Logan's Run (1976) w/ Brix Smith

0:00I think that's an excellent thing for me to do. But you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? It's fear. Every day. Don't fall asleep. What do you believe it? I did not have enough time to put together that 2015 big hits at this month. So that's going to be coming out the beginning of next month. Which means that in it's stead we have nine different chats from the vaults. Nine of them. All with musical artists that have been included in the main feed big hits or episodes previously. And I'm going to give them their own space.

1:01I'm going to highlight those films that deserve their own day. And the musical artists that have been allowed to shine away from the clutter. Although that clutter is some damn joyous and perfect textbook podcast. And if I do say so myself. So if you're hearing this, you've either clicked on in alphabetical order, a dead man from 95. That is with Jesse Klaven from Mika Miko. Hellbender from 2022. That is with the Adams family that have their own band called Hellbender. And the film is also called Hellbender. Following that we've got Logan's run from 1976. That's with a bricks Smith. Of course she was also in the fall. We've got Masters of Horror from 2005. That's with Jay Robbins from Burning Airlines. Nightmare Castle from 1965 with Louise Patricia Crane. The Omen from 1976 with Will Palmer from Angel Witch. We've got Strange Days from 1995.

2:03With Boris DiPianti. He's from Monkey 3. Superman 3 from 1983. We've composed our Christopher Snipes. And to the devil of daughter from 1976. We've Clayton Burgess from Satan's Say Tires. It's a mixed bunch of horror, science fiction and fantasy films. And musically we're hitting up some punk rock. Some indie rock, industrial, emo, folk, hip hop, stone of rock, biker metal. It's galactic ain't the word. So enjoy your pick. There's going to be some brand new episodes. Not taken from the vaults in about a week or so. But until then, be the best you can be or the worst that you wish you were. Logan's Ramm is here. And I mean, this film, it's so stupid. The 70s was wacky for science fiction. And this movie feels in keeping with all that sort of stuff, that pre-Star Wars stuff.

3:07Don't get me started on the ending. I think I like this thing to a point. The general story, the cheap 70s effects, the haircuts, the cute miniatures even. And even those wires that you can see on the floaters back, it's all fun. But don't just take my word for it. Oh, and I spoke to Brick Smith from the band The Full recently on her own special episode where we covered Steven Spielberg's Jewel. She wanted to speak a little bit about this one as well. So of course, I was more than happy to indulge her insane whims. Here it is. Imagine a world where you can have the fulfillment of every fantasy, the absolute attainment of every wish. MGM presents the first motion picture of the 23rd century. Logan's run, a journey through a fantastic world beyond imagination. Imagine a world in which you need never be alone. You touch a switch, turn a dial, and the perfect lover steps into your arms. Welcome to the 23rd century, the perfect world of total pleasure.

4:11There's just one catch. No! Logan! I'm your friend, I understand. We all go crazy once in a while. But she's a runner, and it's over. Five, five, four! Five, five, five, five! Logan's run, rated VG. Now playing at Red Carpet Theatre's everywhere, check newspapers for listings. What's your history with it? What is Logan's run to you? So again, Logan's run was something I saw as a teenager. And I actually hadn't thought about it for years until now, as I'm getting older. And weirdly, this has to do with Sivon Fahey. So you'll be shocked. It's weird, you must be so intuitive that you would bring her up. Because she was the one that started me thinking about it again. Because she said something to me at lunch a couple months ago. We were having lunch, and she said, oh my god, everybody's dying. We have so many friends and so many musicians and so many people our age

5:14that are just fighting it. And Sivon said, her sister said to her, Sivon, we're in Sniper Alley. They're just picking us off. Boom, boom, boom. This one has cancer, this one has this, this one has that. And I was like, it's so scary getting older. I'm like, you know, I'm like, oh my god. And then I remembered Logan's run when your palm starts to blink. Yeah. And I'm like, all our palms are blinking. And I was like, that is such a powerful thing that you didn't live past 30. That you weren't allowed to get old. That they said that you were being renewed, but you were just being picked off for the next one. There were so many prophetic things about that movie. In the same way that they were in Star Trek. So rewatching it, the first thing I noticed was everybody was color coded by their decade or their age. So if they were young, they were all yellow, block colors.

6:14When they were young adults, they were green. When they got older, they were red. They were some in peach, I guess they were tweens. I don't know, I'm guessing. And everybody was in these block colors. And it looked, it was filmed in Texas because I looked it up. But it was filmed in a, in a brutalistic, in a brutal, brutalistic architectural shopping mall, I think, because the architecture was brutalism, like the barbecue. And of course, that was so modern in the day. It's just fascinating the way it was styled. And then there were other things that came to pass. So one of the first things is, is a, uh, Michael York in his apartment, and he's gone on something called the circuit. And the circuit is a dating, dating, like Internet app before there was internet.

7:17Wait years and years before there was Tinder or Grindr or anything like literally you could pick and choose of who you wanted to have sex with so he pushed the button swipe left and out came Jenny Aguiter Right and I'm like how the hell did they precognitive do that you know that was so genius and then the other thing there was a whole nod to feminism in it so she was wearing an Unk which is the key to sanctuary on her neck and that is a symbol of that the divine feminine so they made her they gave her instead of making her she was a sex symbol yes but they gave her a choice she actually didn't want to have sex with him when she first met him I don't know why she went I don't know why she put herself in the circuit actually but I guess she was bored or lonely or whatever but when she met him she was like I don't want to have sex and they didn't make her She she made her own choices and eventually when she did she made the choice she said you know what I'm ready now I want to make the choice and I love that they gave her that power and I love that they gave the woman the key to sanctuary first

8:27You know I just I just love that all feminist thing what was the other thing that was precognitive was there was little stuff like the way that they used the water plant To as energy for the for the dome the dome city and the fact that the dome city was there because we had destroyed the planet But because there was so much pollution and the planet was you know Untenable you couldn't you couldn't really live outside the planet I mean that you couldn't really live outside the dome city Actually you could because Peter Houston off was living in the ruins of Washington DC which was very weird I didn't like that part of the movie I didn't like it when it quoted T.S. Eliot and started calling the cats by the name and the play cats you know it was bizarre But the thing about it was is that for years people have thrown away the elderly they've written the elderly off the elderly are not creatively viable anymore are not hot or not this or not that

9:37And the end of the theme of the movie was actually Peter Houston off was worshipped because he was an old man and people just thought he was wonderful And I thought that was a really great ending to that movie it wasn't all about youth and beauty it there was something beautiful about age and I love the story But the scary thing oh and there was a whole big brother thing to it as well where you were completely controlled and that of course has come to pass in real life Yeah well I'll be a where do we even start there I was surprised when you mentioned this I hadn't seen it for an age and I loved my rewatch which was only yesterday I'm so impressed with this film beginning to end Because I watched it knowing I was going to talk and talk about it I was picking out a lot more from it than I did in my first watch And what you've mentioned about that tinder thing it's incredible And one more thing one more hugely precognitive thing was fairer faucet and the plastic surgeon this was before they used lasers for plastic surgery before they used lasers

10:51There were such things as facelifts you know in early Hollywood but there was not the use of laser which is regularly used who I've had it I've had it under my eyes I'm going to tell you now And I've had it to take off spots on my face that were like weird and you know that was terrifying to me back in the day when I saw the laser surgery because he needed a new face because he was going to run So you know they they had to reprogram his face but the laser went crazy and it cut up and killed the doctor and you know for years I was terrified of lasers what you know they used it for surgery now for eyes for this for that for everything But this was way way way way before they existed so I found that fascinating Well let me tell you who they were originally going to cast in this thing when it was so it was initially a book and then it was being shopped around and it was always let's get Robert Redford

11:51Like he was like the number one choice but then it went from place to place to place to place and they ended up with John Voitt Do you think any of those two would have worked as Michael York's character? I'm trying to think I don't know I think they would have brought a whole different dynamic to it I think John Voitt would have brought a darker depth to it than Michael York I rate John Voitt as an actor more than I rate Michael York but I have to say the script was horrific like the script is really bad and for actors doing those lines it's very very hard to make that real I mean if they had let them add live more or be free or use method it might have been different and I think boy would have done that I mean you look at midnight cowboy and he's just you know phenomenal so and I think Michael York's a bit stiff

12:52I think Jenny aggers a bit stiff too but then I think the lines that they were given to read it's not completely their fault they did the best with what they were given but visually the movie is delectable it's fantastic styling fantastic and the soundtrack they're using really early use of computers like synthetizers like moogs and things like that when they were really crude and they but they were used I couldn't see who did the music but it was fantastic it was Jerry Goldsmith yeah from aliens and aliens and things like that so yeah it was so early it was such early use of synthesizer

14:19you know it was the kind of thing when a synthesizer filled an entire room and you had to plug in plug it in it was like really amazing I'm going to put this to you and that a lot of the film was very close to the book but the major difference for me is the age so in the film at the age is 30 in the book it's 21 a 21 you're gone I mean they changed it because I wanted to get some actors that could carry the weight of a major film I think they probably also changed it because they wanted to tap into a big a larger audience that would identify with it

15:24Mike said I mean I can't picture it being 21 like I just can't see the film working in any way No because you haven't lived a life that's it like these people have you know they eventually Michael York doesn't want to die he wants to grow old he wants to have more experiences you know he panics when he starts blinking what do you mean you're taking away my last four years you know I've got four years I'm only a six I'm only a seven whatever he was and so you begin to it's great because you begin to value life and you know you need all these it's all the journey it's it's such a shame when people are cut down so early agreed like I feel like especially more today than in the 80s or even when this film came out I feel like people 50 isn't a deaf sentence anymore you know like it like it used to be like you would only be picked the certain roles as soon as you hit the 50 as an actor you know

16:30and that's not the case anymore like when I when I try and guess people's ages I'm forever wrong now but forever wrong I've no idea after 30 if you were a woman you were character actress or a mom mm-hmm yeah it's crazy yeah it's the same yeah okay it's bad like I know that Michael York was older than 30 when he when he was in this for sure for sure looking at old pictures of footballers as well it's like how is this guy 22 but I don't get it he looks 50 I know it's crazy and I think I just think I think Robert Redford going back to that question it's really interesting to try and recast films in retrospect or to think and I think Robert Redford would have been too sanitized for it I think he would have been too bland to be honest he is beautiful to look at he was so beautiful to look at and he's a smart guy he's a great director but I don't think he

17:36would have I think John Voitt would have been an interesting choice a darker choice yeah I think so too like I always remember the very first time I saw him which was in deliverance and he's performance in that like it grounds the film with earth set you know it makes it feel like oh okay this isn't just but Reynolds this isn't just that key scene it's actually about the human endeavor of life you know it's I don't know because of him I find the film absolutely fascinating I love going back to what a film yeah that's scary too could have picked that one yeah Reynolds remember oh my God I thought in Logan's run the whole stuff I like the first bit outside the dome when they were trying to find sanctuary and they were running through the like the back lot of wherever they

18:36were or like the wilderness but when they got to the ruins of Washington DC I I did like the whole Lincoln monument stuff and the I was trying to figure out how they got the vines on there because they didn't have CGI then I was like what how did they do that like I was fascinated but the whole stuff inside the library with Peter Houston off I found really really boring and I you know I had to force myself through it I was like God make something happen that it's just too long and it didn't work and it need to be edited and it didn't quite make sense ah bricks thank you so much for coming on well you're so welcome thank you for asking me it's been so much fun many thanks to bricksmith there freeing up some of her time

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