Turtleneck & Chain Part 4: Trouble on Dookie Island

Pop-ups (32 · 6 fan picks from YouTube comments · 5 clips to watch whole)

1. Fans point here

   1:28

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 7 likes.

   I saw Barbie probably like right around when it came on demand or whatever at home. And then? And then I finally just watched Oppenheimer last night on an iPad as it was intended. Oh, that's how he wanted. He kept… — Andy

2. Watch the whole thing

   Trouble On Dookie Island (Album Version)

   6:35

   The hosts play this one in 11 parts from 6:35 (126 seconds of it in all, talking over the rest). Watch the whole thing here, from thelonelyisland on YouTube.

   Watch the whole thing (2:10) thelonelyisland on YouTube

3. Michael Bolton's free Scarface intro

   8:43

   A Scarface sample would have cost about $10,000 per line, so the team asked Michael Bolton to recreate the lines instead, and he agreed for free. He had already worked with the group on the Jack Sparrow song.

   And then we asked Michael Bolton if he would do it for free, and he said yes.

4. Raekwon's Only Built for Cuban Links

   9:23

   The 1995 Raekwon album featuring Ghostface Killah is the source of the beat and sample style being homaged. The hosts cite it as a major influence from their early years.

   This was a big influence for all of us when this album came out.

5. Watch the whole thing

   Raekwon feat Ghostface Killah - Rainy Dayz

   12:41

   The hosts play this one in 2 parts from 12:41 (72 seconds of it in all, talking over the rest). Watch the whole thing here, from Capitol Hill Handyman on YouTube.

   Watch the whole thing (5:09) Capitol Hill Handyman on YouTube

6. Watch the whole thing

   Wisdom Body

   14:45

   The hosts play this one in 3 parts from 14:45 (42 seconds of it in all, talking over the rest). Watch the whole thing here, from Raekwon on YouTube.

   Watch the whole thing (2:38) Raekwon on YouTube

7. Dookie as the song's core word

   18:03

   Andy said the repeated word 'dookie' with intense delivery is the song's whole hook, with the premise framed as a what-if scenario.

   But I think it really was specifically the word dookie over and over again was what

8. A what-if song

   18:18

   The hosts describe the track as a 'what if' song about an accident that never actually happened to them, giving it a playful fictional premise.

   It's just like a big what if song. It's so funny, Keith.

9. Origin of 'Trouble on Dookie Island'

   18:46

   The phrase comes from Jorma's work on the MacGruber movie, where a planned trailer ending would have revealed the title 'Trouble on Dookie Island' instead of MacGruber.

   So the phrase trouble on Dookie Island, this comes from when I was making the MacGruber movie.

10. Howard Parker's voiceover takes

    20:01

    Universal voiceover veteran Howard Parker recorded many takes of the title line in different tones, including romantic-comedy styles, for the MacGruber trailer idea.

    So then we also knew Newmark, who is an incredible master DJ.

11. Song built backward from the phrase

    20:22

    Andy's dookie idea for the heist song fit the MacGruber phrase, and the team reverse-engineered the whole song around it.

    If you got something like that in your back pocket, you got to reverse engineer a whole song back into it.

12. The Killer as sample source

    ~21:08

    The John Woo film The Killer supplies dubbed dialogue heard across Raekwon's record, which the hosts tie to their Bay Area Hong Kong cinema days.

    But then, the Killer and Hard Boiled were two of our favorites.

13. Lawrence Hall of Science connection

    22:02

    The Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley was an elementary school field-trip staple, and the Oppenheimer Berkeley lab scenes were shot near there.

    Lawrence Hall of Science was like every elementary school every year.

14. Ripped jeans and flying dookies

    26:07

    The lyric about dookies flying out of ripped jeans is a central punchline the hosts keep returning to.

    He ripped my pant leg off. A bunch of dookies went flying.

15. Dookie album reference

    27:56

    Green Day's 1994 album Dookie is discussed as a Berkeley-linked title that the hosts see as an inspiration for the song's bathroom theme.

    Akiva: Most people don't know this, but do you know where they're from?
    dookie

16. Fans point here

    29:02

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 8 likes.

    Apologies to anyone who's just waking up and listening to this. That's me. Thank you. We do a lot of songs where there's a premise that the two people in the song very much agree with and then do a lot of agreeing with… — Andy

17. Dookies: the show's running gag

    30:14

    "Dookie" is the crude word the hosts use throughout this song discussion, a joke rooted in the track's lyrics about dookies filling clothing. The hosts keep returning to the image of dookies leaking out of shirts and gloves.

    Akiva: But it's like when you have that terrible thing in a car seat with a baby or a toddler where the dookie does come out of their shirt
    dookie

18. Isotonic gloves: a Wu-style detail

    32:18

    The 'isotonic gloves' line is a deliberately East-Coast-sounding lyric detail, mirroring Raekwon and Ghostface style. The hosts note it fits the homage.

    Isotonic glove just seemed like something that Ghostface or Raekwon would say.

19. Genius lyric debate: 'they wise to the chase'

    32:34

    Genius.com users argued over a misheard lyric, with one note pointing out the line should read 'they wise to the chase.' The hosts use this to tease the site's lyric transcriptions.

    On Genius.com, it says, you know, it's the Jakes. They want us to be chased.

20. So I could dump the dookies

    34:21

    The hosts single out 'so I could dump the dookies' as a favorite line, and Jorma explains Andy's vocal delivery pushed it to be harder and bolder.

    One of my favorite ever Yorn performances is the line, so I could dump the dookies.
    dookie

21. Layered vocals on the Dookie track

    35:22

    Andy and Akiva discuss how the two vocal tracks are layered and dropped in volume to get a distinct tone without sounding grating.

    we talked a lot about the voice I'm doing specifically, it's not totally in my range, so it gets very grating.

22. Coins for the boatman: Greek myth

    36:39

    Akiva and Andy discuss the Greek custom of placing coins on the eyes for Charon the ferryman, who carried souls across the river Styx. The hosts joke the song's version involves dookies instead.

    In Greek mythology, you leave two coins over the eyes.

23. Fans point here

    37:57

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 4 likes.

    So I would imagine on this, to get the tone you're talking about, Andy, your second one was just lower, like by a couple of decibels, whatever it was. — Jorma

24. Newmark's scratching and Serato

    40:20

    The track's scratching was done by DJ Newmark. Jorma explains that digital DJ tools like Serato let mixed MP3 sources get scratched as if on vinyl.

    anytime we needed like real real dope scratching yeah bless his

25. Wayne's World premiered a day after Bill & Ted

    41:06

    Kevin Miller's research shows Bill & Ted hit theaters February 17, 1989, one day before Wayne's World's first SNL sketch aired February 18, 1989.

    The first Wayne's World sketch aired in the Leslie Nielsen Show February 18th, 1989.

26. Fans point here

    42:28

    4 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 17 likes.

    I wouldn't dare guess. So this is Howard Parker reading the lines of Trouble on Dookie Island. And I like it. It also says the date and all. Today's March 19th, 2010. This is Howard Parker reading for MacGruber. Take…

27. Howard Parker's MacGruber VO takes

    42:35

    Jorma plays Howard Parker's numbered voiceover takes of 'Trouble on Dookie Island' recorded for MacGruber, dated March 19, 2010, and the hosts react to the many variations.

    Today's March 19th, 2010. This is Howard Parker reading for MacGruber. Take one.

28. Fans point here

    45:23

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 20 likes.

    Trouble on Dookie Island. Dude, he's what a king. The fact that it's just going, it's in a straight line for 12 takes where they're going just, it's like he has 12 levels to do it.

29. The title line came from MacGruber

    45:47

    Jorma notes the Howard Parker takes arrived on his birthday, March 19, and he was thrilled, making the MacGruber-inspired title a personal gift.

    And the fact that it was on my birthday. What a gift. March 19th.

30. Peter Cullen and Optimus Prime

    46:09

    Jorma and Akiva bring up Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, as a comparison for Howard Parker's voiceover work.

    the perfect time to mention Peter Cullen, who was the voice of Optimus Prime

31. Fans point here

    46:09

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 5 likes.

    Well, speaking of great VOs, the perfect time to mention Peter Cullen, who was the voice of Optimus Prime in a big part of all of our childhoods. Yeah. Because I felt the same way getting that VO. Like, you're like,… — Jorma

32. Allow it, bruv

    46:39

    The British 'allow it, bruv' bit gets a callback, with the hosts riffing on the 'Foggy London Town' phrase and accents.

    Allow it, bruv. I like this. Allow it.

    Goes back to Foggy London Town, Ep. 19, 1:25: Foggy London town. That's what they call it.

    Foggy London Town

33. The Falcor vs. Atreyu sketch origin

    46:57

    Andy says he is ashamed of the Falcor vs. Atreyu sketch; it was built from the NeverEnding Story back-and-forth and an old audio sketch, ultimately linked to Stan Freberg's 'John and Marsha.'

    I kind of am ashamed of it and never wanted to see the light of day.

34. NeverEnding Story is German-made

    48:55

    Jorma notes NeverEnding Story was shot outside Munich at the same studio used for Kung Fury, and that the puppets feel distinctly German.

    it was made in Germany, actually. And it actually was filmed where we filmed Kung Fury at this one big studio

35. Stan Freberg's John and Marsha (1951)

    50:34

    The hosts play the 1951 Stan Freberg 'John and Marsha' audio bit, the direct framework for the Falcor vs. Atreyu call-and-response.

    Sorry. We found it. It's Stan Freeberg. John. Marsha. John.

36. Watch the whole thing

    1951 HITS ARCHIVE: John And Marsha - Stan Freberg

    52:27

    The hosts play this one from 52:27 (138 seconds of it in all, talking over the rest). Watch the whole thing here, from The78Prof on YouTube.

    Watch the whole thing (2:29) The78Prof on YouTube

37. Stan Freberg and an actual orchestra

    53:11

    Akiva notes the Freberg bit used a real orchestra, a detail the hosts appreciate as a rarity in comedy recordings.

    I love that they had to have a real orchestra.

38. Classy Skit No. 2: Watch Me Do Me

    54:02

    Falcor vs. Atreyu is titled Classy Skit No. 1, with Watch Me Do Me as Classy Skit No. 2, a pairing the hosts tease for later.

    The full title is Falkor vs. Atreyu, Classy Skit No. 1. Watch Me Do Me is Classy Skit No. 2.

39. The cot Foley setup

    54:26

    The team recorded Falcor vs. Atreyu using a cheap old cot with bedsprings for Foley, dragging the mic and jumping on it for sound effects.

    And that we were like, we need the bed Springs. We were like, we have them right here.

40. Watch the whole thing

    Falcor Vs. Atreyu - Classy Skit #1 (Album Version)

    55:17

    The hosts play this one from 55:17 (24 seconds of it in all, talking over the rest). Watch the whole thing here, from thelonelyisland on YouTube.

    Watch the whole thing (0:29) thelonelyisland on YouTube

41. Spelling Bee: squeaky clean streak

    56:01

    Andy reports two squeaky clean Spelling Bee wins, including one done in six minutes, a bit of Bee boasting that ties to the show's word-game lore.

    I got a squeaky. And then two days later, I got another squeaky.
    squeaky clean

42. Hit us in the titties

    57:54

    The hosts close by joking about the 'hit us in the tittus' call for comments, a running sign-off gag.

    Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hit us in the titties. Is that good? Is it bad?
    hit us in the tittus

43. Later, Quaids

    58:56

    The sign-off repeats the show's official parting words to the Quaid listener base.

    Later, Arnold. Later, Quades. Later, Howard Parker.
    later, Quaids