Actor/magical creature Bill Murray did a Reddit AMA to promote his new film “Rock The Kasbah", and as expected, it was chock-full of fascinating stories, bizarre insights and meandering tangents, from getting shaded by Andy Warhol to how much he likes the reality show “Flavor of Love." While some Redditors were unhappy with the AMA (some questioned whether the lengthy, rambling responses were typed by Murray himself), we found the whole thing rather enjoyable. Take a look:
On his favorite storyteller, longtime “SNL” writer Jim Downey:
I know some great ones. I enjoy listening to Jim Downey. Jim Downey is someone who can't and wouldn't shut up. He can really, really talk. He can really, really go. He is funny. Hunter S Thompson was really about being alive in the moment. He wrote stories in his books, but he didn't tell you stories so much as you had to live what you were doing. He was a writer, for sure. But Jim Downey, he's the funniest. Harvard Lampoon, SNL, all-time. His phone message, he didn't even used to have a telephone, now he calls and leaves 11 minute long messages.
On his most memorable party crashing experience (sounds like one for the books!):
Well, we crashed a famous party called the subway party to celebrate the premiere of Tommy, in the 70s. It was Gilda Radner, Belushi, Harold Ramis, Joe Flaherty, Brian Doyle Murray, and we were all plus 1, probably. It was biggest party ever in NYC at the time. You couldn't get into this party. It was an inner circle thing. It was at an enclosed subway stop, it was a roar. It was a scream. If you made an airport movie with everyone on the plane is a celebrity, it was like that times 10. We were doing a show in the restaurant cabaret, the guys catering were the same guys who gave us left over french fries, we went into the backdoor to the subway with everyone. Everyone saying hi, hello. And we felt like we didn't belong at all. It was so fantastic. I have compassion when people say dumb stuff to me. I said to Andy Warhol "I love the soup can" and he looked at me like "You don't belong here." What a time that was.
On the best and worst parts of being Bill:
The worst thing about it, they're one in the same: You wish you could walk down the street and look at things and watch things uninterrupted. The shock of being recognized brings you out of this place where you're just trying to take it in. Its an obligation and you're reminded you have to show up. It's a coin with two sides. As much as I don't like the one side, the other side is what might save me.
On working with frequent collaborator Wes Anderson:
I dont know what I bring to the movies, I bring to it, what he writes. What I got with him, when he had money to spend like in Rushmore? I think I gave him confidence and I fought the people who were ugly on set. I said don't worry about this thing, I'll make sure this shot happens. I'm like a uncle, I don;t know what I'm like. We have a lot of fun. We go to shoot in Newport and a Newport mansion just to have the experience of it while we work, the actors are there, the editing is there and we just slouch down and have breakfast and go to work. He loves to live well and he loves to eat. He hires a cook, but basically means you can work 18 hours, somewhere around 7:30 and then he wants 3 more scenes and youre doing the math, then you eat dinner at midnight and its great but you gotta work til 10 and then you are waiting to shower, you're woozy. Then you go to sleep. I give nothing to the movie but I'm good company. We've had great success together, the people who work for him are slavishly devoted to getting it done and making sure his vision gets done in that way, there's sort of some guys who get a special pass and sometimes suggestions are great.
On the reality show he’d most like to be on:
Flavor Of Love. The idea that he had some of the most, would I consider maybe not the most desirable women in the world, they were really nutty. I mean really crazy. I'd think The Amazing Race. It was like a show I watched in Paris, similar to that. One episode I saw, they had to fight their way to the top of a hotel in Singapore, and answer impossible questions. I used to watch it just to see people completely fall apart. They would try to answer, and it would kill them. But The Amazing Race looks like a lot of fun. You get to go to a bunch of places. It calls on all your skills. I tell people, if you want to get married, travel around the world first. Cause then you get to know people better. Its a test of wills to travel. I think The Amazing Race would be fun.
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