasn’t sure “around” was gonna come after “turned,” to tell you the truth!

Clancy: (laughing) I couldn’t quite figure that one out!

Shelley: Yeah!

Clancy: I mean, some of it made sense, but then the stigmata!

Shelley: That’s exactly… I wrote “stigmata” down! There’s some lesbian action going there, and then the stigmata, then the blood comes out of Sophie’s hand, and you’re going, “Huh?”

Clancy: That was wild, yeah! What was… I didn’t know what that one was. But I trust that it will be explained to us, if not in this season, then in forthcoming seasons – if, in fact, there ARE any.

Shelley: Oh! I thought you were gonna tell me… Oh!

Clancy: I wish!

Shelley: It’s making me crazy! Cuz if it’s done, I… uh… I mean, I understand that, but…

Clancy: Well, somebody did notice that -- and I saw this on the internet – somebody did notice that, in the previews, it said SEASON finale and not series finale or just finale, so…

Shelley: That’s true! That’s true, it does say…

Clancy: So maybe that’s a clue.

Shelley: Fingers crossed.

Clancy: There’s clues everywhere…

Shelley: So, um, just… I wanna kind of run through a couple other big deals that happened last night.

Clancy: Go for it!

Shelley: Hawkins goes to the church, and he goes into the confessional, and he turns out to be confessing to Scudder – who’s not there!

Clancy: Yeah, he just has no luck with sacraments, does he?

Shelley: I know, he doesn’t!

Clancy: (laughing)

Shelley: He’s trying to be all good and all holy… And then he tries to heal Ruthie, and it’s gone!

Clancy: Yup! Yeah, what’s that for? I don’t know!

Shelley: Well, ya know what he did with her, right?

Clancy: Yeah, maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s why…

Shelley: It’s like Samson and Delilah.

Clancy: Yes, exactly. She’s immune to his powers maybe, now, because they… They made the beast with two backs!

Shelley: (laughing) Yes, they did…

Clancy: That’s what I would conclude. However, I don’t think that’s actually the case.

Shelley: No, probably not.

Clancy: No. And, of course, we’ll find out why he was suddenly arrested mid-miracle next week.

Shelley: He was arrested mid-miracle?!? Did I see that?!?

Clancy: No, I said that.

(pause)

Shelley: Okay…anyway. I’m lost for a second, but it’s “Carnivale,” so of course I’m lost!

Clancy: (laughing)

Shelley: The, big… the BIG thing that happened… Iris confessing!

Clancy: Iris cops!

Shelley: Iris confessing to Brother Justin.

Clancy: Iris cops to arson…

Shelley: Wow! WOW! So she’s standin’ there…

Clancy: Yeah… C’mon, didn’t you see that one comin’?

Shelley: NO! Swear to God!

Clancy: You didn’t see that one comin’?

Shelley: I really didn’t! I really didn’t… And not even… See? I was so busy writing notes that I wasn’t really paying attention.

Clancy: Ah…

Shelley: So, what happens is there’s a non-filed police report that Brother Justin’s car was at the church…

Clancy: Yeah…

Shelley: A couple of hours before it was torched, and all the little kids died.

Clancy: Yes!

Shelley: And then, ya know…

Clancy: So you thought that maybe it was Brother Justin that did it?

Shelley: Well, I just thought Brother Justin’s… his reasoning that there are a million black Fords out there, which there were, cuz it’s the thirties and all the cars looked the same…

Clancy: Exactly!

Shelley: Who knew?

Clancy: Who knew? Well, no one except…

Shelley: Iris!

Clancy: Except Iris, and she comes and blurts it out! See? Ya know, ya just gotta keep your mouth shut, and ya just gotta be cool. Though she made a good point… She’s sayin’, ya know, it doesn’t matter whether it’s true! As soon as it’s out there, then you’re discredited.

Shelley: Mm-hmm.

Clancy: So that was… I thought that was a pretty good and modern point to make about the media.

Shelley: But the other thing… Well, yeah, thank you very much. But the other thing is that, if you have this secret inside of you, Brother Justin’s gonna know it anyway.

Clancy: Right!

Shelley: So you might as well just cop to it.

Clancy: Unless he avoids searching his sister’s soul… which is completely possible.

Shelley: He searched somethin’ else last night, of his sister!

Clancy: (laughing) Yeah!

Shelley: Wow!

Clancy: And didn’t ya see THAT comin’?

Shelley: No! And you and I were talkin’ about this earlier… Ya know, just before we went on the air. No! No, I SO did not see that coming!

Clancy: What do YOU think happened after… Ya know, when we cut away to the carnivale, after Brother Justin started looming over his sister?

Shelley: What do I THINK happened?

Clancy: Yeah.

Shelley: I don’t know!

Clancy: What would be your guess?

Shelley: I would hope that it’s not what… Ya know, the deep and scary thoughts in my mind!

Clancy: Well, ya know, see now, you HAVE those deep and scary thoughts!

Shelley: Well, yeah!

Clancy: I see…

Shelley: (laughing)

Clancy: Okay, so you have those deep and scary thoughts…

Shelley: Exactly! Ya know, I wouldn’t THINK that he would sweep her off her feet and carry her…

Clancy: I will say that when we shot it, there was no movement in that direction. However, CLEARLY what was intended was to force the question and let the audience fill in the blank, whether he, uh…

Shelley: Whether they… Whether they have been… together.

Clancy: Whether they got, you know…

Shelley: In an intimate way…

Clancy: Whether bloodlust developed into just normal, everyday, incestuous lust.

Shelley: Oh, wow!

Clancy: But, you know…

Shelley: Ya know, it’s entirely possible. It’s not like we haven’t seen that on TV before.

Clancy: Indeed! And for my purposes, I sure hope they DIDN’T, because ya know, it’s so much more interesting to be motivated by forbidden love than by, ya know, some kind of guilt! (laughing)

Shelley: Okay.

Clancy: (laughing)

Shelley: And Brother Justin’s a good-looking guy!

Clancy: Oh, you think? (Goofy “aw-shucks” voice) Aw, sweetie! You can call me every day!

Shelley: (laughing) And especially in the cassock thing…

Clancy: Yeah!

Shelley: Ya know, with the big, long, black robe… That was a good look!

Clancy: Hoo-ah!

Shelley: Yeah, so anyway… You would think that, if he really wanted… SOMEBODY, he could GET somebody! Even with the religious fervor that’s in him.

Clancy: Right. But he’s a man of God. And he’s a serious man of God. He’s not just a man of God to get tail!

Shelley: (laughing)

Clancy: Ya know, he’s…

Shelley: He’s no Jim Baker!

Clancy: That’s right! He’s sincere… to a point.

(Shelley & Clancy laughing)

Shelley: Alrighty! So… Are you gonna let us in on what’s gonna happen next week?

Clancy: Well, all I can tell ya, really, is that this whole sort of, uh… orgasm of exposition that’s happened in the last few episodes…

Shelley: Hello! Wow… (laughing)

Clancy: This sort of…

Shelley: It’s going to continue?

Clancy: Yeah, you know, a lot of things have been explained in the last, I’d say, four episodes, or five episodes…

Shelley: Mm-hmm…

Clancy: And even though people still don’t know EXACTLY what’s going on… You’re not gonna know exactly what’s going on, otherwise why would we even entertain doing another season?

Shelley: Exactly! Why would you watch?

Clancy: But it’s, uh… It’s a heavy close, let me tell ya. You have a lot going on in the final episode.

Shelley: And it’s only an hour long?

Clancy: Yeah.

Shelley: Oh…

Clancy: And, ya know, Ben sorta gets his act together, and Justin gets his act together, and… If this whole thing has been preparation to get to the starting line, then they’re bending down to wait for the gun.

Shelley: To wait for the gun… Sweet!

Clancy: Yeah! So, that’s sorta how it’s gonna conclude. So we’ll… Ya know, I can’t tell ya TOO much, because if I tell ya ANYTHING… I mean, it’s so chock full next week…

Shelley: Well, yeah, exactly!

Clancy: If I tell ya anything, then it’s gonna spoil it a little bit. But I will tell ya that they don’t meet. How ‘bout that? (chuckling)

Shelley: Okay, I’ll take that little bit of juicy information!

Clancy: All right? I’ll tell ya what DOESN’T happen… And I will tell ya that not everybody makes it into the next season.

Shelley: OH, NO!!!

Clancy: Doesn’t that suck?

Shelley: Well, um… Yeah! Basically.

Clancy: Yeah… But, ya know, but I don’t even know who makes it into the next season!

Shelley: Well no, cuz they’re not gonna tell you cuz you’d tell us!

Clancy: Yeah, right… Cuz I have a big mouth!

Shelley: (laughing) No you don’t…

Clancy: But that’s sort of typical television… I mean, yeah, you put a bunch of characters, a bunch of favorite characters, at risk in the cliffhanger ending. So, a bunch of characters ARE at risk in the cliffhanger ending! And so you’ll have to tune in next season, IF THERE’S A NEXT SEASON!

Shelley: WHEN there’s a next season!

Clancy: God… WHEN there’s a next season…

Shelley: But you know what it’ll be, cuz HBO does it like that, it’ll be two and a half years before we see more “Carnivale”!

Clancy: I know! I’ve actually heard… Well, everybody’s sentiment is that there will be one, but they’re just kind of not announcing it til they’re good and ready… But then, you know, if we do a next season, then we wouldn’t start until next year, probably, shootin’ it. So… it wouldn’t be until next fall, at the earliest, you’d start seeing more shows.

Shelley: Oh, that makes me crazy!

Clancy: Oh, me too!!! It’s infuriating!

Shelley: Mm-hmm!

Clancy: So you’ll have to satisfy yourself with reruns.

Shelley: Okay, I’ll make sure I do that. (laughing)

Clancy: Yes… (laughing)

Shelley: Um, one thing about the show last night that was really uncomfortable…

Clancy: Yes?

Shelley: Um… nothing like being hit on by the Bearded Lady!

Clancy: OH-ho-ho!!! (Laughing) “You get tired of Grandma, you come see ME!” Yeesh, I don’t THINK so!

Shelley: I don’t think so…

Clancy: (long evil laugh)

Shelley: I don’t think so!

Clancy: That was another one, yeah. “How is she? Grateful, I expect…” (laughing hard)

Shelley: Yeah, I wouldn’t think so, cuz she’s with Lodz, for cryin’ out loud! A little bit of hot young tail might be a good thing for her!

Clancy: They have an “open” relationship…

Shelley: Ew!

Clancy: Ew, is right! Yikes, hit on by the Bearded Lady! (laughing)

Shelley: Clancy Brown, thank you so much!

Clancy: Debra did a great job… That was the funniest line. We were sittin’ around at the table readin’ it, and uh, Debra’s a sweet girl, so she just didn’t wanna say, “When you get tired of GRANDMA,” cuz she was sittin’ right next to Adrienne! (laughing)

Shelley: Well, yeah!

Clancy: (laughing) But I just got a big kick out of that line.

Shelley: That was a really good line!

Clancy: Oh, yeah!

Shelley: That was a REALLY good line – and made me shudder! Ew…

Clancy: Yes, I know! She just stuck that… She just stuck that goatee right in his nose, didn’t she?

Shelley: I know! She DID!

Clancy: (laughing)

Shelley: And the thing is, we women are used to kissing guys with beards, but… the other way around?!?

Clancy: Yeah! (laughing)

Shelley: It just… For some reason, it just doesn’t work.

Clancy: Yeah, can we think of something better to say than, “I got work to do”?

Shelley: (laughing) He was so shocked, he couldn’t think of ANYTHING.

Clancy: Yeah! (chuckling) Couldn’t he just shudder a little bit?

Shelley: Exactly! Thank you so much for chatting this morning, helping us “Decode Carnivale.”

Clancy: Well, good luck. Next week’s the last one.

Shelley: Yeah, I’m sure the guys will have more than enough stuff to talk to you about.

Clancy: All right. (seriously) Well… I wish them well. And hey, this was fun! Why don’t we do somethin’ else later on?

Shelley: All right!

Clancy: Yeah!

Shelley: You wanna call me?

Clancy: I’ll decode…

Shelley: Whatever?

Clancy: “CSI” for you!

Shelley: Okay, sounds great! Clancy Brown from “Carnivale”… Thank you very much!


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