T minus 20
The year is 2004... Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term. And in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the superbowl?
T minus 20, rewind to this week in history 20 years ago with Joe and Mel.
T minus 20
From Indie to Iconic: Napoleon Dynamite turns 20. Gosh!
This Week on T Minus 20 we rewind to tragedy in Riyadh, a cosmic crash and an indie film breakthroughs.
🌍 First on our radar is the chilling attack on a BBC news team in Riyadh, where courage met tragedy. We pay tribute to cameraman Simon Cumbers, who lost his life and salute Frank Gardner, whose resilience turned a moment of horror into a lifetime of advocacy for journalist safety.
💥 Then, we're dodging debris with the Archer family in New Zealand, whose quiet morning was explosively interrupted by a grapefruit-sized meteorite. This extra-terrestrial trespasser left a hole in their roof and the rockiest wake-up call ever.
🎥 ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ is turning 20! The quirky comedy that danced its way into the hearts of indie film lovers everywhere. From "Vote for Pedro" shirts to endless quotable lines, we delve into how this low-budget film became a cult sensation. We even get to chat to some locals from Napoleon’s hometown…
🎸 Plus, we’re cranking up the volume on Velvet Revolver's debut, 'Contraband,' a powerhouse project born from the ashes of rock royalty.
🎬 And, of course, we can't forget about the cinematic magic of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Grab your wands (and maybe a tissue or two) as we revisit Hogwarts to uncover why this chapter in the Potter saga is a fan fave.
Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.
Transcript is generated automatically
The year is 2004. Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. Yeah. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term, and in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. T -, 20 rewind 20 years with Joe and Mel.
Week of 6 June 2004.
The rest is history 20. Hello.
You know what? I'm very forgetful. Look, stop trying to make fetch happen.
What we're waiting for.
This is harder than I thought it would be.
My fellow Americans, let's roll.
Alright, brace yourself for impact as we crash land back into the week. That was 20 years ago in 2004, with the weekly podcast T -. 20 and you're host Joe and Mel. Hello Mel.
Hello. We are rewinding 20 years and we're gonna land in the 6th to the 12th of June. 2004 this. Week.
The cultural zeitgeist that was the 6th till the when the 12th of June. That's right, the seven days in a week. Moron. Get it right. There's lots of stuff happening this week in the news.
Yes.
They boxed us in. Shot my cameraman dead. Shot me. I started to run. The bullet went through my shoulder. I carried on running. They shot me again and the leg brought me down and then put. Four more bullets into me and left me for dead.
That is the most harrowing tale we'll get to that in the news that was BBC journalist Frank Gardner there.
It's just a huge exploit. And we looked around and it was just dust everywhere and I thought, ohh no, there's been an explosion or Phils. Put something in. The roof and it's.
I love it. How it's the husband's fault, feels, feels, puts up in the room.
It's always, yeah. Over in New Zealand, there's been a huge explosion and I've been filled with something in the roof. Those handyman projects, they leave a lot to be desired. Yeah, look, I can relate. I can relate to the wife accusing the husband.
There's an explosion. We'll maybe put some new shelves up on the wall or something created a huge explosion. Risky, risky soaking.
Of doing the wrong thing around the house and being the cause of some catastrophic event that are you being blamed for something that they didn't actually do.
Oh, she wouldn't look at me like that.
In the poll, I wish she'd get out. Of my life and shut up.
Ohh man, this is the thing that I'm most excited about this week. It has been 20 years since the cultural phenomenon that is Napoleon Dynamite was released and and we can't wait to get into that. We have to get over a few things that are happening in the news and stuff. But later on in the show. We are gonna talk all things Napoleon dynamite and one of the highlights actually is that we have a chat with the owner of the bowling alley that was featured in the film. Yeah, pop and pins. Barry, the owner of pop and Pin is joining us on the podcast for a short conversation about how.
Pop and pop and. Pin. Hmm. Yes.
Things have happened 20 years later for the. Known that Napoleon Dynamite was filming in Preston in Idaho and it's it's just wonderful. We we got on the phone, we gave him a quick call. We said hey, do you wanna have a chat? He was like, sure out of the blue.
Yeah. Lovely guy. And the thing that I really love as well with the bowling alley is even back then in 2004 when they filmed Napoleon there, it was set up as this retro style bowling alley. And they've kept that they've kept that retro.
Yeah.
Aesthetic it still looks the way that it did in the film, which is kind of an 80s looking bowling alley and. Having been bowling a little bit lately because our son is mad Keen for it, I miss those days. I miss when you wrote down the score yourself on a piece of paper. I miss the retro old school pens. Maybe not the bowling shoes so much, but.
Yeah. So do I. Yeah. No, the shoes were the shoes were always a a point of contention for me. They're a bit gross.
Yeah, you never smell them. You never sniff them, and you throw the socks. You throw your socks out afterwards.
No, no. Well, they they spray them with that stuff as well. That really pungent disinfectant, but anyway.
Yes.
And.
You missed the days when you could get two games. Shoe hire, hot dog, fries and a coke for $6.50 then went up to $7.50. I think it ended at $11.50, but still still a bargain.
$6.50. Do you know? I tell you, I went to a bowling alley with our son and just the two of us bowled you. You were cheering on. But you you decided? Yeah. You didn't wanna throw the back out. So, and thank God you did, because we would have to. We would have to refinance the freaking mortgage to go bowling. We, the two of us for.
I've got a dodgy back. Couldn't avoid it.
Was it 1 frame? Or it might have been two games, two games. So you know, that's like half an hour between two people, two games of bowling at A at a big franchise bowling alley.
Hmm.
Cost us $50.00 for the two of us.
Did you get hot dog fries and a coat?
No hot dog, no fries, no Co.
OK.
Wow.
Oh.
Shoes were optional, and I'd I'd almost pay that much not to wear the shoes, but I could not believe how expensive it was at this particular venue, and then we'd finished those things. It was only half an hour and our son's like, can we go again? And so we go again. It ended up costing $90.00.
Yeah, yeah.
For about an hour's worth of entertainment.
Wow. And it's all high tech now too, and it's loud and bright lasers and.
Yeah. Yeah. There's glow in the dark crap. You know.
And they let you stand on the lanes. Now, I liked it when you got yelled at for stepping on the lanes.
You should not step on the lines. They're very slippery and it's very dangerous, yeah.
Yes, I liked it when you got yelled at for that.
Yeah, I missed the days of $6.52 game shoe hire, hot dog fries, and a coke that was a that was money well spent on the school holidays and somehow we made it last. We made it last so much longer than an hour and it didn't cost us 100 bucks. I mean, for 100 bucks for an hour.
Me too.
They should give you a. While you're. I'm sorry, but it's. That is outrageous.
And what about this duck pin bowling that we've started doing? I don't mind that. But then they've got like, they link it up to a crazy birds, not crazy, birds angry.
On that so that.
Birds or whatever those stupid birds are on the.
Well, you sounded so old.
Phone.
Then Ohh, you're off playing that crazy birds game.
Ohh the why the crazy birds came, but they they hook it up. So like when you.
Yeah.
Hold the ball. You knock the crazy birds over and you do things to them and. No, I just want to bowl and hit the things at the end of the lane. Isn't that the object of the game? Leave the birds.
What I do? What? What I.
Out of it.
What I do like about duck pin bowling, so that was a sport that was originated in Canada. It's it's a shorter lane, it's smaller pins and smaller balls.
Yeah. And you don't have to put your fingers in the holes. You don't have to worry about squelching into something that's in the holes. If people put chewing gum.
Muller balls.
In the holes and.
Really that happened.
You stick your feet. Ohh yes always, yes.
Never did that. Never. Never fell victim to that trap. That sounds like an urban myth. That sounds like razor blades on water slides never actually happened.
No, no, that that happened at our. I won't name and shame, but that did happen, yes.
That's grace. Of course it did. Where you were from. So, so. But the duck pin bowling is it's shorter lanes, smaller bowls and smaller pins. And it only costs like, what, 10 bucks for like and and and it's a full half hour as many games, if you like, and it's in a sports bar, so you can have a couple of beers.
Yeah, that's that's value. And it's in a bar, so you can drink, yeah.
And this is. Something that I've actually noticed these days. As well is. People like to go out and do activities. I think our culture is slowly, especially our culture around alcohol starting to to change. A little bit. So still wanna have a beer. But you wanna be doing something? You just wanna be sitting around getting drunk. You might want to be doing some duck pin bowling or some 10 pin bowling or trivia or, you know, some other activity to go along with it, because otherwise, what's the point of just sitting around and stuff? Remember back in the 80s we used to be able to drink beer and drive your car.
Hmm.
Hmm.
That was a good time, no? OK, let's do the hatches, matches and dispatches clue for this week. The segment at the end of the show is gonna look at a celebrity this week that passed away. Who said this?
Excuse me, I don't think there's anything wrong with the action. On this piano.
I'll play it one more time as a quick one.
Excuse me, I don't think there's anything wrong with the action on this.
If you know who that is, just keep it in the back of your mind. We'll revisit that at the end of the show. There you go. There's there's something to do. And that was free. That didn't cost 90 bucks. Admittedly, it didn't last very long, but by the time you get to the end of the podcast, it could be an hour, an hour and a half. So there you go. Good value, I reckon.
Check your answer at the end. The news, starting with the 7th of June 2004, gunmen attack a BBC News team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing cameraman Simon Cumbers and seriously injuring correspondent Frank Gardner. The attack occurred in the Al Sawadi district of Riyadh, an area known for its Islamist militant activity. This was actually the fourth attack on Western targets in just five weeks. The BBC team was there on assignment to cover the recent increase in terrorist activity. In the region.
They certainly got more than what they bargained for. They were filming a report on the House of Abdul as is our. ****** or. No. Sorry. Not ******. That's a pubic wig. His name was Abdul Aziz, our mukan. I apologise. He was. You get what you pay for. It's a free podcast. Alright camp. Yeah. He's a high profile al Qaeda operative in Saudi Arabia. And. And look, this is quite serious. As they were filming. They were ambushed by gunmen and the primary shooter was a bloke that was identified as Adele Al Debiti, who approached the journalist under the guise of friendliness. He's like hey guys and then he just opened fire on them and he was joined by 5 other people who participated in the ambush. And Frank himself actually tells the story.
I was never a flak jacket journalist. I never wanted to go and be in. A in a. Danger zone. But you know, I did believe in taking sensible, calculated risks and going to Saudi Arabia. It was a sensible, calculated risk. It wasn't a dangerous thing to do. We were just very. Unlucky. Wrong place, wrong time. We had Saudi government mind us with us. They took us to an area that was supposedly peaceful, but by very bad luck, an al Qaeda team were driving past, saw us in a way. It was a racist killing. They saw two white guys filming even though we had Saudi government mined us with us. They were unarmed, so they decided great opportunity. Let's kill the infidel. So you know, they ambushed us basically. They boxed us in, shot my cameraman dead. Shot me, I started to run. The bullet went through my shoulder. I carried on running. They shot me again in the leg, brought me down, and then put four more bullets into me and left me for dead.
It's this horrific, he said. Matter of fact about the way he's telling that story too, but it's it is utterly horrific. So Simon Cumbers was the name of the cameraman who was shot and killed at the scene. And you know, you need to acknowledge that because it was a horrible way for him to go, Frank, as as he described, got shot multiple times.
Those. Imagine that, yeah.
The X. The got take he got found. He got taken to hospital. Critical but stable condition, but he's resulting in duties left him partially paralysed. I believe he was paralysed, sort of. Maybe from the legs, down, basically. And the guy who shot them was arrested shortly after the attack. In 2014, they actually sentenced him to death and he was executed in 2016.
The attack highlighted the dangers faced by journalists covering conflicts and terrorist activities, particularly in these volatile regions, and prompted discussions on the safety measures for journalists who are working in dangerous areas and the need for better security protocol.
Well, you know, I think also like with more conventional warfare, I mean, if any warfare is conventional, that sounds ridiculous. But when you're not dealing with terrorists and you've got embedded journalists and they're sort of identified as journalists because they got the blue vests on. Or whatever. I mean, embedded journalists is only a very new thing as well. But when when journalists were reporting in wartime, they were generally not a target, whereas this is a completely different, I guess, code of ethics. There are no ethics. You know, terrorists will do what they want. And the more terrified you are, the better. So they will go to. I mean we we we're talking like you know, there was a guy beheaded like a couple of weeks ago live on camera. So this there are no ethics.
Yeah. Gardner continued to work for the BBC. As a journalist, I think he maybe still tough and he was a security correspondent and has also become an advocate for journalist safety and has released a book called Blood and Sand about his time over there.
M.
Yeah, that's not to be confused with the 50 Cent video game on the PlayStation three. Blood on. The sand that's not. Sorry, he's also a big advocate for people with disability as well, obviously because he's he's actually paralysed from the knees down and he he talks a lot about that in a lot of public speaking appearances. He's there's a documentary about him on the BBC called Being Frank where he talks about that and he talks about how people look at someone in a wheelchair.
Hmm.
Like him, and they think the poor guy. I wonder if he needs a bit of help, but what they don't see is all the stuff that he's had to deal with beneath the surface. And if you think about what he had to deal with, like, I mean the actual trauma of that and how he would.
Yeah.
Had to for him, especially in an incident like that, and I think with a lot of people who end up paralysed because of an accident but, and particularly with this case, because it was just so graphic like the, it's the the, the, the mental stuff that they have to deal with on top of the physical stuff like that.
Hmm.
The the horror. Of what happened to him is just inconceivable from on a day to day basis. Like you think about your life and the things that you, you know, you you go to, you go to work, you do your job, you come home. You don't think that you're ever gonna be put in a situation where somebody's gonna, you know, walk up to you and, you know, shoot the bloke next to you and then put like.
No.
Four or five bullets into you and render you were, you know, paralysed from the knees down for the rest of your life. It's it's, it's horrible, horrible. He is an incredibly brave and resilient man.
Yeah. Moving over to the 12th of June, now we have a. One point 3K. Chondrites chondra chondrite type. It's a chondrite type, not chondrite chondrite type meteorite, which strikes a house in Ellis Lee in New Zealand, causing serious damage, but thankfully no injuries.
Right. Yeah, at chondrite type.
Hmm.
It's just a huge explosion and we looked around and it. Was just. Dust everywhere and I thought ohh no. There's been an explosion. Or Phil's. Put something in the roof and it's fallen through.
What they found was a very hot rock, a relic from the past, is in 4 billion years past.
I don't know what to make. It's so unbelievable. Really. I'm just glad that no one was sitting on the couch because they would have got absolutely crowned.
Yes.
Really got absolutely crammed right. No, she that's Brenda. Was that Brenda Archer? Yeah.
The house patch too, ruined it. Brenda Archer, who's married to Phil. She blamed Phil. I love that I'd do the same thing.
Yeah. And Phil, Phil, cops, the blame for it. Yeah, I know you would. Yeah. The the meteorite had come through the house be like.
What have you been tinkering with?
What have you done?
Yeah. What did you try to install? What did you try to?
Nothing is an is an act of God.
Fix. You put something somewhere.
Have I put something somewhere always always yes.
Yes, so where it shouldn't go? Around 9:30 AM, it was the size of a large grapefruit and put a big hole in the roof, caused significant damage inside, ruined the good couch, was a leather brown leather couch. Ruined it.
Certainly did. Well it it bounced off the couch.
But it ruined it cause it. Was. Hot. It's hot burned.
Of course it burns burnt. Yeah. Hmm.
A hole in the good leather. It hit the ceiling. It was very bouncy.
Yeah. Wow, good couch.
And then came to rest on the living room floor.
Yeah, you wouldn't want to flop down on that couch too fast. Would you end up in the roof? Yes. You know, you know, you just kind of slump into the lounge. Yeah. Be careful doing that. Hmm.
Very springy.
Yes.
It's the type of meteorite. It it. It was provided valuable information about the early solar system. And as you heard there, they thought it was around 4 billion or 4.6 billion years old in.
Yeah.
Originating from the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter, they could tell that from the type. Of rock.
And now it's on Phil and Brenda's lounge.
Well, no. Now it's in a. Museum is it? Yes.
Well, OK.
Part of the collection at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. I don't know what it's got to do with war, but you. Can go and see. It really, Phil and Brenda's new.
Phil and Brenda's meteorite chondrite meteorite.
Zero. At the. At the War Memorial Museum.
Yes, that would be cause. Let's talk about exhibitions out of context.
It's really. Yeah, I know. Maybe it's the only local museum. I don't know.
Yeah. I I guess they're like, well, what are we going to do with it? It's like I would. You know, you could make a nice rockery out the back or something. It's like, no, it belongs in a museum. Yeah. Indiana Jones comes and steals it off him, donates it to the Auckland War Memorial. Sorry, it's the only museum within Cooee of here. Let's get into music. Let's motor through music. I want to get to this Napoleon dynamite stuff.
Yeah, same alright. Australia, Black Betty spider bait. Still #1.
That'll do.
Mario, we're here a IANS is #1. In the. OK, OK. And top five in the US was this?
5.
For me. To change you.
OK.
Yeah, yeah. Wood, wood.
Well.
We're going to.
I don't want to know if you're blaming me. Keep it on the low 1. My heart. Many days, so many hours. Gotta let it go.
That's the same as last week, isn't it?
Yeah, it's exactly the same as last week.
Exactly the same. The reason? Yeah, naughty girl. I don't wanna know. Burn, burn. Still love one.
If that's the case, let's go to Germany.
Yes, well, everything else is a bit ho hum, so I thought. Let's check in on our German pals again. PS Hess, listen, no, still waiting. For your message.
Ah, yeah, that that's not happening. Sorry.
Number one in Germany is a song called Dragostei Din Tai. By a moldovian pop group called Ozone.
Huh.
Ohh zone zone. Hmm. Yeah, right, I suppose.
Sorry.
Are you gonna play it?
My.
I remember that it sure does.
Does that sound familiar to you? I don't think it's that song that. You actually remember.
Oh really? I've definitely heard that.
Was a song with TI and Rihanna where they sampled the Mayee Maya. Maya Ho ho.
Right.
Everyone knows.
Wow.
So that's care of our friends in Germany.
Our friends from yeah.
Ozone second single from their third studio album Disco Zone.
Good on them. Good on them.
Disco ozone by ozone. I love that.
Well, at least they didn't use auto tune. Do you hear how much auto tune was in that? That was ridiculous. I guess that's that's what it takes these days.
Yeah.
It's. Dragoste Din Tai translates to words of love. It topped the single charts in France, Germany and Austria for over three months, reached #3 in the UK. They, and obviously the best known lyrics to my Maya that beats actually in the start of the TI song too. So they actually say Rihanna sings to the tune of that. But they do have them, IE bits at the start. You just didn't play that bit.
OK, I got you. Uh-huh. Well, it is. And then, yeah. And then. Rihanna is automatically tuned to the tune. Of that, yes. But yeah, look, can we go to a band? I like a super group performed in 2002 with members of guns and Roses and Stone Temple Pilots and wasted youth contraband by Velvet Revolver was released.
Sure.
This week, 20 years ago.
I remember. I remember you had that album, and I remember you played it a lot when I came over to visit. You used to always have music on in the background and you'd have that one on fairly often, and I remember. Sitting at your plastic garden furniture table and chairs in the the dining the dining room, the green ones that everybody has in the backyard sitting there, having a cup of makona listening to revolver. Yeah, good coffee.
Sorry if it wasn't very good at the interior design, yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, I had the good coffee and the good furniture in the good room on the good chair with the good stereo. Hmm. Yes. If you leave that garden furniture out in the weather too long, it'll fall to pieces as.
Listening to Velvet revolver, it's good. Good times.
Sure. It was a great album and it was a great group and they came together after all of the other projects that were intended. That ended her on hiatus. We didn't think guns and roses were ever gonna get back together at that stage and it was great to see Slash and Duff playing together and then and then bringing in Wayland as well from Stone Temple Pilots was a wonderful singer was great.
Yes.
There, that album explores the themes of addiction, personal struggle, redemption, all the stuff that they've all been through collectively and individually. Waylon's lyrics really talk about his battles in that with substance abuse, so the film clip for that song fall to pieces is quite graphic. It shows him in various states of disarray. And you know, got that heavy guitar? That slash sound that you cannot deny and those wonderful vocals from Scott while it is it's such a tragedy that he's no longer with us. The very positive reviews from critics praised for its energy and musicianship and went double platinum by the recording industry.
Hmm.
Association of America selling over 2 million copies. So well done. Velvet revolver. It was a great album. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Good one.
Did you thoroughly enjoy this one, though? Not a bit of Emma.
Not at the time, not at the time, but I do have a little bit more respect for My Chemical Romance. These days I have to say.
Three cheers for sweet revenge was their album release. This was their second album off the back of their very, very, very successful debut. I brought you my bullets. You brought me your love.
There's emo album titles. They really they kill me.
We're saying the other way. There's just too many words. There's too many words in the the title of the album, the title of the song.
Like full lap boys. Same to. You.
According to who's the head guy of yes.
Gerard way. So the thing that I like about Gerard way over a lot of the other emo singers.
Didn't he when he wrote something, didn't you?
He's a storyteller, he writes comic books.
But didn't he write a TV show?
He might have.
I think he was responsible for wasn't an umbrella Academy.
Yes, he did. He brought Umbrella Academy from the comic book that he wrote. That's right. Yes. So that came from a comic book that he actually wrote and. And that's what I like about him and. And so his albums are.
Yes, yes, that's right. All the comments, yes.
Often similar, it's reflective of that storytelling and it this one was a concept album that told the story of two lovers who died in a gunfight. Hmm. And the male was given a second chance to be reunited with his love. If he bought the devil the souls of 1000. Evil men, I mean, that's so comic book. It's wonderful.
And so that story is told through all of the. Songs that's not just one song.
Yes, that's that's that's like it's a concept album concept. Albums are very ambitious. I think Pink Floyd, you know, the wall is probably the the, the, the sort of.
That's a lot of efforts, yeah.
The the the gold standard of concept albums, Queensrÿche Operation, Mind Crime, also a fantastic concept album and you know he goes Jared Way. Very ambitious 3 cheers for sweet revenge which is just you know which I mean. And it's funny because it's about a gunfighter. And then the first album was called I bought you. Well, it's. You brought me up so I don't know how that dude's mind works. But anyway, love lost revenge, redemption, all of that stuff on the album. It's great. Similar to Velvet revolver, but a little bit more punk rock and a little bit more emo and a little bit more screamo.
Trust me. I'm.
I'm not OK. That was one of the singles. Thank you for the venom. And Helena were another one of the singles that were a couple of the singles that were on it. Uh, yeah, it's all good. It's all good, love. A good concept album. You got to make sure you get it right.
And it also helped bring emo and punk rock into the mainstream. It went platinum. And the emo is having a bit of a resurgence at the moment. I'm seeing a lot of people in their cars singing along to My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, reminiscing of those days and emo days with a big friend.
Yeah. For better or worse. But I do feel like after after we did those, those Fall Out Boy reviews and comments from like a couple of weeks ago, he.
Time capsules, yes. Facebook. Facebook posts with the lyrics.
I think emo is one of those genres where it's like if it's having a resurgence, it's kind of like, you know, you're reading your diary from when puberty first hit and and nobody wants to read that.
Yes.
Over the tea I've been waiting for this part of the show, so we should just get this one out of the way 1st and then we can get to. The thing that we really want to talk about.
Ohh just this little. Movie that I know what it is.
Well, I don't. At the risk of offending like a whole bunch of Harry Potter fans like on the weekend of the 6th of June 2004, this is a very anticipated film. This was the block. Buster, before the underdog, came in, right, so Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the is the number one film at the US box office.
There is black.
Had escaped from Azkaban prison. He's a murderer.
Serious black is the reason the Potter they're dead.
And now he wants to finish.
What he started.
I want you to swear to me you won't go looking for black. Why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?
Something moving.
Out there, it was a Dementor. One of the Guards of Azkaban is searching the train for serious black.
It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving.
I.
Hope he finds me.
Because when he does, I'm gonna be.
Ready.
God, it's wonderful, wonderful cinema. So elaborate and dramatic, big soundtracks, big special effects. Very anticipated third installment in the Harry Potter film series, and it's starting to go Dark. You know Harry Potter. The first one was kind. Of all a little bit nice. I mean, there was always a dark story behind it. After what happened to these parents and all that sort of business, but it's really starting to get dark now as people are growing up with the franchise.
We had the one with the. Rocks as well. Didn't he? The rocks? Harry Winnies rocks the stone stone rock.
Harry Potter and. Rocks. Ohh the philosopher. The philosopher's Stone that was the first one. Yeah. And then there was that another one. And then the prisoner of Escobar. Yeah.
That was the. Second one that the second one was uh, that was the first one. Now this one, this one. You. Well, it's his third year at Hogwarts, and his quest to uncover the truth about his. Past.
Yeah, it's like Harry Potter and the pubic hair in the change rooms. Third year dogs will come.
Including and too much, too much links. Africa and a connection to a prisoner. Serious black. Yeah. Who? Yeah, I don't know. Whatever.
Yeah.
Yes. Well, he was connected to Harry's deceased parents. I think they said that serious black and murdered his parents. But I don't think that was the case. And there may have been A twist at the end, but I don't.
Oh, that was the disease currency. Don't rolling then.
Really know because I kind of it's one of those ones that popped up on my radar years later. I was like, Ohh and Harry Potter movies on and there's nothing else on. So I wanna sit through it. Yeah, kind of bits and then I. But I'd never understood what was happening because.
Monday. Have you watched? That's the only one you've watched.
No, I saw the Philosopher's Stone as a movie premiere when we were working at the radio station, but that was like, you know, I've been at work since.
Hmm.
Ohh so you had to go.
I've been awake since 3:30 and at work since 4:00 in the morning, and then it was a night time premiere and I had to go to bloody Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Yes, I did. I fell asleep in front of the listeners and.
Or is it a night time ever? Did you fall asleep? You fall asleep with your mouth open, yes.
They're like you. Were sleeping that and I'm like, yeah. No, they didn't. No, thank God. And yeah, I just ended up stuck there.
Did they bring you? Cake. One brought you any cake.
And I didn't want to be stuck there. I was going to lead. And I fell asleep. And then I had to find my own way home, which was weird because I didn't have a car and it was. All very awkward.
I could have got a lift home with a listener.
Surely that's that's that's breaking protocol. That's really bad idea, yeah.
Right.
This movie broke Hulk's record for the highest weekend debut in June, and it also broke the Matrix Reloaded's record for the highest opening for a Warner Brothers film. So did well day after tomorrow, still not born over here.
Yeah, that's great. Good case. In Australia? Yeah, but like like.
Storms, but who cares?
Who cares about number ones at the box offices and all of that sort of stuff when a cultural.
Yeah, no mate.
Anna was unleashed upon cinema on the 11th of June.
Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills, you know, like nunchucks skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills.
How was school?
Worst day of. My life. What do you think?
Idiot.
What kind of bike do?
You have. It's a sledgehammer.
Ever take it off any sweet jumps?
What are you drawing?
Alliger it's my favourite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mix.
But why are you so?
Sweaty, practising some dance moves. This is here. Is that on my driveway? That's where I ride.
So great. Ohh I where do I even begin?
Let's start with the first time we saw this movie, we were staying with a big listener of the podcast on our first ever Episode, Ray, we were.
Yes, our very good friend Ray. We're staying at his house.
Stay at Rays house with Ray.
Yes.
Well, and Ray says, I've got this movie. You have to watch this movie with me. It is the greatest movie of all time. And you know when someone says that you go in your mind. Ohh, here we go. Sure. It's going to be the greatest movie. And they've made us these delicious nachos and they'd set up a couple of stable tables in front of us. So. We're sitting there eating.
It was like TV dinners. Yeah. Hmm.
Eating our TV dinners, watching Napoleon Dynamite and Ray had already seen it.
Hmm.
Really. 10 or 20 times. So the problem with watching it with Ray was he would start laughing about two minutes before the joke.
Yes, and I. Well, The funny thing happened. Yes, and the opening scene raised beer, came out his nose and he nearly choked on his nachos, and we knew we were in for something wonderful. And it is such a.
And he was right. It was amazing. And I've I'm sorry I doubted you, Ray, cause it. It's one of my all time.
Don't doubt him. He he knows what he's talking about. This this is a comedy film.
Favourites.
He does.
Directed by Jared Hess and and written by Jared and his wife Jerusha. And it's just so great, it follows the story of Napoleon Dynamite, who's an awkward high school student living in rural Idaho with his older brother Kip, and their grandmother and their lama named Tina.
He likes tots. He likes ligers. He has mad skills. He befriends new student Pedro and helps him run for class president and gets the ever popular summer weekly.
And everyone would know the vote for Pedro shirts. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival on the 17th of January in 2004, was released in theatres on June 11, this time 20 years ago. Very low budget, only $400,000, which sounds like a lot, but really is chicken feed. Get it? Chicken feed the.
Yes. No for me, yeah.
Little chicken scene. Did they have giant talents? Yeah, and. And it was very it had that indie feel. I love the way it was shot. It was. It had a lot of 1980s and 90s America.
The John talons.
Kind of muted colours, very symmetrical compositions. The shots. It's the countryside and just the locations and the shots are all very beautiful, lots of static wide angle shots showing awkwardness and you know, all of those idiosyncrasies of the characters and their environment.
Beautiful.
It's it's not afraid to have these uncomfortable or lingering pauses that you kind of. You know, you get to a point where it's like it's either funny or it's it's weird, and either way, it's great. And and I think that's the best thing about it. And it is one of those films that you either get or you don't or you love or you hate. And if you don't like it, that's OK. But it's for me. And I think for you too, Mel, it's one of those movies that we have seen so many times.
Know you. Me.
And it's if I'm having a bad day. I'm putting Napoleon dynamite on to make me feel better, and it instantly makes me feel better. It's just it's one of those movies that it's like. Everyone, all of the characters are wonderful and they're all wonderful for each other and to each other, and the outcome is fantastic. And the thing about Napoleon, I think, and why he's such a wonderful character and a wonderful role model is he's just. Himself, he is uncompromisingly himself, and he doesn't he like. He gets bullied and all of those things, but he doesn't give it.
Hmm.
Yeah.
About what anyone thinks of him.
Yeah, and the use of the real locations and the minimal set designs also added to that authenticity. And isn't it the hometown of Jared's? Didn't he grow? He grew, he grew up there. And I think when he went to film, he was talking to the locals, many of whom he knew and you know.
Yeah. Preston. Preston in Idaho. Yeah.
Can I film in this location? Can I use this House and a lot of the locals were extras in the movie and they all got credited in the credits as well. They're all listed in the credit.
Hmm.
That's and it was just. It was just a really beautiful thing for the town as well. And I think, you know, there were some people in town that didn't like it and felt maybe it was an unfair representation. But I think on the whole, they really embraced it and to the point where they celebrate it.
Yes, well, it put Preston on the map and I think that's just a wonderful thing. And I think Jared Hess and his wife, Jerusha, were writing a love letter to their hometown when they made this movie. It's just, oh, it's so good. I mean, just the quotes, the quotes in the movie. Are just so great.
Pauline looks like you don't have a job.
So why don't you get out there?
And feed Tina, why don't you go into the quota? Piece of crap. What?
Did he say Tina? Was it Alex or something?
Well.
The first time it was oats, but the second time was ham. Teeny, you fat. Lard. Come get some ham. Yeah, Tina, the llama.
Ohh that's right, cause I'd run out of food. And Tina I? Think was owned by his mother. That was his mother's life. Yeah, I think so. Yeah.
Ohh, it's Jared Hess's mother's lama. Yeah. Amazing. Like spared no expense.
And the.
Again, what did you do all last?
Summer again. I told you I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting Wolverines.
Did you shoot any?
That's like 50 of them. They kept trying to attack my cousins. What the heck would you do in a? Situation like that. What kind of gun? You use a freaking 12 gauge. What do you think?
Exactly like it's a stupid question like it's like. And you know what? You can bite Napoleon all he wants. He doesn't care. He'll just. He'll just give it to you straight. I love. And I also love like.
Yes, yes.
He he there is a very obvious love interest in the film, but the relationship is so innocent and understated and it just kind of evolves over time and and and Napoleon, I mean he he doesn't really have much game but the game that he does have his game. Enough.
I see you're drinking 1%, is that cause? You think you're fat? Because you're not, you could be drinking whole if you wanted to.
Yeah.
Oh, so romantic.
Yeah, you you see, you could I. I'm with Napoleon now. You could drink a whole whole fat milk. No problems at all. If you wanted to.
Ohh, thank you, that's really sweet.
You're very welcome and his relationship with Kip is also great, too. Kip and Lafonda, you know, keeps cause, you know, there's the whole thing with his his brother.
Ah.
Who's who's who's?
Staying home all day, talking to babes on the Internet.
Yeah, he's online, he's online and he's got this relationship online and you're thinking that that's not gonna materialise.
You're thinking it's a catfish. Yeah, or a scammer lafonda. And it's not, which is so beautiful.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No. Spoiler alert, but hey, you know, you should have seen it.
By now see home and eat all the freaking. Chips.
Chip, my point, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know I'm training to become a cage fighter.
Since Winship, you have the worst reflexes of all time.
Try and hit me. Napoleon. What I succumb down here and see what happens if you try. And hit me.
Keep I love the whole thing.
Can you bring me my chapstick?
No Napoleon, but my lips hurt real. Bad just from the school nurse. I know she has like 5 sticks in.
Pass.
Her drawer. I'm not gonna use hers, you sicko.
See here. No idiot.
Ohh Napoleon, he takes it so harshly, but it's just wonderful and and the the, the the highlight of the film is the iconic dance scene at the end where the Pedro is running for school president.
Yes.
Hmm.
So Pedro's a new kid at school and he's just walking the corridor and he goes up to the teacher. Or is this a new kid and he just takes Pedro?
Yeah.
Andrew's wing, but they have this kind of interesting friendship where they just sort of sit together and talk, but don't talk and don't really quite interact.
In parallel, perhaps. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. And the. And and then he realises that Pedro and Pedro's so confident. I love that about Pedro. When he wanted to invite summer to the dance. So I think I'll just bake a build.
Yeah.
Her a cake and he asks her and.
Build their cakes.
She says no, but he doesn't care.
Just moves on. Yeah, move on.
Pedro. Doesn't give her. He's just so confident. Then he decides. Well, I'm going to run for President and Napoleon's like you. Know what I'm going to support you?
Well, and you work.
Biggest cheerleader?
Out. You work out why Pedro doesn't give it when you see the rest of his family, because they're all like **** ******* and stuff, and the whole that that was the my favourite part about the film is when he's running for. President and it's like these are their kids getting bullied and napoleons, giving them the key change. That is it, Deb, that Debs making and and he goes, yeah, the the little boondoggles. Yeah. And he's like Pedro offers you his protection and gives him the boondoggles and then the kids are going to get bullied and the guys rock up in the low rider.
Yes, there's yeah. Boondoggle. Is it boondoggle.
And they look at the bully and they just shake their head and all of a sudden nobody's getting bullied. And that's pretty much how Pedro gets voted for.
Yeah.
For the fact when they're doing the, the and this is the best scene in the film, obviously, and the most iconic scene in the film when they. Doing their pitch to the rest of the school to to get them to vote for them as the school president and summer Weekly is one of the the people that's running and she's running against Pedro and they're like and now she'll do a skit with the Happy Hands Club and they do their little skit to the Backstreet Boys and Pedro and and Napoleon. Backstage, getting ready for Pedro's speech. And they're. What skin are you going to do? And they're like, there's a skit and they're like, oh, skit like, there's no skit. And so Pedro does this speech and he's just like, you know, if you vote for me or your wildest dreams will come true. And then he walks off thinking, ohh well, I'm beat. But Napoleon has been practising dance moves for the for the duration of the film. He's in his room practising.
Yeah.
Dance moves and stuff and he gives a tape to the audio visual guy in the auditorium, and he's like doing the skit for Pedro Sanchez. And he basically comes out and dances to can't heat by Jamiroquai and it's amazing. And he gets a standing ovation. And it just helps win the crowd and win the school. And Pedro gets voted and everything ends happily every after. I'm sorry that I spoiled the movie for.
You, but really.
Even if you haven't seen it and you need to go and see it because it is just. It's a story about, you know. Friendship and people caring about each other and not really giving a **** about what anyone else thinks about them. And that's the beauty of Napoleon Dynamite. And the other thing that's really beautiful about this is we've managed to speak to some people from Preston, Ohio in the lead up to the anniversary. The 20th anniversary of Napoleon Dynamite and we've got on the line. Barry from. The bowling alley pop and pin pop and pins. Barry, you're the owner of one of the most iconic venues in that film. The pop and pins bowling alley in Preston in Idaho. So how did you come to own that venue? Have you been? Have you been running the place for Long, Barry?
In.
Yes, that's right. No, we we purchased it about six years ago. We had been in the restaurant business for quite some time. We do Hawaiian food and.
Yeah.
We decided we wanted to kind of expand and so at the time the bowling alley was up for sale and so we went and looked at it and purchased it and we were we were looking at it more as a restaurant than as a bowling alley, but.
Right. And when you were, were you aware of the history of the venue at the time when you were? Going to purchase it.
Oh yeah. Ohh yeah, it was the. Because we we. Live probably about 1/2 an hour away on the on the Utah side, just across the border in Utah. And so when we when we bought it, we decided to leave it.
Right. Yep.
As retro and as as old as old school as we could, so we didn't touch anything, I mean the. Bowling. Alley is just as it looked in the. Movie 20 years ago.
Do you have any artefacts? Or keepsakes, or any mementos from the movie in the bowling alley.
We have a number of original photographs that were taken during the during the film.
Wow.
And so there's quite a few with Rico and the kids, and there's a. Few there when. When Napoleon came over just to hang out and watch the filming, the director and and and the writer of the film Jared and Jerusalem Jerusha Excuse Me, Hess.
Yeah, well.
They they have a place up here in Idaho and so they bring their kids in frequently to bowl still. And so they've they've signed our wall with a a marker and we have a picture of them and we still have the. A bowling ball that Uncle Rico used the blue.
Ohh, amazing.
1. Yeah, we don't know which pink. We have a number of pink balls still, that's most likely. One of them was used by kit, but. We just don't. Know for sure which one I'm like.
So there's a real chance if you went there and had a bowl, you could be touching the ball that was bowled by Kip.
Right, right.
Yeah. Yeah. And you say it is a traditional bowling alley in that it, it still does have all the retro fittings. And I think that's the most beautiful thing about that venue, is it? It's it's a throwback to those old school bowling alleys and it just it looks so wonderful. And it it, I know when we watch it on the film, it just comes up on camera. So. Great. But you are moving more towards the restaurant side. What's the ratio? Do you get a lot of people that come there to bowl or is it more about just the? Experience these days.
You know, we we still have a lot of local leagues, bowling leagues that come in on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays we do. We still have people coming. From all over the world. My big thing is I collect licence plates and so when they come in and bowl I usually give them a bowling pin or something and and just say hey, if you get a chance send me a licence plate from your country. So I've collected them from India and Denmark and all over the world people were nice enough to send me a licence plate to hang on the wall. They're kind of fun.
Yep. Wow. Wow, mate, we'll have to track one down for you so you can get one from Australia as well.
Yeah.
So.
Yeah, you bet. And and I don't know if it's OK to. Throw out if. If you go to popping pins dot. Com.
Yep.
A lot of those original photographs that I talked that I mentioned that we have on the wall are on the website as well.
Absolutely. We'll share a link to them so that people can go and check them out. That'd be wonderful. And we'll throw them.
Across our social media as well, so were you living nearby just across the border when the film was was being made and when it was released 20 years ago?
No, we were actually living in Hawaii at the time. My wife grew up in. Hawaii.
Wow.
And so we were there. And then when we came back to Utah, we moved back to Utah. You know, it's still a huge craze, so.
Yeah. Yep. Do you get lots of tourists still coming to the town?
We do, we do and. It's. You know, it's those people that grew up during probably 20 years ago or in high school that are down bringing their kids, you know, saying this is my favourite film and and it's kind of fun. To watch them get out there. Parents to see the parents more excited than the kids.
Yeah, absolutely. It was funny. We watched the we've got a 10 year old son now and we watched the movie with him for the first time just last night. And I think we were more excited about the film than he was as well, so.
You know.
I.
Totally get it. I have to ask on on the menu then for for some of these big events coming up, will you be? Adding tater tots.
Oh, Oh yeah. They so the restaurant that's in the bowling alley now, I don't run that restaurant anymore. I just have another restaurant running. They have tater tots every day and.
Fantastic.
And people that people are that are from Utah or Idaho. Fry sauce is a must if you have tater tots or French fries, and every every, every like what is fried sauce? And it's mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together with orange.
Fry sauce, right?
Wow.
Ohh, that sounds delicious. That sounds really good. Now obviously with your with you be doing or being from Hawaii there I'm. I'm assuming it's all Hawaiian BBQ with you guys, right?
Yum.
Yes. What what we did was Hawaiian BBQ. And the restaurant that's in there now, they do smoked BBQ, so more of the Midwestern yeah BBQ.
Right. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm. I'm really interested in Hawaiian BBQ, I think like and obviously you've got another restaurant. So you're welcome to give that a plug, but I'm assuming there's there's a lot of pork involved with that.
Yeah, a lot of. So you do the kalua pork spam spam musubi, which is kind of like a we call it a. Poor man sushi. So it's a slice of spam rice and and seaweed. And we do that. It's it's I like Hawaiian cuisine because it's a mix of Korean, Japanese. Just everything. It's every it's a melting pot of cuisine, you know?
It. Yeah, it's absolutely delicious. I've I've. I mean, I've done probably a very feeble attempt of it over here. 1 Christmas for my family, where I did a a pulled pork with a a special Hawaiian rub that my my brother in law brought back from Hawaii. And it was just the most amazing thing I've ever cooked. And I've been chasing that flavour. Ever since, so I know that if I ever come to Preston in in Idaho, I'll be seeking out your restaurant.
Well, we hope to see you.
Barry, this has been so wonderful. Thank you for letting us put you on the spot and have a chat to you. And and we certainly wish you every success with obviously the business long may it continue because it is a fantastic venue and it just looks so wonderful. We've been admiring it from afar from the last 20 years, every time we watched that film.
Yeah.
And we hope that you have a wonderful time celebrating all things Napoleon Dynamite in the next month.
Well, we thank you so much and you'll have to come to beautiful Preston ID sometime and enjoy the rodeo and everything else.
If anyone out there has any licence plates, yes, from Australia cause I I don't know a short of stealing one from my neighbour. Like if you if you know where I can track down a licence plate to send to barrier pop and pins, that would be amazing.
Yes. Because we just. Randomly texted Barry and said will you have a chat to us? He's like, yeah, sure. No worries.
Yeah. When and we were like, how, how does how does now sound? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Amazing. What a lovely guy.
Are you free now? And he's like. Yeah, sure. Wonderful, wonderful guy. So good. So, Preston ID is in southeast Idaho, sort of near Northern new.
Yep.
And I think there's only around 5000 people that live there, and it became so popular in 2005. So the year after the movie was released, they held their first ever Napoleon Dynamite Festival. Just because the film was so massive and tourism.
Yep. Right.
It was complete. We went through the.
Roof. So, Mel, we're gonna put another call through Kimberly Cannon is the organiser of Napoleon Fest. They're celebrating all things Napoleon dynamite over in Napoleon's hometown of Preston. ID. Kimberly Cannon is the at the heart and soul of this. She's running the whole shebang. Kimberly, how are you?
I am great. Thank you for having me.
Ohh look, it is an absolute pleasure.
Why is Napoleon Dynamite so special to you?
Oh my gosh, it's just it's been 20 years and it is the most relatable movie. Even now, it is hilarious. It's.
Hmm.
So quotable the one liners in that show. I I just they'll they'll be part of our culture forever. I think they're just, they're so classic.
What's your favourite?
OK, my my favourite for years has always been when he's throwing. Napoleon is throwing the casserole Latina. And he says. You know Tina and eat your food, you fat large. But I just rewatch. That's that's in my go to, but I just rewatched the movie because John Heater and Ethan Roberts actually came to a neighbouring city a month ago and we watched the movie. Yes, it was so fun. My new favourite quote is when Uncle Rico. Is trying to. Sell the man and woman to ship in the bottle and she just. Leans over to her husband and she's. Like I want that.
Dealio yes, I want that amazing.
That's my new catch phrase. I want that.
I love that scene. I love that scene where he's trying to break the Tupperware Bowl as well. And it's just like it's it's wonderful. More importantly, what has the film meant to? Can't do it. Your town of Preston.
From what I understand, I didn't. Live here at the time that. They were filming it, but from what I understand everything really happened. It was Jared Hess, the producer. It was his brother that called him from school and said bring me my, you know, my lips, my we bringing my chapstick, my lips here real bad like his own brother actually said that to him. And then my my Co organiser, she grew up here and she told me that about 40 minutes away there was a man that actually had ligers. And one day they got loose. And yes, I I just found this out a couple weeks ago that that there were ligers in our area. Ohh so like really everything is based on like you know the comedic value is obviously super high in this movie, but it's all kind of based on these things that really happened.
Yeah, right. And like Preston is a is a smallish town. It's like population of 5000, right. So and and I understand I can relate to that. I've grown up in small towns all around Australia. I moved around a bit when I was a kid, so I understand how that small town cuz.
Oh yeah, yeah.
Works and if something if there is a significant event, it certainly becomes etched into that urban folklore. So if you combine all of those events that happened that were then put in the film with the actual film being shot in the town, I mean, that's just a recipe for all things magnificent. It just sounds like. Amazing.
Yeah, it's and all the extras are, you know, we're locals from the town in the movie. Most of them still live here. So yeah.
Ohh wow, so do you know anyone that was in the film?
I know a couple of people. They were in the wedding scene at the very end and yeah, they proud of it. They love, they love that they can claim it.
Amazing cause I think they did put everybody in the credits as well. If I'm not mistaken from from the town who who were extras, which is just lovely. So you said you weren't there at the time. I would really like to think it was that the trigger Napoleon Dynamite was that the trigger for you moving to to Preston ID.
Yes, yes, I think they did. Yeah. Wish I could say yes, we could. We could always just go to my my husband's grandparents. Have a farm here and so we have family that was actually in the movie at the extras too. So yeah, of course I would. I would love to say I was such a fan of the movie that I had to move to Preston I.
Amazing.
Well, I mean, you've certainly put yourself at the centre of it now.
Does does the farm involve any llamas or eggs or chickens or anything like that?
My actual farm. Has chickens and cows. I have been trying to find a Loma for a couple years, but I'm very particular because I want I. I really like a black llama. I want Tina. So she was down the road for me for a while but she she passed on.
Excellent. Yeah. Look, Kimberly, I have to ask. I do have to ask, do the chickens have giant talons?
Yeah, I just thought that. They might. You saying mine?
You you also run a boutique. I believe in Preston, Olive and Joe and I was. We were stalking you on the Insta. Of course. I saw an amazing Napoleon display in the window. So are you selling Napoleon merch? In your store.
I do. I opened a a little gift store here six years ago, and the video store that was in the movie, she had some Napoleon. T shirts and memorabilia. But she called down and nobody in our town was selling anything. And so I I just kind of ran with it. I was because I just think it's such an important part of the history that we have here and I love it. And I have had people I haven't had anyone. From Australia, but I have had visitors come from England, Canada and all over the United States as far from Florida and they're not just.
M.
Passing through, I've had people that are. They're specifically coming to Preston to see the Napoleon Dynamite movie sites, which I just think is amazing.
Yeah, it's extraordinary. When we were doing a bit of research for this, I I did notice like there is a a big Napoleon dynamite tourism thing happening in Preston to the point where if you go to the local gas station there, they'll give you a map to show you around to all the locations.
Yes, yes, yes, they do have a they do have maps there and for our event next month we're going to, we're going to run like an official tour too and. Get like a school bus. We we have the school bus all lined up and we're going to drive around to the movie site. We might even hang some little toys off the strings out the windows, yes.
Cycles.
That sounds ohh. My God, it sounds like I wish we could be there for it. I just like it. It would be like Mecca for us to be going to Napoleon Fest. Like I said it.
I know, I know. Oh my gosh.
Yes.
Is just we. It doesn't matter how many times you've seen it go home and put it on and you can just celebrate. The triumph that is. Everyone in that film, it's so much fun. I want to know more about what's happening at Napoleon Fest because it just sounds like a place where I would love to be on the weekend of 26th and 27th of July. So what have you got in store for people if they come to Preston Jubilee?
Heaven. Ohh yes. We have been having so much fun planning this and we're having like a tater tot eating contest, a Liger drawing contest trivia night. But I'll tell you the ones that I'm really excited about, we're going to do glamour shots by Deb, that one I think it's gonna be hilarious.
Ohh yes.
We're going to have a dance class where people can learn Napoleon's dance, and then we're going to follow that up with a thrift store. Calm.
Ohh, so because the actual thrift store is still there and it's it's, it's pretty much yeah and and so are they involved in that are are people, how is that gonna?
Oh yeah.
It is.
Work. How does the thrift store? From work.
It's going to be. Next door to that, because we have an empty facility that we could call on that right. But we're going to ask people to buy their their prom here, their dresses, their outfits. But yeah, just that kind of like. Go find. Go find the funniest dress you can find from the 80s or and we're just going to have fun with it. We're we're going to have. Ohh it's going to be a blast.
Please tell me that there'll be a photo gallery afterwards for us people that can't make it, cause I would love to see the glamour shots. I'd love to see the prom outfits. It just sounds like the best time.
Yes. Yes, I will definitely make sure that that goes on the website.
Oh.
You know what else I'd love to see on there? And I've had a look at the the Llama photos you tell me that's still happening. The llama photos are a happening thing, right?
Yeah. Yes, so I. Yes, they're we're making it happen. It's still in the works, but yes, we've got to get we we're getting a llama. It's going to be black if we can't get a black one, we might have to name it. Tina's cousin. There will be a it will destroy be a llama.
Look, I think that's fine. I I think that's perfectly acceptable, so I'm assuming there's a bit of a buzz about the town at the moment in anticipation for this wonderful weekend that's happening.
Yep.
Oh yeah, it's kind of funny. Because for the most part, it's just kind of a sleepy town and but we've had we've had, you know, the news from so Salt Lake City is probably our largest, the nearest large city to us in Salt Lake City, UT. But we've had news crews come up from Salt Lake City.
Yeah, yeah.
Searchlight Pictures did a flash mob at Sundance Film. Festival this winter as like a 20 year celebration kickoff. So yeah, I think there's a lot of hype going on for this 20 year anniversary. And then the actors have actually been going on tour around the US doing like a Q&A with the showing of the movie.
I have seen bits and pieces of that now. Are any of the actors from the film coming to the town for the festival?
We are in talks with a few. I hope that we can announce that officially, but we are in talks with you and we have got fans that.
Right.
Have already called in and wanted to sponsor. We have had people just, they're just offering us money. Just get the access and we'll pay for their plane ticket. We'll pay for the hotel. And so we're we're in talks with a few of them to try to see if we can get them to come back.
Wow.
We are kind of in the middle of nowhere so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, Pedro offers you his protection anyway.
Yes, he does. He does.
Look, look, I I, I I think I think regardless of of of who's the town itself. And if you look at the movie and the cinematography and the way it's shot, the town itself is as much of A star as of the film. As the actors, it's a it's a beautiful place and it's a real credit to you guys that you're putting this on. We stumbled across it and we just think it's.
Stunning man.
Absolutely fantastic. You're you're shocked there your store if you want to give that a plug, Kimberly, where can people find you online if they want to check out what's going on over there in Preston?
Oliveandjoe.com. And I will start posting about the Napoleon Fest on there as well, in case you could find you'll be able to register and find out more information at napoleonfest.com, but I will also link the information over at my website, which is all of and joe.com and I my store is actually going to be. Stuff as the headquarters of the Little festival, where people can come and get their itinerary for. The the weekend and. I'm super excited to meet all the people.
That's excellent. You've heard it straight from the lamas mouth, folks. Thank you so much, Kimberly. We really do appreciate you taking the time to talk to us and we wish you every success. We can't wait to see what is happening over.
Yeah. Thank you so much.
And Preston on the weekend of the 26th and the 27th of. July and just. Just for taking the time to come and be on our teeny little podcast right over the other side of the world. You're amazing. Thanks. So. Much.
Ohh I am so happy to do this and to be a part of your show. It was a lot of fun.
I wish I was there. I really do. I would love to go bowling at pop and pins and try some of that BBQ.
I want to go to the happy hands master. Class.
Well, yes.
Have my photo taken with a llama.
That's amazing. Like, it just sounds like a very immersive and wonderful experience and 20.
Yes.
Is on. I'm. I'm just so happy. Thank you, ray. Thank you very much. So. I think we found that film. It's it is just an absolute joy and you can't say that about many movies these days. Wow. Let's go over to books now. Let's bit of a change of pace, but maybe not really, but kind of.
Nonfiction, we've gone to the non fiction shows, the one with the numbers in the Dewey Decimal system rather than the 1st 3 letters of the authors.
All right. Yes. OK. Nonfiction. What are we?
Name. Ohh God.
That was nerdy.
I thought I used to do. Shelving in the library because I didn't have to hang around with no one didn't have any friends.
Yeah, so did I in the. Yes. Yeah, shelving in the. Library as opposed to shelving as described in the Urban Dictionary, which is inserting a foreign item into the ******.
Yes. Ohh yes. Wow. OK, so I will take that off my resume right now.
Not that kind of Shelby. And yeah, I used to do shelving in a library until I got arrested.
Because shelving was the worst job because I always wanted to be on the.
You're not wrong.
The desk, because if you're on the desk, you got to use the date stamp. Remember the date stamp and you'd roll it and you'd put it in the ink.
Yes. Ohh.
Well.
Pad and you'd stamp it.
If you go by the urban dictionary thing of shelving, then the date stamp takes on a whole new meaning.
The. But yeah, it's very familiar with. Some. Anyway, this book I I bought.
Putting the books in the shelves table.
I bought this book when I first got an.
Did you?
IPad this is the first.
Red.
Well, I've had no, I've never finished it. I think I.
It's a book we haven't finished. Great.
Read like the first chapter. Gave up. I got distracted. Yeah, when I first got an iPad. And then, you know how you can. What's it called? Books. Where you buy the books. And. Yeah, I bought that book. It's the. It's the book called Eats, shoots and leaves by limp trusts.
Good.
Yeah.
Through sloppy usage and low standards on the Internet, in email and now text messages, quote unquote TXT MSGS, we have made proper punctuation and endangered species in each shoots and leaves former editor Lynn Truss dares to say that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons. And see them as the wonderful and necessary things that they are. Ohh yeah, this is like a grammar Nazi book. That's what it is. You know, people like you get ridiculed for wanting to do things properly these days. If there are only parents left who care, then so be it. I agree this is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled from George Orwell shunning the semicolon to quote Unquote, New Yorker editor Harold Ross's epic arguments with James Thurber over promise, this lively history makes a powerful case. For the preservation of a system of printing conventions, that is much too subtle to be mucked about with. So OK, so I think in principle this is great. This is a very principled thing, like, but in a whole book, I can see why he didn't finish.
It the books titles obviously derived from a humorous panda joke which illustrates how misplacing commas in this particular instance.
8 streets and waves.
To the meaning of a sentence, and I experienced this for myself at our year 7 camp at chiros heads when Mark Kenney wore.
Yes.
A shirt that. Said the New Zealand Kiwi eats roots and leaves.