WWDTM: Eric Idle, Bridget Everett + Jeff Hiller, and more!

0:04From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm the guy who had to permanently retire from the wet t-shirt contest in Daytona Beach so somebody else could win. Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. Who said only students get to celebrate spring break? This week, we are giving you a well-deserved holiday from whatever the hell is going on. with the help of some amazing interviews from the past few years. While we elbow aside a bunch of Florida State sophomores so we can be first in line for frozen margaritas, here's a conversation with Eric Idle of Monty Python.

0:54Now as a long-time Python fanatic, it was a dream come true for me to talk to him, and I only wished he could have joined us in person when we talked in October. Turns out, he felt the same way. I loved my time in Chicago. I'm married to a Chicago woman, and I have lots of Chicago relatives. So I'm very, you know, I love Chicago. Yeah, that's really great. It's a good town. And let me put it this way. When you walk the streets of Chicago, we're a very cool, sophisticated place, I know. But do people recognize you and go nuts because they, like me, were Monty Python fans growing up? Well, luckily, no.

1:30I can really spoil your shopping, you know. Yeah. You get recognized from time to time and that's just one of the pitfalls of being on television. I'm curious that when the show came to the US on PBS, it became this huge thing. And I was wondering, was that the initial reaction that Monty Python got in the UK or was it more reserved, as we might expect from the stereotype? No, there was almost no reaction whatsoever because they put us on late on a Sunday night and the BBC were trying to find out if people were still watching television at 10.15. And so for all you knew, nobody was watching? Well, at first, absolutely nobody knew.

2:10And nobody was watching, and then bit by bit. And we were very fortunate that we'd actually finished doing the show before it was actually played on American television. So we didn't have to suffer the same fate as people on Saturday Night Live and that. We were quite anonymous and surprised by it all. You mean the same fate as massive fame and wealth? You mean that fate? Well, that for sure, because we work for the BBC. But yes, it was a nice surprise when we were suddenly on public television. It was great. Now, one of the things that a lot of us who first saw Monty Python, maybe even people now have this reaction, is how could they possibly get away with this absolute nonsense on television?

2:56And I heard you tell a story that if the BBC ever tried to give you notes or tell you you couldn't do something, you would all go in and physically intimidate them? Well, yes, because there were six of us. We were mostly over six foot. And so we'd all got degrees and we were very smart and proud. And we would go and, you know, they would be very alarmed at that sight of us. But at first we were executive free, so it was absolutely perfect. When did you know that Monty Python had become like a phenomenon, something that like everybody knew and everybody treasured pretty much well certainly in america if not the whole world i think we were pretty surprised when we opened the holy grail in new york and there there was suddenly there was python mania and we were trapped in the cinema and it was it was very surprising to us and quite funny i mean in canada we were known and we were surprised then we we came through the through the customs and there was a big cheer and we looked behind us because we thought there was a rock and roll group behind us.

3:59And they were cheering for us and they'd all come to the airport. It was quite extraordinary. So we became what I call mock and roll. Speaking of rock and roll, I also found out that Monty Python and the Holy Grail, your legendary, and it was your first movie, The Pythons, was actually financed by some of the biggest rock stars in the world. Well, the biggest rock stars in Britain, anyway. I mean, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and Genesis and Jethro Tull, that they put money into that. And I still pay them from Spamalot. Do you really? Yes, of course. You send a check to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull because he put up like...

4:38I write them out personally, yes, so they know where they're coming from. In addition to knowing all these rock and roll bands in the 70s, we've also heard stories that you either yourself as a group used to throw these pretty legendary parties. Is that true? I've always enjoyed it. We always had some good parties because I, you know, I like to play music and we always have sing-alongs and ding-dongs. And we still do that. Right. We heard once that, like, you threw a party in the late 70s and the cast of Star Wars, which was filming at the time, came over. Well, Carrie Fisher rented my house in London for filming The Empire Strikes Back.

5:15And they were very depressed. And Harrison Ford, they'd been in England for a long time. They were depressed. Yeah, that'll do it. So I pulled out a special liquor we bought from Tunisia, and the party started, and by chance the stones were around the corner in Abbey Road, and they all came round, and this party went on all night. And they were finally picked up by their cars at 6 o 'clock, and we all went off to bed, and I'm happy to say I ruined one of the scenes in Star Wars. Do you know which scene you ruined and how you ruined it? Well, because they stayed up all night. They blamed me. I mean, they're adults, you know.

5:55It was a scene where they meet Billy Dee Williams, and they come off the plane, and they, you know, Carrie says, hi. And they're all completely high. You know, they've been up all night.

6:09That is an amazing bit of Star Wars lore. I don't know if everybody knows it. That is amazing. Speaking of musicians, the Stones came by to your party. I also, again, for the first time, found out, was it true that Elvis Presley was a big fan of yours? He was a huge fan. And I met Linda Thompson, who was his girlfriend. And she said at night in Memphis, when the television stopped about 2.30 in the morning, Elvis would make her do Monty Python sketches with him. And not just anyone. She'd go, hello, Mrs. Thing. Hello, Mrs. Entity. and I said I don't believe you she convinced me finally because she knew the words I want to talk to you about the musical of course which went on to be a huge hit and won Tony's and then was revived and won Tony's again you had always been a musician in fact you wrote Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from the end of Life of Brian we heard that that is the number one song played at funerals in the UK.

7:20I'm proud to say that it still is. It's been that for 20 years. Really? Yes. I'm happy to say it replaced my way. Oh, that is good. I think, yeah, that is definitely improvement. I mean, have you ever been to a funeral and all of a sudden the choir, they start doing it in harmony? No, they play the record, I'm happy to say. But unfortunately, they don't pay royalties. funerals don't pay royalties they don't it's very i think it's wrong quite wrong

7:54well eric idol it is a huge honor for me to especially to talk to you and a pleasure to have you here and we have invited you here to play a game that we're calling spam spam spam spam and spam. Now, as I'm sure you know, it was that famous Monty Python spam skit that is responsible for the fact that unwanted email advertisements is called spam. But we wanted to know if you knew anything about spam email. So we're going to ask you three questions about it. Answer two right, and you will win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for their voicemail. Bill, who is Eric Idle playing for?

8:33Andy Hill of Boston, Massachusetts. All right. You ready for this? Yes. All right. Here's your first question. The first genuine mass advertisement that people called spam went out to the users of Usenet, a precursor to the internet, in 1994. What did it advertise? A, a then-unknown new TV series called Friends, B, a new canned meat product called Spam Plus, or C, Jesus Christ? I would say Spam Plus. Spam Plus. You think that Hormel, the manufacturer of Spam, which, by the way, has embraced Monty Python and Spam. Perhaps not. Could it be Friends? Well, that would be an interesting way of advertising a brand-new television show on something called Usenet.

9:23Yes. So that leaves us with Jesus Christ, then. It does. So in many situations in life, All you're left with is Jesus Christ. Yes, the message was headed, global alert for all. Jesus is coming soon. And it was sent to the hundreds of thousands of people who were on Usenet at the time. So not only was it annoying, it was also incorrect. Here's your next question. Now, one of the odd things about spam is while that everybody hates it, and they really hate the people who send it out, it doesn't make the advertisers themselves a lot of money. One study showed that you would make more money and suffer less social disapproval if you did which of these?

10:10A, dined and dashed once a month. B, played saxophone in a subway car. Or C, stole a car. I would say stole a car. Yes, that's right. Stealing a car. People don't like car thieves. It's true, but at least you could sell the car and make some money. All right, here's your last question. One of the most notorious spammers ever was a man named Alan Ralski, who was actually convicted of fraud for sending out all those spam emails. Before that, though, he had another punishment. What? A, he fell for a spammer himself and ended up sending all the money he had to a fake prince. B, he typed so many fake emails that his fingers all broke.

10:53or C, people found his physical address and signed him up for every piece of junk mail they could find, resulting in him getting thousands and thousands of magazines and pamphlets every day. I would say C. You're right again.

11:12Bill, how did Eric Idle do in our quiz? He woke up on the better side of life because he got all right. Congratulations, Eric. Thank you very much. Eric Idle is one of the founders of Money Python. He is also the Tony-winning creator of Spamalot and the author of the new Spamalot Diaries out now. Eric Idle, an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

11:43When we come back, the greatest bassist ever to come out of Philly and actor Diane Lane and how she ran away and joined the circus at the age of seven. That's when we come back with more Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

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12:22From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. So we've officially declared it's spring break for all of our listeners this week. Now, we thought about going to the same places we used to hang out in college, but for some reason, when we go there, they think we're undercover police officers now. Damn, now where am I supposed to score my uppers? So, as we find people our own age to do shots with, anti-inflammatory turmeric shots, of course, here's some more of our favorite conversations from the last year.

13:11Last June, we went to Philadelphia to interview a man who had grown up just a few blocks from where we were talking to him and had become one of the most famous jazz bassists in the world. Now, of course, being a famous bassist is a bit of a contradiction, which is one of the things I asked Christian McBride about. Well, I always say being a famous jazz bass player is being like a famous plumber. Because I might not get invited to the party, but you need me.

13:49So when you were starting out, were you immediately into jazz? Was that your first love? No, I wanted to play with James Brown. Really? That was your thing? Yes, which I'm very happy to say I eventually did. But I grew up as an R &B kid, you know, And you actually got to play. You played with a lot of people, but you actually got to play with James Brown. I got to play with Mr. Brown, yes. And what about, what's it like meeting your heroes in the case of Mr. Brown? It's complicated. Yeah, that's what everybody says. We heard that he used to levy fines of his band members. If he screwed up. But that was standard practice for a lot of band leaders in the 40s and 50s.

14:26You know, Ray Charles did that. Lionel Hampton did that. Benny Goodman did that. That was part of the gig. You know, like if you screwed up,$10 coming out of your pay at the end of the night. Now, of course, James Brown kept that practice going long after everybody stopped going. Significant part of his income, I'm sure, by the end. Right. So when did you get into jazz? When I first started playing the double bass when I got to middle school, because I'd been playing the electric bass for a couple of years, my great uncle Howard who's the other bass player in the family he was so excited he said come over to my house I got something for you and now that he found out that I was playing the double bass he said hey I'm going to turn you on to the cats so he spent the whole day playing nothing but jazz albums for me and my great uncle had this very cool way of you know he would put a record on and he had a chair similar to this he would sit down he would sit way down like this he'd light up a cigarette and have a glass of wine and he would start playing air bass along with the record.

15:32And, you know, he would slap me on the arm and say, hey, listen to what Coltrane's about to do. And he pointed at the record, ooh, you hear that? And so it was so entertaining watching my great uncle listen to jazz. I said, well, if jazz makes him that cool, then I want to be cool too. So that one visit with my great uncle. Really? Yeah. Does he also do that during movies? Probably. Yeah. I don't know how many ensembles and groups you've started in your career, but my understanding is the latest one is called The New John. Actually, The New John is... I should say, for non-Philadelphians, that's not the name John.

16:15That's J-A-W-N. I actually have a new group since The New John. Oh, I'm sorry. So the new John is the old John. I see, yeah. Could you explain to non-Philadelphians what a John is? It's a person, place, or thing. You know, Joelle could have a new partner or whatever. Hey, you seen Joelle's new John? A new John. Really? Yeah. Well, it's interesting because I grew up in Atlanta, so Johnan, which is also, that's how, I guess at the place they call it the Dozens. Yeah. So when we're going back and forth, that's what we call Johnan. Well, see, John has different versions regionally. Like in New York, it's joint.

16:53Someone said in Memphis, this is funny, he said it's junt. Yeah, junt? It's junt, yeah. And so, you know, I don't know what it is on the West Coast. Yeah, who cares? Who cares? I'm sure Kendrick Lamar will tell us. Right, right. Well, Christian McBride, it is such a pleasure to talk to you in your hometown. and we have asked you back here to play a game we're calling Bass Pro meets Bass Pro. Oh, man. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! I was afraid. Really? You anticipated that? I was hoping it'd be baseball and not bass. Oh, boy. You ever been to a Bass Pro shop? No. No, okay. They're one of the best stores in the world.

17:37Yes, I love a Bass Pro shop. Exactly. That'd be fine. You contain moments. That was a good look to you. You're a world-renowned genius when it comes to the bass, the instruments. So what do you know about Bass, the pro shop? We're going to ask you three questions about the outdoor store that is not REI. Answer two out of three questions correctly. You'll win the prize for one of our listeners, the wait-waiter of their choice on their voicemail. Bill, who is jazz legend Christian McBride playing for? Chris Dunn of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Little town guy. All right.

18:10So Bass Pro Shops are famous for their enormous sales floors and the things on them, like giant aquariums, actual running streams through the floor and more. All of that natural beauty though can backfire, as in which of these cases? A, one store in Texas is now home to a family of geese who refuse to let anyone go near the camping supply section. B, at a shop in Florida, a man showed up with a net, scooped a 50-pound fish right out of the aquarium, and then just walked out with it. Or C, a store in Kansas was declared a protected environment for a species of endangered fish, and now nobody is allowed inside.

18:50Yeah, well, considering this is America, I would go with B. Right, meaning this is the place where people just go in there and take that fish. Right, right. Put a price tag on it. That's right. You're right, yes. That's what happened. And according to the store, according to the store, the thief, and perhaps for all we know, the fish, is still at large. Maybe he was rescuing it in a Finding Nemo kind of way. We don't know. Now, next question. One of the most famous bass pro shops is the one in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to being very popular, it is notable for one other reason. What is it?

19:22A, all of the fish in the aquarium are descendants of the fish that Elvis had in his aquarium. B, it has an actual moat you can test drive their motorboats in. Or C, it is located inside one of the largest pyramids in the world. Well, I know the arena where the Grizzlies play is actually called the Pyramid, right? I'm going to go with C. Yeah, it is. The pyramid was built for some civic purpose. That's a big junk. It's a big junk, yeah. It's meant to be a two-thirds scale model of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and just like that world wonder, it was also built by aliens. And now there's a Bass Pro Shops in it, which is pretty awesome.

20:08All right, here's your last question. Sadly, not everyone is happy with Bass Pro Shops. In fact, a man once filed a$5 million lawsuit against that company over what? A, the fact that he spent over$3 ,000 on premium fishing gear and still could not catch anything. That sounds American. B, they stopped replacing his$12 pair of socks after about 10 times, even though they had a lifetime guarantee. Or C, he got dysentery after getting thirsty in the middle of the store and taking a drink from one of the artificial trout streams. Wow. Oh. Well, I already got two out of three. You did, man.

20:51I'm actually going to go with A. You're going to go with A, the fact that he spent$3 ,000 on fishing gear and still couldn't catch anything. No, it was actually B. It was about the return of the socks. Bill, how did Christian McBride do in our quiz? Well, he's a winner. Two out of three. That's a win. Congratulations.

21:10Christian McBride is a Grammy-winning bassist and the artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival and the Jazz House Kids. Christian McBride, everybody.

21:24Last August, we talked to Diane Lane, who had been nominated for an Emmy at that time for her performance in the TV show Feud 45 years after making her film debut at the age of 14. She had been performing even before that, doing experimental theater in downtown New York and on tour in Europe. Peter asked her about the effect of that formative experience. I'm still in therapy about it. No, I'm kidding.

21:53the world was a different place then it was it was you know I wound there was no airport security we didn't need it I remember getting off the plane and running into my mother's arms and around my neck could have been anything but it was a five well maybe a two pound tortoise. And I had bought it on the River Seine in Paris because back in the day they sold animals by the river in Paris. Don't ask. So you came off the plane, you hold the tortoise out to your mother and your mother says what? She shrieked. And I had that turtle for years. His name was George. Turned out George was female. Did you know that the bottom side of a tortoise will reveal the gender because the male have a slight indentation curve so that they can mount the female.

22:46Oh. You know what I love? I love... That tortoise lied to me. I love the idea of you being on the set of your first big movie, A Little Romance, with Sir Laurence de LeBevier, and you telling him stories like this. It's adorable. I was much more two ears, one mouth around Lord Larry. I can imagine. you have played a comic book character in your case more comic book character adjacent but you played the mother of Superman Martha Kent famously this is the Henry Cavill Superman yes you're like okay was that his name okay yes so how have you found after all the other things you've done after being a well known person with your Rat Pack period to be like a star at Comic Con oh gosh I have I am such an introvert I I don't know how I would handle that so you've never been you didn't have to do that you didn't have to go to comic-con and all the superman fans were like I dodged it I did I chickened out I I was just those crowds they make me uh I have hajita as my friends say hajita you have hajita as they say in New York I how can a shy person be constantly on screen.

24:07Isn't that weird? Yes, I told you my therapist is rich. So the latest project you're in, it's a TV show. It is remarkable. It is called Feud. It's about a very real situation in New York society in the 60s and 70s when Truman Capote wrote a book that enraged his society friends, of whom you are one. Slim Keith. I portrayed Slim Keith. Slim Keith, who was a real person. Yes, socialite, extraordinaire A real maven, a real connector Of other people I don't know, I think of them as sort of Sassy pants, sassy pants people Sassy pants people That's what Truman Capote called them And that's what made them so mad You've been promoting This TV show all week And you've been asked about it and answering questions As you've done for us Before we move to the game, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?

25:02Is it? I don't feel safe suddenly. Oh, this is a safe space. This is a safe space. This is totally a safe space. If there is anything on your mind, Diane Lane. Would you like to talk more about the underside of turtles? For example? No, I'm open to talking pretty much about anything. I'm starting to sweat now, but that's okay. That's okay. All right. Well, we actually have something for you to talk about because we have invited you here to play a game that we're calling Swan versus Swan. So, as we've established in the TV series, you play one of the society ladies that Truman Capote called swans.

25:41So we thought we'd ask you about actual swans. The waterfowl. The bird. The bird. Answer two to three questions about swans correctly. You'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Any voice they might choose on their voicemail. So, Bill, who is Diane Lane playing for? Ryan McGee of Prescott, Arizona. Are you ready to do this? Sure. Okay. So here's your first question. Swans are notoriously temperamental, but one pair of swans had to be forcibly removed from a lake in Austria because they kept doing what? A, honking the melody of Abba's dancing queen, B, pooping on every single couple that were trying to take engagement photos at the lake, or C, attacking anyone who got near their nest, which didn't have any eggs, just a bunch of red Solo cups.

26:31Oh, it's got to be C. It is C. The swans apparently had mistaken these cups for their eggs and would attack anyone ferociously who dared to approach them. That was very good, and I liked your instincts. You know your animals, as we have established. Now, probably the most famous swan is, of course, the ugly duckling, right, from the beloved children's story. Spoiler alert. I'm sorry. Wow, just cut right to the end there That's the story, of course, that teaches kids That everyone is beautiful in their own way And you shouldn't accept the judgment of others In the original version of the story The ugly duckling is finally approached By a group of regal swans Ready to claim him as their own What is the first thing The ugly duckling says to them?