The Prestige TV Podcast - 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Episodes 1-6 Recap

Episode Date: March 11, 2023

Bill and Juliet get together to discuss the first six episodes of the Amazon Prime series 'Daisy Jones & The Six'. They begin by talking about the original music and the immediate issues they have with the series. Next, they juxtapose the show's storyline with the book, other movies with a similar tone like 'Almost Famous', and the real-life saga of Fleetwood Mac (14:11). After that they break down the main characters and actors, particularly Sam Claflin and Riley Keough's performances, and examine the way the show was made (20:46). After the break, Bill and Juliet debate the execution and viability of the documentary-style presentation of 'Daisy Jones' and give their ultimate takes on the season so far (31:29). Hosts: Bill Simmons and Juliet Litman Associate Producer: Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, I'm Erica Ramirez, founder of Ili, and hosts of What About Your Friends? A podcast dedicated to the many lives of friendship and how it's portrayed in pop culture. Every Wednesday on the ringer dish feed, I talk to my best friend Stephen Othello and your favorites from within the ringer and beyond about friendships on TV and movies, pop culture, and our real lives. So join me every Wednesday on the ringer dish feed where we try to answer the question TLCS back in the day. What about your friends? You said this place was steps from the water. We just haven't found the steps yet. How much did we save?

Enough. Enough to get lost. Or you could book a stay with Hilton. Welcome to your oceanfront room. Just steps from the water. The Hilton sale is on now. Book on Hilton.com or the Hilton app and save up to 20% to get the stay you expected.

When you want savings, not surprises. It matters where you stay. Hilton, for the stay. Lowe has the brand's pros trust to get the job done. You can now shop new Catalyst Fencing Solutions and save big when you do 10% off when you buy in bulk. Plus, save $180 on a DeWalk 12-inch dual-bevel sliding compound mitersaw. Now just $449. Our best lineup is here it lows.

Vela through 5'6, wall supplies last. Selection varies by location. It's a prestige TV podcast. My name is Bill Simmons. I'm here with Julia Lippman. We're going to talk about Daisy Jones and the Six, which is on Amazon. Prime. There have been six episodes. It is a show that I was intrigued by because I have always wondered why there hasn't been a great TV show about basically the start, middle, and end of a music band.

They went into the 70s. There's some very obvious Fleetwood Mac parallels. Reese Witherspoon's company is involved, so it has that little sanitized Reese Witherspoony feel. The guy who did a really great movie that I love, that I'm bledherstoon. Lanking on his name. Spectacular now by James Ponsol. My guy. I love spectacular now. James Ponsold.

So that committed my attention. And then Elvis's granddaughter is in it. I've watched all six episodes, Juliet. There's at least four more coming, I'm guessing. I can't say this is a good show. I've enjoyed watching every episode. My wife and I devoured it. My wife likes it more than I do.

Something's off. So I hate to start negative, but something's off with the show. I have a theory what it is, but what is your theory? Can I just hear a positive first, a positive shock? Please do. I think the music is good. And people agree. It's the number one album on iTunes this week.

And I checked out on Spotify, the songs have like a million streams. That's a lot for Sam Claflin and Riley Keough, who are not professional singers. Wait, does Sam Claflin actually sing or did they use somebody else? They actually sing. They all took music lessons during COVID. Like Suki Waterhouse took three hour piano lessons to play Karen. And Sam, I guess like they audition people who could sing and were planning to get them lessons, but they understated it.

So I'm, unless I'm completely wrong, they're singing. The number one song is regret me. I'm with you. The music, if almost famous, is probably a 10 out of 10 on the music just being the best possible version of whatever we're looking for. This is seven and a half eight. I know. which is shocking for this kind of show,

especially when they're under, you know, the rock music of the 70s is such like a huge, people just worship that music. So it's a really hard thing to do. What's wrong with the show? I think it's flat. There's just something,

there's something about it where there's no solo artists to me in this. Like I think Riley Keough is really good as Daisy Jones, but I don't really like the scenes where she's alone. Like I actually much, much prefer seeing her with the band or, interacting with other people. And there's no mega star in this show. And I think much like a band, you need that one undeniably, like, charismatic person. I think it's lacking it. Interesting. So I have

an offshoot of your theory. Oh, great. I think Riley Keo is incredible in the show. She's great. Really good. Like they hit a home run with that one. I just unfortunately, sorry, same Claflin, if you're listening, but I just don't like him in this role. I think he's too old. I don't believe him as a singer. I don't think he has that kind of, like to me, if you're going by the almost famous benchmarks, right, Russell Hammond, the mystique, right? Where it just felt like, oh, my God, this is somebody everyone would fall in love with in the 70s. Or the Jason Lee version of it, I'm only the lead singer, like where you just have this angst about, you know you're not the star of the band, but you have angst about it. I don't know what this guy is. I've watched six

episodes. I don't even know how to describe this character other than seems pretty arrogant. Everyone else in the band doesn't seem really like him. His music's not that good. They openly make fun of the songs that he writes. And it's just so clear that Daisy Jones is the meal ticket. So there's that one piece. And then the other piece is, I just think from a charisma standpoint, I don't see people packing arenas to go see, to go see Billy. I just don't think he has it. So it's really hard to get pat. It's like watching a sports show built around an NBA player who's not that good at basketball.

And it's just the elephant in the room in every scene. Right. It's like watching someone who should be a number two and they think they're the number one. But I think plot-wise, one thing they change from the book for the show is that in the book, Billy never quits the band. He does, I guess, like mild spoiler. If you're listening to this, I assume you're past episode three. He does go to rehab.

but when he comes back, he just goes back to the band. Like, he just gets clean and he goes back. And I think that plot-wise, softening him to the point where he was, like, so willing to walk away from, from this dream really makes it hard to believe in him as an alpha, like, just like on paper, aside from anything that Sam Claflin brings to the performance. But that, I don't understand that change. And I'm not really someone who's like, the book is sacred. You must not change it.

But I think that really hurts the idea of who the character is. Because, like, everyone was willing to go on with Adam. They're just like, okay, we'll be six again one day. And no one was like really like pining for him. So I think that's a problem. And then the age thing is interesting that I've seen that complaint a lot. For me, I'm more distracted by Camila Marone, who I also think is surprisingly good. I mean, I don't mean this in a shady way, but I just know her as Leonardo DiCaprio's ex-girlfriend.

So for her to be a good actress is a revelation. But you cannot age this beautiful 25-year-old. girled up. So when they put her in like the sunglasses and the headscarf and then the prosthetics for what, like 20 years later, it just doesn't work for me. That really takes me out of it. I'm just like, she's a beautiful 25 year old. Let's celebrate that. Yeah, the makeup for the aging stuff is really bad. It's probably actually the surprisingly the best for Billy. The Riley Keoghiel character doesn't even seem that much different. I'll get, I have issues with the documentary gimmick too. The best episode out of the six is the fourth episode.

she goes on stage and she's supposed to come on the fourth song, but she just jumps in on the second. And it's really great. It's a really great 10 minutes of, and I think that in general, that whole episode is really great as they start clicking and they start writing music together and there's a little bit more of a yin and yang and all that stuff.

And I guess one of the fundamental problems for me with this show is it took so long to get to that moment. It's just this era we're in now where everything gets stretched out. We spent three episodes really going nowhere to get to the fourth episode where I just felt like we could have done those first three episodes in 70 to 80 minutes, 60 minutes, something like that. Everything is so stretched out. It's like, we get it. Billy's girlfriend loves them and Daisy's a mess. And this band, you know, they also haven't really established the band guys, which, you know, for, it's not like almost famous did either.

The bassist and the drummer are basically barely in it. I'm gay. Right. But for three episodes, I just don't think a lot happened. Do you? Did you feel like that could have just been one episode? Definitely. Especially since the show really pops when Daisy joined the band. So you just want the band to be the band. I have a counter. I think they should have changed the order because I do think, like, let's say they had started episode three and just cut out one and two. I feel like that would have been a good way to go. And then you have like a flashback episode or like, you know, it's sort of like going back in time where you tell the origin story. And. you could like dive into the tension of Daisy and Billy sooner. How did the book do it? The book is straight oral history, is like an oral history start to finish. And so it works really well because also in the book,

Daisy and Billy never kiss. So the book is really like relitigating all the things that happen from everyone's different perspective. But the point of the book is that nothing ever happened between them, but there was like so, so much tension. And so you didn't need to have like this foundational event. And so it worked better as an oral history for that reason. but I think they should have like just started with the with the band together and then gone

backwards or something like that interesting there's so many things that I like like so many elements I like about the show I love being in the 70s I love that air in general I love the clothes the hair the music like even how they have the music change a little bit from the early 70s to the mid 70s very realistic it feels like they're cribbing on the Eagles documentary which I love with kind of the way they're constructing it. And everything is building toward. I just, can Daisy just join the band and let's start making some music and have some shit happen?

So we're taping this. There's been six episodes. And I, you know, I don't think we should do spoilers. Either you watch the six or not. They've been up for a while. I don't really feel like we've gotten our money is worth out of six and a half hours.

the content with this. Six-nine hours a long time, right? By the time you're watching Succession, by the time we get to the sixth episode, Kendall has already lost his bid to take over his father and, you know, some real shits happen. In this episode, it's like they've had a couple songs and daisies a little bit going off the wagon. I also think the show is really, you mentioned the word safe. It's really safe and it's really afraid to go anywhere. It's afraid to go anywhere with the sex scenes. It's afraid to go anywhere. It's afraid to go anywhere. with somebody hitting rock bottom, any sort of bad thing that could happen to, you know, I even think of like something like Forrest Gump where in a couple.

I was just going to say that with Jenny. Yeah. Right. So Jenny Gump, it's like Riley Keo's character and Jenny Gump a little similar where the wheels are coming off. But with Jenny Gump, they only had to do in a couple scenes. We're like, oh, man, the wheels have really come off for her. And in this one with Daisy, I mean, we've had 12 scenes of like, yep, the wheels are

are coming off. It's like, we get it. The wheels are coming off. We know. She's had a drinking problem. Oh, she started doing Coke. And they just kind of keep coming back, but with nothing new to say about it, you know? Yeah. Also, as you're talking, it makes me realize one of the reasons almost famous really works is because the structure of the tour really helps push the plot along. And so it's like, to your point about like, the wheels are coming off, like, things escalate. And they even like say it, like, just hold on until Greenville. And like, can you make it to New York and things like that? And there's sort of, we don't have the same benchmark. long the way in this show where I think that if they had gotten into or the music sooner and like just being a band and like the trials and tribulations of that, it would have helped a lot. But I think the biggest surprise me, those are the performances are really good.

Like that's what I actually really like. Outside of Sam Claflin, who I agree is outmatched. I think that like all of the women are great. Camilla Morone, Riley Keough, Suki Waterhouse, who again, like this is, this is on me. But I just know her as Robert Pattinson's girlfriend. And I'm like, wow, she's really charming. and she is great on this on this show. I thought she was Bradley Cooper's girlfriend.

Didn't that happen to? Yes, but she's with Robert Pattinson for a while. They lived together in England. Oh, great. I should know not to question your knowledge of celebrity relationships. It's funny. I think she's really good too. She also has nothing to do in this show.

What's her role? She's playing the piano and she's like, Hey, Daisy has some good ideas. And she kind of likes, you know, one of the guitarists. And that's really it. we don't spend any real time with her. I don't know what she thinks about anything. What are no idea? I have no idea. What does she care about? Where's she from? Do we know anything? All we know is she's English based on the sound of her voice. We don't,

we don't know anything else. I do think this is an all-time great sell for Los Angeles, though. Like, I've never wanted to live in Laurel Canyon more. I've always wanted, you know, like it's just the architecture, the houses, they're really awesome. And they really nailed that. It looks really good. But that's it. I mean, that's why we're doing. in this pod. We both like this show. It's just sometimes there's shows or movies where you spend so much time dwelling on how close they were to really have landed the plane and all the things they missed. And this is like an all-time classic example of that because you make a good point. Like the music is the easiest way for this to go sideways, right? The two easiest ways to go

sideways are the songs are terrible or they really whiff on one of the two people. I don't think Sam Claflin's a bad actor. I just think he's miscast. Like, you know, we're supposed to believe he's like, what, 21, 22, 20 in the first two episodes of this? And he looks like he's 40. He just has an old face, you know? And so then when they age him up at the end, they don't have to age him up.

He's the age of the age he is. And I think if they had nailed that part, the Riley Keo is so good. I think I'm higher on her than you are on this show. Yeah. I think she's spectacular. I really like I was like blown away by how good she was and I I don't think she has a it's a charisma thing but for the most part I think they've kind of sold the character shirt with the way they've written it I want more like where where's the scene where she just explains to somebody for four minutes what she loves about music or any of that stuff they don't have it you're just really just this this is like going to go down as the podcast that wasn't where we talk about almost famous a lot but then we never actually do it's like four play for the almost famous rewatch wheels Yeah, exactly. To begin with everything.

It does rip a lot of... It does crib some stuff. Like, it even has the reporter following them around. Yeah. It rips off... Rips off the wrong word. It cribs from a bunch of different things that have been in the ether. Most notably, and I would say in some cases most egregiously, it's the Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nix.

Yeah. It's on the corner, really trying to grab. pieces of that into this. So regret me. It's supposed to be based on Silver Springs, the Fleetwood Mac song. And Taylor Jenkins Reid, who wrote Daisy Jones and the Six, which just side note on her. The book is really popular. I had heard about it.

A friend recommended it to me. And then one of her other books, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, is like the most popular book to come out of TikTok, like ever. It became like this giant TikTok sensation. So Taylor Jenkins read is like one of the most. successful, like, living writers right now. And she's really popular with young women, but really women of all ages. And I think, like, this is the first adaptation of certainly many of her work.

So it's kind of interesting. Like, we'll be seeing a lot more of that. Netflix optioned Evelyn Hugo, which I can't understate how popular Evelyn Hugo is. And it's weird. I also read that. I didn't like it that much. Like, it's so popular. Anyway, she said for Daisy Jones,

that she was not like a huge music fan, but she watched a documentary on Fleetwood Mac and then she decided to write this. So I know that you are a huge music fan. I was curious, like, what is the ideal loosely based on Fleetwood Mac book, movie, TV show? Like, I mean, it's such a,

it's such a giant thing to do. To not even be a huge Fleetwood Mac fan. It's kind of like wild to do it because I feel like people just have so much reverence for rumors and the band. Like, I feel like it has to be a non-fan to even kind of like take a swing. but like what would be the best way to do that?

Well, the difference with Fleetwood Mac was Buckingham and Nicks were on their own and got added to the band together, right? Flewood Mac already existed. Mick Fleetwood was the center of it and they had like some decent success in the first part of the 70s. And then when they added them,

that's when everything took off. But the big thing with that band and the reason why Rumors is one of the greatest albums of all time is they're all in relationships with each other, coming out of relationships or working out their relationships in the album, which I think is what this was trying to do with the Aurora album.

Right. Where it's like, I wrote this song for you. Oh, I wrote, you know, oh, this song's about you. And so they're trying to tap into that. I thought one of the biggest misses, especially for how much time we wasted in the first three episodes, was when they finally go on the songwriting binge, they ripped through it in like 20 minutes.

Yeah, it's just, it's not even a whole episode. And they have all these songs. And it's like, oh, and then we hear some narrator from the terrible documentary they're making where it's like, we made 13 songs in three weeks. And it was, it was like, you know, it would have been cool to see some of the 13 songs get made. You know, it's fun watching a band, like innovate, innovate a song and take pieces of it. And they do it with one song, but I could have watched that way more than whatever the fuck was happened in the first three episodes. Yeah. I think the documentary that changed my life is Get Back.

And I also feel like this coming out after Get Back is tough because that is writing a song. and also like a band hating each other, which is interesting to bring to this. But I think they just like, the show is too big of a swing. Like they should have been one episode of just Daisy and Billy when they're kicked out of practice, or whatever rehearsal,

and they just go and they have to write. And it's like a bottle episode, like the way Breaking Bad had that episode of Walt and Jesse, The Fly, and it was just them stuck in like the underground lab. Like, you know, you just need that like tete-a-tet to understand the intensity of a relationship.

Yeah. And they're trying to spend time on some of the other stuff. Yeah. But it's like surface level. It's like, oh, Suki Waterhouse. Oh, he likes her. Oh, she got jealous because they're all at the beach. She made a move on her.

Now they're dating, but they got to keep it a secret. It's like, do they? It's the fucking 70s. Did we have secrets in the 70s? Everybody was just doing drugs and fucking each other. They couldn't keep it in if they did. I wonder if it was softened for women. Like, I wonder if that was part of what happened here.

because the book isn't odd as soft, and you brought it up, like Reese Witherspoon's company optioned this, and the marketing campaign is so, like, just sprawling. So there's been so much press. I've heard there's so many billboards all over Sunset Boulevard in L.A. Like, I wonder if they were trying to make it as broad as possible because it's on Amazon Prime.

Did you notice that you can buy the clothes if you pause when you're watching TV? It's like, shop on Amazon. I couldn't be less surprised. Listen, if we're doing this authentically, I'm just basing this on a lot of the people in the 70s, the female leads of bands or people who are solo artists who were also a mess in their own life. They were way more messy than this. It wasn't just like, oh, I'm by myself in my Chateau Marmont hotel room.

And I took a pill and drank some Jack Daniels and I jumped into a pool. It's way worse. Like way, way, way worse. The choices were way worse. The people they ended up with night to night were way worse. and way skevier. And I just think Daisy Jones, the way they're presenting her, I think the wheels come off in a totally, totally different way.

And in a way where you'd be a little more afraid of her. Because back then, there were no rules, no laws. And somebody like her was like, you know, predators probably surrounding her left and right. I don't think it was just her hanging out in her hotel room getting drunk. Right. Is my point. She's like a little too available, right? Like every night, she's just sort of like,

available to be wondering about Billy. There's scumbags circling her like fucking sharks in the ocean every night in real life. You know, like people like Stevie Nix have talked about this. Right. You know, especially if when you're the front woman in a band and a band starts to become popular and you look like she does. Like I just, I just think it would have gotten a lot darker. And she's doing all the drugs they're doing in the 70s.

There's no PSAs whatsoever. There's no real rules of conduct. Sure. You know? So even that party they have in. Coral Canyon where it's like, oh, somebody's driving home after they had something to drink. Like, nobody thought of that. You're just driving in other cars.

It's 50 years ago. No cabs. No cell phones. Good luck getting home otherwise. You're just sleeping there, I guess. I mean, they could have also just asked Camilla Morone about her life. She's 25. She's already dated and ended her relationship with Leonardo Cabrio.

She had Argentine parents. Like, she wasn't famous. She's on like a Nepo baby. She was a model, but like, I don't know. I'd love to, you know, I'd love. I love some true stories from her life growing up in L.A. as a teen and a young, young person. That's another flaw in this show is.

She is just way too beautiful for that part. It's unbelievable. Just because I've been following, like, her as a name for so long, having her be animated and, like, be this role really, like, floored me. I was like, wait, she's an actress. I was so blown away. And she, it's just a joke that anyone, that, that, that, she would like be second to Daisy or something like that.

Like it just doesn't, it just doesn't really work. She's second to nobody. Yeah. She's like, she's so stunning. And she also has charisma too. I mean,

I don't think, I think one thing I like about the show is how the women aren't like immediately pitted against each other, um, which is like a, they are eventually, but they don't start out that way. But it's just,

it's just hard to believe that she would be like the first wife that's left at home like, like, like Johnny Card, Johnny Cash's first wife or something. Yeah, if they're doing the documentary of this in real life and they're cut into her like in her mid-40s, like she probably looks like Donald Trump a little bit or somebody like that. It was like, oh, okay, first wife traded her in.

First wife from Pittsburgh. Yeah. Yeah, so that's a flaw. There's three other people in this show and I don't know their names and I can't really tell them apart except one of them's attracted to Suki Wooderhouse. And then another one, it seems like takes a run at Camilla Morone. in episode five or six and why not? Because she looks great.

Who wouldn't? Yeah, exactly. She's just out on her own a random night at some function or like Sunset Tower. It's kind of unclear. Another character that I don't think has unfortunately worked that well is the Teddy Price character, played by Tom Wright. Mm-hmm. It feels like a great role for somebody and I'm kind of not sure what he's doing.

It's like they ran out of money with the, with the creative of the music and they, they just kind of had to grab actors for this, but he's fine. But, you know, Oliphant is promised to be in this. And it says he's in 10 episodes on IMDB. I think he was in one. And he's wearing the worst wig I've ever seen and the worst fake mustache I've ever seen. And then they age him for the documentary and he looks even more ridiculous. And then he's just gone for five episodes.

But he's in the credits. Yeah. We were promised Timothy Oliphant. What the fuck? I wonder if they shot a lot more that was cut because they had to like, just cut it down or whatever. Because also the shoot went over. It was like a really long

and also very delayed shoot. So I wonder if he was supposed to be in more and we didn't get it. I don't know. But the Teddy character, there's moments where he's really good. Like when he hears a song and he like doesn't really tell you

what he's thinking until he's ready to. Like I like those moments. But exactly what his role is versus Timothy Allofant's like also confusing. I'm just like, what's the difference between a tour manager and a producer? Like you can't really tell.

Yeah. good point. It's a good, like if you had more money and you could have talked like Don Cheadle into it. Now I'm really interested in that character. I don't really know that like that character had a nice house. They're in his house at one point. He comes back with his wife or girlfriend. He's like, you guys are my house. I just don't really understand what's happening. The other guys in the band, just in case you were wondering, are Graham Dunn, Eddie Roundtree and Warren Rojas. I like Warren Rojas. He sits on his boat to do his documentary interviews, and he's just like, life is good.

That's what I want out of, like, you know, just one of the blurred out guys. And I think he's fun. But I also would like to get to know him more. Yeah. So we're in no man's land. I can't tell you two things about him. He seems like a nice guy. And then we had the Simone character, Daisy's friend, that they're just shoehorning in the scenes.

And then she's on a bus heading somewhere else. and it's like, why is this person in this? What does this stuff to do with Daisy Jones in the six? Was she in the book? Yeah, she is. She's like Daisy's only friend. She's in the book less. But they also, in some ways, like, you know her even less.

Like in the book, she's not, she's not a lesbian. And she is, like, in disco, but she doesn't have, like, a real backstory. She's, like, in the beginning and the end. But I do think the disco conversation is, like, kind of interesting. And the way, like, the way she hears her voice on TV. And then, like, you know, like, that happens. that's a part of dream girls as well. But did we need more stuff?

Can we just get Daisy Jones in the sixth? Like, we needed other plots? That's the problem. I think that's just like, the more we talk about it, it's like it should have been so much more laser focused on just making music and less about the, like,

you know, how they got there or whatever, because then you could have gotten more Simone. Well, what's the ideal length for you? Like six episodes total? Like I feel like six was six, maybe seven max?

Yeah, I think six probably would have been good. And you cut off the beginning. And then I just, I think you need a better billy and you just go much deeper on Billy and Daisy, which is weird to say because it's still a lot of them. Well, everything happens in episode four really works. The photo shoot in the desert was really good. So that's the thing. You watch some of the stuff in this and you go, oh, man. Oh, that, that's really good. I think it's filmed really well. I think it's really well done. Looks great. Yeah. James Ponsol, your guy. My guy. And, you know, I really wonder how they landed on. on our guy Sam.

I don't know. I looked at his IMDB. First of all, he's from England. Red flag number one. Well, does it have to be a red flag? Yeah.

We can't find American actors for a part about a guy in Daisy Jones of the 6 grew up in Pittsburgh. We needed to go to England for that. Red flag number two is he is how old is

He's got to be like 42 or so. He was in the Hunger Games. He's born in 1986. So he turns... He's 36 years old. Turns 37 in June. That seems too old. And then you look at his resume.

And there's not really one great role, right? He's in a bunch of stuff. He was in... He's been given a lot of shots. I would say... A lot of shots. Coming out of the Hunger Games, I thought he was like going to be legit. Like he's one of the good guys.

He has a small role. I think he's in two or three. I just remember him and like, one of the underground tunnels with Jennifer Lawrence. And I was like, oh, that guy I like him. And then he was in Me Before You with Amelia Clark, which is another adaptation of a mega, mega book. Well, he's in a movie my wife likes, but it was nine years ago.

Love Rosie. Oh. Yeah, he was given a lot of shots, like after the 100 games. Why'd you laugh at Love Rosie? I don't understand that. That was when my wife bought all her Lily Collins stock. She paid huge dividends. She just went all in on Lily Collins stock in 2014.

But Sam Claflins and that. I got to talk to your wife about Emily and Paris. Right. She's so great. Sam Claflin, though, he just seemed like he was destined to be like English rom-com guy. Like, maybe like he could be Hugh Grant 2.0. I don't know how he ended up in Daisy Jones in the 6 playing Lindsay Buckingham, basically. I don't know.

He was cast after Camilla Morone and Riley Keough. And they did chemistry reads together. And then they had like a bunch of different billies. And I don't know how they landed on him. It's a good question. Also, this should have just gone with that unknown. Someone who blows you away, I think. Can I make the case for Riley Keough?

Because I think I'm hiring her than you. Yes, please. If her part doesn't totally work from her playing at standpoint, this show goes down in flames. So she has to be good. The charisma's there. She has that kind of, that mid-70s, I don't have to wear a bra and I can wear these weird dresses

and there's something sexy about me. I don't have makeup. and I just kind of go with the flow. Like she really nailed that. Her voice is excellent. And apparently she hadn't really sung at all, which is weird because I would have thought Elvis's granddaughter, you probably gave it a whirl at some point.

No. Just as a guy, I think she's really compelling at a big TV. I think she has it. Like she has the charisma. And I think episode four when she comes on the stage, that was like a great moment. It's the best moment of the show. way she was able to carry that, doing the Stevie Nix, waving the arms up and down, kind of

crazy gypsy kind of move. I just think she's really good. I wish they had given her more to do with. And I wish it felt like we were talking about it because I watched four, five, and six with my wife and her friend Krista. And we actually thought Billy Dunn got better from four, five, and six. And I don't know if it was a case of Sam Claflin figuring out the character more or as it goes along him, them trying to, them kind of totally understanding how he fit against Daisy.

But I thought he brought it back some. I agree that. And became more of a supporting person. Yeah. She lights up on stage. And so when you finally get them at the festival in Hawaii, it's like, you're like, oh, I get it now. Like this clicks.

And that really works because that's sort of like the pivotal moment of the show. I like her. I think that I just find everyone to be like kind of boring when they're not in like, assembled as the band. And that's why I'm like a little bit hesitant. But I agree. She's really good. And if she,

and like so believable. And if you didn't believe in her as, um, Daisy, then like there's no way the show works. So I definitely agree with you on that. She, she's,

fantastic. And it just also like it feels right to like Elvis's granddaughters in this role. I don't feel like you totally of this. I do. I don't feel like you're 100% there. I think you're 80% there. I agree with that.

Yeah. You're 80% there. I'm 100, you're 80. That's fine. We're both 100 on Warren Rojas, played by Sebastian Chaconne. Who just was like, he's like, can I just get some more John Oates footage from 75, 76, 77? Can you get me a haul of notes when they played one of those show? I just want to check, make sure I have the Afro mustache combo, right?

And he just John Oats the fucking shit out of that part. I want to hang out with him. I'm like, whatever boat he's on in whatever ocean, I want to be there. He seems great, and he nails it. Snoring, gasping during sleep, feeling fatigued, ask your doctor about Zepbound, terseptite. The first and only FDA-approved prescription medicine for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA,

and adults with obesity. Zep-bound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, and obesity to improve their OSA. Zepbound is approved. It's a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zepound contains terseptitite and should not be used with other terseptide containing products

or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pins or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your

doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepound with a sulfonal urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-9-9. or visit Zepbound.lily.com. The right window treatments change everything, your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. At blinds.com, we've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs.

We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50,000 five-star reviews to prove we deliver. Whether you DIY it or want a pro to handle everything from measure to install, we have you covered. Real design professionals, free samples, zero pressure. Right now, get up to 50% off with minimum purchase, plus get a free. free professional measure at blinds.com. Rules and restrictions apply. This is where I bring up the other major flaw of the show. So they make this almost seem like a documentary, right, where we're watching a documentary on Netflix or Apple about this band with the interviews.

It's apparent to me that they never really consulted with anybody who's spent a ton of time making documentaries for how the interviews should go. And if they did fire that person or withhold his checks. Because the interviews are just way too performative and candid. And if you've ever watched a music documentary, and I've produced a few of them, but just in general, I've watched most of them. They're not, they just don't unfold like this.

Nobody says the perfect sentence. They're not acted. It's way more conversational. They're looking off camera in a different way. And if they're looking in camera, they're just not as good and as polished as you would be. this. So I don't know, is this, what is your take? Is, are we watching the making of a documentary or is it just like a just on camera thing? Because either way, it doesn't work. I agree. It doesn't

work. And the hair and makeup is bad. So it's really distracting. I feel like you just get really taken out. Like do you need it? Like, if they just cut every single documentary piece out of this, could it have worked? Yes. I think so. I think it does, yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't really add very much. It's sort of like they're using the documentary to supplement, like what the writing doesn't give you otherwise. I don't know. It's, it is awkward. I agree with you. It's a lot of stuff like, and then when Daisy walked in, it was magic. It's like, cool. Let me discover that for myself as I watched a fucking show. That's 10 episodes long. Let me figure it for myself that it was magic. I don't need John Oates telling me. I think they do it because of the way

the book's written, right? Like, it's an oral history. It's like a 300-page oral history or whatever. And it's really well done. But it's all oral history. It doesn't go back and forth. And I think that I was thinking about this. Like, why do you have to be faithful to the book in some ways and then totally change other things? Like, that's what I don't understand. They should just like, take in the story and reinvented the format more. Because I think that's part of the problem here. Could not agree more. A wonderful point by Riley Keoghater, Julia Lidman. I loved it. Yeah, the thing, you can't be like conditionally faithful to the IP. Yeah.

It's like, well, it's an oral history. We got to be in oral history. It's like, no, not really, actually. You take what's in the oral history and take the best pieces of it. To me, this is about the rise and abrupt fall. I'm guessing, because I didn't read the book. I'm guessing this ends badly because this is saying in the beginning, this ends in 1977.

But I don't need the 20 years later perspective. It's certainly, like, there's never been a Fleetwood MacDock or at least one that they participated in in a real way. And that's fine. I'm still 100% fascinated by them in their journey and the performances and the work speaks for itself. I was so much more interested in the songs in Aurora and what they were about and how they picked the titles and stuff like that. Like to me, that was like what they left on the table. Like, why is this named a word?

Did they even say? No. We haven't gotten a really good fight. That's the other thing. That's like, that's like the best part of almost famous is, is Jason Lee's rants, right? And we need, we need a fight scene. That's the other thing. That's just really, really missing.

And way more cocaine. And way more cocaine. Before in 1975 at this point, they're doing like, they're drinking, they're doing cocaine like we go have coffee on, you know, four o'clock. Let's go get a blue bottle of coffee, not realizing that it's addictive and we're going to become a complete maniac. That's what cocaine was like. And they're all doing it.

And they're all way more volatile. and erratic. I think there's way more bad choices just all over the place. I also, another thing that's really weird that I don't understand how they fucked this up. Man, they should have made us consultants.

They're in Laurel Cannon. It's like, you know, iconic. The fucking ground zero of rock at that point. No other bands crossed through their past. Like they just whiff on the possibility. They could have, they could have just had, I don't know, pick a band. It could be like, oh, Eric Clapton's. I

and just have an actor play Eric Clapton, be like, oh, my God, Eric Clapton, he's right there. And have fun with that. It's like they're just operating without any other music competing against. There's nothing, no other bands. Especially because then they have the music from the era in the show. And they occasionally sing it, which is when they sing the Rod Stewart song, it's like, wait, do you guys know Rod Stewart?

Like, maybe he should be on the show. Where is he? Bring him in. Have him trying to have sex with Daisy Jones. We're like the Wilson sisters. Oh, they're putting together heart. They're working on the song Barakuta. You should listen to it. Yeah.

Like when they could have gone in the studio with Teddy and he'd be like, hold on, my, my, my next act or my last act isn't done yet. You might have know, you might know him. It's Billy Joel. Like, I don't know. Like, take some swings. Or like you guys can open for Billy Joel. Do you guys, you know, but you have to do it with Daisy or something like that.

Great point. I think we need to ask ourselves an honest question. Yeah. Would be like this more if almost famous didn't exist because everything we're citing. is a part of Almost Famous. Yeah, but Almost Famous also came out 23 years ago. I know. I'm counting down to the 25th anniversary,

which will be in September 2024. Is that when you quit? FYI. Do the rewatchfuls? It's just me and Cameron Crow and you're not invited? Yeah, exactly. I know it's an unfair question. No, I think it's a really good question.

Did Almost Famous ruin the chance for anybody else to do this? My answer would be no. Because to me, almost famous made me want a show like this even more, which is why I was excited to watch it. The buzz beforehand was a little off-putting. You know, TV critics, whatever,

they're always, you know, they're always going to veer toward the whatever, which is why we like to talk this stuff out on podcasts a little bit more. But you could kind of tell. Not a stink on this, but that it was like, don't get your hopes too high. Yeah. It was basically the vibe from all the reviews.

I don't think it's ruined it, but I do think like this specific like rise and fall of a band is done so, so well by almost famous, especially like capturing the scene of the time. Um, and you have Lester Bangs doing voiceover instead of like fake documentary. What did you say? It's true that they, they, they, they- Stillwater fucking crushed it. Yeah, they didn't fall.

No more airplane 77. I know. Um, anyway, but I do think there's something about just like the magic of creative, of like, of like groups of people doing creative stuff and all the tension that comes with it. And that's why the book is good. That's why Get Back is so revelatory is like seeing the creative process and all of the anger and turmoil that's a part of it is like just absolutely riveting. And ultimately that's what I think.

That's why the Eagles documentary is great. Yeah. And like all and that's why people care about like reunion tours because you know about all the strife that went into it beforehand. Right. Plus you like the music. But I just think that's kind of ultimately what this is missing is is like the. the real messiness outside of like the love triangle. Yeah, and I still, the safeness of it, I think, is the other thing that's upsetting to me.

Because they spent some real money on this. Like, it really does feel like we're in the 70s. Big time. As you said, really made me think like, oh man, Laurel Candy must have been an unbelievable place to live in in 1975. The stuff that on stage, I think that they do, at least in the first six episodes, are really great. I look forward to seeing how, as the band gets bigger, what, they do with like the arena thing and their ability to CGI fans and how they handle that. But you know, the same part, like Chris that Carrie's friend was laughing because she was like,

oh, he's going to make more of those stupid faces he makes when he plays the guitar. This is before we'd watch four, five, and six. So then they're doing four and he's like making like these like, I don't know what. It's like either somebody who's constipated or having orgasm or both at the same time. And it's just like, man, what is that? Why didn't anyone step in and be like, don't make that face? You're supposed to be the coolest guy in the band. It's not.

It's not working. And that was not making that face running the Eagles. He was just fucking cool and everybody wanted to have sex with them in the front row. Wasn't doing that. Yeah, they neuter that character really early on. I would say both realistic and also unappealing is like his feathered hair for the flash forwards or whatever. Oh, yeah. But I think that's real.

I think that's like what that kind of character would think he should have in like 1997 or whatever. So it goes both ways. That's a really good point. I'm glad we're talking this out. He's got to have some sort of calling card. Either he's got to be super cool but a fucking asshole like Lindsey Buckingham was where it's just like this guy's a fucking asshole. But goddamn he's so talented. We got to put up with him.

Or he's got to be like this keeps pulls everyone in the band in because he's such a charismatic presence. Or he's got to be. on like elite visionary and just sees the chessboard in a different way, which he obviously doesn't because he brings the notebook in and Daisy says, oh great, 13 more songs about your wife. And the band starts laughing because they're like, this guy's a fucking jackass. I can't believe this is our leader. So what's good about this guy? Like honestly, give us three, give me three traits of this guy.

Terrible father. Seems like a pretty shitty friend. Not that talented. What's so great about this guy? I've got nothing. I do think he becomes a better father. He stays sober so far. He resists temptation.

Okay, that's good. Yeah, you're right. That's a good one. Yeah, he does fight the demons. Yeah, and he has, like, morals. He seems to be, he wants to be paternal. I wish he had been him a Steelers fan or something. Like, oh, man, big Steelers game tonight.

I'd be like, oh, there's a human being in there. So I can't believe he beat the Raiders. It's like, what? I just can't get over him quitting the band. That's just, like, such a ridiculous thing. Like, your leader can't quit the band unless they're, like, forced into it. And as far as I can tell, Camilla did not force him into it.

Agree. All right. So it looks like we have four episodes left. There's no season two, right? This is it. There can't be. Unless we get the Warren Rojas spinoff of our dreams. I'm going to be so pissed off if there's like a cliffhanger after their album goes number. Like we

basically drag four more episodes out with nothing happening so we can have a season two and get to like when they break up. This better fucking end in episode 10. It would be shocking to me if they had the budget. for a season two. This is clearly like one of the, like outside of Lord of the Rings,

which just like burned cash. This has got to be one of the biggest budget shows Amazon's ever done. So many people, so much marketing, extremely long production period. They went to Greece at one point. Like there's no way there's,

they're getting season two for the same price here in 2020. I forgot to mention before we go, my biggest disappointment of the show, that Reese Witherspoon didn't either make a cameo or just play the Timothy Olfant character with like a 70, little sunglasses, blue eye shadow, but holding her trademark giant glass of Cabernet for unknown reasons, her big little last Cabernet glass.

There's four episodes left. Maybe it'll happen. She's just coming in and being like, man, this music's groovy and talking like 70s, but just holding the wine anyway, I think it would have been really a fun wrinkle for this. She should be like Stan Lee and she has a cameo as a wine drinker in every movie she produces from here on out. That's how I would play it if I was her. Even the Ashton Coucher one, maybe that would have saved it if she just had a glass of wine in every single scene in one of the worst rom-coms ever. Listen, my review is I enjoyed watching the six episodes, even though they frustrated the hell out of me.

And I thought Riley Keough was spectacular. And I wish it had been better, but I don't regret watching it. But I also don't understand why the six episodes weren't three. That's my review. My review is I also like Riley Keough, but not as much as you. And the music is better than I expected. It exceeded my expectations, but it's flat. Like that's where I'm at.

Fair enough. That's the Prestige TV podcast. We have a whole bunch of good stuff coming for you this month. Julia Lemon, great to see you. Great to podcast with you, as always. Thanks so much, Bill. Thanks for having me.