Eric D. Snider

An Exclusive Interview with Indiana Jones

Snide Remarks #581

"An Exclusive Interview with Indiana Jones"

by Eric D. Snider

Published in EricDSnider.com on May 19, 2008

(Note: This feature does not contain any spoilers -- unless your definition of "spoiler" is "any information whatsoever about a movie, no matter how widely it has already been disseminated.")

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" arrives in theaters this Thursday -- or at midnight Wednesday night, actually, if you feel like having some late-night adventures. In honor of this sacred event, we've scored a major coup: an audio interview with Indiana Jones himself! Let's listen!


Click here to hear the interview.

Alt text
Indy's policy on Soviets is remarkably similar to his policy on Nazis.

Comments & Reaction:

I recorded something like this for the Harry Potter film last year and enjoyed the process so much I thought I'd do another one. If your computer does not have audio capabilities, then I am sorry to report that you are out of luck this week for "Snide Remarks." Of course, you're also out of luck in a lot of other ways because, seriously, what kind of computer in 2008 doesn't have sound?

These sorts of "interviews," where clips from popular songs are used as the responses, go way back to the early days of rock 'n' roll, with Dickie Goodman as the pioneer. You might even remember, as I do, hearing Goodman's "E.T." interview on the radio back in 1982, and his "Jaws" interview in 1975 actually made it to #4 on the Billboard charts. (Radio stations were more adventurous in those days.)

Goodman's legacy was continued by Whimsical Will of radio's "Dr. Demento Show." Will has done one of these for a summer blockbuster every year since 1986, when it was "Howard the Duck" (um, people thought it was going to be a blockbuster at the time). In fact, his website reports that his entry for 2008 is also for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," but I haven't heard it yet.

This comment was so well beloved by readers (see comments posted below) that it prompted Hillary Clinton to write about it.

This item has 42 comments

  1. Klundtasaur says:
    May 19, 2008 at 6:27 am

    Anyone who's hip enough to know all these songs, could you post a list of titles and artists? I've heard a few of them but don't know the artists to be able to get them.

  2. Joshua Steimle says:
    May 19, 2008 at 7:02 am

    Howard the Duck wasn't a blockbuster?! Man, I saw it like five times in the theater, was I the only one?

  3. Leah Jane says:
    May 19, 2008 at 7:33 am

    This is even funnier than the Harry Potter one, maybe because personally, I've had a crush on Harrison Ford since I was about five, so hearing "Indie" sing the Umbrella Song really tickled my funny bone.

  4. Tom says:
    May 19, 2008 at 8:37 am

    Wow, am I out of touch. I recognized only two of the clips, "Imagine" (because the original came out when I was a young man) and "Snakes on a Plane" (because that's from a movie, not just a recent pop song, none of which I have heard). I've got to start listening to younger radio stations.

    The classic rock station here plays the same 35-year-old tunes over and over. But they do sometimes put together "interviews" similar to this one. The "answers" are not song bits but rather isolated sentences from the local football coach's weekly press conference.

  5. Jenn says:
    May 19, 2008 at 9:52 am

    I'm still laughing! That was way clever & I loved that you used my two favorite Killers songs! Love the "Enchanted" clip too! Question though: are you going to get banned for using David Archuleta's (who apparently is becoming the next thing we worship in Utah) "Imagine", like his dad?

  6. Savvy Veteran says:
    May 19, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    I liked this installment better than the Harry Potter one as well. I was delighted when the "Snakes on a Plane" clip came on.

  7. Braden Ellis says:
    May 19, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    hmmm... sorry Eric, but I am going to have to be the lone (at least so far) voice of dissent. I just wasn't feelin it, yo. The whole thing felt rushed and forced. There was the funny line about grabbing her booty, but I think that is the only time I laughed.

    It is a great idea, but perhaps next time concentrate on trying to make it seem as if it is really an interview. A couple ideas that might help:

    * use quotes from Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones to answer some questions. In fact quotes from Ford being interviewed about the Fugitive or some other movie might prove really funny.

    * If you were really interviewing him, he wouldn't interrupt you every two seconds to say something. Have the responses come after questions.

    * Try putting together two or three clips from various sources to come up with a response to a question. For instance when you asked him about how many people would watch the movie, you could have used "imagine all the people" and then added "right here waiting for you"... or something more intelligent than that.

    I hate to play Simon Cowell to your Syesha, but to me this was just cruise-ship.

    Sooorry.

  8. Turkey says:
    May 19, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Meh. Not my bag this time. The Snakes On a Plane line was perfect and made me laugh, but I'm getting pretty sick of questions being answered with song clips, especially after having to watch 10,000 Comcast commercials wherein they do the exact same thing.

  9. Jason Wright says:
    May 19, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I noticed that Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston followed up David Archuleta. That's the exact song that got him in trouble on Idol a few weeks ago.

  10. Karen says:
    May 19, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    I'm with Braden Ellis -- having things Harrison Ford and Shia Labeouf actually said in movies (or interviews, if necessary) would be funnier to me. I found many of those clips difficult to understand. The ones that were decipherable were pretty funny though.

  11. Jacob says:
    May 19, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    Is it just me, or does that picture make it look like Indie lost all of his skills in the last few years? He missed that guy by a mile!

  12. Amp says:
    May 19, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    I, too, prefer the non-all-audio Snide Remarks. My brothers and I used to do these sorts of "interviews" for fun when we were in elementary school. The novelty has worn off--and regular Snide Remarks are way more clever.

  13. Heather says:
    May 19, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    How did you decide which songs to use for your interview? If anyone had heard ALL of these songs before I'd have to say you have quite an eclectic taste in music. You have Mims, Flo Rida, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Rihanna, Beyonce, Killers, Hairspray, and even a shout out to The Music Man...

  14. FinalElysium says:
    May 19, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    #1:

    This is the best Youtube and Google could do for me. I *think* this is right. Some spoilers so listen first!

    Intro: John Williams - Indiana Jones
    Rihanna - Umbrella
    Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
    Mims - This is Why I'm Hot
    Kayne West (w/ Daft Punk) - Stronger
    Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly
    User - Make Love In This Club
    Devo - Whip It
    Flo Rida - Low
    "Weird Al" Yankovic - White & Nerdy
    Rihanna - Umbrella
    The Music Man - Marian the Librarian
    Flo Rida - Low
    Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson & DOE - The Way I Are
    Mims - This is Why I'm Hot
    The Killers - Read My Mind
    Beyonce - Irreplaceable
    Hairspray - You Can't Stop The Beat
    Sara Bareilles - Love Song
    Timbaland Feat. One Republic - Apologize
    Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
    The Killers - When You Were Young
    User - Make Love In This Club
    Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
    Enchanted - Happy Little Working Song
    Samuel L Jackson - Snakes on a Plane
    Spoon - The Underdog
    John Lennon (as sung by David Archuleta) - Imgaine
    Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls
    Alicia Keys - No One
    Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - Crank That
    Eric D. Snider - Something Awful (Kidding! Indiana Jones Theme)
    Kelly Clarkston - Since U Been Gone
    Yael Naim - New Soul
    Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
    Mims - This is Why I'm Hot
    Outro: John Williams - Indiana Jones

  15. FHl says:
    May 19, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    I can remember hearing the Jaws clip played on the radio...

    "Wouldn't you give your hand to a friend?" Mr. Jaws?

  16. Biff Tannen says:
    May 19, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    Funny, but the Harry Potter "interview" was better.

  17. Ro Ro says:
    May 19, 2008 at 7:04 pm

    I agree with Turkey (comment number 8). Not my thing and I didn't laugh once, but I do appreciate that it probably did take quite a bit of time to put this together.

  18. keerstah says:
    May 19, 2008 at 7:07 pm

    I liked the Harry Potter one much better. This one just didn't make me giggle.

  19. Abu Maryam says:
    May 19, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=pHEFLLUMsdk

    Weird Al interviews Eminem.

  20. Voltron: Defender of Eric's Universe says:
    May 19, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    Ummm....everybody who is giving Eric advice about writing a humor column sound a lot like the fat guy on the couch criticizing Kobe Bryant's shot selection through a mouth full of Cheetos. He's the pro at this stuff. It's one thing to not find some of the 500-plus Snide Remarks funny. It's another thing to tell the guy who has been making me laugh since 1997 how to write a funny column.

  21. Heidi says:
    May 19, 2008 at 8:46 pm

    I thought this was pretty good. I got a little bored in the middle, but by the end I was liking it a lot. I think I will forward the link to others for their own enjoyment!

  22. Turkey says:
    May 19, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    #20--you're joking of course, yes? Eric has asked for positive AND negative feedback throughout the time I've been a fan myself. You needn't take suggestions personally on his behalf. If none of his audience thinks something he does is funny, what good did it do him? His whole goal is to amuse us and if he hasn't done so, wouldn't he want to know why? For me, this one missed its mark. The HP interview was impressive if nothing else, but perhaps there are some gimmicks that only work once. I, too, was disappointed that it wasn't actual Ford quotes being used (a la "Good Morning Vietnam!") instead of song clips. Perhaps that's something he wants to know, perhaps not. But I bet he can still use the information somehow.

    Yes, Eric is incerdibly funny. But "funny" is often a trial and error thing, too. You get better by learning about your target audience and learning from past flops. We're not whining--we're "helping." See? :)

  23. whome says:
    May 19, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    I loved the ironic statement #20.

    Because that is the argument all the nutcase fans use:
    "Don't criticize my favorite actor! He's a professional and you are just a jealous critic!"

  24. Amp says:
    May 19, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    Thanks for the insight, #20, but I'm guessing if Eric is man enough to publish his work, he's man enough to take some negative feedback. I'm with Turkey (#22).

  25. Amp says:
    May 19, 2008 at 11:33 pm

    And I mean "man" in the non-Thomas Beatie sort of way.

  26. David Manning says:
    May 19, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    Yeah, I didn't know there was a history to these types of "interviews", but I still never laughed during either this or the Harry Potter one. Just not my thing, I guess.

  27. John Doe says:
    May 20, 2008 at 3:57 am

    Hmm, your site ate my comment. It went something like this:

    I liked the idea of this column, but the execution left something to be desired. If I had been familiar with the songs, then I'd probably love it. However, if you're unfamiliar with the song, and since most artists mumble, it takes a great deal of effort to figure out what they are mumbling. Thus, by the time I figured out what they said, there was another song clip and I'd missed the question. Timing is everything, and being unfamiliar with the song choices throws the timing off the jokes. I don't even remember anything from the clip. I did like the HP one because I knew all the songs and didn't have to strain my ears and brain to figure out what the singer said.

  28. Arbas says:
    May 20, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    I work in retail, and so I hear these songs all day long, everyday. Because of this familiarity I agree with John Doe (#27). I love this Snide Remarks!!! I'm just a little surprised that Eric knew all these songs! :)

  29. Karl says:
    May 20, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Meh, not my thing I guess. I don't see what Beyonce, for one, has to do with Indiana Jones. They're just too irreconcilable to be used subtly in a joke. But I'm no Kobe, so what do i know?

  30. Dave the Slave says:
    May 20, 2008 at 10:26 pm

    I didn't laugh once, just totally not my thing I guess. I didn't dig the HP one either, but I thought this one was even less funny. But if they're fun to make, go for it, I'll just personally skip those weeks.

    Of coarse all is forgiven since its free and Eric's been providing tons of laughs for me for a long time now! :-)

  31. Katy says:
    May 21, 2008 at 2:54 am

    Since I all I do for my weekly dose of Snide Remarks is wait patiently for Monday to arrive once again, I am aware that my comments probably matter very little. Beggars, after all, cannot be choosers.

    That said, I usually love Snide Remarks. I'm a Catholic girl in Michigan who stumbled onto Eric's site when I was in college about 10 years ago, and I've been reading ever since. Snide Remarks always brighten my Mondays. I've enjoyed watching Eric's style change and evolve over the years, and I always, always consult his movie reviews before seeing a flick. (Roger Ebert is my second choice, on the off-chance that Eric hasn't reviewed the particular film I want to see.) I'm an Eric fan through and through.

    But...this Snide Remarks left something to be desired. Others have mentioned the difficulty in understanding the lyrics in the songs, and I agree. However, my main concern was the fact that it wasn't funny (or rather, I didn't find it funny). It seemed like a below-average interview, with stock questions and normal answers, jazzed up only by the fact that those normal answers happened to be song lyrics. I found myself not only not laughing, but not amused at all. It just didn't do it for me.

    I too appreciate that this probably took quite a bit of time and effort, which is commendable, but like #30 said, I'll probably just skip any more of these types of Snide Remarks in the future. If Eric likes doing them, then he should by all means continue do make them -- it's just not my cup of tea.

    This probably has a lot to do with the fact that most Snide Remarks' are very funny, and this one is mediocre, which makes it look worse by comparison. Curses on setting a high bar.

  32. elsalgal says:
    May 21, 2008 at 8:04 am

    Living overseas, my internet connection leaves a lot to be desired. So after waiting for about 30 minutes for this column to download, I was really disappointed. I shut it off halfway through. Not my favorite.

  33. David Cornelius says:
    May 21, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Well, thanks, Snider. Guess what's been stuck in my head for the last 24 hours?

    "Indiana! Dr. Jones! Indiana! Indi-a-na Jones!!"

    Catchy.

  34. Not a fan of lame says:
    May 21, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    This one was lame. I'm guessing it took a lot of work to make, but the payoff was minimal. It was pretty boring. But I'm still a fan of the non-audio Snide Remarks.

  35. Sarah says:
    May 21, 2008 at 7:47 pm

    Wow, seriously people? I wouldn't consider myself really into the pop music scene, but the vast majority of these songs are on regular radio rotation and I've at least gone past them flipping channels. And while I agree that many pop singers mumble, I could understand the lyrics even through my Mac's crappy speakers.

    And I laughed. SO THERE. :)

  36. O'MAllen says:
    May 21, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    What kind of computer doesn't have sound?

    One in an internet cafe in Munich.

    I'll be home Saturday though...

  37. Scott says:
    May 22, 2008 at 3:49 am

    I thought this was great, principally on a creative and technical level. I've done some sound editing in my day, and it takes a LOT of effort just to string together all of those sound clips. And the technical work is much easier than devising the script of the interview, thinking about possible responses, and then acquiring a copy of all the songs. There's a lot of re-work, too, from that song phrase you thought you had remembered correctly but was actually different, or words which are too drowned-out by music, and other things which interrupt the flow of the "interview".

    Made me laugh to beat the man.

  38. The UnMighty says:
    May 22, 2008 at 4:51 am

    I love that Eric is getting flack, the people giving Eric flack are getting flack, and the people defending Eric are getting flack. Looks like it's hard for everybody not to misstep this week.

    I'll bet I get a lot of crap for this.

  39. The UnMighty says:
    May 22, 2008 at 4:55 am

    Sorry. I meant "flak" not "flack". Man, I'm going to get it now.

  40. FinalElysium says:
    May 23, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    #39

    Flack reminded me of quack which reminded me of Howard the Duck. There that's three references to Howard the Duck. Now Eric has to post a review for it!

    Everybody wins!

  41. ERicDsniderluvr says:
    May 26, 2008 at 10:49 pm

    ur jus jelus b/c u cant rite funy stuff like Erc

  42. memikeyounot says:
    May 28, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Hey, Eric, did you see that your Indy interview was linked from Whitney Matheson's Pop Candy blog in yesterday's USA Today. She called it "funny" !

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