Cakebug Tranch

It's an awesome resource - so much interesting stuff there. What's your relationship with 'Phantom of the Paradise'? Superfan, or insider? (apologies if that information is abundantly clear on your site) What do YOU love about this movie? And most importantly, how did you find out we were discussing it in the forum? Are you a regular HDTGM listener? Is there anything we've missed?

Holy shit, have we achieved such internet fame that the owner of the Phantom of the Paradise archive page is chiming in to discussion? Welcome, weary traveller! Endow your knowledge on to us!

I seriously pondered going, but if I'm going to make the trip from Toronto/CNY for a festival the timing needs to be better. One of these days!

Amen, brothers. What a piece of shit.

Add to that, how well is Regis Philbin doing his job that he allows in-drag Winslow to make it all the way into the orgy room? What did Winslow think would be the result from him showing up in a wig during Swan's champagne room time? Open arms? Dude should have expected to have the snot kicked out of him for that.

Having spent the week discussing this in the Musical Mondays thread, I add my vote that this awesome movie would be perfect for the podcast proper. It's insane, it's terrible, it's brilliant, usually all at once.

Here's something: the ENTIRE plot of this movie is predicated on Swan searching for 'something' to open the Paradise, which it seems is months away and is really important to him that he open it with the perfect thing. He auditions the Juicyfruits off the top looking to see if they fit the bill, but they're dismissed. If he doesn't have something to open the Paradise, there's a problem. Once the Paradise is opened, the big draw is 'Faust', Beef (Meat) and Phoenix, all of which are entirely unknown to Swan when the movie begins. Two big questions: WHY does Winslow wind up in the middle of the audition stage with his messy composer's piano right after the Juicyfruits have performed? Surely he isn't a likely candidate for opening the Paradise given the type of act that the Juicyfruits are. And the fact that Swan identifies, on ten chords, that Winslow's music (minus Winslow) is inspiring enough that he will bank his entire enterprise on it, is craziness. And the second question: if not for this impulsive decision, what would Swan have done to open the Paradise? More to the point, what was the use of cutting Winslow out in the first place? He seemed pretty excited to be involved, and aside from his worry about them miscasting his play, Swan could have worked with Winslow right away and there would have been no need for prison, becoming the Phantom, anyone dying, etc, etc. I think if totally sane Winslow had have been confronted with the casting of Beef, I don't think he'd be throwing neon thunderbolts at him mid-show... Swan works with Winslow later after he's gone crazy and become the Phantom, but if he's so willing then to credit Winslow as the author, why bother cutting him out in the first place?

I just love that this was made in an era where someone who looks like Paul Williams (AKA someone's nana who lives under a bridge asking travelers riddles) could be a heart-throb leading man. You go, Paul.

Anyone need any Phantom merchandise? Get yer eight tracks! Eight tracks here! https://www.swanarch...rchandising.asp Want your own Phantom Mask? Want an enamel hinged pin? Want a Phantom doll?

It was originally, but Led Zeppelin's manager owned the name and got all litigious when he discovered the connection. It's an interesting story... More here: https://www.swanarch...tion_fiasco.asp

I dunno, seeing who the guests are on the episode (including June!), I don't really take one look at them and say 'you look like Ninja Terminator people'! From the tone of the last minisode, it felt like this was one of Paul's personal favourites, but maybe that's just me reading into it.

According to our dear friends over at HDTGM Reddit, apparently the live show was pretty good for Ninja Terminator, so maybe we have something to look forward to. Plenty of people over there are just as bemused about the choice as they are here, it seems. Here's the link, but don't click if you want to be surprised about who the guests are.

Never forget that Paul Williams wrote another song we all know and love... Thanks, Swan!

The dismemberment of audience-planted mannequins to put together to create FrankenBeef was fuckin' badass.

Like this scene! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtxSmxHvUBk

No, the videotape was taken 25 years ago but the video ages while he stays the same age. Hence the middle-aged lady saying she dated him at high school, and he still looks the same. But the video has done his aging for him, and if you destroy the video he'll die, exactly like in Wilde's novel.

The bath Paul Williams is supposed to be his Dorian Grey picture, right? So this is what Swan looks like 25 years older, but it also assumes that he's had a haircut and is starting to get more conservative. They should have gone whole hog and given him a baldcap like Charlie Sheen at the end of 'Being John Malkovich'. For me, bathtub Dorian Grey swan looked like Richie Benaud, a venerable Australian cricket commentator... Also, the fact that bathtub Dorian Grey swan doesn't have his glasses, does this mean that in the next 25 years Swan will get Lasik?

That was actually an ETA emendation, because I thought you would all take me to task for claiming this movie to be amazing. So that qualifier was a concession to the fact that it's not perfect, but I stand by my statement that it's fantastic.

For all of its many faults, I thought this movie was WAY better than either of these Phantom movies...

Me watching Phantom of the Paradise today over my lunch break:

You're all so much wronger than it's possible to be wrong. This is a fair dinkum classic.

One of these days a 'How Did This Get Named' must make it on to the minisode. These are always brilliant, Cam! Way to go!

Plus, his means of road-killing each of the bad guys is essentially the same thing: drive fast, get a little further ahead, suddenly stop in the middle of the road, allow them to crash into me, explosion. I kept waiting for the Wraith to Sleepaway Camp-style one-up his kills, but it was the same idea every time. Without a stated weakness, the Wraith is mostly just a sociopathic bully, toying with weakling mortals that can't hurt him. Even the act of putting the GPS on his engine so he can't run away comes to nothing, so why bother with it?

Be sure to click through all four pages - it's pure insanity. The CBC radio interview on the first page is worth a listen too.

And directed by Brian De Palma! Wow, this is really interesting. Wonder if anyone from Winnipeg will be posting...