Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - What To Watch: Megan Paps On Mer-People..

Episode Date: June 28, 2023

This is the latest from Megan Papas back catalogue of What To Watch!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yeah, she's been watching more of the Western world content than an online Chinese spy. Megan Pappas, welcome. Hello, how's it going? We're good. We're just going to say very professional looking in a blazer today. I actually did this for you. Good. I put on a blazer.

Good to bring some professionalism to the show, is that why? Shabby operation. None of the shows that I'm bringing you relate to a blazer at all. Now, what's your favourite item of clothing? We all got to pick one. Of Megan's? Of clothing. Now, what's your favourite item of clothing? We all got to pick one. Of Megan's. Of clothing. Yeah, go on.

Please, I'd love to hear it. Ben and me have a group chat going about all your clothing. Jeez, those leather pants, mate. I'm always saying shoes. I don't look at anything above the shoes, Megan. I love a blazer. I quite like how Ben always rocks the pink I'm a fan

He's got a good pink hoodie on with a jacket today Winter clothes are better than summer clothes I find aren't they? Yeah and you can layer it up Yeah I've managed to collect an enormous amount of jackets you know like these sort of things farmer looking jackets if I ever need to start work on a farm I'm going to blend in

No that's a very posh farmer jacket. No, this is bloody fast fashion stuff, mate. I don't know how many kids it took to make this. Do a good job, though, don't you? What have you been watching this week, Megan? This, I feel like this is really going to tickle you. This is on Netflix. It's called Merpeople.

When someone sees a mermaid, it's magical, it's mythical, it's made up. Or maybe it isn't. Merpeople? It's literally about, it's a documentary about people who mermaid as a profession. Hold on, why did you think this was going to resonate with us? Do we look like ocean-faring men? No, it's just different.

So are they committed to it most of the time or how does it work? So apparently it's really hard to be a professional mer-person. There's not a lot of work out there. But in this documentary, it's about a guy who's actually a mer-tailer, the person who makes the tails. And he's opening up an aquarium. So he's looking to hire full-time professional mermaids. And so they're doing auditions

and they're really intense. They have little pipes that they need to suck on for air while they're doing their tricks and stuff underwater. So do they have like a little oxygen tank slipped down the... I think it's in the aquarium so they just carry like a big long pipe and they suck on it. And then there's like tricks and stuff

so they're like, do a half backward twist and flick flack thing. I imagine it'd be quite hard with the tail though, wasn't it? To do that sort of thing. And the tails are intense. They're beautiful. And a mer-tailor like literally hand creates each of them and they're worth so much money. I love it how you're like, there's not much work out there for a mermaid. Look on seek.co.nz.

Not many options. I mean, the mermaids tank. They're mermaids. Oh, there was a seek.co.nz not many options i mean the mermaids tank the mermaids oh there was a yeah you took your kids to know what my daughter when she was younger no my daughter sienna was it was her favorite thing in the world for a while there when she was young was mermaids and we drove past a place called mermaids and if anyone knows what that particular place is and she was like mermaids oh can we go to mermaids? I was like, oh. And telling a kid that you can't go to a place called mermaids was. Did you actually take her there? No, no.

Not trying to get into the conversation either at that age as well. Not that there's anything wrong with people that go there or people that work there or anything. It's just not for Sienna. Not for kids, yeah. It's an adult Kelly Tarleton. Yeah, yes. I can't wait to watch that show. It's actually so interesting. My husband's like, I want to be a merman. I was I, oh God, I can't wait to watch that show. It's actually so interesting.

My husband's like, I want to be a merman. I was like, oh God, please don't. Well, does anyone come in with the top half fish, bottom half legs? No. So they don't switch around? I always thought that'd be a nice. That's the way you were.

The mermaid becomes a lot less attractive with a fish head and human legs. Yeah, it's so, I can't look away. It's so intriguing and they're so serious about it. Yeah, if it's your thing, I imagine you would be serious about it. Is the show trying to paint them out as crazies or just? I feel like maybe. Yeah.

And they don't know it, but they're just, you know, passionate about their craft. You went and saw Little Mermaid? I did. Yeah, I enjoyed it. I really did enjoy it. Great job. Great job. I don't think it was the same.

The singing wasn't as full on. They could have done like big, like orchestral. I was just a bit let down, you know? Really? Okay. Were there no sing songs? No, there were, but they just weren't as epic as I remember. And you know, it's the Disney's like, it hasn't reached a billion dollars.

It's their first live action to not do so. Oh, really? It hasn't done very well. I've been twice, so, you know, I've done my part to get it across the line. He's been to Little Mermaid and Mermaids twice, stimulating the economy all over town. Took Sienna to both. That's the one I can't take my daughter to.

Thank you very much, Megan.