A SPINONLINE CONFERENCE WITHBRUCE MCCULLOCH OF KIDS IN THE HALLJoin us every Wednesday night in the SPIN Lounge / ColiseumWednesday, April 12, 1995 9:00 pm ET.OnlineHost : Copyright 1995 America Online, Inc.OnlineHost : To send your question to the speaker, click on the Interact icon, then use the Ask a Question option.OnlineHost : Best-known as Kathy with a "K," Gavin, and Cabbage Head Man, with the Canadian comedy troupe, The Kids in the Hall, Bruce McCulloch is also a playwright, film-maker, and musician.OnlineHost : Falling somewhere between spoken-word, folk, rock, and comedy, McCulloch's new album, "Shame-Based Man," is a musical journey through the
depths of dysfunctional, needy love and the lonely
lives of the trapped, inebriated, and out-of-shape.OnlineHost : Tonight is your opportunity to find out how and why McCulloch knows this terrain so well. (Jim Morrison fans in the audience are welcome to leave now. Bruce does not like you. There's an interesting discussion over in the Mobile Business Forum that you may enjoy) Before you leave, however, be sure to stop into the SPINonline Multimedia Gallery and download some pictures and sound clips off of McCulloch's new album.OnlineHost : Without further delay, Bruce McCulloch... : Bruce is in Toronto tonight. He has a ghost typist, so don't blame him for typos and misspellings.NapSPIN : Hi Bruce.BruceMcClh : Hello thereNapSPIN : Let's get some questions going.Question : Have you always been musical, Bruce? Do you play any instruments on your new album?BruceMcClh : Um, I played Recorder in grade 3 but then the spit
started to scare me. I don't play anything on my
new record. The world desn't need another guitaristQuestion : Will any music videos be made for any tracks on "Shame-Based Man"?BruceMcClh : I will be making one. I don't know which one yet, maybe
answering machine? I made a short film of Eraserhead for SNL. And maybe we'll use that as the videoNapSPIN : I'd just like to say that we called Bruce (He's in Toronto right now) and he does, in fact screen... his calls.BruceMcClh : yes i doQuestion : for bruce mcculloch: Will you eventually direct a feature film? I think your short films are brilliant!BruceMcClh : Well thank you Sir or Madam, unless of course you are a group of people.
I will direct a feature. I've written one
called : "Work" That Lorne Michaels' company
is setting up for meNapSPIN : GrClemon : Question : Bruce.. why wasn't the Terrier song on your album (which is amazing by the way)? Any hopes of it being a B-side on a CD single or
something? Is there a single?BruceMcClh : Oh, Terrier's I've forgot all about it. I knew I had forgotten something & I kept thinking it was Happy Birthday The Terriers....It seems to much to me like
the days I know & since I've bought a poodleNapSPIN : Jaquineta :BruceMcClh : I don't want to be a phoneyQuestion : Is there any hope of a Kids in the Hall Reunion?BruceMcClh : Well sad to say contrary to popular belief the Kids in the Hall have not broken up In fact we are together in a room eating
sandwiches discussing the production schedule
on a film we are doing this summerNapSPIN : Tell us more about the film KITH are working on...BruceMcClh : We're not supposed to talk about it but I will. It's called "The Drug" although Scott hates the title It's a narrative about a ficticious Drug that moves through
society and we're still writing itQuestion : To fill the necessary US conference "Barbara Walters" requirement: If you are what you eat, what are you?BruceMcClh : Coffee Water Coffee and most importantly myselfQuestion : Do you plan on doing movies like the SNL crew?BruceMcClh : I might do some more short films but as far as BIG TIME
COMEDY I'm more interested in doing my own stuff
or stuff with the kidsQuestion What is the character from Kids in the Hall that you relate
to the most?BruceMcClh : Well it changes. For a while I thought it was Cabbage Head When I thought I was going through a bad time for
about an hour one night I thought it was the flying
pig and now as I sit in my glasses watching TV I think it's KathyQuestion : I heard you killed a man before, is that true? and if so what did you use to get the flesh out from under your fingernails?BruceMcClh : Clearly if I killed a man or, say, a group of men, I wouldn't as we used to say around the warehouse, "Blab about it."Question : Bruce, are you happy or angry at Mark McKinney getting the lead role in TALKRADIO?BruceMcClh : Well I'm confused 'cause it's Dave who got the lead but don't worry I always mix those guys up too and
in truth I mix up happy & angry alotQuestion : Bruce: how does it feel to be an international sex symbol?BruceMcClh : Well I haven't spoken to Fabio recently but I hope returns my lipstick written letter. I'll tell you one dayQuestion : Bruce, how did you come up with the flying pig skit ?BruceMcClh : I was walking past a bank machine and as i always do I imagine weird things going on around me I thought of the flying pig it seemed and idea
too stupid for our show but i wrote it up anywayQuestion : I have been getting disconected from AOL constantly. Usually 2-3 times per use. It is stating an error in my manager.aol. What can I do to stop this?? BruceMcClh : Go to the graveyard and complain about your enemies and look to the stars for what you need that or consult your handbook that should be located on your desk between your phonebook and your bibleNapSPIN : User friendly. You should be a tech support guy.Question : Brucio, what do you think about the writing on Saturday Night Live and how much more of your work will you be contributing? BruceMcClh : I haven't seen SNL it sounds like bullsh*t but it's trueQuestion : What other bands do you listen to (are you
influenced by) other than The Doors? (BTW, the album's GREAT!) - Kristin Egan & Jen WuBruceMcClh : Well finally you guys took you long enough to call in I love of course the tragicly hip the black crowes they might be giants and all that other stuff that
you like tooQuestion : Bruce where are you?BruceMcClh : where I always am: in my beanbag chair with my unicorn shirt
on, watching the NewsQuestion : Bruce, what is your current love situation?BruceMcClh : Ummm...hehe pause.............................NapSPIN : let the record show bruce paused.BruceMcClh : ................................................................. ...............................................Question : I love the show. But one question. Why is it that you crossdress so much? It seems...weird, yet
strangely humorous.BruceMcClh : Well, we're five guys. we started in Canada where as
you may know there are no Women truthfully there
are 3 women but we're not good enough for themNapSPIN : Bruce can you tell us about the band you worked with on the new album?BruceMcClh : The Band was spear-headed by axesmith genius and one of
my oldest friends Brian Connelly Who is the
Guitarist from our house band, The Shadowy Men
on a Shadowy Planet, and Bobby Wiseman who had
records out on his own that are fantastic plus the other people like the cello player say.. or just people we woke up in the middle of the night and made them come help usQuestion : Do you still eat things for money?BruceMcClh : Yeah, I eat money for money but unfortunately I always
break evenQuestion : Name your favorite KITH character?BruceMcClh : Buddy Cole but will that guy shut up!....I actually really love one of Marks newer characters called the please please please guyQuestion : Hi Bruce. I want to know who chooses the opera that are in some of your sketches. Do you like opera?BruceMcClh : Um...I like marching band music. You know, High school
marching band music. And the music is chosen probably chosen by whoever wrote the scene your looking at. In my case, I usually choose
the music firstQuestion : Do you watch the show News Radio?BruceMcClh : I have not seen it but i heard it's very good & uh...Question : when did you find out that you wanted to go
into comedyBruceMcClh : When i went to buisness school I took a two year course in business and it only lasted two months i started doing improv comedy & I thought to myself "finally............."Question : Bruce, you have directed some great episodes for KITH. Do you have any influences in your filmmaking?BruceMcClh : Well I actually I like rock videos in a way I like Roman
Polanski and David Lynch I guess and thank you
by the wayQuestion : Why the title "Shame-Based Man?"BruceMcClh : Good question. I almost called it spoken weather man I don't know why either. I think "Shame-Based Man" means that everything we've ever done & seen is in us every hangover or time we yelled at waitness is in us is that too serious?Question : What will you be doing now that Kids in the Hall is overBruceMcClh : Umm...keep working. I always think that I am a writer and i've been writing furiosly with the troupe and on my own & I'm doing a lot of stuff that in truth it is too soon to talk aboutQuestion : Will you marry me?BruceMcClh : Although I enjoy your persistance having not met you and not being what we used to call the marrying kind I have to say regretfully my sweet love soft shimmering no...............NapSPIN : That was, perhaps, the most touching moment I've ever seen in an AOL conference room.Question : Will you be touring the East Coast again?BruceMcClh : The troupe when we get drunk and hopped-up on pancakes like to talk about the BIG tour but....as of yet we havn't quite figured out a time when we are all
free we hope to do some shows or a "tour" as rock
bands call it when our film is doneNapSPIN : Are you going to be touring for your new album -- by yourself or with your band?BruceMcClh : I've talked about it with the record company. in the
states & canada I would like to do some shows just a few if i can figure out times to do itQuestion : Where did you get the inspiration for Gavin? Were there ever any Gavin concepts or skits that never made it?BruceMcClh : I don't know where I got the inspiration for the young Gavin I will say that the first Gavin though I sat down &
wrote in about 5 minutes so I think that character must have been knocking around inside me for a while & I have or had...lots of Gavin ideas that I never wrote up but I guess we can all say that
about all our charactersQuestion : Are you still friends with any of the other Kids in the Hall?BruceMcClh : Although I forget their specific names & the features on
their faces, I love them very much & see them all
the timeQuestion : Bruce, love ya, babe! I drove all the way to Toronto from Chicago, just to wait in line to maybe get a seat at 'Kids'. Tell me, how do you feel about Dave's recent 'Kids' bashing?BruceMcClh : First of all the such a long journey just to stand in line next time you should drive from Chicago and
actually see us and I don't think Dave has done a
KITH bashing. it should all be taken with a sense of
humorQuestion : Did Lorne Michaels ask all the Kids to be on SNL?BruceMcClh : I don't think so. It would be weird if we were....no?Question : Bruce, what inspired the roadkill scraper guy sketch? And what does it mean?BruceMcClh : Well, like a lot of my stuff I don't know what it means when I write something. I usually think of am image or a line of dialogue. For me it was a guy lying
in bed staring at a fly. I wrote it from there I guess though...it's about a guy who dropped out of
high school and could never forget itQuestion : I think Kids in the Hall are comic geniuses. I'm reminded of Monty Python. Does the show have outside writers, or does all the creative juice come from the Kids.BruceMcClh : Well. I'm sad to say I haven't seen any new shows lately. What's up? BruceMcClh : young friend there are over 750,000 writing any kids in the hall
show I know that may sound like a lot but in truth where was a couple of guys who really didn't write
that much at allQuestion : How do you like Dave Foley's new sitcom? His hair looks sad. We miss the'Kids'...BruceMcClh : his hair looks sad.... (laughing) what a cool thing to say I haven't seen his show but we are getting together
tomorrow at noon & I promise I will sneak a good
look at that hairQuestion : Is the french-canadian god awful pop star
Mitsou in any way have to do with tammy? why didn't she get a song?BruceMcClh : Uh...I think Tammy is a bit like Mitsou I somehow thought
she was like Marilyn Monroe. I don't think like
in looks or something, but poutQuestion : Do you want your own tv series, too?BruceMcClh : I had my own TV series. It was fun. It was a lot of work I am tiredQuestion : Do you have a method for creating your material? Does it just come to you or do you have to force yourself to brainstorm?BruceMcClh : Um...I write a lot but only when I want remember two things or i always try to: 1: all writing is improv 2: everything you write doesn't have to be goodQuestion : Do you identify strongly with Jim Morrison--his life as well as his music??BruceMcClh : Not really. I see more angst & pain in the work of the
Pet Shop Boys than in Mr. MQuestion : Bruce do you smoke marijuana?BruceMcClh : No I haven't in years & years. Something about the way people hold it & pass around that I've never understoodQuestion : Where did "Kids in the Hall" get their start?? In high school or something??BruceMcClh : I knew Mark Mckinny since Calgary we worked togetherBruceMcClh : in collegeBruceMcClh : doing improvBruceMcClh : & writing scenesBruceMcClh : we moved to torontoBruceMcClh : & met up with the other guysBruceMcClh : I think that's how it happenedBruceMcClh : or else we were astronauts.......BruceMcClh : it's all a blur now.....NapSPIN : Zelig 1 : Question : bruce, do you believe in an afterlife? if so, for recording. please explain your idea of itBruceMcClh : .well thats a good question isn't it..........BruceMcClh : um...BruceMcClh : I think after ones deadBruceMcClh : other people in their familyBruceMcClh : bolt through thier stufff & devide itBruceMcClh : that my friend...NapSPIN : Trypps : Question : if you could be any bodypart of any celebrity, what part and who?BruceMcClh : Why does it have to be a celebrityBruceMcClh : why can't it be a security gueard or a cab driverBruceMcClh : i guess if i have to answer...NapSPIN : so you would rather be a cabbie part?BruceMcClh : & i do....BruceMcClh : i would beBruceMcClh : um.....BruceMcClh : a news woman clavicleNapSPIN : Stansrock : Question : If you could seperate your head from your body , how much do you think it would weigh?NapSPIN : long silence....BruceMcClh : if i could seperate my head from my bodyBruceMcClh : i don't think i'd be weighing itBruceMcClh : wouldn't i be in VegasBruceMcClh : making a lot of money doing showsBruceMcClh : maybe i'll end up there anywayNapSPIN : Arioso01 : Question : Are you a member of AOL, or are you just doing them a favor?BruceMcClh : they phoned meBruceMcClh : which is hard `cause i dont have a phone or a computerBruceMcClh : i would like to be a memberBruceMcClh : but looking up things in the library used to seemBruceMcClh : it scares meNapSPIN : How did working on the album compare to your TV work? Do you prefer one medium over the other? BruceMcClh : in a simple wayBruceMcClh : it's not that differentBruceMcClh : both of themBruceMcClh : are figuring out what the best way to convey or play with an ideaBruceMcClh : truthfullyBruceMcClh : it was more funBruceMcClh : but maybe that's just because i hadn't done it beforeNapSPIN : Rogue Ldr : Question : Have The Kids always got along, or is there a lot of bickering?BruceMcClh : we don't fight about anythingBruceMcClh : were the best of friendsBruceMcClh : we find it easier to sew each other & remain as close as everNapSPIN : BitterEwe :Question : Any future plans for the Gavin character? And your music - what's next?BruceMcClh : well one thingBruceMcClh : i won't be doing is the Gavin RapBruceMcClh : if i didBruceMcClh : you could comeBruceMcClh : & take my teeth out with a hunting knifeBruceMcClh : i don't know whats next for GavinBruceMcClh : i think it would be intestingBruceMcClh : if you got one of those little mustachesBruceMcClh : that we used to call pube-mustachesNapSPIN : Helen31 : Question : Hi, Bruce! Love your album. This one comes from Chris Stipp: which one of the sketchesQuestion : you contributed to the KITH show was the most challenging to do?BruceMcClh : the worst thing i ever didBruceMcClh : i terms of shear physical painBruceMcClh : was the flying pigBruceMcClh : i hung in a harnessBruceMcClh : for hours...........BruceMcClh : whenever anything is rotten in my lifeBruceMcClh : i think to myselfBruceMcClh : lot better than the flying pigBruceMcClh : but to showBruceMcClh : how truly stupid i amBruceMcClh : after i'd done oneBruceMcClh : i did anotherNapSPIN : An1182 : Question : Who is your favorite commediane?BruceMcClh : um...BruceMcClh : laura KitlingerBruceMcClh : SNLNapSPIN : Kilobyte9 :Question : Bruce, are you going to be a regular on SNL? Oh yeah, would you and Mark like to come toQuestion : my house for dinner?BruceMcClh : I'm confussed BruceMcClh : those were two seperate offersBruceMcClh : i guess the firstBruceMcClh : depends on what you can cookNapSPIN : Eeyore123 :Question : I heard you were in some way connected with the O.J. trial. Is that true?BruceMcClh : yesNapSPIN : Kim38DDD : Question : How much would my head be worth if it were made of veal????BruceMcClh : wellBruceMcClh : first i mustBruceMcClh : demiseBruceMcClh : your not is not made of vealBruceMcClh : i would guess 100000 dollarsBruceMcClh : seeing I've never priced or bought vealBruceMcClh : so..BruceMcClh : when you go to the bankBruceMcClh : to get you student loanBruceMcClh : just point at your ear & say 100,000BruceMcClh : trust meNapSPIN : JH3fan : Question : Did you enjoy your interview with Juliana Hatfield in "Raygun"?BruceMcClh : yeah she was coolBruceMcClh : but those things are always weirdBruceMcClh : it's like whenBruceMcClh : you meet up with someoneBruceMcClh : & they like youBruceMcClh : & you like their stuffBruceMcClh : but your not sure exactly what you should say..NapSPIN : Is this even more weird? We just met but seem to have great rapport already.BruceMcClh : Yes, although thousands of miles awayBruceMcClh : through the online & the phoneBruceMcClh : i feel it tooNapSPIN : Hemoglobn : Question : i liked your album but what was the kids in the hall could you explain?BruceMcClh : this 45 year periodBruceMcClh : just after my birthBruceMcClh : where we wroteBruceMcClh : 10,000 scenes about businessmenBruceMcClh : & then one dayBruceMcClh : then van dropped us offNapSPIN : Beatles29 : Question : What is your favorite flavor of jello?BruceMcClh : I have something very sad to tell youBruceMcClh : & i hope you don't BruceMcClh : work in a jello warehouseBruceMcClh : jello is made from cows-hoovesBruceMcClh : so i guess if i had to have a favorite flavor BruceMcClh : it would be calf hoofNapSPIN : What a great question to close the interview. We'd like to thank Bruce McCulloch for stopping by.BruceMcClh : I'd like to thank everyone NapSPIN : Any last words? BruceMcClh : Rock on Baby Jesus!NapSPIN : Rock on.NapSPIN : Thanks Bruce.NapSPIN : There are some pictures and sound clips from the new album available in the Multimedia Gallery.NapSPIN : Come again next week for Helmet.NapSPIN : Thanks again Bruce and everyone else.OnlineHost : Copyright 1995 America Online, Inc.
