Home Alone, Gordon Ramsay & Making Friends

0:14Romesh Ranganathan:Welcome to the Wolf and Out podcast. Extra special. Email special. The correspondence episodes I've been told to call them. Yeah, correspondence episodes where you correspond to us at wolfoulpod at gmail.com and we correspond back baby that's what we're here for. It's a correspondence life. That's the correspondence life. Right. Correspond this. Oh, yeah. You like correspondence? Oh, you got it. Have you ever appeared in anything as an American? No. Okay. I, for so long, wanted to be American. Like a schoolboy. Like Dawson. I was obsessed with Dawson's Creek for too long. Do you want to read any of these emails?

0:57Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, I'm quite happy. Do you want to do it in an American accent? Okay. Okay. Anxious Axolotty. Axolotty here. Before Christmas, Tom mentioned it played on his mind during Home Alone. They made fun of Buzz's girlfriend, who he was worried about. And God, I've already messed up. He's got a bit of Shawshank Redemption. Yeah, yeah. Do you want to start again? First of all, it's Axolotl. Okay. Axolotl. Do you want me to do more Dawson? Yeah, go on. Okay, bouncy. Okay. Anxious Axolotl here. Axolotl. Before Christmas, Tom mentioned it played on his mind that during Home Alone, they made fun of Buzz's girlfriend, who he was worried was a real person that he used to get a cheap laugh.

1:42Can I just stop you there?

1:44Romesh Ranganathan:It's fine what you're doing, but you've put so much on that. I don't know if people need a bit of catching up on what we're talking about here. No, we'll do that after. Okay, fine. Let's do that about after, okay? It's just that Axelotl is about to reveal the ending of this. so I'm trying to set up a bit of tension so we talked about Home Alone and Macaulay Culkin, what's his kid's name? Kevin McAllister takes a piss out of Buzz's girlfriend and says woof and then you expressed concern and I seconded that that there was a little girl out there who was forever going to be canonised and would never be able to get the joy from Home Alone that Home Alone brings so many There you go.

2:29Romesh Ranganathan:So that's what he's referring to, that's all. Or she. Yeah. Just want to put his mind at ease. It's actually documented it was a member of the crew's son in a wig. Hope this helps, Tom. And it goes to show just what a legend just was. I was there as well, by the way. But hang on. Well, yeah. Love the show and keep doing what you're doing, guys. Ha! I'm a recent convert at Wofford and Al, and for a long time I felt I was cheating on parenting hell, but now managed to dual parent the two shows, Gil Free. It's me, it's Richard, your new friend. So you think Americans pronounce it wolf? Wolf, wolf, wolf, wolf.

3:06The wolf for now. It's not wolf, is it? Yeah, it depends which bit of America you're from.

3:11Romesh Ranganathan:Which bit of America they're saying wolf? By the way, I just literally think of a... It's wolf, isn't it? Wolf. I think of a person rather than the actual... Which person was that? What, when I was doing that accent? Yeah. Sort of middle management guy. So not actually a... No, no, I can't do impressions. Wolf. Wolf. Wolf. I see you. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney+. It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. Go, go, go, go! A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only purest thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney+. It will be an adventure for the whole family.

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4:24He was a wolf. He was an owl.

4:26Romesh Ranganathan:Do you think it's better that it was a boy? Now that boy's forever in that thing. No, but I think it was probably done as a sort of, there was a bit of a jovial way of doing it. I mean, there's different things. Some people say it was the set designer's kid. Some people say it's the director's kid. But I think it's really what I've, because a lot of people got in touch about that, and it put my mind at ease. Because you were worried, weren't you? Terribly so. Because it's a really fun film. Grace, by the way, has just mastered how to do the, she does the whole thing the whole yeah it's very cute you say the whole thing that's just no washing oh she does she washes yeah she does the whole thing of going I put under my arms and yeah it's very cute do you think you can make that film now?

5:15well Home Alone

5:16Romesh Ranganathan:yeah why not well I just think they've made a TV series of it yeah but it's not I will say since she's watched that she's become a lot more casual with her violence well that's exactly the point I was going to make. Yeah, kicking. When I fell down the stairs, she found it hilarious. Well, didn't she like swing a bowling ball into your face from the top of the stairs? Let's try the micro machines on the stairs. But she found it. It took her a while for her not to... I mean, a lot of it, it's very Carter. You know, like, because you know in Tom and Jerry, they always just have a go about Tom and Jerry.

5:44Romesh Ranganathan:That's what Itchy and Scratchy took the piss out of. Yeah. Because like, it's like violence. What happened to Itchy and Scratchy? They had it all. What do you mean? They had it all, didn't they? What are you talking about? smashed it they were smashing it they could have had a spin-off so close for them you're gonna taste it at one point itching scratchy i'd say almost surpass the simpsons i'm pretty sure they did episodes of itching scratchy spin-offs really almost certainly yeah but you don't want to just watch itching scratchy the whole time do you think they were genius they were so surreal and just yeah it wasn't that i mean it was it was just tom and jerry turned up there was yeah there was an element to it that had a little bit of laughing sort of breaking the fourth wall going hey you're a part of this too, friend.

6:26Whereas Tom and Jerry's felt very about them and their relationship.

6:29Romesh Ranganathan:Itching Scratchy's about them as well. Yeah, yeah, but it felt that there was more of a door open to saying, come in, we're friends. Whereas Tom and Jerry felt like. Why? No, no, no. I'm not going to let you get away with this. No. How did they do that? Just because they were a bit more whacking. What was it when Scratchy stuck a missile up Itchy's arse? No, but it was a bit more sort of tongue-in-cheek. Or when he staple-gunned his tongue to a plank of wood. It was a bit more tongue-in-cheek. I'd have to sit and watch an episode together. And then I'd say, there. And you'd go, oh, I see. Yeah, that's good.

6:54Romesh Ranganathan:Itchy and Scratchy is just Tom and Jerry. It's not. It's so much. There's so much more going on. No, but Itchy and Scratchy was a statement about Tom and Jerry. Yeah, it was. But then it surpassed even Tom and Jerry. In what way? It just became bigger and better and more. Itchy and Scratchy. Listen. By the way, there's Itchy and Scratchy world now. The Simpsons world. Yeah, I know that. Yeah. It's within the Simpsons world. Yeah, I know. yeah but they've got tom and jerry have got nothing now it's sad but it's that's probably an age thing isn't it time thing yeah i think you know there's lots of people i don't know what our demographic is for this podcast lots of people going who are these who the fuck are they talking about do you know every time when uh yeah yeah um thomas's owner yeah or yeah yeah why do you get so nervous about that no i'm just like you went thomas's owner but then you reacted like you thought that might get you no there's an element is that his owner yeah or is it you know i mean is it just someone having a go at a cat who doesn't live there because she's not very like she never really strokes him she's always shouting at him you know i mean it's not i think if you saw a cat in your house the first thing i wouldn't do is give it a name no but if you knew it it's like three doors down right we have a cat that comes to our garden all the time looking to make friends with my cat also the other the other thing is by the way there's an awful thing at the moment My cat's trying to, I think, he tries to jump in the toilet all the time.

8:15I don't know what's going on.

8:16Romesh Ranganathan:Why do you keep putting your shits in a little string? My butt is. Can I just say, by the way, I did a gig the other night with Gratz and Dinesh. Which one of these guys is? No, I did a poo that was so vulgar that the guy running the gig literally had to walk out and leave the room. and it was not in that i literally drifted in and din was the dinesh is the soap if that was you you rinse me you tear him din's so polite but i bought them both pizza and neither of them could eat the pizza it was so bad we were just all sat there and i was like i'm so sorry and din was like no it's really not that bad and i was like din it's disgusting it's it's completely taken away he was like i can't really smell it and grats was just up like head against the wall it's It was one of those.

9:04It was awful.

9:05Romesh Ranganathan:I am. I. When I did Misadventures of Rommel Shranganation in the Arctic. The guy that I was with, Johnny Issalak. Yeah. Issalak, sorry. He was. Cool name, by the way. He was like. He could do anything in life. He was like my co-host. Right. And he only hit me exclusively. Because he's just hunting. Yeah. He didn't really have vegetables. Anyway. We were getting a flight out of the Canadian Arctic. Yeah. And he did a fart. bearing in mind it's you know I'm not talking about Heathrow it's like a small terminal hub he did a fart that was so toxic he emptied the terminal what? yeah everybody left the building oh my god yeah I mean I'm talking like 40, 50 people but still did he reference it or he was proud wow I was about to say he didn't give a shit but I imagine he did shortly after that based on how it smelled Johnny Isak that's a cool thing yeah he's an actor as well he's a great guy anyway thank you so much for clearing up for us that's really that's great that's the kind of stuff we love on the podcast isn't it yeah yeah do you hear that sounds like breakfast is ready because Quaker's coming in hot with morning nutrition 100 % whole grain oats and a good source of fibre to fuel the rhythm of your morning and kickstart your day and that sounds absolutely delicious Fuel to start whatever's next.

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11:25I mean

11:26Romesh Ranganathan:it's a very specific fucking direction it's easy come on

11:39just bloody hell

11:42Romesh Ranganathan:just listen to Tom's dish man in the garden and I'd watch out putting him on the same list as Jamie Oliver wow wow you know he's been awarded 17 Michelin stars in his time and currently holds eight oh dear oh dear that's actually insane yeah that's really good that was yeah you can literally conveyed exactly yeah anyway the point is actually meant to be quite a threatening email by the way yeah i mean the truth is you went in two-footed on gordon ramsay yeah yeah i would i would go as far as to say if you were that way inclined three-footed i mean you you called him the jake paul yeah cooking yeah you said that you could go toe-to-toe with him in a cook-off.

12:26Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah. He implied it, certainly. Yeah? Yeah. You said that the only reason he's got anywhere is because of his personality. No. That is basically the gist of what you said. Right, can I just say, I want to clear up a few things. Look, the Jake Paul thing, what I meant by that is he's got an attitude about him. Don't start repeating, don't compound the crime by repeating all of the things he said again. But when Catherine listened to this back, she said, you're basically the Jake Paul in the situation, Tom. Right. And he's like, the Tyson Fury or the Anthony Joshua yeah that makes I get that analogy yeah yeah and you're bad mouthing someone who's actually really really good I will say chefing wise I don't obviously he's one of the best ever right I will say we didn't say any of this by the way previous time now he's I've said he's the best ever he's a very good chef because your arse has gone a little bit because you're nervous because you're publicly you're on a public forum you've gone in on him yeah but I will say this I would stand I would go to to stay with him and see what happens.

13:25Romesh Ranganathan:I want to talk to you a little bit about the psychology of this. Yeah. Because I want you to imagine you listen to a podcast and they start ripping into your acting or your stand-up. Which has happened. On a podcast? I don't know about a podcast but I'm aware of conversations. Yeah, obviously that happens. Obviously, you don't need to stipulate that it happens. Obviously it happens in public, in chats. Can I just say, by the way, this is more about me than Gordon Ramsay. I think Gordon Ramsay is really good at what he does. This is such a fucking 180. you said because he shouts a bit and swears a lot that's where he's got to where he's no no no no no as a personality are you telling me that when if you're a like if you're a channel a broadcaster a streamer looking for someone to host a tv show as a chef that when you see gordon ramsey you go this is gold because of it that was not going to be like a disparaging not horrible remark my thing was he's got you've gone right around the house no no but when you watch it no the shout in the attitude the swearing all of those things right don't get me wrong I stand by what I said but a lot of that added to the illusion of the the whole sort of brand that became Gordon Ramsay illusion what do you think I think he's quite a nice chap in real life by the way if you meet him he's one of the most gentles so not only can he not cook the personality's fake as well no no he's a lovely man he's not authentic no I think he's real when he's in the kitchen when he's outside the kitchen he's like a fighter inside the inside the kitchen he's a killer outside of it.

14:53He's a lovely gentle man. I think he's a beautiful human being. But what I'm saying to you... Wow.

14:59Romesh Ranganathan:You have fucking folded on this so pathetically. No, I'm just saying to you, but I'd still go toe-to-toe. And I still think... Toe-toe with what? In what? I don't know. Cooking a big omelette or something. An omelette. You think... Tom. Actually, not an omelette. I'm not very good at omelettes. Okay, fine. Name something. Okay, what I could go toe... That you're really good at making. Scrambled egg? fuck off Tom souffle you think you can do a better souffle than Gordon Ramsay given a little bit of practice currently holds eight Michelin stars given a direct quote from ten seconds ago given a bit of practice I think he's probably quite rusty as well he's like an old champion Tom can I tell you this Gordon Ramsay could be in a car accident he's in a coma for nine years they bring him round with some smelling salts and you have spent the interim exclusively making souffles.

15:56Romesh Ranganathan:Right, yeah, yeah. They wheel him out of the hospital, they get him straight into the kitchen. His souffle will still be better than yours. Mate, I'm just telling you, well, you know, have you ever had one of my souffles? No. You wouldn't even eat them anyway. No. You've got eggs and stuff. Correct. I think. Have you made a souffle? I've made a souffle. Which souffle did you make? I've made a cheese souffle, a three-cheese souffle. Okay, great. Well, I'm just saying to you now, my thing is, a lot of it is about the branding. Right. It's all of the stuff around it. That's what made him this absolute legend that we all adore, right?

16:28Romesh Ranganathan:I don't know what I'm more appalled by, your initial comments or this absolute ring-licking. Do you know what? I'll tell you what you could cook with right now. He's arsehole, as squeaky clean as it is. I'm just saying that that... Do you think he can cook, though? Yeah. To what level? He's a very good cook. He's a very good chef. He's a decent chef. Very good chef. Decent chef. I will say that. I don't think it's an insult comparing him to Jamie Oliver. I mean, that did cause some concerns. Yeah, can I just... Yeah, but I think Jamie Oliver's a really... Jamie Oliver, by the way, young upstart.

17:05He's a bit like the kid out of Ratatouille. Do you know what I mean?

17:07Romesh Ranganathan:He's 50 now, isn't he? How old is he? No, I'm just... How old's Jamie Oliver? No, I'm just saying to you, Jamie Oliver's rise to fame is a bit like the kid from Ratatouille. He's 50 years old. Yeah. But when he was a youngster, he was like a pot cleaner and all that, and he learned how to use leather ropes. Yeah. He's basically, by the way, I think he inspired the story of Ratatouille. I don't know. Definitely. Not because of the rat bit, but anyone could cook. Jamie Oliver inspired Ratatouille. Maybe Google that, because I actually think there's an element of truth. What's happened here is, you can't stomach it with Gordon Ramsay.

17:41Romesh Ranganathan:I love Jamie Oliver, by the way. Jamie Oliver's great. Yeah, he's a sweetheart. As is Gordon Ramsay. They're both excellent chefs. Exactly. Incredible chefs. exactly so why is the insult me saying that Jamie Oliver's as good as Gordon Ramsay that I don't understand but I think because Gordon Ramsay has achieved more yeah but Jamie Oliver's such a sweet sweet guy yeah and they both are so what I'm saying is it's like I don't know you turning around like an insult being thrown at me about oh you're this comedian anyone who is doing professional comedy is good at what they do right no I don't stand by that no that is mental anyway thank you so much for your email.

18:22I will remain anonymous if that's okay. I turned 40 last year and my amazing wife wanted to throw me a birthday party to celebrate. The idea of this kept me awake at night for a while. Not the social anxiety of the party itself, but the realization that I don't have any friends to invite to it. I have a lot of family that will come and see me and we have a couple of friends all from her side of the fence but no one that would just be my friend no one i keep in contact with while i'm happy with my life occasionally i think it would be nice to be able to message a mate and go for a pint and a chat and chat shit for a few hours i'm not sure you can make new friends at post 40 should i be embarrassed not to have those friends and who do and how do you change it i'm not a weirdo or anything people tend to like me just apparently not enough to sustained ongoing contact any help much appreciated love the pod and the manager electrolytes keep up the good work by the way yeah email's been in clear well i'm glad that that was in there because manager really needs a shot in the arm does it really what's going on i was really suffering why what's going on well we don't know what to do how to push it more i mean this guy's actually i mean i feel like we should deal with the pressing but you're not wearing any manager merch now which seems like an opportunity missed yeah yeah no no i should yeah i we should actually you'd probably start working more and like having a managerial bottle here, really upping the overlap sort of vibe of what they do with Huel.

19:41But yeah, anyway. By the way, you should start this because I usually start when I read them.

19:48Romesh Ranganathan:Oh yeah, okay. Thank you so much for your message.

19:55Romesh Ranganathan:It feels like you're beating yourself up about not having anybody that you're friends with or go for a part with. I think that's a pretty common thing. It's like... I think that a lot of the time I think about the number of people you talk to on a day-to-day basis but then when you drill that down to who could you actually phone right now to go for a part with those type of people are hard to come by and particularly when you get older everyone gets busy Tom and I are best mates but it's quite difficult for us to pin each other I looked at the amount of people that I don't talk to anymore as friends and not that I've fallen out with these people or I just, you know, you felt like I've drifted away.

20:37But I felt like that on my 40th, I will say.

20:39Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, I would say, in my opinion, I think when you're in your 20s and probably in your 30s, I think you sort of make, you can't move for making friends because you're in these social situations and then all of, you know, you exchange a number and all that. As you get older, I actually, you can make friends post 40. I do think the difference is is that you have to actively do that so in the past everyone's looking for friends right because your evenings are made up of meeting up with people what does that mean we all know why we're there friendship's quite cheap it's second hand sometimes you meet a friend for a friend no not that it started to work as an attitude and then you started to become yourself but like i think that you know you're you're constantly looking to go out whereas when people get older actually going out is something you fit in alongside family or whatever else you've got going on and so what that means is is you're not putting it out there to try and make friends right yeah and so actually you can make friends but you have to make it in my opinion something that you're trying to do for the first thing i'll say is there's nothing to be ashamed about about your situation lots of people have that situation i have that sometimes i'll go to lisa i've got a free night or whatever she's out and i think i might pop out and i think the fuck am i gonna go give me a shout i'll probably do yeah but you're so far away yeah but um so that distance by the way not in like yeah and it's sort of emotional and intellectually spiritually but um i i don't think that's the thing to be ashamed of i don't think you start getting down about it but if you want to be in a situation you've got friends i think the difference when you're post 40 to sort of reiterate the point i make it is you just got to be a bit more proactive about it and look to often you'll find people that you didn't think were up for going for a drink want to do you know what i mean people do want to get you know and what i would say is going out for like when you get above 40 going out on a big one is not as common a thing but just literally popping out for a drink yeah nice curry whatever all of that good times i always think it's a little bit like a film in some ways okay is it a film about a car boot sale no no it's like early early years like like it's like when you switch on itv2 right and if a movie's like you know sort of 15 minutes in you'll go i'll watch this i've only missed 15 minutes you know even if it's halfway through you might watch it but once it gets to the sort of dynamics of the movie you're not going to watch like the last 15 minutes of layer cake i'm not sure what this analogy is so you won't make friends on after what because they're going to die soon i'm just like have you seen the best bits have you've seen the best bits of the movie already what are the highlights this does not hold up at all people are not you're not going i don't think i'll go out of a drink with you i think you've had all your highlights i think all the action sequences in your life are done well i think most of mine are but i had some action sequence let me tell you in my 20s but i look at it now and think yeah i'm like and but i'd actually say some of the best the best people i've met have been in the last sort of six years seven years i've met some great people after 40 that I look out and go, I don't think you should be embarrassed.