I Am All In with Scott PattersonI Am All In…Again: Beautiful Dreamers (Season 1 E15 “Christopher Returns”)
“You’re supposed to speak through your music!”
The one and only Stars Hollow town troubadour Grant Lee Phillips joins Scott for Season 1 E15 recap “Christopher Returns”
This is a heartbreaking episode but is Lorelai to blame for Ickstopher’s desperate measures he’s trying to take?
There was one scene Grant did enjoy…find out what it is!
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I am all in again.
Oh let's.
Hi.
I am all in again with Scott Patterson and iHeartRadio Podcast. Hey everybody, Scott Patterson, I Am all in Podcast one eleven productions. iHeartRadio Media, iHeart Podcast. We are gonna recap Season one, episode fifteen. Christopher returns with the one and only Grant Lee Phillips, who was, as you know, the town Troubadour. Grant is here, A welcome friend.
Good to see you again. You're over the.
World playing your word songs to adoring audiences. It's good to have you. Thank you for your time. I know you watched this episode. What was your overall impression of this episode?
Goodness? I yea christ talking. Christopher returns. I gotta say, Scott, I found it, uh somewhat bittersweet. The bitter part being that I was not in this episode, and I feel very bitter about it. The sweet part being that, you know, it had a lot of other great things going for it. No, this is this is really early on in the in the pageant of Gimire girls, isn't it.
Christopher returns, Uh, you know, Rory's happy that her dad's back, and right Laurliz is a little hesitant, but seems kind of like open minded and somewhat positive about it.
But right, but I think overall.
She remained skeptical, skeptical and questioning why he's really there. Richard has more faith in Christopher, according to Laura La and she keeps telling Rory this and and and he comes in like mister motorcycle, cool guy. Let me ask you this, do you think they were setting up Christopher because that's a big entrance. And I was discussing this earlier with the podcast team with Jackie and and Emma, and we all agreed that they really set up this entrance for Christopher to come in like this, you know, like almost like Marlon.
Brando automobile cycle.
Yeah, but I mean like like obviously softer version, but super cool, super hot guy. Right, and he gets off his Indian motorcycle and hey, I'm here with my perfect hair and my chisel giant all this kind of stuff. Do you think that they were trying to make this guy because we know how the fans feel about him, and it's not good, not good.
I can see that.
Do you think that Amy and Dan were setting him up to be a legitimate rival to Luke or to whomever she ends up with, or do you think they knew that, you know, he was he was not going to be well received by fans.
I believe they well, I think at the same time, he rides in, like you say, right on the white Horse. But on the other hand, we see that he's not necessarily being upfront, maybe with Laura Lyon right his family, with Richard Emily. We also see you know, the sort of the unconscious of the town, a tailor on his very large cell phone or whatever, the walkie talking. So there's you know, it's kind of like the town. It's kind of a sweet sweet element has their back and they're watching making sure they're like the family kind of like looking over like is this we don't know about this guy? So we're getting our signals from those who are very close, you know, that we maybe shouldn't have complete trust and Christopher just yet, you know, right.
Well, we'll get back to that. But that's the opening question, right It's like, is this intentional? Because he does have some obvious flaws and they reveal themselves that he cannot be trusted, that he lies in this kind of thing. Still, still the question remains, all right, so now We're experiencing some small town of softball game. Luke's on the mound, Dean is coming to the plate, and Rory brings and you know, Sean Gunn is there doing this hilarious interpretation of hackling both Jared and myself until Luke has had enough and he's he's like, all right, that's my favorite. Eric runs away, but Christopher shows up with Dean meets him. You know, it's all this like, how is this guy going to fit into this town?
Right?
Yeah, Miss Patty meets him. She does her usual you know, uh look, looks over the attractive young man, but then she pulls out her phone once they walk away, like hey, you know, which really adds to the small town flavor and charm of the show. That's kind of exactly how it happens in it, and painful to watch was when they go into the bookstore and he tries to buy her the English Oxford Dictionary, right, and his card has declined, right, and it's like, boy, gosh, it's just this guy and this is the first time we've seen him. Nobody knows what to expect. So they bring in this sort of perfect guy on a motorcycle. The you know, the perfect kind of metro sctual guy, right, all cleaned up, right, there's there's no there's no metallica t shirts torn and and there's no beard, there's no long hair, there's no attitude, there's no chain wallet. You know, it's just like friendly guy and he can't pay for the darn dictionary. Let's his daughter down right away. So now I'm beginning to think this is all intentional. They were trying to create the most unlikable character on the show and in recent television memory. I think they really are aware of how the audience reacts so at this point, because you can't give this guy this many flaws and expect anybody to root for him, right, or that relationship right anyway, So all right, so we going to the diner. Yeah, and Luke immediately dislikes Christopher.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, you.
Know, calls him a punk. He uses a cell phone. It's just like it's so obviously just to set up for future conflict. Yeah, and the guy just completely disregards the rules, doesn't care. Nobody can be this uptight. I'm just going to use my cell phone. And then I think the most interesting part of that scene was that Laurel. I actually took the phone and talked on the phone in violation of Luke's rules. Right, it's sort of disrespecting the.
Man, right, right, right, because you know, you just.
Don't do that there, right. What do you think of all this so far? Are you liking him? How are you feeling about Christopher so far?
Well? I feel like there's an obvious amount of deflection going on with Christopher. You know, we really don't get to know him. There's always some kind of you know, something that that occurs, the conversation will shift, so we never really find out what Christopher has going on out in California or what he doesn't have going on, right, you know, we don't really know him. I guess it's the case, you know, before he comes forth and proposes, right presents all of this, you.
Know, I mean, that's a desperate active as desperate man.
Right, true, true, Yeah, And we don't know Strob or Francine, and I don't feel like I'm guessing maybe they did they come back on the on.
The I can't imagine that they would would appear after that. I mean, Richard literally grabbed strobes lapels and pulled him in and.
Said you know, he nearly came to fisticofs it. Really, Richard would duel. I think ed Herman was so great in this God that that was really really nice to see Edward up there. Yeah.
What a master craftsman, What a master of his craft. Yeah, just everything was pitch perfect. The guy was just so great. So now Emily invites the phone person. The purpose of the phone call that violates Luke's rules is Emily inviting Christopher and Fred knight dinner. It's a family gathering. And then we cut immediately to them all standing outside waiting to cross into the cross the door into a into that strange Gilmour world that they all fear so much. But it is it's you know, it's it's imbued with all of these uh you know, positive memories and very negative memories for for especially for Christopher and Lorelaia of what happened. This is when we find out what happened. This is the characteristic of this script of this episode. I mean, there there are some laugh out loud lines. There just not very many of them, you know, if you if you were to count them, and I sometimes I count them my favorite episodes and where I think this operates best is as a light comedy with overwhelming amount of great humor. This wasn't that this was right, This was this very serious episode. It just had a totally different tone.
True.
Richard Emily are obviously thrilled to see Christopher, right, and Ed wants to hear about the company, and Christopher's evasive and he doesn't want to jinx the good success that he's been experiencing and he's got, according to him, hundreds of employees. What he described it made me very suspicious in the beginning, right, because I know too much about him.
Right, although we do enjoy, you know, the trademark references that are so Gilmore. We got a shout out to Fred and Mertz right, the offspring, you know, I think me and you mentioned metallic, I think Metallica.
Right, right, Metallica, He's an offspring.
Yeah, Tolstoy, I mean, you know.
Goodness, all of it. Right, What do you think about this whole scene? I loved the scene. I thought I think I thought it was great dramatic writing, you know, the big blow up scene. What do you think about this?
The blow up scene? Are you talking about Richard.
Emily's uh yeah, when Christopher and Rory and Laurel I walk into the living room and have drinks with Richard Emily and then Strobe and Francine show up and it all turns.
Basically just shows them the door, right sort of. Yeah, I mean you get you get a real strong sense of of who Richard is, you know, what it means to be a Gilmore as you know he might say, and his sense of pride, his you know, he talks about it the protection of his family, you know, but it's also kind of his family is, you know, in terms of him and his identity as well. Yeah, that was I mean, that was meaningful. Also interesting to see this this other softer dynamic with Emily, who can be obviously somewhat cold and harsh in terms of Laurli, but with Rory there's that really there's a really meaningful moment where she tells Laura Lai, you know that yeh, family has you know, we have our problems, but it's not you are not to blame, you know. I thought that's a great, great thing because I think kids often do kind of internalize such things, right we Yeah, I thought that was a really great moment.
Amazing, The amazing part of this scene was that it had such a blind spot in it, and the blind spot was from everybody's point of view except for Strobe and Freancy. Everybody had this sort of blind spot that they didn't factor in that Strobe was going to come in and do what he did, and that was he justified in doing it. This is, you know, he doesn't have a lot of contact with his son, right he considers his son of failure. He comes in immediately Laurel I is, you know, trying to drop some jokes that you can tell that. It's like, wait a minute, she's they're inappropriately rude with her right away when they're standing up. So it's like, why we love this character. We love law She's she's she's done this, she's raised this great kid. Yeah, you know, she's she's she suffered a horrible fate at the hand of her her parents, and and this guy's laying into her man and so is the mothers. You know, just judging, judging, judging. We didn't did you see this coming? This, this, this Strobe attack on Lorelei. No kind of makes sense, doesn't it. It's like, if he's going to lash out at somebody, here's his opportunity. Emily didn't see it. Richard didn't see it when they made the invite, and he said, we used to be uh, very very close with this couple, but we haven't seen them in years.
He wonder why. Yeah, And it is one of those things where it's it's sometimes easier to to focus all of you your bad feelings, not on your own your own offspring, but on Laurai, you know, kind of blaming Lauraai for whatever course Christopher's life is.
Well. I think Strobe has had plenty of those discussions with Christopher. Well, probably so, and I think he will continue to look at his own son as somebody who's just ruined all of their lives. Yeah, with one stupid act. But now is his chance to really fix his sights on LAURREALI do you think it was justified?
Was Stroke justified in his Yes?
Was he justified?
Oh? No, I don't believe so, not at all, No, not at all, you know, And I think you kind of see this particular note being struck throughout, you know, throughout the episode. But you know, you know, it would be quite easy for a character like Laurli to be to be judged by society she's single woman raising her daughter, and uh, you know, she's irreverent and she has to you know, deal with all deal with all of the blowback from that, you know, all of this kind of class stuff that the Strobe, the Strobe and France scene with her, and then her own parents as well. You know. But you know, Lorelai is like a great number of us, just trying to trying to get by and do her life, and her her real kind of heart is with raising her daughter and experiencing her life. And I think that that really resonates man. You know.
So the Strobe character and his speech.
To her, his abuse of her, yeah.
In front of her own daughter, Yeah, and parents, is exactly why she left the Fold in the first place.
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
Because that's what Emily and Richard.
Were like, Yeah, yeah, right. It is kind of funny right.
Now Richard has to experience it himself instead of doling out the abuse as you can only imagine sixteen years prior to the volume and the ferocity of that abuse. Since a sixteen year old girl who made a mistake, who didn't want to marry that guy, all just perfectly understandable, just wants to get away from this insanity and these crazy people like Strobe, like Richard was, like Emily was, you know, yeah, just wow, Richard, I guess, I guess I've been excommunicated by this family if I don't go along with their dictates. So I'm going to go here into a very safe place and have a lovely little life, yeah, where I get to experience all of the things that I never had as a child. I was given plenty of material things I was we had all the money in the world, and the trips to Europe and this and that, but it's not what fed me, not what not what I needed. So I think it's like that town raised laurel I as much as it raised Rory. It gave that town and those people gave them everything they needed so that larel I could be a great mother. It's actually very moving, it is. I think it's a very very important scene. And I think the purpose of this episode was to really let the audience know early on what awful people these are.
Yeah, I agree, I agree, Yeah.
This this generation like and I used to defend it on the first go round. I used to defend it, but now I see, having seen the seven episodes, now now I see what an extraordinary, uh person lorel I is, and what an extraordinary daughter, and how awful awful these people are to her all of the time. And the classified is just so stark because it's like she's not even their daughter anymore. It's like she's cut off any DNA that she shares with her mother and father. It's like, there's no chance I'm going to end up like this anyway.
Very interesting it is, you know, And I think in that moment where Richard observes all of this happening their home, there's an opportunity for him to see himself and for Emily to see herself and Francine is true and you know a little bit of a little mini character evolution there, you know, like wow, is that? Like you know, maybe later that night they went that's not right. Maybe we maybe we did think about like you know.
But also when she when she goes into Richard's study and thanks him for defending her, Yeah, he stands up and he does the unexpected you know, save it and do you know what you put us through?
Oh? Right now, that was an unexpected turn. I did not I did not see that coming.
But great writing, just great and and you know, he he lays it out on the line for her. He said, do you know what this did to your mother? She couldn't get out of bed for a month, As if that was the important part of what happened. It wasn't about caring for their daughter. It wasn't about doing the right thing for their daughter and listening to her and dealing with the problem as a family who cared for each other. It was about Emily's issue. It's like, Okay, where is the nurturing, supportive mother of a sixteen year old who's in crisis? Right, who's having a real life crisis. I mean, wow, So that just shows you. I mean, I don't want to be doctor Scott diagnosing people on I mean, is she a little bit of a narcissist? I would say, so, don't tell anybody.
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think that's just what what you know has. I don't know, you know a lot of times I have I've been asking why, what what is it about this show that continues to bring in viewers? You know, I think it's because at its core, it's such good writing, and it is it resonates, you know, we we identify some of these uh, these archetypes, some of these personality works.
There's a lot of Emily's out there in many different forms. Oh yeah, everywhere. Yeah, it's always about them.
Yeah.
And then when if they perceive rejection, if they perceive they are being rejected anyway, they flip out. Yeah, the mask comes off. You know. Interesting boy, interesting characterizations, interesting characters, well thought out. Yeah, all right, now Christopher and Laurela. I end up on the balcony.
Oh yeah, of her old with a bottle of booze.
But of course, you know, he pulls out a bottle of the bottle of bathtub gin. Thanks Christopher, how did you afford? I guess, I guess that was the last charge on his card before it went belly up, bought a bottle of booze. Did this scene make you particularly nauseous as it did as it did me? Uh?
Yeah, I would say a wee bid. Yeah, it's a tragedy, a romance comedy at that.
But you know, oh, I.
Can't have one without the other. I guess, I don't.
Know, And it was I don't know. There's just something about that scene. It's just it's very what do they say today, cringe? Very cringe? Right, I think, very difficult for her to play. You know, it just does something to her character that well, I'm just gonna say it. It was kind of gross. It really was. Let's just face it. It was. It was up to that point in the series. You're like, you know, you haven't felt nauseous before, but that was nauseating to take that wonderful character and place her with such a shlub that it's like, Wow, that's just gross.
I'm sensing all of this, this great tension and what you know, sparks between Luke and Loralai in this in this particular episode. I mean, this is season one, right, so I mean, oh, yeah, they're setting that up. They're setting it up, right, she they're setting up that up. Who does doing everything up for her morning? Joe and her pajamas? Still the scene just after.
Right, But I like but I like her reaction. The thing that's redeeming about the the gross scene was that she realized that she'd made a huge mistake. Yeah, and that you know, listen, first loves, they're tough, right, You never forget about those people. You never stop thinking about those people from time to time, I guess, and that was hers Whether we like it or not, you know, and in defense of her character, you know, what a what a what a position to be in after having gone through that kind of again, right, that had to have triggered her. So it's sort of maybe put her back in her childhood trauma at sixteen because Strobe Richard or Emily yelling at her in the same way that Strobe did. You know, as you can just hear Emily and Richard screaming at her, You've ruined our lives, You've ruined your life. Why won't you marry this man? And I mean, are you kidding me? You're going to raise the baby and it's going to ruin our lives. It's pretty much all about them. So here she is reverting back to that old behavior. And when she when it's over, when it's finished, she's Laurel I again, she's a mother. She she she gets out of her trauma a little bit and says, oh, okay, this was stupid, this was a bad idea. Let's get out of here. And they're silent on the car ride home basically, but Rory picks it up. She can pick it up. She senses something happened. Yeah, well, and then it all comes out in the kitchen, right, It all comes out in the Metallica versus Offspring conflict scene between Christopher and Lorelei. He admits that he lied about his company, and it's just such a letdown. I mean, the guy's such a letdown right away. So I mean, if we were, if we were to paint a picture of a cool modern dude, you know it would be him. But boy do they There's so many flaws to this guy. He's not really redeemable. And I think they it's a smart thing to do for a character because it adds so much negative tension to the narrative. And you actually do want people hating on him. You do want that because then they just root harder for Luke and Moreley.
Right.
Anyway, that was that was a pretty epic fight. I thought when it got into the Metallica h Offspring thing, it got a little silly because it was it was supposed. I wanted to escalate further, you know, and keep it real. Yeah, because she was really rejecting him. She was like reclaiming her adulthood, she was reclaiming her life and why she walked away from all of it, from him, from her parents and made a great life for herself and her daughter. I mean, she's doing great. Her daughter's in you know, Yale, going to Yale, she's going to private school. Yeah, you know, she shouldn't need this guy. Yeah, she shouldn't need this BS. Yeah, from this creepy, gross guy, right, you need it? In fact, she doesn't really need a man, does she does?
She?
Laura's a very strong character.
You need or want need versus one, right. I mean it's like she's kind of in this perfect place and then this guy and you know, the Luke luc and Laurel a discovering each other and it's it's kind of fun to watch, you know. Yeah, and you know, we'll see how that plays out. But she doesn't need this guy. I mean, all he's going to do is drag her down. Marry me with his little puppy dog face, right, marry me. It's like what marry you? He disappeared for sixteen years what you call once a week? Do you think that's being a father?
Yeah? Right? Does he have a sidecar on his ev.
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's crap fathers I can't stand, and he is one.
It's interesting that I mean, she is a very strong character, and yet it demonstrates that you can be a strong character and still have doubt, insecurities, be faced with all the challenges that we you know, any of us in our life. But it's like that thing where you know, a person who's heroic isn't isn't necessarily that they aren't aware of the dangers before the more the challenges, you know, or their own limitations just how we deal with those things, you know.
But I mean they have to give her some flaws. Yeah, she's just sup perfect up to this point. Yeah, and here it is. Here's her Achilles heel. Here it is, here's how it went down. We're gonna gross you out with this scene. And she ain't perfect, which is good.
Yeah, and it would it could be very difficult to resist, you know, someone like Christopher when you have parents like Emily and Richard. You know, I'm sure that's the case, you know.
I mean he couldn't even stand up to his own mother when she was berating him over his time. Yeah, it's to for fix your tie the way.
They That was sad. That was a sad scene.
I mean, this is a thirty two year old guy. Yeah, he's thirty two and he's still being shamed by his parents.
He's thirty two and Lorelei's sixteen in this particular.
Episode, right, I think they both were sixteen in this people.
I didn't realize that slowing the math.
Oh yeah, anyway, you know, now we talk about a little bit. It really was maybe one of the deepest explorations into both their psychees and giving us this historic historical background, which is really important for the storytelling. Yeah, and it was just beautifully, beautifully acted and beautifully written. But boy, they're really setting they continue to set the table for future episodes. Yeah, it's just great storytelling. These these two are just such great storytellers.
I always found that to be a fascinating dynamic about Gilmore Girls, that you have this sort of that dynamic of Laura Lai and her parents l and Rory. How, how how her relationship with her parents, how it filters everything, the things that she avoids, the things that she might not you know, immediately recognize, you know, all of that. You know, it's sort of that generational type of thing. You know.
She wakes up right, Yeah, she runs the diner. She apologizes to look right, and he realizes why, and she's not gonna lie to them. I like that she's not gonna lie to them. Something came up someone he knew. They didn't have to talk about it. He knew, right right, he knows what he's up against. She's this extraordinary woman, strong, independent, you know, brilliant, beautiful, and he knows, he knows.
Is that dumb?
And that was that he just went went inside. And that's a little depressing because we were on the luke morelight train there and stopped, and you know, we feel a certain way about that. But then she comes. The very last scene was very moving. I played it three or four times.
You know.
We cut to Luke walking down the street looking into his diner, opening the door, and there's Laurel I paint all over her face, having done the job for him. It was a beautiful gesture and it meant I'm still here. I like you, I want to continue this. I'm sorry. Yeah, that was a huge gesture. And I don't care who you are. You know, you're you're gonna you're gonna like that gesture. You're gonna be like that's impressive. Yeah, And that's just again great writing. So anyway, you know, Laura, Laura La I rehabilitating the situation and showing that she cares for this man and and wants to be a great friend, and you know, you know, maybe there's some potential there. She doesn't know, she's she's not in a place right now where she wants to dive into a relationship, but she certainly sees some value in this man, right right. Yeah, interesting foreshadowing because I think in the next episode we're going to see Rachel show up.
For remind me, Rachel is a past Luke's ex.
Yeah, broke his heart, busted his hard to put. Uh huh.
What kind a vehicle that she drive?
I do not I don't know. She's a she's a world traveling photographer. Oh right, okay, I don't know what kind of vehicles she drives. Probably a rental car, I don't know. Uh, But anyway, Christopher and maybe an even grocer scene. They're really grossy what that lessing? I'm leaving? Yeah, because you see it's so painful to watch, because I really feel sorry for Rory. I mean, this is her dad. Her dad is just like the guy ain't interested in her, you know, he's just like playing.
It being a dad.
He was interested in her. He would have been interested in her from day one. Yeah, and help her and made sure he was there in town and raise her.
So he gets on the motorbike first, he says.
No, no, no matter what anybody told him, whether to stay away, I'm gonna do this on my own. He would have found a way to ingratiate himself and to make himself.
Helpful.
And even if it's in the periphery. Yeah, you know, you got a fight to be in your kid's life sometimes, right.
Right, Yeah, Yeah, that's a good fight. Yeah, I was. I found that my my blood pressure, my pulse was racing, my heart was racing. As Christopher the final scene, he gets on the motorcycle, right and it's like wow, and they have that that moment where he does rory something and he just say, well, you give it another you give me a chance. He's like, nope, Metallica, it's still you know the joke, and then you all right, hops in the motorbike and it's ready to sail up. I I leapt to the conclusion, and I'm glad I was wrong that we were going to go to the end of the movie Pollock where you see Christopher right off, and then cut to Christopher in a ravine or.
Something like that.
Christopher was a head on collision truck something something really brutal like that. And it's like, but they didn't go that rat that's kind of It's probably for the best, right.
But the thing I found most disturbing in this entire episode was in that scene was that he used his daughter that he doesn't particularly care no to send a message to Glorile I trying to be all cutesy, right, and then she sent a message back. I mean that's when I really wanted to volop. Yeah, It's like, is this guy kidding? Yeah, And it's it's just go away, you know, getting her hopes up like that, instead of being a man about it and and you know, really earning that spot. Yeah, you know, being a solid guy, like like you know, move there, get a regular job, be in town, be there, right, you know, don't be this hand grenade that shows.
Up every once in a while, right right, with.
This needy, desperate, whiny stuff. I just God triys me crazy.
Is this also Scott or is this also Luke?
Both?
Both? Yeah?
I hate deadbeat dads. I can't stand him.
Yeah, there ought.
To be laws against these people. You bring a child into the world, you know, step up.
I'm with you. Step up.
Yeah, it's a life you have to tend to.
Yeah.
Anyway, Grant, Yes, your first appearance was episode fourteen, the one before Damn Don and Reed. How did you get this job? Tell us a little bit about how you got Did she call you?
No? No? My My understanding is is that Amy and Dan they were fans of Grantly Buffalo, the band that I had, you know, before I went off on my own. They were, you know, they were following what was just the beginning of my solo career, you know, uh the nineties were was spent with Grantly Buffalo on the road recording this and that, and right there around y two K kind of went off on my own, and uh so I was kind of wide open, you know, I had a new record. I was just very very open to like whatever whatever was going to come my way. And that's when I happened to get that that call that would I be interested in this part? And it was It really came out of that that that organic and I had no idea that it would you know, kind of snowball into several several episodes, several seasons.
You know, can you do me a favorite? Can you lean into the microphone and said, whatever is going to come my way again?
Whatever's going to come my way.
That's why you're at what you do, because you can just say something and it sounds like a lyric. That's remarkable.
We're never gonna come man than you.
Are you still living down in Nashville.
Yeah, yeah, you can kind of see this is this is what it's been looking like. Here my my, my zoom background. Yeah. Yeah, we've we've got a little bit of snow still on the ground. It's beautiful, you know. Yeah, I do. I do get very homesick for what was my home in Burbank. So when I watch Gilmore, well, I'm seeing, yeah, the light and I'm seeing the town, and I'm remembering that I could have drove off around Miss Patty's and down the lane and I could have been home in Burbank in about five minutes from there. I would have stopped by Piqito Moss and got my Moscallattas or whatever.
You know.
I miss I missed the great Mexican food and uh, you know, but yeah, I miss it all. Yeah, I brought good, good memories watching last night, and I haven't seen all of the episodes, but I wasn't in so boy, I've got a lot of catching up to do.
Yeah, let me ask you this. Did Amy or Dan give you any or a lot of direction for the characters? You pretty much have creative freedom on what to do?
Uh? Well, I think uh, I think it was it was all on the page generally, you know. I came in like everyone else and did the table read. But otherwise I showed up, you know, dressed myself, and I kind of felt like, Okay, well I'm I'm as I understand, I'm a troubadour. I'm a you know, I'm a folk singer on the street corner, sort of a one man Greek choir. Sometimes the songs that I sing dovetail with the drama and the storyline. But I'm also in that legacy of the you know, seeing my shirt, I have a listen to Woody Guthrie. Uh, listen to Woody Guthrie. So it's that, you know, it's that really wonderful character to play. And when I initially showed up, I had built this rig a microphone that was attached to a harmonica holder and it had a strap going to a pig nose amp and my guitar and the whole contraption was kind of just clumsy. But i'd I'd seen some great performers down in Venice Beach do that type of thing. You know. Harry Perry was when of the we used to skateboard around and he wore a turban and played an electric guitar. So I thought, that's that's the kind of spirit this guy. He's in essents, you know, just that you want to do that. You know. I had done some of it when I was young, you know, and I even did it on Venice Beach before I ever signed a record deal for one day and I got very badly sunburned, and I said, enough of this. But because it's always it's always autumn and stars hollow, you know, I didn't have that issue much much more of the opposite. Playing the guitar at five in the morning, with the streets being hosed down to make sure that it was there was enough black ice, you know, and all of that. But yeah, they said, uh, you know, read these words.
Those busking days make your bulletproof, don't they?
Yeah, you know what when I was. When I was a teenager, I did a fair amount of acting in a just a wonderful, wonderful theater. It was called Pollardville, and we would perform Vaudeville type sketches, so sketch comedy and you know, the olio. It's kind of like a variety show. And I do that don't feel high school and you know, and before that, I had been a magician, so I'd kind of grown up and as though I were living in the eighteen hundreds anyhow, So that was that was kind of my preparation for this character. And in some ways I had I had no idea, but it sort of was though.
You know, all right, so if the show we're still on today, if we've had a twenty we're entering our twenty fifth season, which probably could have happened if we hung in there, what song would you love to perform today as the town Troubadour. Let's say you were going to work tomorrow to film episode you know two thousand of that would be too, episode four hundred or five hundred of Gilmore Girl.
Oh that's a good question.
What are your own?
I mean I mostly performed my own songs, you know, you don't do a lot of covers. I know. I never You know, it don't always seem like an exotic thing to be in a band that played cover songs. But I just could could never pull that off. So I've I've just always written my own songs. But I did play a couple of covers on the show. You Know Me and Julio down by the school Yard was one, right, one of the covers. Uh, what's the song? The great Paul Simon's song.
Briche over Tarbo Waters.
No, I wouldn't be going for those super high notes my little town know that song? Oh sure, that's a great one, although it's a little bit dark come to think of it. You know nothing about the dead and dying back in my little town. Never mind, this is why, this is why I don't get to do the covers I would. I would probably do a song off my upcoming record heard Scott, thank you for that that bridge plug away Now, I haven't. I have a new album coming out, and it's going to be out and it looks like the Fall. I haven't haven't quite announced it yet, but I've got a tour getting all lined up and nice, hitting the road, going to Europe, going around the States in the Hour of Dust, yeah is the title, and yeah it's a dusty number, one of those I'll boppy.
Okay, ready, So where are you going to be touring in Europe when when.
The first dates? Uh, we'll probably, as I understand, being the UK. And I'm you know, I've got a great, great fan base there Scandinavia and off off and running you know, all over the place, you know, and I'm still discovering places that I never have I got to yet, you know, here in the States and abroad. The fact that I could, I could be in Burbank and you know, five minutes later, I'm in Starslow, which is a wonderful gift as well, you know, And because I wasn't on the road, I could be working on the show. You know. Even though it's it's you know, compared to the time that the rest of you, you know, you spent on the show, it's still you know, it made a major impact in terms of the quality of life. You know, it's because it is difficult to tour as as wonderful as it is. A step on any stage, you know, and see the world and all of that stuff.
But you're going to hit UK. You're going to be in Scandinavia.
Yeah, the US, Oh goodness. These days I try to make it to France and Italy and I haven't been to Australia, And sometime I try not to think too much about it because, as you said, if I, if I see those dates lined up forever and never and it just looks like the titles to Star Wars where they just kind of go off into the distance, I get a little anxious. The vergo in me as you as you can understand. H.
Yeah, so we'll have a wonderful tour.
Yeah, thank you.
What's your website so people can download your music because it's wonderful stuff.
Oh, thank you, Scott. You can go to Grantlyphillips dot com and you find the music of Grantly Phillips. And, speaking of myself an alert person, that's so weird on all of your you know, your various platforms, you know, streaming.
Platforms, guys and gals, do yourself a favor. Yeah, and introduce yourself if you haven't already. Uh to this man's incredible music, incredibly personal, incredible, incredibly lofty songwriting, A real talent and I'm jealous of you Europeans. I'm still yet to see one of your Why are you going to perform in the United States?
Oh gosh, I it'd be. The first dates are in September, as I understand, kind of coincide with the release of the new album. Yeah, what about California? Yeah, yeah, I'll do some dates in California. I was out there in November where I recorded and played a show at McCabe's a couple months back, and that was great. All right, now where are you at? Are you in California these days?
I am I'm a Southern California. We got out of LA, but we're still in southern California. Nice. Closer to the closer the beach, buddy, close to the beach.
There you go.
Yeah, all the best, my friend, Thank you the time greatly. Phillips, Ladies and Gentlemen. Next episode star Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers, Episode sixteen, Season one. We will see you next time, and remember where you lead.
We will follow all the best day safe dotcase.
Everybody'll forget. Follow us on Instagram at I Am all In podcast and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com.
