By PETER DOUGLAS
GAINING the chance to interview a 1980s comedy legend was an opportunity I would never pass up.
There wouldn’t be too many comedy fans of that era who haven’t heard of Michael Winslow, or at least his character Larvelle ‘Motor Mouth’ Jones from the acclaimed ‘Police Academy’ series.
In layman’s terms, he’s the comedian known as ‘Police Academy’s man of 10,000 voices’.
Certainly, I grew up watching his movies and remember wondering ‘how on Earth did he make those sounds’.
So, when I interviewed Winslow, you would think I’d have known to expect something out of the box.
When I first accepted the call from Winslow’s US-based office, there was a noticeable time lag.
Then, there were a series of beeps, buzzes and general sounds of electrical interference.
Eventually, I was told I’d reached the voicemail of Michael Winslow … then there was the sound of a disconnection.
‘You’re bloody kidding me,’ I thought.
‘This interview had taken me weeks to organise and I was really looking forward to it.
‘What number am I meant to call him back on, anyway?’
Then, there were some further ‘interference’ noises and a voice saying, “Hi, it’s Michael here”.
Like I said earlier, you would’ve thought I’d have seen this gag coming … but nope.
So, anyway, I composed myself and prepared to fire off some questions.
I had done my research, jotted down some questions and felt like I had prepared reasonably well.
Turns out I needn’t have bothered.
I muttered something about Australia and that was it, Winslow was off into his own amazingly funny world and cracking ceaseless jokes.
The gags featured everything from Skippy, to AC/DC and a Bon Scott impersonation that sounded like the great man himself was singing on the end of the line.
He then pulled out an Angus Young guitar riff that would’ve had many Australian crowds chanting.
But there’s no doubt Winslow has great affection for Australia and its collective sense of humour.
“I often try out new material here and the audiences always seem to get it, which is pleasing for me,” he said.
“It feels like a second home for me – I love the Australian crowds, they’re so chilled,” he said, before reeling off a spot-on Australian accent; “Let’s have a cold one, mate”.
I asked him, what tips would he give to someone wanting to try out your sounds.
“Don’t break your vocal cords trying out these things, you’ll end up paying Elton John or Robert Plant-type payouts trying to fix them,” he said.
He did admit some of the sounds were quite physically demanding, particularly the engine sounds.
“But the diesel engines are way harder than petrol engines,” he said, before ripping out a Porsche engine, then a Jaguar.
Apparently there’s a difference.
The only moment in the interview where he wasn’t trying to make me laugh was when I asked about ’80s comedy and his present work.
It was clear he still holds dear the work of that era, even the ‘questionable’ offerings.
“Oh man, you’ve got to start with Full House, Spaceballs; there are just way too many good movies in the ’80s, it’s like a collection … you can’t have just one,” he said
“The ’80s was something special.”
While known widely for his comedy routines and ‘Police Academy’ films, Winslow has been active in many different spaces.
From creating his own voice apps, to appearing in both the ‘Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’, his work is still widely lapped up today.
After I finished talking with Winslow, I must admit it felt strange.
This was one of the best, but most confusing interviews I’ve conducted, which is why I’ve opted to write this article in the first person.
To be honest, despite talking with Winslow for about 20 minutes, I’ve got no more real insight about his character than I did before … just that he’s an exceptionally funny man.
Also, that Australian audiences should seriously consider going to see him live.
Michael Winslow will appear at the York on Lilydale on Friday 19 August.
Tickets from www.yorkonlilydale.com.au
For more information, call 9736 4000.
