Everyone here at the Spinto Band home office was so flattered to have
our song made into a Jumanji song parody, that we just had to get to know the people behind it. Here is a nice little interview with Graham and Nat, the brains behind the video!
The Spinto Band: Who are you, and where are you from?
Graham: I am Graham and I am 28 years old. I have lived most my life in a little town called East Grinstead, which is about 30 miles from London - the only point of reference in England. It is also the World Scientology HQ. This may explain why I sit indoors making videos when I should be outside in the sunshine.
Nat: I am Nat and I live in the wonderful town of Sheffield in the north of England.
SB: What was your inspiration for an “Oh Mandy” / “Jumanji” parody?
N: Great song + great film + a bit of time to kill = Oh Manji. It started with just singing the chorus and then I thought...'I know...!'
SB: Do you do a lot of these videos? are there any other videos planned?
G: I have never edited video before in my life. However, since putting this together, I have just been constantly editing films down to 3 and a half minutes in length with instrumental versions of songs on top of them. That way, if Nat ever decides she wants to do this again, I might be able to save some time if she chances on one I've already prepared. I've got my fingers crossed for American Psycho / Man in the Mirror
N: I think this is a one off!
SB: How long did the video take?
G: The video itself took about 5-6 hours. It only took that long because
a.) FUN FACT: The word "Jumanji" is only spoken 3 times in the movie "Jumanji". This didn't give me much to work with.
b.) CONTINUITY FACT: Robin Williams actually goes to the shoe factory THEN has a shave. This made picking shots of the shoe factory quite difficult without suggesting that Robin Williams has a beard that grows back instantly. I bet he could totally do that if he wanted though.
N: Graham did the hard work here, I only spent about an hour writing the lyrics and then recording them (hence the continuity error)
SB: Do you do anything else music or video related?
N: I do (real, non-comedy) songs in my band Nat Johnson and the Figureheads: www.natjohnson.co.uk (and in my old band Monkey Swallows the Universe: www.mstu.co.uk)
SB: We have a song called "Later On" if you were to make a song parody
with it about the plot of "Star Trek II: the WRATH OF KHAN" what would
the first verse and chorus be?
G:
James Tiberius Kirk is rebuking Kirsty Alley
Her decisions killed the whole crew
Wait - it's fine. It was just a test run
So later on we meet Khan - he seems to want to know where Kirk is. KHAAAN
KHAAAN
Oh-ho-ho KHAAAAAAAN
Oh-ho-ho KHAAAAAAAN
Your mind worm's in Chekov's head
Oh-ho-ho KHAAAAAAAN
He's telling all our secrets
Oh-ho-ho KHAAAAAAAN
We'll get you in the end though
KHAAAAAN
Oh-ho-ho KHAAAAAAAN
SB: We recently became addicted to the board game Settlers of Catan.
Have you played that game? Do you know if it is as dangerous to play
as Jumanji?
G: I heard someone say it once. I think it is 34% less dangerous than Jumanji.
N: I've never heard of it but I'm pretty sure all games have an element of danger which is what makes them fun. I once lost at scrabble and the word 'loser' became magically tattooed across my face. I've since won a game and can go out in public again without a mask.
SB: What song would you use to parody Settlers of Catan?
G: I would use "Man in the Mirror". It is the only song I know. It also has the same number of syllables as "Settlers of Catan" (as long as you say "Settlers" as 2 syllables), which is the main criteria.
N: I'm not sure how you pronounce Catan (Cay - tan or Ca- Tan?) but if it's the latter I would probably try and do that 'Whatta Man, whatta mighty good man' song by Salt N Pepa/En Vogue.
SB: What is the best Robin Williams movie where he has a beard, and why?
G: Happy Feet. It's a shame you can't see it, but if you get the Blu-Ray version, you can hear it bristling in high definition audio.
N: Does he have a beard at the start of Mrs Doubtfire? I can't remember, but how about a video of Mrs Doubtfire to the song Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon?
SB: Is Robin Williams the hairiest man you've ever seen?
G: I just Googled "Hairiest Man" to properly research this. I found this: http://www.odditycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/hypertrichosis.jpg. I don't have anything to add.
SB: If you were stuck on a desert island with Robin Williams and he died and you had to eat him what would be the first part of him you ate? Why?
G: In Dead Poets Society, he says "Sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone." so I'd probably try that to see if he was right.
N: Any part of him I didn't have to shave first.
SB: Do you have anything else you would like to add? Or any special message for the eight people who read this blog?
N: Just that I saw you in Manchester a few years back and it was good, come back to the UK! Hi Spinto Band blog readers!
As you can see, Nick will be dropping needles down onto grooves and perhaps you'll enjoy cutting the rug to them. Complete info HERE.
Not sure if you have "google alerts" for the "spinto band" such as we do, but it certainly helps with the discovery of these kind of gems. What is the thought that went into the writing / programming of this?!
Yes, it has been a full year since we introduced this dangerous distraction into our lives. It seemed that whenever we got together we played a couple (or dozen) rounds of this game. It began as much-needed break from the long recording sessions, tiresome practices or grueling load-outs...but it soon grew into something it prevented us from doing those things entirely. We were not playing Bomberman anymore. It was playing us.
Just like David Hasselhoff's daughter famously filmed him drunkenly eating a Wendy's hamburger, Jeff secretly recorded footage of us during a round of Bomberman...So we could see for ourselves how this game affects us and how little control over it we have. These are the sobering results:
