Ménage Á Pop is a three times a week intimate discussion between two people and a piece of pop culture.
Before there was STAR WARS there was … well … THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. But, before THAT, there was FLASH GORDON a comic strip about ray guns, spaceships and all sorts of alien worlds. And while modern audiences know Flash as the operatic refrain of a semi-subtle Queen track, there’s actually an entire album that bears his name. So, if you’re pure of heart, here’s the holy grail that served as the formative soundtrack to Brent Simons’s younger self.
Today’s guest BRENT SIMONS is the screenwriter of Dreamworks, animated feature film MEGAMIND, currently streaming on AMAZON PRIME, and HBO MAX as well as to rent or purchase on most online platforms. You can follow Brent on TWITTER @BrentSimons.
POP NOTES
Released on December 8th, 1980, the FLASH GORDON soundtrack is also the band Queen’s 9th studio album.
The album’s one single, FLASH’S THEME peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, in direct competition with another Queen single, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST.
For it’s release as a single, FLASH’S THEME was paired with the instrumental track FOOTBALL FIGHT from the original FLASH GORDON score.
Film composer Howard Blake (THE BEAR) contributed orchestral portions of score to supplement Queen’s rock performances.
Director Mike Hodges initial choice to score the film was film Pink Floyd (THE WALL).
Previous attempts to make a a live-action FLASH GORDON film included proposals by famous directors Federico Fellini (8 1/2) George Lucas (STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES) and Nicolas Roeg (THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH).
Lead actor Sam Jones (Flash Gordon) clashed numerous times with film producer Dino De Laurentiis. As a result, he exited the project during post-production leaving actor Peter Marinker (THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES) to re-record much of his dialogue in post-production.
Tune back next Monday when television writer BRIAN STAMPNITSKY (STILL STAR-CROSSED) quotes more Billy Joel than you thought this show might quote.
This episode of MÉNAGE Á POP was recorded by CAST, an online audio platform that lets you create and record a multi-guest podcast straight from your web-browser. It was then mastered by AUPHONIC, a web-based post-production service. Check out both sights for trial and subscription information.
MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
“Three Ways To Do That” (opening theme) composed and performed by The Madeline Prior. All rights reserved with Not A Holograms podcasts.
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