I’m only 20 minutes in but am really enjoying this chat so far. I’ve watched a bunch of club randoms before and although some of Bill’s habits get irritating (not to mention the weird security camera angles at certain points) I think his inner Beatle fanboy helps because you can tell he is genuinely interested in what Julian has to say and not as dismissive as he can be to some guests. If you want to play a drinking game sometime watch any Club Random episode and take a shot anytime Bill brings up the Beatles. The man must be a member of the Hoffman forums lol although there are plenty of other things he repeats every episode that you can base a drinking game off of. (If I were playing one, I already reached the point where I would have to take a shot when Bill goes on his “I don’t want children never liked them, even when I was one” rant. After seeing this, I think Sean would actually make a great guest.
Maher has been hit or miss with me for a while, mostly miss lately. But Julian is an interesting guy with a story to tell so I'll give it a listen.
Whether one likes or dislikes Bill Maher, it's the format of this show that is crucial. Broadcast television interviews these days are basically three minutes of chat to promote a new release or product, but Maher's show here does at least put the guests at ease, let them choose their own pace, and not feel the pressure to talk about any specific topic.
Hilarious and spot on. And if you want to make a Beatles connection to make this more relevant to the thread, Tim Heidecker is a guest on an episode of the One Sweet Dream Beatles podcast, talking Beatles for almost 2 hours
Thank you for this vince. I'll have to set aside the time to watch this in its entirety -- I know so little about Julian. I've become a huge fan of his, due to his last two albums (Jude and particularly Everything Changes). Sad that his work is so under the radar (any fan of late-period Fabs should love EC).
I've always liked Julian's music, only wish there was more of it really. Like Michael Penn his music gets overlooked somewhat I feel because of the famous family member?
His Richard Dreyfus interview was unintentionally one of the funniest interviews I've ever seen. Most of his interview are just grumpy man complaining but once in a while it's gold
I didn't get all the way through yet, but (and while the relationship between Paul McCartney and Julian Lennon is of course none of our business) I found it a bit sad and surprising that Julian says here that he and McCartney have never really sat down together and had a real and long conversation. That McCartney has apparently been telling Julian for years (when they briefly/randomly meet up) that he has tons of private stories he wants to tell him about his father. Maybe it's just too painful, or one or both have been too busy. But it's a shame. It's been 43 years nearly. And McCartney isn't going to live forever, I hope they get to do that.
I've talked to Julian Lennon too, over pints of lager. I really liked that first Phil Ramone helmed single. It was so "familial".
it’s definitely more likely to happen then a sit down with Pete Best or Denny Laine, much as I would love for that to happen, even if it’s a private event only. The most interesting part was Julian saying he’s working on a memoir, so who wants to place bets he gets it out before Mark Lewisohn gets volume 2 of his book out?
This is genius and really captures what a joke Maher has become. Club Random hasn't covered him in glory. I've watched Bill regularly since PI and loved "Religulous". I actually have HBO Max so I could see "Real Time" but in the past couple of years he's lost me. He used to speak truth to power. Now he coddles poisonous scumbags like Ralph Reed on his show. He seems to be a lot less worldly, a loi less intellectually curious than he used to be. He's lost that part of his personality and his comedy that reminded me of Carlin at his intelligent, scathing best. Maybe he never was? Maybe I always thought or hoped he was? I don't enjoy his take on things anymore and I won't be watching Real Time when it returns.
Yes, on name alone, Julian's book has so much more mainstream/trade appeal than any book Lewisohn could write at this point -- I say that with all respect to Lewisohn as I'm a Beatlesgeek, and he is creating historical tomes more so than just "interesting books," as it were. Unlike Julian's book, Lewisohn's books would not be racking up hundreds of sales at, say, Hudson's bookstore at O'Hare airport or such. In addition, think of the advance Julian would be able to call for his book. Lewisohn just doesn't have that drawing power in the mainstream.
Cool to see Julian in a casual setting. Bill needs his writers. That is when he is best. They nail so much of the craziness of now. The real dude is just wrong and annoying. The freakin Dreyfus interview is just nuts. Hard to sit through. The room he interviews in seems like a hostage room. Some of the comedians he interviewed pointed this out. To blankness from Bill at this potentially hilarious riff. Bill doesn’t seem to acknowledge reality much. Just has a few topics that he repeats over and over. I guess like us all. But in the basement high with cameras just not enjoyable conversations always. This was a fun one.
This was interesting to watch. It started off fairly normal, but then as things wore on and Bill Maher got more and more ****-faced, things turned a little south IMO. It's an interesting phenomenon always when one or more persons in a group are consuming and another person or segment isn't, then the disconnect eventually takes place. The more and more in-your-face Maher got, the more Julian recoiled into a complacent yes-I-agree-with-you response out of a lack of knowing what else to do in this situation. It was almost like watching an episode of the old Charlie Rose show where he sometimes talked so much himself, the guest couldn't get a word in edgewise. Then it got to be a little sad that Maher could find nothing else to talk about besides John Lennon or Beatles-related angles. In the end, Julian Lennon didn't come off as being very interesting with much to talk about. But it was also a matter of he not being in the same frame of mind (stoned) as the interviewer, so came across as being more serious or sullen as a consequence.
