Commentary: Eagleclaw!

Christian: Oh yeah, look at him licking an egg. There it is. The egg.
Richard: Come on, this way. Look for it!
James: Did you scan it?
Christian: Eaglebones.
Ian: So creepy.
Richard: Mmm French fries.
James: Fries alive.
Christian: It’s a trap. Is that a little Admiral Ackbar reference?
Ian: ‘Course.
James: Absolutely.
Christian: And wasn’t that uh Brad Davis- Adventure Drums- inside of Snakey?
Ian: Yes sir.
Richard: Yeah.
Christian: Oh Brad. He’s a great man.
Chad: I wonder if you could like interpret all the like- previously on the Aquabats and understand what is really trying to be said there.
Christian: Yeah like takin’ it to an art gallery.
Ian: Use the dream journal.
(Theme song credits name them one at a time and they each chime in)
Christian: Hey I’m the MC Bat Commander.
Chad: Hey. Crash.
Richard: Ricky Fitness.
Ian: Eaglebones here.
James: Hey, I’m Jimmy the robot.
Christian: It is funny that in the previously on the Aquabats stuff there’s a- a good portion of stuff that was not on the episode previously. I think that’s funny.
Chad: That’s the point I’m trying to make. Is like,
Christian: Yeah.
Chad: How do we understand that?
Ian: Still think this is a great theme song.
Christian: It is! I think it turned out good. I like that weird overtone in the background- that (sings a couple notes) that- that you’re, you’re kind of playing in the background. You know what I’m taking about?
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: It’s like a high pitched kind of a- Hey there it is! A real concert. This was shot at the uh Glass House in Pomona with real Aquabats fans.
Ian: Home court yeah.
Christian: We love you guys. Yeah we’re playing on home court right there.
Richard: Home court advantage.
(Several of them start to talk)
Ian: Go.
James: I think that’s actually live audio too. Isn’t it?
Ian: I think s- a lot of it is.
Christian: Uhhh a lot of it.
James: Most of it is. That is a pretty rare uh event for an Aquabats uh, situation.
Christian: Yeah recording live.
James: A live reco- There’s virtually no re- like published live recordings.
Richard: Shred- shred that geetar.
Christian: You were shredding right there. This is pretty close to live right here.
Several of them: (mimicking the episode) Wha, what? What?
Ian: Hits too close to home.
Christian: (mimicking the episode) Get outta the way!
James: Sometimes there’s an Aquabat sticker on the kickdrum. Sometimes there’s not.
Christian: Yeah I noticed that. So some of this stuff we shot during the day; for the close ups. And then later on that night we, we shot it all with the kids there. Right?
James: Yup.
Christian: And this is uh Matt Chapman- our friend Matt Chapman-
Ian: It’s the first one he directed right?
Christian: Matt and Mike Chapman first- his first episode he directed. Look at that guy with the like- Hey there’s Remo. Look at Remo. That guy with the green costume on from the very first Aquabats record. He prolly got that off eBay. During one of our dark periods.
(They all laugh)
Ian: I need money.
Chad: Can we see the bouncer inside the door right there?
Christian: Yeah that’s Finau isn’t it?
Chad: And this is at our soundstage right?
Christian: Yeah this is our soundstage in the heart of beautiful Santa Anna.
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: So inside that door- inside that metal door is the inside of the battletram.
Ian: Yeah.
Chad: And there’s like a cheerleading camp next door.
Christian: Yeah right next door.
Chad: Practice.
Ian: Ok roll sound AND-
Christian: Cheerleaders. That’s right. The cheerleading camp was very noisy. “What the wha”, that became one of our most favorite lines.
Ian: I love that one.
Christian: And there’s Lucy, Lucy Mitchell right there with the sweatshirt on.
Ian: We have some interns and people as extras and
Chad: Yeah, Amber- Amber Frakes.
Christian: And there’s uh Dennis, our friend Dennis is with the CD and Chase is back there and the- Hey look there’s our friend Jon. So creepy.
James: Oh come on.
Christian: He did a great job. Yeah this is in the middle of the night right? I mean-
Chad: That was the night we had fried chicken.
Richard: Yeah.
Chad: Fried chicken and meatloaf at four in the morning. It’s a great idea.
Richard: That’ll knock em’ out.
Christian: There’s A- that girl Asia she was one of our interns on the show. With the glasses. (mimicking episode) Bro. Jon did a great job.
Ian: So this is actually someone else’s hands handing that to me right? Wasn’t that like- On the turnaround I think it was like Partida in that cloak.
Christian: Yeah. (Mimicking episode) See ya guys. So this is uh. Whoa Eaglebones. That’s, that’s rude. (Listens) Whoa. What? And here’s our uh- Is this our second try or our third try that we blew up the garbage can?
Ian: I don’t know but at least we got to throw the dummy.
Christian: Yeah. We gotta come up with a name for the dummy. Oh! Warren Fitzgerald. Look at him.
Ian: From the Vandals.
Christian: (giggling) Look at him. Good old Warren. That’s a good line Ricky. Yeah. (referring to Eagleclaw) This part wa- he just kinda did that it was sooo good. There’s that fake dirt on the side of the battletram.
Richard: It’s walnut dust.
Christian: Is it? That’s what it is- walnut dust?
Richard: Uh huh.
Ian: Good scoring, ricky
Christian: Yeah. This is like my, I think my favorite scoring that we did this season. Done by uh-
Richard: Jimmy the Robot and…
(All talking over one another)
Christian: Jimmy the Robot and Ricky Fitness scored this whole episode.
Chad: Robot doing the Robot.
Ian: Crash drinking.
Christian: Robot doing the robot still. I like you’re ‘I’m going’ backpack.
Ian: It’s a weird backpack.
Christian: We should’ve just used a bamboo stick and a bandana. That would’ve been better.
Ian: Hobo bag.
Christian: Yeah hobo bag would’ve been good.
James: Bindle.
Christian: I love the word hobo. Did you just say ‘bindle’?
James: Yeah that’s what it is.
Christian: Hobo bindle? This scene was a lot longer and we we cut it all down right?
One of them: Oh yeah.
Christian: There was a lot more dialogue that was goofy.
Ian: Love that I was packing a bowling shoe.
Christian: So my voice is kinda scratchy from the show we played previously. Hear how scratchy it is?
Ian: Oh.
Christian: One of our editors said he lost all his respect for the ‘Bat Commander after I said that line. And I was like-
James: Took that long?
Richard: Why?
Christian: He’s like, “You know, the ‘Bat Commander! He’s so tough and macho.” I’m like, “With his moustache?”
Richard: Let me guess who that was.
Christian: Rocko! This is a great cartoon in a cup.
Ian: Did I not come back for the keys? Did they, that get cut? (talking about the keys to the motorcycle)
Christian: Uhhh, I don’t know. I think, yeah.
Chad: It must’ve.
Christian: Yeah so-
Ian: The keys were on the table when I left and then that last shot they were gone.
Christian: Yeah you came back and got your keys. So we, yeah, we had to cut that part out. This is mind jail.
James: It’s what I always figured it would look like.
Christian: Yeah. There’s Mooncheese, getting it. And here’s some weird- what? What were you gonna say, Crash?
Chad: I was gonna say, how come uh,
Ian: (mimicking episode) The trouble multiplies! I love that line.
(From episode: Ricky! Help me outta these straps!)
Christian: Famous stars’n’straps? (giggling) Sorry. I had to say it. Oh look! You just happened to have dangerous bees. In your belt.
James: Pretty convenient.
Richard: Always. Never leave home without ’em.
Ian: Love that the space bees know not to attack us.
Richard: I really like the way we look as cartoons.
Christian: I like that the space bees look like pollen in the background. It just looks like-
Ian: Fog?
Christian: Dirt fog. Low budget animation; that’s what you get. (Mimicking episode) …saw the movie Star Wars.
Ian: The second Star Wars reference this episode?
Christian: There has to be a Star Wars reference in every episode and Star Trek.
Ian: We’ve got some power stances there.
Christian: Yeah. Look at those. Uh oh. Tentacle.
Richard: Mm hmm.
Christian: Ricky. What’s going on with your arms, Ricky? Ohhhh….
James: Just missed.
One of them: (makes a clicking noise with his tongue)
Christian: That was as ‘Japanese cartoon’ as they could get. I- I love the, the art that- the illustration of us looks really cool.
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: How’s the detail in the brain?
James: It’s so good.
Christian: Brain case.
James: Brain bubble.
Christian: It’s like-
Chad: I just like how they captured my eyebrows.
Christian: Of course!
Ian: Big and bushy.
Christian: Those things are wild. They’re hard to tame. Every cartoon is hilarious.
Chad: Had to get a special eyebrow stylist.
Christian: (laughing) Is that what happened?
Chad: Yeah. That’s what all our money went to.
Richard: She came with a weedwhacker.
Christian: You should perm that thing.
Chad: No way man.
Christian: Get curly eyebrows.
Chad: Naw, just blowdry em’ and-
Christian: Look at- look at Eaglebones right here.
Several of them: So,
Christian: So uh, who did we write this song with? Is this uh-
Ian: This is a Matt Gorney one.
Christian: Matt Gorney.
Richard: Matt Gorney, Gorney, Gorney.
Christian: And I think uh,
Chad: Brad, right?
Christian: Brad maybe? Look at Warren.
James: Hobo Warren.
Christian: Hobo in the sky keep on turnin’ right there. That- that motorcycle is so awesome. It was like a 80’s motorcycle that we, I think we rented it. Or did we buy it? ‘Cuz didn’t-Ian: I don’t know.
Christian: Didn’t they blow it up?
Ian: How- we did- yeah we did blow it up. I love it that it goes to like, the radio on the motorcycle.
Christian: (laughing) Yeah there’s a radio on the motorcycle.
Ian: That was actually a longer shot too. I did a whole thing where I soloed on the- on the bike. That got cut.
Christian: Yeah. This scene was longer as well. We cut it down.
Chad: The costume is amazing.
Christian: Ah, so good. So we based the costume a little bit on this character that used to be on Buck Rogers. That was called like- Hawkman or Hawk.
Chad: So was he supposed to do the like thing-
Christian: No I think that was all him. Like, he came up with it. We wanted to have him do like something…like Kung Fu-ey. But, Jon brought so much to this character, like,
Ian: Yeah.
Several of them: Look!
Ian: The fox!
Christian: Look, the fox! I saw him.
Chad: And you know, my favorite line got cut on this too. With the ice cream.
Ian: Love the freeze frame.
Chad: When, when Eaglebones says ‘I didn’t even like that girl OR that ice cream.’
Christian: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Chad: I don’t know why they cut that. That’s such a great line!
Christian: Yeah, I think it’s just time. What’s sad about every episode is that they have to be a specific time and we end up shooting so much stuff that a lot of it gets cut out.
(They all start to talk over each other)
Ian: (mimicking episode) NOOOOOO!!!
Chad: Could you add, could you add that line in Eaglebones right now?-
Christian: Those kids were good.
Chad: -so the kids get it?
Christian: Autumn Escalante was so cute, that girl.
James: I like that name.
Christian: (Whispers) Autumn Escalante.
Ian: OR that ice cream.
Christian: It just sounds like a cute girl doesn’t it?
Richard: So funny.
Christian: How was that, uh, brown wetsuit with like, plastic sewed onto it? I think-
Chad: I’m sure that was comfortable in a hundred degree weather.
Christian: Our- Brand-
Ian: Actually we were filming at night. It got a little chilly there, so he’s probably alright.
Christian: -Brandon Bird and I went and kinda came up with the idea for the costume, but the execution was a little different than we’d pictured, but,
Ian: Supposed to look like he made it himself right? With his claws?
Richard: The headpiece-
Christian: Oh man. The headpiece is great.
Richard: That headpiece is amazing.
Christian: And the claws. That’s Scott Johnson again. And Jurgen. Jurgen Ferguson- Alex Ferguson. Those guys are great. The- this part turned out really good too.
Ian: Yeah, epic.
Christian: This is our first, like uh guitar kinda laser episode really. I mean we, I guess we had one the first episode, but this turned out super good.
Ian: Yesss.
Christian: With the-
Chad: And then you really blew up the motorcycle.
Christian: Yeah.
Chad: That was good.
Christian: The craziest thing about ex- like, explosives and stuff- especially in California- is you have to have like a fleet of firemen there like-
James: Watching?
Christian: Yeah exactly. Watching and eating all the food.
James: Eating-
Christian: And getting paid a ton of money.
James: Hangin’ out at crafty.
Ian: I like how Heder like whips up the tornado- aw, they cut it down!
Christian: Yeah it got trimmed.
Ian: Ok so they actually, the props department actually cut up a real guitar there. I was SO bummed, cuz’ they coulda just taken four screws and taken the neck off of it. They actually cut the headstock off these guitars that Fender made ‘specially for us.
Christian: Look at that shot with the moon over his shoulder. It’s pretty rad. Yeah I know we, we only had- didn’t we only have two?
(Talking over each other)
Ian: We had two of ’em for camera.
Christian: We had two guitars and,
Ian: And they destroyed one.
Christian: one of ’em got destroyed.
James: Yeah, third episode.
Chad: And we only had one extra helmet too. And they cut that up too.
(Laughter)
Christian: Hey I really like this one, uh, I like that the bat- Little Bat’s like, kind of morphed during the season. And uh, the earlier one was a lot cleaner and this one kinda got more,
Ian: Tom and Jerry or-?
Christian: like sketchy? Like see how it kinda flickers, like it’s hand drawn?
Ian: Oh.
Christian: I- I like that a lot better. It kind of is indicative of what we were trying, trying to do with Little Bat is like the old school Pink Panther cartoon. Sorta like-
Richard: Yeah.
Christian: To- uh like uh Rocky and Bullwinkle like really ske- like re-really uh, you know um, what’s the word I’m looking for?
Ian: Hand-drawn.
Christian: Hand-drawn and and and simple.
Ian: That was like the lo- the lost shot; opening the eyes.
Christian: Alright how’s this part right here. That’s all Joel Fox’s sky time-lapse and glitter right there. And Christopher Doulgeris worked on this too, right?
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: Christopher. Ladies and gentlemen, Lou Diamond Phillips.
Richard: Yeah.
Ian: Yeah!
(They applaud)
Christian: (quietly) Golf clap. (Normal volume) He was so great. He was such a great guy.
Ian: He was!
Richard: Awesome.
Ian: One of the coolest guys.
Christian: (chuckling) Oh he was so good.
Chad: I know, I hate to even talk over this part.
Christian: Yeah, because it’s so good.
(Laughter)
Christian: He came in and shot all this on the greenscreen in our set. Um and uh-
Chad: He was stoked that like Ian was layin’ on the ground talking to him instead of having to like, speak to a green X.
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: Are you actually laying on the ground, Eaglebones?
Ian: Yeah. Yeah yeah.
Christian: Oh there’s that glove.
Ian: I suffer for my craft.
Christian: Whoa, look at those stars.
Ian: It was kinda tough though cuz’ I’m giving all my lines into the real sun right here.
Christian: Right right.
Ian: Trying to keep my eyes open. (Referring to camera cuts) That’s a, a Matt Chapman punch-up.
Christian: Yeah, yup. Matt Chapman- he brought so much to this episode too. It’s a little different than the, like first two episodes cuz’ it’s a little more wacky I think? This one? Like right, right here, gets kinda wacky.
(Laughter) Yeah and this is all him riffing right here. This is Lou Diamond just going off.
Ian: Just doing what he does.
Christian: Yeah.
Ian: Yup.
Christian: There it is. The first appearance of The Dude right there.
Richard: Yeah.
Christian: That’s heavy heavy metal right there. Snap cut. (Makes clicking with the tongue to accompany Eaglebones winking. The others laugh.)
Richard: That’s awesome.
Christian: That guy is great.
Ian: So that was a mixture of practical AND greenscreen.
Christian: Right.
Ian: For me. Uh,
Christian: Yes.
Richard: (mimicking the Faux-Mercial) I can’t even dance!
Christian: So you can have teenagers’ pants fall off, but just make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt. (Laughs) How’s this old man right here? (Mimicking episode) Whhaaat? This is Julianne Eggold again. Julianne-
Ian: Just killin’ it.
Christian: -bringin’ it. So a lot of these commercials we didn’t really have budget for and Julianne just went out and shot em’ for, for free and with friends she knew. And they turned out so good.
Ian: Is that the Huntington Pier there?
Christian: Huntington Beach Pier. And that’s a commercial that just was free of charge.
Richard: (mimicking episode) Doo doo doot do.
Christian: Julianne’s great.
James: I like this elevator music.
Ian: I love that you guys haven’t moved since I left. A whole day.
Richard: Two days.
Ian: Yeah t-
Christian: Awful. You can still hear, hear it in my voice it’s scratchy from the concert we played two nights ago for reals.
Ian: So I actually laid down and rolled around on the ground and that leaf just got stuck in my hair so I left it.
Christian: Really?
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: You probly had a lot of hairspray in your hair too. Man. Look at those things, Crash; those eyebrows, man. Those things are going off.
Chad: They’re starring in the episode.
Christian: Look at that, Ricky looking-
Ian: Ricky’s afraid of-
Christian and Ian: Fairies!
Christian: Ricky looking for fairies right there. Hold on!
(Some words get lost here as they talk over one another)
Chad: E- Eagle.
Christian: Listen to this: sensitive music written by uh, Jimmy and Ricky right here.
Richard: Yup. (Mimicking episode) Sing songs and stuff?
Christian: I lost all Rocko’s respect with that line.
Ian: Right there.
James: Once again!
Christian: Suddenly I was less macho.
Richard: I strip you of your superhero powers.
Chad: I don’t know, that dance is pretty macho. I dunno how you could say that wasn’t.
Christian: I was excited. Can we get a new one? And so then we called Fender to send some more and then what hap-
Ian: They, they showed up like after the season was wrapped filming. Like the week after it was done, “Here’s a couple more!”
Christian: Yeah we’ll get right on it.
Ian: Thank you though. We, we used em’ for second season.
Christian: Yeah thank you. Yup. So here’s uh, a scene we shot at a park. That we shot-
Several of them: Every episode at!
Christian: And there’s the actual uh Ferris wheel that works.
Chad: If you could look to the right you could see a pond that was used in Uberchaun.
Christian: Uberchaun yeah. Where you jump- you jumped in the pond.
Chad: But you can’t. see it. so…
Ian: The Eagle Flats are actually just over on the other side of that fence.
Christian: Yeah where we shot,
James: Every episode.
Christian: This is a ranch called Oak Canyon Ranch up in uh Irvine, California that we shot everything… Jon Heder was so good. He was just a great guy and really cool and-
(From episode: It doesn’t have to be like this, Eagleclaw.)
Christian: It doesn’t.
Richard: You’re in trouble now.
Christian: Wait. Hold on. Don’t invite anyone else to our party! (Laughter) Alright, this part turned out really good too.
Ian: So I did both guitars and I tried to make em’ sound a little different.
Christian: Yeah.
Richard: That’s right.
Christian: So you played uh-
Ian: Did like a more metal guitar for Eagleclaw and more like, little more like rock/surf-y
Richard: Didn’t we do this at like, three in the morning too?
Ian: Oh yeah.
Richard: Like, we were recording this. Oh man.
Christian: Look at Ricky.
Richard: Oh feeling it!
Christian: Feeling it!
Ian: Yeah!
Christian: I was having some trouble hitting some of those high notes in this song, I’m not gonna lie guys. Ohhh! (Laughing) Lookit Crash’s strap. Did you see that?
Chad: Oh is it gone?
Christian: Your s- your strap fell off it was like- dangling on the ground. It- just like we play live.
Chad: It’s weird yeah, it never happens live.
Christian: Uh oh. Jimmy. And down.
James: Kerplop.
Richard: (mimicking episode) Byoo byoo byoo! I love that part.
Christian: That’s pretty funny.
Ian: Oh!
Christian: So, stunts: this part really hurt. So right here they hit me, and then I ran to the spot far away and I just jumped onto my back. Yeah it doesn’t uh…it really hurt. (Laughs)
Chad: (mumbles something)
Christian: (mimicking episode) I got one left. That’s right. Summon that Dude.
Ian: Never gets old.
Christian: Naw! Well… (Laughter) It’s, it’s starting to like- get along. Look at that! Scratching…I love that.
Ian: Yeah. Didn’t we just add this extra little bit to it right here?
Christian: Which one?
Ian: (hums)
Christian: Yeah that’s- And so this part is a huge waste cuz’ like, our camera was framed for that explosion super close, but I was watching it from way far away and that fireball went like twenty feet in the air.
Richard: Mushroom cloud.
Christian: It was a mushroom cloud and like, they blew up the guitar it looked so awesome but then like that scene like (snapping fingers) it just
Ian: Out of frame-
Christian: It goes by soo fast. Yeah. Oh. We gotta bring Jon back. We gotta, we need a petition, guys. To bring back Eagleclaw in, in season next.
Chad: Season two.
Christian: Season two or three. Or four!
Ian: Hey, why not five or six?
Christian: So this is uh, once again the Commander being a jerk making fun of somebody.
Ian: Well you guys never saw the bird. You can’t see him so,
Christian: Yeah
Ian: That’s understandable.
Christian: It is funny the Aquabats, we don’t believe you that you have it but somehow it always worked out. (Mimicking episode) Seriously. Ricky you’re like really into that.
Richard: Oh, it was funny. Look at it- AWK AWK AWK!
(Laughter)
Christian: You’re doing- What! Have you heard?
Ian: That’s called improv.
Christian: Doin’ the bird. Look at Lou Diamond Phillips, guys. Eagleclaw! Way to go. Eaglebones, guys! Let’s hear it for Eaglebones!
(They all clap as the credits roll)
Ian: Yeah.
Richard: Yeah.
Christian: Matt Chapman! Matt Chapman…genius. And, uh that episode turned out great.
Ian: That was kind of Gorney’s story idea, right.
Christian: I think- Uhhhhh… I think yeah Matt and Dallas worked on that uh, early on and then uh, then um Matt Chapman came in and helped write it and direct it and turned out good. And then Jason Devilliers of course and Rocko pulling together the edit looked really really good.
Ian: Yeah.
Christian: So.

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