How else would you launch a new podcast series than by stripping naked in a communal, public studio?
(That’s not a rhetorical question. I really could do with some help. I don’t want to take my top off in every episode.)
I’ve decided to launch my own podcast series, aptly named The Movie Dweeb Podcast, where I sit down with one of my filmy friends, and we talk about recent news, reviews and interviews we’ve conducted.
This week, I hung out with Simon Harkness, a celebrity interview – and a man who was willing to join me in getting his kit off.
There is a good reason why I keep mentioning us being naked; it’s not one of those sorts of podcasts… Not unless you’re paying, in which case, it can very much be one of those sorts of podcasts.
After John Cena stole the show at this year’s Oscars, by presenting the Academy Award for Best Costume Design totally naked, I quizzed Simon on all things the Oscars, but for every question he got wrong, he’d remove an item of clothing, and for every one he answered correctly, I took off some clothing.
Is it just me who thinks booking a guest for the second episode isn’t going to be so easy, after this?
Simon lost his shoes, after being unable to name ten people in the viral Oscars selfie, including Kevin Spacey and Jared Leto. (Wow. That photograph did not age well.)
Together, we started to take clothes off, by answering questions about the most awarded films, records from the ceremony and – most importantly – what John Travolta called Idina Menzel when he introduced her to the stage.
At this point, I’d like to thank Simon for joining me, in a studio he’d never been to before, with several cameras pointing at us, as he was so willing to take off his clothing. I’ve seen many videos on the internet similar to this, so it could have ended very differently.
Finally, Simon, a huge Leonardo DiCaprio super-fan, was challenged with trying to figure out how many Oscars the actor had been nominated for, before winning for his performance in The Revenant… Which, due to a technicality, lead to us both getting naked.
Can you believe I went to university? Look at me now.
Before we took all of our clothes off, we also spoke about going viral with the cast of Dune: Part Two, including Simon creating international headlines with his journalistic prowess, as he interviewed Zendaya… And how I went viral by singing Beyoncé with Austin Butler. (As you can tell, one of us is actually a professional. And it’s not the one who’s currently typing about his naked body.)
Depending on how lazy I am, I’m going to try and upload a new podcast every fortnight, to YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so if you want more intellectual conversation about world cinema nudity, make sure you subscribe.