WIRX “Decoding Carnivale” Call-in with Clancy Brown • 11-17-03

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.

(Brother Phil was on vacation during this show)

John: “Carnivale” on HBO – there’s only two episodes left on “Carnivale,” which means they’re gonna have to do a lot of wrappin’ up over the next couple of weeks, if they’re gonna eliminate SOME of the confusion. I need closure! I’m just like any other red-blooded American consumer. I need closure to my stories and, hopefully, we’ll get some after the next couple of weeks. We’ll try to get some in a few minutes – GIT SOME! – with Clancy Brown, on the way next…

(Station Identification)

John: (“Carnivale” theme music starts up) It’s 8:07 at Rock 107/WIRX. Some Tom Petty... News Center 16 says today high of only around 51. Kinda foggy this morning, too, but we don’t have the dense fog advisory. There’s no school issues with the fog. Overnight tonight, down into the thirties again. Right now it’s 43. And that totally bizarre music means we’re gonna talk about a totally bizarre show with Clancy Brown – Brother Justin Crowe on “Carnivale,” HBO, Sunday nights. And I watched it last night, Clancy, and you got some ‘esplainin’ to do!

Clancy: Are ya there??? Ya there…? (John overslept and missed the first hour of his radio show on this particular Monday morning. – Ed.)

John: Yeah, I’m here…

Clancy: Are ya there, John? You… Ya made it in today?

John: Yes!

Clancy: All right… (giggling) Very good.

John: Yes… God, what a morning! Have you ever done that?

Clancy: (laughing hard)

John: Have you ever done that thing where you’re… You know you’re supposed to be somewhere, but you just sorta…

Clancy: I did it today, as a matter of fact! Except I woke up three minutes before you called.

John: Is that right?

Clancy: (laughing) Yes!

John: Ya know, the thing is that you said to me, “Is it Monday already?” And I’m like, that’s exactly what I said to myself this morning!

Clancy: (laughing)

John: I was layin’ in bed at, ya know… And I’m supposed to be here an hour before that, and it’s like… I don’t know what happened. My mind just said, “No, it’s Sunday. You can lay there and, you know, luxuriate!”

Clancy: Dude, it’s the worst thing you’ve ever done… Because I KNOW the worst thing you’ve ever done.

John: Oh really?

Clancy: Come to my church and I’ll walk down the aisle, and I’ll tell ya! (laughing)

John: Isn’t that sweet? What a nice little… What a nice little ability that would be to have, to just sort of look at somebody and go, “You lust for the loins of another man!”

Clancy: (laughing hard) Well, that happens all the time out here in California!

John: (laughing) Yeah!

Clancy: You don’t need any special powers to know who that is out here in California.

John: No, we just call that Gay-dar.

Clancy: Yeah, we do too…

John: But the other ones are pretty good, you… What was the other one? Some guy with his sister?

Clancy: Yeah, some guy slept with his wife’s sister…

John: Wife’s sister, right!

Clancy: Some woman had her hand in the till at work, ya know…

John: Hee-hee!

Clancy: Another kid lied to his parents.

John: I liked it…

Clancy: Boy, that never happens, either…

John: No! “You lied to your parents!” Well, okay, we’re reaching with that one. Every kid lies to their parents…

Clancy: Yeah, that one was pretty safe.

John: Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, Justin Crowe is starting to go through somewhat of a… Maybe a little reawakening. Not so much a metamorphosis, but a reawakening – that he is starting to understand what he is and who he is now.

Clancy: Justin’s getting’ it together. He’s sorting out all those weird voices in his head.

John: Mm-hmm.

Clancy: Ya know? He’s getting’ with the program a little bit.

John: And I think that spells trouble for a lot of people.

Clancy: Well, sure! I mean, you know… For all you sinners!

John: When you get baptized and a bloody cross appears on your head, that can’t be a good sign!

Clancy: Well, ya know…

John: Cuz that didn’t happen to me at my baptism!

Clancy: See, I mean… I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it did happen.

John: Yeah… (laughing) I think it’s BAD!

Clancy: (laughing) You do?

John: I think, you get a bloody cross on your forehead, it’s bad!

Clancy: Yeah, well… It could be bad. It’s not bad yet.

John: Especially when you’re saying to your father “Finish it!”

Clancy: Yeah, finish it, for cryin’ out loud!

John: With that look on your face.

Clancy: I mean, c’mon. Ya know… He’s born again! He’s born again and he needs to be re-baptized!

John: And everybody wanted to be re-baptized then.

Clancy: And everybody’s getting tail again, EXCEPT ME! Did you notice that?

John: Yes, I did! I was gonna get to that, that Ben Hawkins got to ride the Adrienne Barbeau Express last night!

Clancy: Yes, lucky guy…

John: Man, was I jealous! I’m like, wait a minute! Now, this kid wasn’t even born when I was lusting after Adrienne Barbeau!

Clancy: That’s right!

John: How old is he?

Clancy: Uh… The actor or the…?

John: Yeah, the actor!

Clancy: The actor is twenty-three, twenty-four, something like that.

John: Yeah, I mean, ya know… that’s…

Clancy: Yeah, it’s not fair.

John: Right! Adrienne Barbeau’s got hair combs as old as that!

Clancy: It’s not fair, but don’t worry. Brother Justin is on the case now.

John: Oh, good! Thank God!

Clancy: Brother Justin’s gonna set things right…

John: Or is that who we should we be thanking? I don’t know yet!

Clancy: (laughing) For guys like you and me? Absolutely!

John: All right…

(Sound of coffee cup clattering in background)

Clancy: I’ll take care of that. Don’t you worry…

John: Tappin’ off the spoon on a little java there, Brother Justin?

Clancy: Yeah, FINALLY!

John: Nice!

Clancy: (laughing)

John: I like to hear that. I like to hear the little spoon tap on the ceramic… And last night’s show, I really enjoyed it. It starting to sort of bring things together. We saw… Well, Samson is on the outs. I mean, he’s been kicked out of the Management trailer, but he takes off with Hawkins to that Temple to sorta track down Henry Scudder, and they BOTH miss the Tattooed Man wandering through the cornfield there.

Clancy: Yeah, yeah… I still don’t know what that Tattooed Man is all about. (laughing)

John: I gotta be honest with ya, I was fishin’ for something here, cuz I want you to enlighten me…

Clancy: (laughing) I don’t know! All I know is he’s in shape, and in better shape than I am, so he’s not ME!

John: The dude is totally buffed. And he raped Apollonia, right? Sophie’s mom, wasn’t that the guy doing her last week in the episode?

Clancy: Yep, yep! He had some tattoos on. So I’m… I’m lost on that imagery. I’m sure there’s some historical reference to it, some… You could probably look up that tattoo and find out what that’s about.

John: Yeah, well, I’m tellin’ ya right now, there are two episodes left in this show. And myself, and I think most of the viewers are jonesin’, totally jonesin’ for some closure on some of these storylines.

Clancy: Hey, you’re getting some! You know, it’s starting to all come together. See, it’s all payin’ off, all these subconscious suggestions that have been laid out for the first ten episodes. They’re all coming together. Cuz last night I spent all episode going, “Ah, OH…! Okay… Oh!” Now remember, I haven’t seen the carnival filming. So I don’t know everything that happens there.

John: Is there anybody on the set, to get off talking about the show specifically for a minute, that you never came in contact with during the filming?

Clancy: No, I didn’t… Of course, I came in contact, but I didn’t really hang out with the carnival people too much. Yeah, I’d see ‘em every now and then.

John: Okay… yeah, that’s what I meant. Did they shoot at the same time they were shooting with you, and you know?

Clancy: Nah, they had the day off when I was filming.

John: Ah, I see. Yeah, that’s what I mean. So you’re watching this stuff being just as surprised by all of it as we are.

Clancy: Oh, yeah! I’m lovin’ it! I mean, I know what the scripts said, but I didn’t know how they realized it. I loved that scene last night with what’s-his-name, Stumpy…

John: Oh, God!

Clancy: In the bar… (smart-alecky Stumpy voice) “Hey, Poncho!” (laughing)

John: (laughing) He just kept insulting the guy!

Clancy: I thought about you down there in Mexico a few weeks ago.

John: Yeah, yeah exactly! And, in fact, I recorded the show last night and thought, next time I go to Mexico, I’m gonna have to save that little sound bite of Sophie puking, and asking what they rolled up in that!

Clancy: (laughing)

John: And having Jonesy saying, “You shoulda just stuck with the beer.”

Clancy: (laughing hard)

John: Cuz that’s what we all said to each other when we were down in Mexico. “Nah… No. You don’t wanna be eating that! I didn’t see any stray dogs around here… You don’t wanna…”

Clancy: (laughing) I haven’t seen any stray dogs around here!

John: You don’t wanna be eatin’ THAT! And then Stumpy pickin’ a fight in the bar… and getting his ass kicked. And bringin’ home a new Cooch Dancer!

Clancy: Yeah, well, ya know… That’s ONE way to do it!

John: Yeah.

Clancy: It’s the hard way, but… Stumpy has kind of a circuitous route to everything that comes easy to Jonesy, I guess.

John: Well, there’s gotta be an easier way to recruit Cooch Dancers!

Clancy: Yeah… But, ya know, some women just can’t resist the men that are hurt. It seems that’s the way it is in the Depression. Ya know, if you’ve got a limp and a bad scar, or you get the crap beat outta ya by a bunch of boys, then, ya know, you’re in! (chuckling)

John: Yeah! Or you get Adrienne Barbeau caressing your head til you go to sleep…

Clancy: Right! Like you’re so exhausted, you can’t stay awake. I mean, that’s the other thing I’m wondering… The guy’s been up for, what, four weeks now? And NOW he gets some tail? I don’t get it!

John: That’s it! And the thing is, he stayed awake long enough to finish up, which was impressive!

Clancy: Yeah, well I guess so! And then he had a really good excuse just to fall immediately asleep! (chuckling)

John: (laughing hard) She didn’t wanna, ya know, bust his balls about cuddling right after that.

Clancy: That’s right! “Why can’t we talk now?”

John: “I haven’t slept in four weeks! Leave me alone! I don’t wanna talk! I don’t wanna…”

Clancy: (laughing) “No… I gotta dream about our rabbit round-up or something.”

John: Yeah! Boy, THAT was horrifying!

Clancy: A little homage to “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.” Did you ever see that movie?

John: Ya know, I did a long, long time ago, but I don’t remember the, ya know…

Clancy: They get in the car with some crazy dude, and he’s piping the exhaust into the main cabin of his Plymouth Fury, and then hops out, and pulls a bunch of rabbits out of his trunk and starts beatin’ on them with a stick or starts shooting at them or something. It’s just the nuttiest sequence you ever saw, and that’s what I was reminded of.

John: I’ll have to re-rent that and view it again. But that scene last night with the rabbits… What did he call it? The rabbit drive?

Clancy: (laughing) The Rabbit Drive!

John: The rabbit drive… “The jacks eat all the crops.” And Samson, “That’s a sound that’ll make you blood run cold!” (lets out a high-pitched squeal)

Clancy: (laughing) Yes, sir!

John: A bunch of screamin’ rabbits! I guess so…

Clancy: Or it means rabbit stew! (laughing)

John: A lot of it! Hey, so tell us about next week. We’ve got two weeks left in the show. That’s it! And they’ve gotta be… Haven’t they told ya yet? Do you know? Are you coming back? (“Carnivale” theme music starts up in background)

Clancy: No, don’t know yet…

John: Oh!

Clancy: But the things start wrapping up pretty fast and furious. If not wrapping up, some of the questions you have get answered. I was shocked by how much, in the last two episodes, the exposition that’s been handed out, the explanations and everything, of all the set-ups, have been coming pretty suddenly and fast. And I think pretty well. Nothing’s just coming easy, but it’s all kinda twisting together in your mind a little bit better. By the end of it, there’ll still be a couple of threads out there but, hopefully, that’ll keep you interested for next season

John: Yeah, that’s the thing. I want that closure to bring us back next year. Yeah, they are starting to define a little more, ya know, obviously good and evil, but there’s still a lot of questions to be answered!

Clancy: Yeah, I don’t think they’ll get down to good and evil yet. I don’t think that’s very clear. I think they’re… (evil laugh) I think there’s still a few more surprises in store.

John: I think so too! That’s the thing… Just when you think you’ve got it pegged, that’s a good guy, that’s a bad guy…

Clancy: Yeah…

John: Somebody’s gonna screw with our heads here at some point real soon!

Clancy: Yeah. And ain’t that always the way?

John: Yeah, but there’s only two episodes left to screw with me!

Clancy: (laughing)

John: Ya know, it had better be some good screwin’, Clancy! That’s all I’ve got to say!

Clancy: (laughing) Well, yeah, yeah… I think there’s gonna be a little bit more of THAT…. (laughing)

John: (laughing) Good!

Clancy: That’s always good.

John: There’s been a lot of sex, man!

Clancy: (Laughing) Yeah!

John: There really has!

Clancy: No kiddin’! No kiddin’… Jonesy, he sleeps with everybody! I think he and Samson are gonna get together… Ya know, he did invite Samson to bunk with him.

John: Oy! Oy-eesh!

Clancy: Remember that. He’s just got… He’s just a libidinous crippled guy!

John: “The truck is aces for me!”

Clancy: Uh-huh!

John: I like it when somebody throws out the term “aces.” “It’s aces for me!”

Clancy: “Yeah, suit yourself. Whatever you say… I’m game! I’m Jonesy, I’ll do whatever you say!” (laughing)

John: (laughing hard) “I’m the carnival whore! I’m Jonesy! That’s what happened to this leg! I was goin’ at it with a mule, and got a nasty kick!” Hey, thanks again for joining us, Clancy! Only two weeks to go, and then you can sleep in on Mondays…

Clancy: All right, my pleasure.

John: Yeah, you’re pleasure to sleep in or to talk with us?

Clancy: Well, I don’t know about sleepin’ in… I’ve totally forgotten what it’s like to do that on Monday mornings.

John: Yeah, so have I. So have I, no doubt about it. Hey, I gotta ask ya, was it your voice I heard on “The Fairly Odd Parents” the other day, another cartoon show?

Clancy: No, that’s a guy named Kevin Michael Richardson. He’s a very large black man.

John: I heard this huge, deep voice on one of the villains on that show, and I went, “Ah… that could be…”

Clancy: No, that’s Kevin -- a good buddy of mine, though.

John: All right, very cool! Hey, Clancy Brown, thanks again, man!

Clancy: All right. Take it easy, John…

John: We’ll talk to you next Monday, and we’ll be paying really close attention.

Clancy: All right… Figure out how to work that alarm clock!

John: Oh… Next Monday I’ll be on time and coherent, believe me.

Clancy: (deep, evil laugh) All right…

John: (laughing) All right, buddy. Thanks again.

Clancy: Seeya.

John: That’s Clancy Brown. “Carnivale,” Sunday nights, HBO, 9 o’clock. If you haven’t been watching up til now… It’s really too late to jump onboard, though. I’m sorry. I really don’t know what to tell ya.


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