SR: Now, what came first, “Spaceballs,” or “Police Academy?” MW: He tore them out of the book and told the guy, “Get off my set!” Then we weren’t behind anymore, so we improv’d it. Pimplyface from corporate, and we just wanted to let you know you’re four pages behind.” You know what Mel Brooks did? I bet you know what he did? Things were going fine until one of the young 20-something execs showed up to pass along the message to the studio to Mel Brooks: (in wimpy voice) “Sir, uh, I’m Mr.
MW: Oh no, some of it was scripted, but some of it was not. SR: Was there a lot of improvisation during “Spaceballs,” or were things pretty well scripted out? There’s some wild stuff on the cutting room floor that you’re never gonna see. When I was in “Spaceballs,” that was what it was like. MW: Right, that’s Mel Brooks’ style of humor, man. SR: It’s that humor that pushes the envelope just enough to make you feel uncomfortable. That’s what I aim for, the Mel Brooks level of humor.
MW: I want to do a whole movie like that. SR: I’ve seen your Bruce Lee bit when I was younger and remember cracking up at it. Then Bruce Lee showed up, and I was like, “Wow.” Also, whenever the criminals would show up, the cameras would always tilt 20 degrees to the right. The noises in the Bat Cave, when he’d turn the Batmobile on. When I watched these shows, I realized how noises were so important, like that sonar noise, and how they would slow it down, lotta weird stuff. The creepy sounds on shows like “The Outer Limits” and the “Twilight Zone,” and “Night Gallery,” which was one of Steven Spielberg’s first gigs. I used to listen to the soundtracks closely. Then he was like, “Let’s go back to watching ‘The Monkees,’” and I’d say, ‘It’s too late.” This was back when Shatner had hair.
I kept going, “Jeez, who the hell are these people?” and my brother and I used to fight over the TV because “Star Trek” would run at the same time as “The Monkees,” so he would tie me to a chair and force me to watch “Star Trek,” which really made me mad until I figured out how to make the noises. I was watching weird TV shows, like “The Copycats” and “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In,” which was Goldie Hawn’s first gig. MW: When they were beating you up to make you shut up, you think, “Hey, maybe I am good at this.” Maybe this is what I’ll do. SR: When did you first notice you had a unique talent? I ended up making my own movie soundtracks, my own TV shows, where I’d turn the sound off the TV and do the soundover for myself. And where do they learn it from? Everybody else. SR: I hear that so much from a lot of comedians, that their abilities were developed more as a defense mechanism from the cruelty of children. You pretty much make up your own friends. MW: Yeah, because I didn’t have a lot of friends, you know when you’re up in these places there’s nothing there, so you pretty much make it up for yourself. SR: Do you think that impacted the way you developed your vocal talent? But it was a unique experience for me, so I was fine with it. I also lived in an air force base in Montana, which was a great place to be if you were a truck tire, or a spent shell casing. SR: So, what was it like growing up on an air force base?
MW: Yeah, my dad was at Fairchild Air Force Base. SR: That was going to be my first question for you. There’s at least a foot on the ground, and it just keeps coming. I hear you guys are getting snow blinded right now. Sandpoint Reader: Hey, Michael, thanks so much for taking my call. By the time I hung up the phone my cheeks were hurting from laughter. The show is hosted by Morgan Preston and will also feature comedian Phillip Kopczynski.īelow is just a short snippet of the hilarious conversation I had with Winslow. He’ll be showcasing his unique brand of comedy at the 219 Lounge for two days on Friday Feb. Winslow is also a stand-up comedian, blending his off-the-wall impressions, sound effects and mouth-generated covers of famous performers like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Aside from acting, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of beatboxing. Dubbed “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” Winslow has appeared in such comedy classics as “Spaceballs,” “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie and of course, as “Motormouth Jones” in the “Police Academy” films. Of all the interviews I’ve conducted with famous people, my conversation with Michael Winslow was easily my favorite.