On Rian Johnson’s mystery-of-the-week collection Poker Face, Natasha Lyonne’s “human lie detector” character Charlie leads to plenty of unusual conditions within the midst of a slew of strange jobs. As a cocktail-waitress-card-shark who’s on the run from her vengeful on line casino boss, thus far on the weekly Peacock collection she’s wound up caught at a truck cease, grilling BBQ for a pitmaster, and even hiding out with retirees.
On the fourth episode “Relaxation in Metallic,” which dropped when the present premiered on Jan. 26, Charlie’s adventures on the street see her cross paths with a touring band, the has-been, one-hit-wonder steel group Doxxxology. Because the collection isn’t any stranger to unbelievable visitor stars (Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, Lil Rel Howry, and Judith Gentle simply to call just a few), the episode stars Lyonne’s real-life BFF and frequent collaborator Chloë Sevigny as Ruby Smash, the band’s fierce chief who’s determined for an additional hit after the success of their ’90s track “Staplehead” has lengthy teetered out. John Darnielle of the folk-rock band the Mountain Goats additionally occurs to play one of many band members, and even helped contribute to the unique songs on the episode, together with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed.
Similar to the band’s track “Merch Lady,” Charlie finds herself behind their merch desk promoting tees, which is the place she inevitably finally ends up fixing one other crime as soon as the group’s new drummer Gavin (Nicholas Cirillo) dies abruptly after writing a killer, probably career-saving track. With its all-star forged, humorous but catchy metalcore songs, and blown-amp-induced demise, it is by far essentially the most steel installment of the collection.
As a result of we at AltPress cannot cease singing Doxxxology’s “Sucker Punch” and we’re nonetheless not over seeing Sevigny play a metalhead rock star, we spoke to the episode’s lead author Christine Boylan and director Tiffany Johnson about how the episode got here collectively.
[Chloë Sevigny as Ruby Ruin / Courtesy of Peacock]
How did the concept for one in all Charlie’s adventures to be on the street with a band first come about?
Christine Boylan: One of many issues we did [in the writers’ room] — this undoubtedly made Rian [Johnson] snicker early on — was spherical robin money jobs that Charlie might have that may not get her picked up. A bunch of us had both been in a band or knew pals who have been roadies again within the day and just a little bit about how that world functioned. Like, I’ve a good friend who was a roadie. So, we have been like, “Oh, my God. What if it is a has-been band steel present?” We first began from there as a result of we’re like, “Oh, that is an excellent: merch desk, money solely! Like, no W-2s, no tax data, drifter job. [Laughs.] We have been like, “So, the roadies are type of high tier. We’ll make Charlie the merch lady.”
Was the position of Ruby Smash particularly written for Chloë Sevigny?
Boylan: The position was written for somebody of Chloë’s stature, and we have been so fortunate. We did not wish to jinx ourselves, however we bought actually fortunate. We have been definitely like, “We want somebody who’s hilarious, but additionally I imagine she has lived this life.” Chloë’s bought that swagger — simply owns that stage in a approach that not many actors can do. I imagine she’s a rock goddess. I additionally imagine she’s working at Residence Depot. She simply makes me imagine all the things.
Was Chloë really singing as Ruby Smash?
Johnson: Chloë did not document previous to taking pictures, however she was singing dwell within the room. We recorded her dwell, however she’s on high of playback. The vocals [come from a singer from a Judas Priest cover band] combined along with her.
I informed her — particularly the scene of the final efficiency scene on the massive venue — in between takes, “You seem like you are having so a lot enjoyable.” And he or she was like, “I’m!” We had a dwell viewers and I might actually inform that she fed off of them and that vitality. All of it felt so pure for her. She simply honed in on who Ruby Smash was and made this persona — and she or he had a good time. There was a second the place I used to be like, “Oh, we’re at an actual live performance!”
Natasha and Chloë are fairly a pair in real-life. What was it like working with the each of them collectively?
Johnson: When you will have individuals who have already got a in-built relationship and rapport, it makes all the things a lot simpler. They clearly had labored collectively, and so they’re finest pals. It was enjoyable to only watch them work. [As a director], I are inclined to let the [cast] present me first after which therapeutic massage and maneuver it round. Natasha’s a legend and icon and might do that in her sleep. So, attending to see what she brings, and what Chloë brings, all of us discovered it collectively.
[John Darnielle / Courtesy of Peacock]
From the band identify to the element of Ruby Smash eradicating inexperienced M&Ms from the sweet bowl backstage, there’s so many nice bits that make up Doxxxology. How did you go about crafting the steel band?
Boylan: [The whole writers’ room] got here up with a bunch of issues about how these guys are getting by. Loads of time what you do is write this entire life for a personality. Like, the concept of Eskie (G.Ok. Umeh) getting his legislation diploma — we had scenes and scenes about Eskie and his legislation faculty stuff. The secret is at all times overwrite, after which reduce all of it the way in which right down to the naked necessities.
So, we went by means of and we have been like, “Okay, the place is Ruby scrappy and the place is she like, ‘That is the life I ought to have had.’ That M&M second is an ideal second the place that is how she needs to be, and that is who they get to be on the finish within the scene with caviar. They’re so shut they will odor it, after which all of it will get taken away from them.
Johnson: That is Spinal Faucet was a film that I really like and rewatched to get within the headspace as a result of I am not a metalhead in any respect. I watched that to get into the fun-ness of that world.
John Darnielle and Jamey Jasta contributed to the songs on the episode, however are you able to clarify how they got here collectively?
Boylan: It began within the author’s room. We got here up with a bunch of humorous shit that may very well be the songs, and that may very well be within the songs. Loads of us within the room are a bit musical and have written songs earlier than. Like, I’ve undoubtedly written songs for TV exhibits. I’ve written songs by myself. They have been alleged to be placeholders, however we put sufficient stuff in there that, by the point Rian and the Mountain Goats got here collectively, they turned actual songs. In post-production, Rian actually took the reins, and so they got here out nice. I used to be actually shocked at how [the song Darnielle’s character Al is writing in the episode] “You Cannot Un-murder Somebody” was a joke we had after which turned this type of lovely, darkish, poetic plea.
[Natasha Lyonne / Courtesy of Peacock]
Had been there some other music-related deaths thought of earlier than the crew went with killing Gavin by an amp?
Boylan: Each single episode, each demise, we might undergo 5 or 6 alternative ways we might kill this individual. I do not like to offer myself credit score or toot my very own horn for something, however I’ll say there was a day the place I got here into the writers room with a diagram of how we might electrocute this child. I am simply saying it occurred to a man within the Yardbirds in 1977. I introduced in a bunch of YouTube movies. I watched some grisly stuff on YouTube. All writers’ Google searches are incriminating, however I am going to take credit score for coming into the room and being like, “We will electrocute him similar to this!” It got here into his character — the steel sticks, the naked ft, getting too near the mic, the classic amp, and all the things that Deuteronomy says about these amps is completely true. Rian is the one who came upon it was referred to as a demise capacitor, so we needed to write that in.
There are such a lot of copyright lawsuits in music these days, however the payoff within the episode is so good if you understand the band’s potential career-saving track “Sucker Punch” is ripped from the Benson sitcom theme, which Gavin was watching all through the episode. How did that concept come about?
Boylan: We love traditional TV, [it] is the factor that brings us all collectively. Benson was a kind of exhibits that all of us liked. [Laughs.] I can not keep in mind whose pitch it was, but it surely was such a good suggestion. It has a jaunty theme track, which you type of cannot unhear when you hear it. So, I took that and mentioned, “He is bought to be a magpie. He is bought to be like a Shakespearean kind of author the place all the things round him is fodder.”
That finally ends up being Charlie’s clue path as a result of she is with him through the inventive course of. She noticed it occur in actual time, in the way in which he absorbed the Benson theme however did not understand he was perpetuating it. There’s plenty of unconscious creativity and the magic of unconscious creativity occurring for these guys on this episode.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
