From the Fast and the Furious and Bad Boys to Inception and Captain America, Helicopter Stunt Pilot Fred North has spent his life flying sideways. We talk becoming an aerial stunt pilot, how movie stunts are really made and his most extreme stunt yet. Then, we countdown the Top 5 Child Stars.
Fred North: 01:20
Pointless: 37:53
Top 5 Child Stars: 01:02:02
Interview with Helicopter Stunt Pilot Fred North
Nick VinZant 0:12
Welcome to Profoundly Pointless. My name is Nick VinZant. Coming up in this episode, movie stunts and childhood stars,
Fred North 0:21
you need to have a very, very good awareness of the surrounding. Because when we fly super low on these power lines, there is war there is explosion. So on the last extraction to movie that was released on Netflix, I have to land on a moving train, and I really want to do something. Wow, you know, for the audience, I really want the people to say what the heck,
Nick VinZant 0:45
I want to thank you so much for joining us, if you get a chance, subscribe, leave us a rating or review, we really appreciate it, it really helps us out. If you're a new listener, welcome to the show. If you're a longtime listener, thank you so much for all of your support. So our first guest has performed some of the most intense stunts you've ever seen from Bad Boys fast in the Furious The list just goes on and on. This is stunt helicopter pilot, Fred North was the goal always to be a stunt pilot, or were you going to be a regular pilot. And this is just kind of what happened.
Fred North 1:27
I didn't know I wanted to be a stunt pilot, because I didn't know the event the position was existing. So I just started to be a helicopter pilot, I knew I wanted to do what we call utility flying which mean firefighting, rescue, you know, more the flying aspect of it and not like go from A to B, you know, that I knew. But I didn't know where you know, life was gonna take me.
Nick VinZant 1:50
So did this really even exist when you started out? Or do you kind of pave a path for this,
Fred North 1:56
it was existing in America, but at the time I was in France, in France did not exist. So I had to kind of create the job for Europe. In the US, there was maybe 10 guys doing it worldwide, you know, that's it. So it's such a niche job,
Nick VinZant 2:15
essentially, like what makes you good at it,
Fred North 2:17
you need to have a very, very good awareness of the surrounding the moving surrounding, because when we fly super low on these power lines, there is war, there is explosion, that is course, you need to have you in in a fraction of second, you need to photograph everything moving. And you know, if you can go between them, you can go next to them. So you need to have a very comfortable sense of space. And that's something you have or you don't now of course, you can get better and better, but you need to have a base, you know, some people have no sense of that. So you need that. And then the second is you need to connect with your machine. So you need to be one with the helicopter. There is not like it's not you operating the machine, you are the machine. Which means you know, I don't know if you know if you ski but yeah, those key, okay, so if you ski and you go downhill, and sometimes you lose control a little bit because you know, the snow is not good, or whatever it is but you losing control the ski are taking you down, not you. And you can very easily identify that when, you know, shoot, like you you're losing control, and you're going down the ski stacking. So, in a helicopter is the saying you have to be in control, the machine cannot take you somewhere, you cannot allow this to happen. So you need to be one. And for me, the only way to be one with a machine is to be an expert in one type. Which is what I'm doing an expert in the the one you can see on Instagram 99% of the time. It's an Airbus H 125. It's, it's a machine that is plenty technical reason why but and to meet to connect with with them. I often fly barefoot, remove my shoes and my socks. Because I feel the machine with my hands and my feet. And I really feel the helicopter way more when I'm barefoot. If you drive your car without shoes, you're gonna see what I'm talking about. You're gonna I can see that right sensitive. And you basically you can you control the machine by pressure point not movements. So if you have a big pursues, you know you have to you don't feel anything as a pressure point. You have to move physically something to react. But if you want to fly, you know, like a feather, you need pressure point. So that's basically I think what you have to be good at.
Nick VinZant 4:49
They're that sensitive, they're very sensitive.
Fred North 4:53
In fact, if you think you turn it's turning without any moving if you fly with me and I'm going to show you the control You're not going to sit moving, we're gonna go 90 degrees to the left.
Nick VinZant 5:04
You know, I guess the only thing I could possibly in my life compared to is like skiing and mountain biking and mountain biking, like, No, you control it. And if you want to go left, well, you think about going left,
Fred North 5:14
it's the same. It's the same principle for any machines. For me, it's exactly the same for mountain biking, because the guy doing jerky move is going to fall. You know, you really, it's pressure point, to me, it applies to any kind of machine going fast somewhere or you have to control your bike, you have to be one where your bike, you have to be one with a motorcycle, you have to be one, with anything you do, it's the same for the helicopter.
Nick VinZant 5:37
And I think that anybody can kind of relate to that in the sense that like, Oh, if you're walking or something like that, you take your shoes off, you do have, you do know where you are a lot more,
Fred North 5:47
right? If you do yoga or something, you take your shoes off, you know, you connect for me, it's, it's basic. So some, because of 99.9% of the pilots learn with their shoes, it's not always easy for them to switch. For me, it was just because one day was so hot, it was warm as hell. And I removed my shoes, because I was in the Sahara Desert. And I removed my shoes. Whoo. And then since that day, I don't always take it off. But if it's a complicated sequence, and I'm not in Alaska or somewhere, then my shoes is gone.
Nick VinZant 6:24
So if you're looking at like the precision aspect of it, okay, you've got to be within six inches of this spot of foot, like 10 feet, like how, how close are you going to, like, Okay, you got an A, if you're within X amount of space of where you're supposed to be,
Fred North 6:41
most of the time is going to be to the foot. Because if you look at my friend right now, okay, if I'm a foot of, okay, so it's the same form, informing the helicopter, most of the time they have the camera, and that's what they want to see what's behind me. So if I'm going this way, then you know, the cameras to follow, and then my background change. So it's usually to the foot. You know, I have to be very precise. And I'm always telling everybody's working with us. In our team, I said, you have to be consistent. When you duplicate. Again, and again, and again, a slight movement, yes, to be to the photo half a foot, basically, you have to be perfectly, you know, align with whatever they want. And most of the time where we do, I'm going behind the camera on the ground, and I look what they're going to see and trying to see, you know, what, what will be the limits, like a visual cues, like a building, like, you know, a rooftop or something. And then when I'm coming in with a helicopter, I'm trying to stay within those reference cues that I don't see anymore, because I'm sitting on the film, helicopter, but then we have a ground pilot, what we call ground pilot coordinator, they're very experienced pilot, they're on the ground with radios, the next to the director, and he's listening to what he says. And then he can see the frame because he can see the video. And then he can see from like, 10 feet off is a thread, you know, move one click. So we have love a little code. You know, it's one click two clicks, three clicks, it just means it's a little bit, you know, you can say two feet to the right, but it doesn't mean two feet is mean, a little bit, you know? So that's how we do it.
Nick VinZant 8:22
I'm always fascinated by logistics. So this may be a slight diversion necessarily, but like, how do you get the FAA to approve this like I would, is that because if I was just sitting at my desk at the FAA, and like you're gonna do what?
Fred North 8:35
Well, first of all, you know, we all have an FAA office that we are relating to so like, I'm in LA. So my le copter is at Long Beach airport. So then there is an FAA office there. So it seems 20 years that I've been in America, I've been relating with lax, so Los Angeles Airport, FAA office, and then Long Beach. Both of them know me very well. So we know each other. That's the first thing okay, and the way we do things with them, their job is to protect the public. My job is to protect the public and also to do the shoot. FAA doesn't really care about the shoot. Their job is to protect the public so when I submit the permit, let's say that on a layup to fly between the streets, you know, between the buildings in the street that five feet of the of the of the ground, then I'm going to submit a permit they're going to show how I'm going to protect the public which means apartment buildings. If those guys too close we have to enter the building. If the people wants to stay, they can but they have to approve it. So we go one by one to each apartment and say we are we suggesting you go to a hotel we paying for your hotel room. Would you want to go to you know on the weekend because usually we do that on weekends. If people say no, I don't want to go anywhere. We say okay we would love you to not you don't stay on the balcony you go in the in the in the backroom but if you want to be on the balcony, it's up to you In that case, you become participants, which means now the allowing the taking the risk. So FAA basically is asking us to do our due diligence to protect the public. So we try to always find a place that we don't have apartments, more like, you know, cooperate kind of area in this. Yeah, because the office is closed on weekends. So we will go to sanctuary city in LA and find a place where there's more businesses, because on Sunday morning, they're not there. And if there is like a coffee shop, let's say, then we'll go to the coffee shop. And we'll say how much you make. Sunday from 8am to noon, the guy says 6000, here, 6000, close the door. So this is the way we do it. And then when we submit the permit like that to the FAA, and we, we explain where we enter, where we exhibit how we're going to do all that stuff, they usually, you know, approve the, the permit, and each pilot, they're doing film work, as what we call the motion picture, movie manual. So it's basically 30 pages, and explaining how you are conducting your operation, the filming part, everything and how you protect the public and the crew. And then that that movie manual is valid for two years, and your FAA officials want to renew it. So they're putting basically the liability on the pilot and the responsibility on the pilot. So if you do your job, right, they're going to renew it every two years. But if you not, you know, behaving and you are recognized or something, then they're not gonna give it to you, and then you cannot apply for filming permit.
Nick VinZant 11:36
So on on an average thing, right, like, and I know this, obviously, there's like 50,000 different factors. But it's going to cost a movie production, whatever. Like, how much to just do this? And
Fred North 11:50
I mean, it depends, if we should, like, if we should downtown LA, like when I did the movie, San Andreas, if you remember that, you know, yeah. Brad Payton was the director. And we blocked 11 blocks on downtown LA for half a day, on a Sunday. And it was a bit the million dollar to do that. I'm not talking about how much for production to do the shoot, talking hard part, blocking, you know, we had like 200 people blocking all the access. So you need to have a person on each exit, and then transport any buildings, because you can't let people going outside while we're flying. So the way we do it is, they all have, you know, some sort of clothes that we can see, but they have little flags, red, and green. When I'm on a hover, I can see if I see all the renewal flags green, I know I'm ready to go. If I see there is one red, I'm calling the ground and say hey, there's one guy says red what it what is going on? And then they say, Well, there's a guy that doesn't want to go away. Then we try to speak with him. And then we have the police that is there. LAPD is their policy. You know, there is a lot of agencies involved. The CD people is there the so they can be foreign to people, you know, managing that airspace. So you know, it's a lot, lot to do. So it costs a lot of money. But you know, at the end, you have an amazing action sequence.
Nick VinZant 13:19
Yeah, I was I've got some of your kind of work queued up. I'll get to that in a little bit. I was like, Holy crap. That's impressive. Um, yeah. Are you ready for some kind of harder listener submitted question? Sure. Hardest stunt that you've ever done? What one would you say? Like, oh, that was the
Fred North 13:37
people don't call me unfortunately, for boring stuff. So it's always a little bit of a challenge, okay, because people call me to do you know, advance and challenging, so I'm known for that. So I will say, first of all, the Fast and Furious movie, you know, low and dirty car chase, that's always pretty exposed, you know, the Fast and Furious. I've done all of them since number four, and we're prepping number 11. To even idea so it's a family it became a family thing but the strong people and you know as on the Arielle team, we're like one family, you know, like, we love each other, we know each other. So it's always tricky. But the last two more difficult, you know, stata had to do there is one that I'm explaining in my book, you know, flying sideways, that is going to be we're going to start shipping like mid September end of September, just, you know, for people to know. And I'm explaining so on the last extraction to movie that was released on Netflix, like two months ago. I have to learn on a moving train to drop off five guys. And the complication of that sequence originally when I told the director we can do that we were supposed to shoot it in Australia. Because Chris Hemsworth our lead actor living there, he wanted to do it there but he was doing COVID And what And we were supposed to do it there. There was a rail track, open, no trees, nothing. So I had plenty room to do the approach land on a moving train and, and Bell. But then COVID happened. And then they asked us to do it in Europe. And we did it in Czech Republic. And the problem, there were trees. So long story short, we only had 28 seconds free of trees to do the gag. So now I told him, you know, we can do it. And now it's hard for me to tell them well, you know, it's going to be tricky, because now you only gave me 20 seconds. What they would have told me, You should have told us you need XYZ, like 45 seconds. I said, I even didn't think to let you guys know, because there was not even a question, right? Anyway, at that point, the ship was sailed. And we're already in it. So we have to, you know, do the do that stunt. It's complex to land a helicopter with one's kid on the train. And five guys going out because it's about 1000 pounds, transfer, weight transfer. So if you could one skip, the helicopter is already you know, not really balanced. But when the guys get out, you have basically in three seconds, four seconds, 1000 pounds off. So to recap, you can tip over, you have to control the balance, and then at the same time, you're 60 miles an hour on a moving train, and you have only 28 seconds. So we had to. So that was a difficult, you know, sequence. So if you watch the movie, then you're going to see what I'm talking about. It's very short on the movie, but you're gonna see exactly what we're doing. So to prep that one. So in the book, you know, I'm really explaining all the details, what went through my mind. I we did it, how he was safe. And the whole thing that went through my mind. So you know, if anybody's interested, it's in, it's in the book. So that was the extraction to, you know, if the viewers want to, to look he was, you know, it's also a fun movie. And it's crazy action. And there's other crazy stuff with recoveries in there. But then I've done another one. And I cannot talk too much about it because the movie hasn't been released yet. But I'm in Beverly Hills, cops four with Eddie Murphy, and the movie is not out yet. We've done a crazy helicopter sequence that was one of the most difficult in my career. And it was extremely challenging, like, crazy cars being inches from me. So I cannot say too much. But when the movie is coming, coming out, if you want to do another podcast, then I will be more than happy to explain because it was mind blowing crazy shit. So and the movie is funny, because of course, Eddie. Yeah, he's
Nick VinZant 17:40
funny.
Fred North 17:41
He's funny how,
Nick VinZant 17:42
like, if you were to put a number on it, right? Like, how often 5% 10% 20% Whatever, like, how often do you say like, we can't do that,
Fred North 17:51
in fact, is, it's very rare. Because usually, when they suggest for me to do something, or more than one, to suggest to do something crazy than them, because they, they don't know what we can do, and we cannot do. So often they're more conservative in the writing. And more like, well, we can fly inside a building with a helicopter and, you know, oh, we can fly inside a building. We can these days, a lot of other things to do to make that happen in the structure, but we can and then you know from that from there, they're trying to massage the storyline. So professional, most of the movie, we do our big budget, and people are amazing. They're the top of the line. They know what they're doing. So when you speak with a director, and he's suggesting something immediately if you say, you know, that's gonna be tricky to do, but if you want you can do it that way. Okay, great. Great. And then people catch up on it. So it's never like, No, you guys crazy, because it's not that kind of relationship.
Nick VinZant 19:00
Yeah, that makes sense. I would have like no idea what you were capable of doing.
Fred North 19:04
You know, for the train. For example, the director didn't ask me to learn on it. He asked me can you go above the train? And can you hoist or repelling five guys on the train? But moving? Can you do that? I say sure, but that's boring. I said, you know, people, that's boring stuff, why we don't land on the damn train. Can you do that? I said, I think so. I never done it. But I think so. And then from there, he decided to write the old story, the third act on it, you know, so it's more of that kind of relationship where I want to be supportive to the movie and I really want to do something. Wow. You know, for the audience. I really want the people to say what the heck you know, and I want to create inspiration I want to create and I don't want to send some error again when I do I say that because it's not my you know, I really want people to say oh, we can do this. I mean this insane and then maybe they want to be a helicopter pilot. Maybe they're gonna want to be, you know, I don't know, just to suggesting the young guys out there, you know, yes, we can do that, you know, there is a way to do a lot of stupid stuff in life if you do it in a smart way. And I'm not saying smart, but with the team, we're trying to do it as much as possible. This is one that
Nick VinZant 20:19
I I'll just straight up ask it to you, right? Like, how do you feel about drones and CGI? Like, is that going to replace this?
Fred North 20:26
So often people ask the question, and in fact, it's two different things. So let's start with the drone. So drones is a new basically a new filming platform that happened, you know, seven, eight years ago. And when that came in to the picture, of course, people say, oh, you know, that's it, we're going to use drones helicopter down and bla bla bla bla bla bla and me personally I know exactly what the drone can do and cannot do. And if you think about it for a second operating a drone with a camera system at low level between obstacles and stuff is way more difficult than people think. It is. Because to be remotely detach from the camera okay and from the flying part you on the ground and that thing is some level then you are higher. Now there is no connection between those two pieces. And if you look at every other filming tool we have in the in Hollywood UK we have camera car the camera is directly attached on the car on the little crane but so touch the cameraman does the joystick you can operate the camera that is in the car so he's moving with the camera. Okay, so he can make his decision creative decision on the goal is with the camera. Okay, the dolly grip is pushing his Dolly the camera is there. The crane operator the camera is on the crane so is always a connection. They have direct connect helicopter flying directly with a camera. Steadicam, the guy is holding the camera. So 99.9% of the camera system in the filming business are the cameraman are connected and pilot directly with a camera. Drone? No. That's everything. Okay, so now drones will lack in spatial orientation. Okay, the guy is detached from it, you ask the guy to go around the building? How does he know he can go around the building? Just looking at the monitor where the drone goes. And as I work that way, you go straight? Now you need to make a right? How do you see that it's clear to the right. When do you know. So if you wait to clear the wall that is on your right to make a turn, you wait too far, then the shot is going to be boring, or you have to go slowly now, because when you make the turn, what happens if there is a pole, and then you turn a boom, you hit the pole. So it's not as simple and people think so then that makes it's also drawn lack of depth of field. It's very hard for them to know. You know, because you're looking at it to the monitor which is flat, there is no depth. So it's very hard for a drone pilot to know you know how far he is on a moving you know is moving. Also, you have to understand that most of them only have like eight to 12 minutes battery range. So they don't have a lot of time really to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and do it. They have to do one or twice and then land change the battery to one or twice land and do the battery etc, etc. So it's not as easy than people think. So it's to me, it's a complete different animal than a camera look after a 1000 horsepower cameraman and pilot on board, we flying the camera, I'm becoming the camera that he got to disappear, you know. So you have to see the differences. I will say the overlap between the two is maybe 10% 10%. The drone do I can do 10% You know what the helicopter does? They can do. I mean,
Nick VinZant 23:59
it kind of sounds like in the sense of like, I don't remember who the director of that movie was. But it was the most recent Mad Max movie where they did it all like without any of that stuff. And there was just a certain amount of like, whatever words you were, like wrongness or realness to it that was like, Oh, it brought you into it so much.
Fred North 24:19
Exactly. Yeah. So much more. And to me, you want to avoid the effects. It's the same with me in the helicopter. You know, I want to be careful the way I shut something has to be organic. Because yes, you don't want to, for the audience to think oh, that was an helicopter shot. Because this has nothing to do with the story. So you always have to be very careful the way you are flying because you don't want to cut that connection with the you know what, whatever you filming as a film pilot, that's your job. And as a drone operator is the same and director that do really big, big big movies or have a good sense they know and they're gonna say Fred, we're gonna use you for this and we're gonna use this you know with a drone
Nick VinZant 24:59
in the CGI part. aren't like, I could repeat it. So switch
Fred North 25:02
CGI, as it says this computer graphic images. So what does it means? It means you're building from scratch. Fake background. Okay? So it's like a cartoon, or you're shooting something real. And in the back, let's say there is a bridge, across the ocean, that bridge doesn't exist. So they're going to CG the bridge. What happened with CG is, if it's not in your face, you can live with it for a few seconds, but if it's in your face, now, people are not stupid. They can tell it's not. True, real. So again, you don't want anything that disconnect you from the story. So to me bad CG. People say what the heck is that you don't even you know, I don't know if you remember the movie, a team, the last one that was maybe 10 years old. And it was a tank that is falling out of the sky from a plane. And that tank was so badly made, like so poorly made, the cg of that tank was like horrible. And to me if you can destroy the sequence, because it's so bad. That is like, looks like it's a cartoon like. And that's about CG. So, in the helicopter world, CG is giving us more work. Because we have to shoot those plates. What we call plates is basically we have to shoot the background, that they're going to put stuff in it. So let's say okay, the days, let's say the last Top Gun movie, okay, there's all those jets flying and everything. In standard is a jet flying. Each time you see a window off to the side, let's say you're filming, the actor is talking. But behind him, there's a window, you think they're already filming what's going on. Beyond that window? No, they're filming the guy. And they put a green piece of screen on the window. And then we shoot that part separately, no place. And then they take any piece that light, and they're gonna put it in the window. That's CG. So we do a lot of work like that a lot a lot. I will say you represent 40% of what we do. To me, it
Nick VinZant 27:11
sounds like you're shooting the foundation for them to kind of put things on
Fred North 27:13
Correct, correct. And they need the reality the true image so they can put some fake in it, but he cannot build a fake. To give you an example. Like if you take a Fast and Furious movie, the numbers seven or eight, I think the eight there was a submarine going through the ice. And we saw that in Iceland, there was no submarine Of course, the submarine is CG, what we shot, we saw the ice, and we tried to find a little crack in the ice, we showed that so they can just use that cracker and use that to crack to burst summary. So then the only thing that was fake was a summary, you can even push it more than that you can go shoot a submarine that is on the water, you shoot it the same way you're going to shoot it if it was in the ice, we should the ice part, we should the summer in part, and then they put the two together. That's CG, for example.
Nick VinZant 28:09
That's crazy.
Fred North 28:10
That's how we do it for a lot of in Top Gun, you know, two jets flying above each other. We should one then we showed this one. And then they put it together.
Nick VinZant 28:21
Um, for this, like what's kind of happening? Walk me through this a little bit.
Fred North 28:25
So this is the movie Gran Turismo, that has been released in theater last night. And I wanted to see to see it last night. Because I love to see the movies, you know, in a theater, you know, I don't mind watching on TV, but I think we need to go to the theater to support and also watch that is like a like a big event. So here basically in the story, you have those those young pilots driver that the racing and in the helicopter, there is a there is like an engineer and an instructor that is giving giving guidance to those guys, so they wanted me to be super close to the cars and going with them. So here I have to be very careful that you see the blades are pretty close to the cars in the turn. So I have to be very careful for the blades to not of course that's one of the car and you have to match your speed. And also there's a lot of obstacles, there's the seats there is you can see by his bridges Overpass, so it was tricky to do to a unit to have the same speed on the car. And you have to understand that any country is 2.5 tonnes. So you have to manage the weight and the momentum. And I'm sitting on the front left from what you can see here. So I'm on the opposite side of the car we make it a bit more difficult because the car on the on the left side of the helicopter and I'm sitting on the right. So it's not always easy. So I need to keep an angle so I can have a visual on the car. And you know it takes a little bit to to do that safely, of course but that's what's happening here.
Nick VinZant 29:53
I would think that it's really hard to match that speed.
Fred North 29:57
Time because what you can't see To the right days overpasses, and you have to dive down to get to the level of the car. So you can really match the speed and then get the turn, you have to kind of be because also the cars change speed all the time. So yeah, most of the time, I'm asking the stunt drivers when they've drive those cars, be consistent with your speed. Because if they go super fast, and they hit the brake, and they make the turn, it's impossible for me to manage that speed. Because I'm 2.5 times. You know, if I slow down, I have to flare. And then when I flare, I'm losing sight of what is in front of me. Because the nose goes at me since so I'm always asking them to help me with the speed. And that's what those guys do. Of course, they're most of the time their friends, you know, the stunt drivers, and we help each other. This one.
Nick VinZant 30:48
This one, oh, man. Yeah.
Fred North 30:54
So a lot of people were wondering how we did this, because it's not easy to be in the turbulence of the other one. But there is a basic technique here you can see. So you see the propellers and all that wind come towards me. But if you go back to the beginning of the video, my blades that are above us are above the propeller of the plane, that's how you stay off turbulence, the helicopter gets some, but that doesn't matter. As long as the blades don't get the turbulence. It's irrelevant.
Nick VinZant 31:24
Oh, so you have to be just, you're above the high point of his wing of the thing. Or you're just
Fred North 31:32
it goes to the wings, it's the tip of the wing will create a vortex, and the propellers will blow a lot of wind towards me. So as long as the blades are my blades that are above me right now my rotor system is above the propeller and above the wings, then there is no factor for the helicopter because my rotor system is like a wing, in a sense. So if that's getting clean air, there is no turbulence. If the helicopter get, you know, turbulence is you're going to shake a little bit, but he's no problem with that. He's like, if I'm pushing you a little bit,
Nick VinZant 32:06
you know? Yeah, it's the thing that I would think of, in my mind, it's like somebody pushing my upper body while I'm running well, as long as you don't hit my legs, I'm fine. Exactly.
Fred North 32:14
So it's kind of the same here. So we only like five feet from from the plane, because it's shot with an iPhone, by the way by cell phone. So it's pretty wide issue,
Nick VinZant 32:25
you really like five feet behind the plane was shooting with an iPhone.
Fred North 32:29
I'm not sure a friend of mine is shooting behind it.
Nick VinZant 32:32
So how does like I would not have thought that a helicopter could take off like that.
Fred North 32:38
So in fact, helicopters are like a pendulum. Okay, there is one rotor system. So it's pandalam. It's a big difference between helicopters and drones. Drones are multi rotors. So they all go in opposition to each other. This is why it's hard for them to turn, because they're all going in opposition with each other. US we have 1x. So it's very easy to say pandalam effect. Okay, so here, it's the same principle. So stalking off is like a pendulum. So as long as the forces pull you in one direction, you can be almost any direction. So here, the only way to be really straight down is to have to go in super fast. On one direction, the helicopter will just follow the rotor system. So as long as you go fast, you're not going to fall. But you need the traction. It's like a gigantic propeller going, you know, down, as long as it's pulling you forward. No problem, you need to know what you're doing. So you don't touch the ground. But if you look very carefully the way we do this, you can see us going up a little bit. We're not Yeah, from the you know, we doing it and then we're going up so it's clear for the blades for the on the ground.
Nick VinZant 33:50
So that's pretty much all the questions that we have. Do you think we left anything out? Did we miss anything was kind of coming up for you? I know you got a big book coming out.
Fred North 33:59
Yep. So you know, my, my book flying sideways was first of all to find the title was not quiet river. Because it's you know, when it when it's there, it's easy to sort of flying sideways. And, you know, took for eight nine months, you know, what title It's so cheesy cliche, you know, you know, so and then one of my neighbor, you know, she said, what you do best? I say, I don't know, flying sideways. That's it. And that's how that thing came in. You know? So it's basically it's a memoir. So it's I've done some crazy crazy things you can say that shit right in, in my life. And the memoir is basically you know starting with extraction right then to explain to people how I feel in my heart when I'm when I put myself in this position like when I'm ready to land on the train is like what the heck is wrong with me? You know why? Why am I why am I you know why? You know, and so anyway, see all that stuff that go to my mind. And then, at the end, again, a piece of extraction again to close that chapter. And in between, you're gonna see from Africa to Hollywood, how do you go from born and raised in Africa with, you know, parents, as a teacher? As a French person? Don't speak English, no, Visa nothing and in Hollywood, and do all the big movies how that this happened. And one of the reasons why we wrote the book is because on my social media, there's so many young kids out there, asking me, How can we be a film pilot? How can we do this? How can we do that, and I'm always taking the time to respond to them. But then we thought, with my wife, you know, that, you know, wrote the book with me piggy north, like Lucky for me that she did worry, because as a pilot, you know, forget the writing. But it's basically you know, explaining to those guys it's not, it's there is not like, like a like a menu like you can to succeed in life and go to what you want to do. It's not a B, C, D, like something you lie now. It's your it's what the way you are going through your life with the discipline and the commitment, the hard working. But all those things are just words. But what I mean is, quick, quick, quickly, in the book, I explain it, but I, I did an army, US Air Force test to be a jet fighter pilot, because I have no clue when I was 18. And I did all the testing and everything. And at the end, the guy that was in charge of making the decision, it was like a general, he said, you know, you're not going to pass because you'll, you'll be a terrible pilots, you will be absolutely so bad at it that we're not going to take a chance with you out. I was 18. So it was a shock to me. You know, I was really depressed for a few weeks. But then I figured Who is that guy? To tell me what I'm good at? Why, you know, why should I you know, trust, trust Him. So that didn't stop me. That's what I mean. The book is basically to explain that as long as you have the will, and you have the passion, and you want you do what you think is right for you, then you're going to be successful, and you're going to do what you want to do. So that's what the book is kind of about.
Nick VinZant 37:19
I want to thank Fred so much for joining us. If you want to connect with him, we have a link to him on our social media sites, or Profoundly Pointless on tick tock, Instagram and YouTube. And we've also included his information in the episode description. His new book comes out on October 3, and we have put a link to that as well. And if you want to see some of the stunts that we've talked about, the YouTube version of this interview will be live on September 21, at 4:30pm Pacific. Okay, now, let's bring in John Shaw, and get to the pointless part of the show. If you could fly, like fly on your own, how high would you fly up in the sky? Like if you're just traveling around? Are you going on ground level? You're going way up there?
John Shull 38:09
I mean, what's the limits? Like? Can I go to space? You can
Nick VinZant 38:13
go to space, but only like momentarily. You have to be able to breathe on your own right? You've got no supplemental oxygen.
John Shull 38:23
I mean, I would go probably to where the planes are.
Nick VinZant 38:26
You'd go see I would do that. I would stay really low I would go like honestly I'd probably fly like house level because I wouldn't trust the fact that I would be able to fly that much. Like I'm gonna stay pretty close here just in case.
John Shull 38:40
I mean, I would have want to be high enough out of like, gunshot range, but low enough to where I could still see some of the ground
Nick VinZant 38:49
Oh yeah, that is a good thing. That's a really honestly the truth about I think system human civilization is that if you could fly somebody would probably try to take a shot at you.
John Shull 38:59
Yeah, and my big ass you know, I'm getting shot at what would
Nick VinZant 39:02
you do if you just saw somebody like just flying down the street?
John Shull 39:08
I mean, I gotta tell you I saw something similar. The North American Auto Show is in town and they had a flying car company that was showcasing a flying car and that was pretty nuts to see
Nick VinZant 39:21
was it but it was it actually flying like did this car actually fly?
John Shull 39:28
I mean with without without making it sound completely lackluster. They have some kinks to work out. I'll say that
Nick VinZant 39:36
so you just yes or no did it fly or not? Like did it or didn't like jump? Like he got up go for a second. But then it came right back down.
John Shull 39:45
It flew. But I'm not I'm not entirely sure. Like, let me put it this way. I don't think I'm ever going to see a sustainable flying car in my lifetime.
Nick VinZant 39:57
Okay, answer this question. If you were an Indian Esther in this flying car company, and you went to their big presentation. And what you saw happened, would you want your money back? Would it be like this was a good investment?
John Shull 40:12
If I knew now, what I what I if I can know it, then I wouldn't even show up.
Nick VinZant 40:18
Oh, yeah, so the car really didn't fly in other words.
John Shull 40:22
I mean, it did, but it was. I don't know. They put like extra propellers on the bottom. It wasn't like it just started up and took off and flew. No.
Nick VinZant 40:31
So it was like they were gonna design a robot. And then at the end of it, it turns out it was just like a guy in robot suit. Yeah, look, I'm just saying I'm not flying very high house level. That's where I'm gonna fly. Maybe three or four stories up. That's as far as I'm gonna go. I'm not going to put me
John Shull 40:46
with the Eagles in the Falcons.
Nick VinZant 40:49
Okay, all right. I don't really have any other brilliant questions for you. And we'll throw an opportunity to kitchen.
John Shull 40:55
Why? I'm just trying. I'm just changing it up a little bit to changing it
Nick VinZant 40:59
up. Show us the tongues. Can you show us the tongues?
John Shull 41:02
I don't have any tongs down here.
Nick VinZant 41:04
You have two kitchens in your house?
John Shull 41:07
Yes, I'm in my basement.
Nick VinZant 41:09
You have two kitchens.
John Shull 41:12
I do have two kitchens. Yes.
Nick VinZant 41:14
Was it always like, Did you specifically design the second kitchen and think I need another kitchen? Or are we like are you planning for the future for when somebody's parents are moving in?
John Shull 41:27
I'm just wanted a sustainable living space.
Nick VinZant 41:31
So you needed to kitchen to have sustainable living space?
John Shull 41:35
I mean, if I wanted to, I could easily rent out my basement. So that's also a possibility.
Nick VinZant 41:43
Now, did you was that the original plan or did you try to like okay, that was your justification like But honey, we could do this?
John Shull 41:52
No, I didn't. I didn't want to redo my basement at all. Actually, my wife is the one who pushed it.
Nick VinZant 41:58
Okay, let's just quick, quick time check. Five minutes into the show. John has mentioned his basement. You brought it up? I always regret it though. Right? Like, oh, crap. It's gonna get him talking about his basement.
John Shull 42:15
I mean, I'm sorry. I'm passionate. You You asked me a question about how flat are I? Wow, how high? Would I want to fly? If that's not useless? I don't know what it is.
Nick VinZant 42:25
I think it's an important look at basically how people think, right? Do you want to stay grounded? Do you want to live off there and fantasy world. And it kind of seems like you want to live off there and fantasy world way up in the sky. I want to stay close to the Earth. I want to keep I actually like to keep my feet on the ground as much as possible. I don't really like when my feet leave the ground. I'm even jumping. I like my feet on the ground. jogging or running is about as much up in the air as I really want
John Shull 42:52
to be. Do you do a lot of jumping? Nowadays,
Nick VinZant 42:56
I do actually jump 30 times a week. I go to the gym and I jump onto this little box and I do it 30 times. So I jump 30 times a week.
John Shull 43:05
Wow. Look at you, man. Good for you getting out there and getting back. I'm
Nick VinZant 43:08
trying man. Right. Trying to try to maintain what little athleticism I have.
John Shull 43:14
You know what, uh, you know what pisses me off? Okay,
Nick VinZant 43:17
let's hear it. Let's hear it.
John Shull 43:19
Man, men, specifically men here. Who think adult softball is a sport.
Nick VinZant 43:26
It's an activity. It's a pastime for some people. I generally and this is maybe going to offend anybody who I don't generally like former baseball players. There's something about baseball. There's something about baseball that people can never give up. Like, I think that if you asked a guy who's in his 50s Like, yeah, you gotta leave your wife and kid right now but you got to try out with minor league baseball team. I think they would do there's something about baseball, they can just never get past it. See that?
John Shull 43:55
No. See, that's if you ever played high school football? You can't let that go.
Nick VinZant 44:00
Yeah, that would be a good top five top five sports. You can never let go. I would put baseball is number one you would put football? Yeah. Me and that's gotta be difficult though to like peak at a young age in your life. I would say I've just now hit the age where like, Oh, my life is I would honestly say that my life has really just begun.
John Shull 44:24
I mean, that's that's a good question. Would you rather hit the peak early, or coast and then hit the peak in a different way non athletically. Later in your life,
Nick VinZant 44:36
I would rather have the build up of my life start around like 3540 and then peak around 5055 And then maybe hold on to whatever that is for another 10 or 15 years. So I would much rather have like, I would much rather build up later in life. Because otherwise man like that's it for some of those athletes like that's a long time to be headed downhill.
John Shull 45:00
I mean, it's that's why you hope that whatever money they make they've invested because I mean, look at the NFL and I don't know the numbers. So don't quote me on this. But if you're running back and you go into the NFL 22 Oh, you're probably what done by at least 30? If not 20 789, you still have 60 years to live.
Nick VinZant 45:21
Yeah, I think if you're some of those guys that are maybe making like a million or two a year for a couple of years, like that's a lot of money at once, but it's not a lot of money for your life. Like, I don't know. Anyway, we don't have these aren't problems that we have to really worry about?
John Shull 45:36
No, well, you are jumping a box 30 times a week. I don't want you to get hurt.
Nick VinZant 45:40
Not only do I jump a box, and I also do like some side to side jumps. So really, it's 60 jumps a week, I jumped 60 times a week, which is probably a 10,000% increase in the number of jumps that I was doing before. When's the last time you actually sprint it like dead sprint it
John Shull 46:00
sometime this summer, I actually was hitting a good spot where I was running every other day. And I was finished with a sprint. Now I don't know if that's a fat sprint. But that was me thinking I was sprinting
Nick VinZant 46:10
but you went all out like as hard as you could sprint.
John Shull 46:14
Usually for the last 10th of a mile. I tried to go as fast as I could.
Nick VinZant 46:18
You would sprint for a 10th of a mile. So long ways. Dude, that seems like you're gonna blow out some shit.
John Shull 46:24
Well, maybe I was trying to. Yeah, give me an excuse.
Nick VinZant 46:28
Give you an excuse to quit. I worked out just hard enough to quit.
John Shull 46:32
Alright, anyways, let's get some shout outs to some people. Let's see. We'll start with Reynolds Pierce. Tyler Klein's name
Nick VinZant 46:40
is Reynolds Pierce. It's not pierce Reynolds. That's backwards. It has to be backwards.
John Shull 46:47
I don't know. I'm just going by what I saw on social media.
Nick VinZant 46:51
I think it name would be pierced Reynolds. As opposed to Reynolds piers.
John Shull 46:56
Do you know piers Reynolds? No,
Nick VinZant 46:58
but Pierce Reynolds makes more sense than Reynolds Pierce. I feel like
John Shull 47:02
well, let's let's let's keep going. Jacob boy's fierce
Nick VinZant 47:07
peers. That's what I would have named him fierce. So his name was fierce Pierce.
John Shull 47:12
No, Ethan Brock. Dom Gambino. Zaidan, Arnold, Jack Parker, Dustin Brown, Jose Sanchez and Julia gorgey.
Nick VinZant 47:28
I don't mind a Z named man. There's not a lot of Z names, but they're usually pretty solid.
John Shull 47:34
It's hard to really Yeah, it's hard to nail down like a good Z name.
Nick VinZant 47:38
Zack. Solid. It's actually the literally the only ze name that I can think of. For a man is Zeiler for some reason.
John Shull 47:48
Xilinx Eilers the name I think it is Zion.
Nick VinZant 47:51
That's a good name.
John Shull 47:53
Let's see here. Let's do some factor fiction with Profoundly Pointless, pointless stuff.
Nick VinZant 48:00
Can you just explain to me like your thought process for either doing your bangers questions, as you call them, or doing factor fiction like is? What's the thought process behind it? How do you decide which one you're gonna do?
John Shull 48:16
There is no thought process. That's why it's pointless. As you say, every week introducing me, and now with the pointless part of the podcast?
Nick VinZant 48:26
Oh. So do you take that personally?
John Shull 48:30
No, I'm just happy to have a slot. With you.
Nick VinZant 48:35
I feel like that to about life. I'm just generally happy to be living.
John Shull 48:39
I get people who actually think that I know what I'm talking about. When they asked me podcast questions. And I'm like, Yeah, sure. It's yeah, you keep doing it. Sounds good.
Nick VinZant 48:50
Will you give somebody advice even though you don't really know what you're talking about?
John Shull 48:57
No, because I because then if they try it, and they fail, I would feel a little responsible.
Nick VinZant 49:04
I did. I'll go a little too far. I'll take one or two steps beyond what I really know. Like all go a little too far.
John Shull 49:14
Yeah, I just know, I can't I can't do it. I'm I mean, I embellish but I don't give people advice because I don't. It's kind of like, like I learned one time because I you know, I do a little betting and things like that. And I gave someone a terrible bet. And they put down like $50 on it. And last fall $50 And I'll never forget it. So no, I don't know not doing it.
Nick VinZant 49:40
That's not really a lot of money. Was that what age of life was that? That you felt like? I mean, $50 is a good amount of money. Don't get me wrong, but that's not a huge amount when it comes to oh, I mean, it's not like 500 bucks or something.
John Shull 49:53
I mean, I remember exactly where it was when it was I was 23 years old and
Nick VinZant 49:59
that Yeah, that's Madison amount of money for a 23 year
John Shull 50:02
old. Yeah, man, I don't know how much you're making. But
Nick VinZant 50:07
I don't care if I was a millionaire, I'd be pissed about losing 50 bucks.
John Shull 50:11
You are pretty, pretty frugal, like pretty cheap.
Nick VinZant 50:14
Yeah, I'm cheap. I agree.
John Shull 50:17
All right. Let's see. Now back to the pointless part of the podcast. Factor fiction. One human year equals seven dog years.
Nick VinZant 50:28
It's not really true.
John Shull 50:31
You are correct. It is not true. It's been debunked multiple times, actually. Yeah, apparently, it depends on the size of the breed of the dog as to how old they are compared to you know, human years.
Nick VinZant 50:49
The thing that I had heard was that they don't age the same way that we do, that they're basically fully grown by the time they're a year old. And then they kind of stay middle aged until they get really old.
John Shull 51:02
Yeah, well, yeah. What I was reading by scientists was that it's it all depends on the dog's breed. And like how big they are.
Nick VinZant 51:12
That's pretty much that's the difficult thing about life is the answer for basically any question that anyone ever asks you is it depends.
John Shull 51:21
Yeah, I mean, or you wear them.
Nick VinZant 51:24
Why? What is or you wear them have to do? Well, it is depends,
John Shull 51:29
you know,
Nick VinZant 51:30
Ah, okay. Okay.
John Shull 51:33
Adult diapers. Come on. Got him.
Nick VinZant 51:36
Yeah. Well, we both lost that one.
John Shull 51:42
All right, let's see true or false. Your blood makes up about 8% of your body weight.
Nick VinZant 51:49
You have nine? Well, I mean, I don't know. Yeah, sure. Why not?
John Shull 51:55
That's why these are great questions, because No, you'll never be asked us again. That is true, actually. Yeah, it's according to the American Society of Hematology
Nick VinZant 52:09
was about have you ever lost a lot of blood?
John Shull 52:11
Yeah, well, I mean,
Nick VinZant 52:15
I probably shouldn't laugh at that. But it is it was funny.
John Shull 52:18
I mean, I think I've talked about it a brief second I heard it free cut me off. But I have a actually a bleeding disorder. I don't, I don't clot like normal people. I'm not like him if I'm not a hemophiliac or I have hemophilia I have like the sister to it. So it just takes me a lot longer to clot so if I ever if I have a bad gash like the Saturday I cut my my my leg open we'd whipping and you know it's still kind of like an open wound because it just hasn't completely clotted all the way yet because there's a pretty deep laceration
Nick VinZant 52:50
good eye man you like you look I mean words you use their gash laceration What is it what's going on over there? Dr. Show you steadily stuff studying to be for the medical boards. There. I
John Shull 53:03
mean, there is a there is a doctor shawl but I have not related.
Nick VinZant 53:07
Oh, yeah. And if people ask you about that shit all the time, like hey, doctors roles are you put?
John Shull 53:12
No, I mean, I used to get teased for it. For whatever reason back in back when I was a child, but completely different spellings. So I don't really have to
Nick VinZant 53:21
worry about it. I got made fun of because of the Nickelodeon thing. Who Nick Jr. Nickelodeon.
John Shull 53:29
That's the stupidest. That's that sounds dumb. Not gonna lie to you.
Nick VinZant 53:33
I'm also from Kansas. So I got that. You're not in Kansas anymore all the time. Whenever there's a really obvious thing to say to somebody. Don't say it. Don't say it. Just keep it to yourself.
John Shull 53:46
Just let it's I'll ever forget the comedian Ron White. When said next time you have a thought. Just let it go. Yeah. It's funny, man. I it's funny. I think that's an underrated art that has that, that people don't appreciate is making other people laugh like that.
Nick VinZant 54:06
I don't this is my big theory now. And now you're gonna have to hear my whole theory about why there's no, I don't think that there's really any more good comedies or comedy series anymore. Because real life is just too funny. Like you can't compete with Tik Tok or Instagram or any of those kinds of social media things where like, you just can't compete with real life. And I can see like the all the other things that people think of are just funnier. Like if I had a choice between going and see a comedian or watching like social media for an hour. I might have way more fun on social media like it's just funnier.
John Shull 54:40
Yeah, I mean, I think there's a good place for the art like I said, I don't get me wrong. Are you tick talkers and young people out there but I, I don't really think making a tick tock makes you an artist.
Nick VinZant 54:53
I mean, you can be creative in many different ways. I think creativity is creativity. I just think that those things are funnier now. Right, like people are funny, like, there's a lot of funny people and ultimately, comedians, you can only think of so many things. Anyway, there's my whole thing. There's my rant.
John Shull 55:09
Or this one might grow some people up, but I thought it was gross once. I thought it could potentially be interesting. Okay. Do you know what figs are?
Nick VinZant 55:19
Yeah, dude, it's like a food. Right?
John Shull 55:22
That's great. Okay, good. Well, you know it's can be exotic sometimes. Figs aren't considered vegan. Because they have dead wasps.
Nick VinZant 55:31
I don't want to know about this stuff. What do you mean they have dead? What? I don't want to know about anything that's in my food. I never want to know how the proverbial sausage is made. I don't want to know about any of it.
John Shull 55:43
Okay, I don't want to know about any of it. All right. Well, that's that's true, by the way.
Nick VinZant 55:51
Do they have dead wasps inside of them?
John Shull 55:53
I'll see. Now you want to know I
Nick VinZant 55:54
don't really want to know. But
John Shull 55:58
while figs themselves are fruit, they often include bugs according to vegan life. They explained that a female Wasp will enter the fig passing into a part of the plant known as the Cal Myrna, while trying to lay her eggs. Eventually she will die and is broken down by a protein digesting enzyme inside of the fig.
Nick VinZant 56:21
Oh, then she's not let's not really there. If it's all broken down. It's not like you're gonna bite into the fig and the dead wasp is
John Shull 56:28
in there. No, but her body's in there.
Nick VinZant 56:31
It's broken down, right? If it gets turned into like your bait, like if it digests it, essentially and it's just all that's left is like whatever the parts of the wall like, right like the wasps legs were turned into whatever chemical and it's now in there, like if it's broken down. It's not a big deal to buy crap and everything.
John Shull 56:52
Listen, I was just shocked by that, that that, you know,
Nick VinZant 56:57
I'm not eating any. Anyway, that's it. That's the food that I would never go to the grocery store and buy
John Shull 57:02
at a see I love things Majan that Of course I do.
Nick VinZant 57:05
You're just eating figs by itself.
John Shull 57:07
Oh, they're delicious, man. Anyways, All right, last one here.
Nick VinZant 57:14
Got Of course you're eating it. Food snob. Pointless fact all you have here all you have is apples. You don't have any figs or dates or kumquats.
John Shull 57:26
You ever had a come? I
Nick VinZant 57:27
honestly don't even know what it is. But I love saying the word. Like if you put a kumquat in front of me, I wouldn't know what it was at all.
John Shull 57:34
I feel like we should really just stop saying the word come quiet. While we're it's a great
Nick VinZant 57:38
word though. Come quiet.
John Shull 57:44
All right, last one here. Daddy Long Legs are the most poisonous spider.
Nick VinZant 57:48
Yes, that is true, but they can't pierce your skin.
John Shull 57:52
Actually, that is not true. Oh, it's not what is daddy long legs aren't even spiders.
Nick VinZant 57:59
Oh, God. See, this is what I mean? Like your your phrasing or your questions are just terrible.
John Shull 58:08
Why? If you if you were an educated person, you would know this
Nick VinZant 58:11
is what gets me upset about it. Right is because you ask the questions based on a technicality. And then when I point out that there's a technicality in there that should make it either the different answer. You don't want to hear that. Right?
John Shull 58:25
I mean, what's the technicality? They're not spiders. They're not arachnids.
Nick VinZant 58:29
It's like, but it's a word choice thing. Right? Like you said, you go in one direction. And then it's like our trips you. It's not a fair. It's not a fair game. That's what I'm saying. It's not a fair game, right? So then if you're gonna say something else, you can't call me if I'm gonna be like, Oh, well, that's a technicality. And it's different. You know what?
John Shull 58:50
I'm not gonna call you or I'm gonna call somebody else. Well, you
Nick VinZant 58:53
text people. Still gonna text?
John Shull 58:57
You right? Nobody actually talks to the phone anymore,
Nick VinZant 58:59
man. Yeah. Yeah, it's do you get annoyed if someone doesn't respond? Like they just don't respond at all. Why are you going to try to text them again at a later date? Are you like, well, nope, that's done.
John Shull 59:17
I mean, there are very few instances and I'm not trying to boast here in my life that I can remember being upset because somebody didn't get back to me. But you remembered
Nick VinZant 59:27
it. Because usually I just forget.
John Shull 59:31
No, I remember because I've actually been told I am not the greatest at getting back to people via text message, but I actually think I'm pretty good. I think you're
Nick VinZant 59:39
fairly good. So what is the most poisonous spider then?
John Shull 59:46
I don't know. I didn't get that far in the research.
Nick VinZant 59:49
Funnel spider. Oh, don't ever look don't look that up. What does it come quite look like how you spell come quiet. K or C.
John Shull 59:59
Come quiet. AUMQUATO
Nick VinZant 1:00:03
Basically just looks like a little orange. Well, now I know what a kumquat is.
John Shull 1:00:08
Hold on. I'm looking up funnel spider.
Nick VinZant 1:00:09
Don't look it up, dude. It's going to be gross. That's fine. Especially if you see like, especially we see what happens when the spider bite. Yeah, dude, I don't don't look that up.
John Shull 1:00:19
Oh man, I think looks that thing looks gnarly.
Nick VinZant 1:00:21
It's amazing what we can survive with or not, I guess survive in some cases? Yeah. Did I mess with that? Okay. Yeah,
John Shull 1:00:29
I'm good with that.
Nick VinZant 1:00:31
Do you have any more facts or fiction things? Are you done making up things you don't make?
John Shull 1:00:36
I'm done making up facts there. Ponyboy.
Nick VinZant 1:00:39
Okay, this is I've never seen that movie, by the way.
John Shull 1:00:43
I mean, outsiders. I've read but no, you didn't.
Nick VinZant 1:00:49
I did. I think it was part of like one of those assigned books that you had to read at a certain point, like for a certain grade or something like that. No, I did. I did. I read the book. I remember because there was this thing where like, I remember a big thing thinking like, oh, he jumped off the front porch. And one guy did a backflip and I was like, Whoa, those guys must be cool.
John Shull 1:01:09
How many books have you read this year,
Nick VinZant 1:01:11
too? Have actually read two books. How many books have you read over there?
John Shull 1:01:19
I've written on submarines alone. God,
Nick VinZant 1:01:22
I bet you have written how many of you really read two books on submarines?
John Shull 1:01:26
I have but they were in the beginning of the year. Um Are they going through books now?
Nick VinZant 1:01:32
Are they different submarines are the same submarine.
John Shull 1:01:35
Different submarines. I don't understand why you hate on me for submarines are technologically like amazingly, technologically, technologically. amazement of the world's society sickness.
Nick VinZant 1:01:52
I'm sure they're incredible. I have to plug in my computer because I think it's gonna die. I'm sure they're incredible. But like,
John Shull 1:01:58
if it dies, I'm just gonna finish this by myself.
Nick VinZant 1:02:02
Are you ready for our top five? Ah, yes. Yeah, yeah. So our top five is top five child stars. There's a lot of child stars. Man. There's a lot of people that couldn't make a good run at this list. Now, how far back in history did you go? Because I only went my lifetime.
John Shull 1:02:25
Yeah, likewise, because yeah, likewise, I was looking like the surely temples. Yeah. I mean, they should be on the list. But they didn't really make an impact in my lifetime. While I was a child, you know what I mean, or a teenager?
Nick VinZant 1:02:42
I think that if you went number one overall all time it would be? Surely temple. I think that yeah, pretty much, that would be the biggest one, but it didn't really have an impact on our lives. So it's interesting that I was actually looking something up about Shirley Temple, she basically made all these movies as a kid and then just stopped. And then didn't make one for I think she was acted from like, 1932 to 1938 or something like that. And then just never did him again.
John Shull 1:03:15
She was by far I mean, I mean, she was the the mode, right? So she has to be number one. But however, I wasn't alive in 1940 or 50. Or whenever she was,
Nick VinZant 1:03:27
you have to be really famous for people. Now to know who you are. If you were back at like 100 years ago. You were probably massively famous.
John Shull 1:03:37
Yeah, I mean, most people who create something or are the precedent usually don't get forgotten.
Nick VinZant 1:03:44
No. So like us making this show.
John Shull 1:03:50
Yeah, hopefully 20 years from now. It'll just be deleted.
Nick VinZant 1:03:56
Okay, what's your number five All right. So
John Shull 1:03:59
once again, just going from you know, our childhood and I think there's a should be a consensus number one possibly,
Nick VinZant 1:04:08
I guess. Both.
John Shull 1:04:10
I guess we'll get we'll get to that in a little bit. So my number five is Elijah Wood.
Nick VinZant 1:04:17
I don't know anything that he did as a kid. I don't know anything that he did as a kid so I'm gonna have to disagree with that.
John Shull 1:04:24
He did the good son. He did forever young. Yeah, so he
Nick VinZant 1:04:30
mentioned anything that I've actually seen
John Shull 1:04:33
of you. So the good son is a terrible movie, but also has a another childhood star in it. That is on my list and those are at home who are listening to this who know who that is. was automatically go Yeah, well just I wonder how high he is on your list.
Nick VinZant 1:04:50
My thing about this though would be is that some people if they have remained pretty famous, remain that their level of fame throughout their lifetime then I don't really consider them to be a childhood star. So for example would be Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been gradually getting more and more famous, so I wouldn't really consider him a childhood star when I think of childhood star, I think of somebody who kind of like tapered off after their childhood.
John Shull 1:05:19
Okay, I mean, that's what I wouldn't put a word on there. That's fair. I see what you're saying. But to me a childhood start doesn't necessarily have to be somebody that was super famous as a kid and fanned out, but somebody that if they didn't have those opportunities as a child probably wouldn't have got, you know, the the opportunities as an adult.
Nick VinZant 1:05:41
My number five is all of the Disney people. I think all of the Disney people are basically the same level right? Like, I can't even name all of them. Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, all of those Disney people I think are about like, all right, they're all kind of the same.
John Shull 1:06:00
I just can't wait for you when you release the top five lists on social media. What you're gonna pick for that animation? You're gonna you're gonna have a lot to choose from and a lot
Nick VinZant 1:06:09
to choose from probably wrecking ball Miley Cyrus.
John Shull 1:06:14
All right, my number four Christina Ricci.
Nick VinZant 1:06:19
Oh, crap. I get her confused with Anna Paquin. Which ones?
John Shull 1:06:24
Ricci The Addams Family?
Nick VinZant 1:06:26
Oh, yeah,
John Shull 1:06:28
Wednesday.
Nick VinZant 1:06:29
Okay. I think it's a little top heavy of a list. I think some of the I think that three, four and five could be people you don't like Oh, yeah. Who which one is that one. Maybe my number four is Kristen dunce or Kyrsten done.
John Shull 1:06:43
Ah, that's my number three.
Nick VinZant 1:06:45
What is your name? Is it Kyrsten? Dunster? Kristen does?
John Shull 1:06:49
Kirsten, it's K IR.
Nick VinZant 1:06:51
It's none of those Kirsten dots.
John Shull 1:06:54
Kirsten Kirsten caston. Would you Boston? I don't know if you
Nick VinZant 1:06:58
had a name where people were constantly mispronouncing it. Well, I have a last name that people are always doing that too. Do you? Would you bother correcting them? Are you just like whatever.
John Shull 1:07:06
i My last name is five letters and people don't say it right.
Nick VinZant 1:07:10
My last name is VinZant. Which people always put Van Zandt or Van Zandt with a D and I just don't even bother.
John Shull 1:07:18
I get Schultz. I get Sure. I get sure i get shell like I never get just show. It's always
Nick VinZant 1:07:26
do you think people get like Tom Smith? Or like John Brown? You think they screw those up too?
John Shull 1:07:34
No. Because listen, we're a simple you know, we're a simple race, right? Like, we like simple things. And those names are simple.
Nick VinZant 1:07:42
Henry Ford. Henri fjord like honoree, like it's fucking Henry.
John Shull 1:07:49
Well, I mean, if you're in France, it could be honoring but it's true. But
Nick VinZant 1:07:52
if people listening to this in the audience if you have a really basic name, like a really simple name, Tom Ford, Bob Jones, let us know if people screw it up. I'd be fascinated is like who is this person? Bobe both Juno is a boob. Fucking Bob
John Shull 1:08:17
jeans fucking Bob is better forever.
Nick VinZant 1:08:20
My name is Lindsay Lohan.
John Shull 1:08:24
See, so I thought about putting her on than I was. Well, then I feel like I have to put Molly Ringwald on.
Nick VinZant 1:08:32
Oh, she's no Lindsay Lohan.
John Shull 1:08:35
I mean, Molly Ringwald was huge in the 80s. And she was a teenager when she made most of those movies.
Nick VinZant 1:08:42
I do always find it hilarious, though. When like it's like I'm a teenager like the look of the actor and they're like 30 Yeah, that is a little weird, right? Like I'm a 16 year old, like, okay, it's really, okay. It's your number two.
John Shull 1:09:00
The Harry Potter kids.
Nick VinZant 1:09:04
You have them as number two. I know who your number one is then.
John Shull 1:09:07
Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Stone. No Emma Watson rather not Emma Stone.
Nick VinZant 1:09:13
Is it Emma Watson? Sarah Watson.
John Shull 1:09:16
No, it's Emma Watson's I know Sarah Watson. I don't know and Emma Watson I don't know
Nick VinZant 1:09:22
a lot of Sarah's to that's what name do you know the most of like what name do you know the most? The most John's mics? Tom's
John Shull 1:09:34
Hmm. I mean, I don't know. I know a lot of mics.
Nick VinZant 1:09:40
I know a good amount of John's three of them. No, that's not true.
John Shull 1:09:47
What's your number two millionaires. I
Nick VinZant 1:09:48
know a decent amount of Jim's is no I don't that's not true at all. Shout out to Jim Cavanaugh. Orlando's finest Jim Dowd also shout out to Jim down, Phoenix's finest. It's all I got Let's go to GDS. Um, just let me know if my number two is your number one. My number two is Macaulay Culkin.
John Shull 1:10:09
Yes, that's my number one. That's
Nick VinZant 1:10:11
what I thought he was a big time childhood star. She's weird that his brother is now a star as an adult.
John Shull 1:10:20
I mean, I there, there wasn't a bigger childhoods movie actor for me growing up then. Besides the cast of the Mighty Ducks and The Sandlot, like individually, there was no there was no one bigger. What was
Nick VinZant 1:10:35
he in that many movies? Or was he just known so much for home alone? Because I can't think of any other movies that he was in besides home alone.
John Shull 1:10:43
Oh, he did like a four or five do he did? Richie Rich. Remember that movie?
Nick VinZant 1:10:48
Yeah, well, no, but I remember that he did it.
John Shull 1:10:54
Hold on, I'm looking it up.
Nick VinZant 1:10:56
There's a really sad one where he liked dies.
John Shull 1:10:59
Oh, yeah. What? Well, he wasn't the good son. He was Elijah Woods Co Co star in that movie?
Nick VinZant 1:11:05
Is that where he's? Probably with him and the girl then one of them die.
John Shull 1:11:10
My girl. Oh, yeah. My girl. That's a great movie. The page master? Come on. What you're gonna hate on the page master?
Nick VinZant 1:11:19
I would if I'd ever seen it or heard of it.
John Shull 1:11:25
Yeah, I mean, the I mean, those are it but like, those are good. Like, those are good enough for him to have to have. I mean, when I when I thought about a top five list, I'm like, okay, he'd be three, four or five. For me ever. In the childhood.
Nick VinZant 1:11:42
He would be up there. My number one is Daniel Radcliffe. I think he's probably the most famous child star, maybe not the biggest child star. But in terms of like, the sheer amount of people who know who he is. It's probably Daniel Radcliffe.
John Shull 1:12:01
Yeah, I mean, once again, it's hard. It's hard, right for like me to say, Sure. Because I have met number two. But like I wasn't, you know, I wasn't a teenager or anything when those movies came out. So I don't know how big they are, to the kids have to today or teenagers today.
Nick VinZant 1:12:21
My justification for it is in he was in just as probably as many movies as any other child star. And those movies were bigger. So that's why I would say that he's the biggest.
John Shull 1:12:33
I mean, it's hard to go against that. But I'm confident and Macaulay Culkin as my number one.
Nick VinZant 1:12:39
Do you think that there has been though? Anybody more famous throughout their entire life than Michael Jackson? Yes. throughout their entire life?
John Shull 1:12:52
Yes.
Nick VinZant 1:12:53
Who are you going to put ahead of Michael Jackson for being famous throughout childhood, teenage, young adult adult getting older? Who would you even put on that level?
John Shull 1:13:04
I mean, it's hard. I mean, you could say LeBron, who was nationally recruited at 1011 12. I mean, he wasn't saying at the age of six, but also LeBron has something Michael didn't have. And I'm not saying this to be funny. But like, LeBron is gonna have like, a long lasting legacy, because he's gonna live to be 7080.
Nick VinZant 1:13:25
But he wasn't on the world stage at that time of his life, like people maybe knew who he was, but he wouldn't have been on like the world stage as a 10 year old. I think Michael Jackson was,
John Shull 1:13:36
I mean, you could say, like a Ronaldo or Messi, those greatest soccer players of all time. I mean, they get into the academies at 910. I mean,
Nick VinZant 1:13:45
but they're not like world famous people who know me know them. But people who really follow that, but I don't think like your casual person. I can't think of anybody that would be on the same level as Michael Jackson. I
John Shull 1:13:58
mean, you make a good point. I mean, it's, it's a it's, it's tough to put anyone with him. But there has to be there has to be somebody as famous or more famous than him.
Nick VinZant 1:14:09
Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio, you could make an argument that has been generally famous throughout his entire life. High level of sameness high level famous.
John Shull 1:14:21
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I will say that being a musician. You know, it's a lot easier, I think, to be a long lasting childhood transitional star than if you're an actor.
Nick VinZant 1:14:32
Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Actors careers kind of come and go. Like a lot of the people on our list you don't really hear from that much anymore.
John Shull 1:14:42
No, but would you I mean, if I if I made all that money as a child, I wouldn't work if I if I managed my money correctly.
Nick VinZant 1:14:50
I wouldn't. But then I don't think if you grow up with that, right? Like you probably feel like you've lost something by not being super famous anymore. True. have, you know, but if you gain something you didn't have before your formative years, you're probably just like, Oh, cool. That was an interesting period of my life. Now I'm just gonna sit on my money using your honorable mention.
John Shull 1:15:12
Drew Barrymore. Yeah, probably. Probably worth maybe more but whatever Dakota Fanning
Nick VinZant 1:15:20
which one was she?
John Shull 1:15:23
man she was in a number of of movies. I am Sam. We're the world's
Nick VinZant 1:15:30
Oh, I do remember that fire. Okay. She's the,
John Shull 1:15:34
the little girl and most of those. I mean, and then staying away from the older childhood stars. I mean, you know, those are probably the two that I that I put out there.
Nick VinZant 1:15:45
The only other one that I had on mine had a couple. Screech and Urkel pretty big child stars.
John Shull 1:15:53
Yeah, both turned out to be great adults, I think Yeah. Didn't
Nick VinZant 1:15:56
seem to be headed and that seemed to head in the other direction. Hailey Joe Osmond kid from the sixth sense. He was big time
John Shull 1:16:06
fool. Man. That's who's the kid from Star Wars two.
Nick VinZant 1:16:12
He dropped out completely. I think star Jake. Jake something. Yeah, but he was in those movies and then like nothing else it like completely ruined it for him.
John Shull 1:16:22
Fuck, man. That you're kind of making me kind of go back on my list now because yeah, that those are two good ones.
Nick VinZant 1:16:32
child actor from Star Wars. But he was like driven out of it.
John Shull 1:16:40
Or even Hayden Pendency air like he was a hate and pennants era. No idea.
Nick VinZant 1:16:44
No idea, bro. Okay, well, Jake Lloyd.
John Shull 1:16:49
Jake Lloyd.
Nick VinZant 1:16:50
34 now? Oh, yeah, he probably looks like he had to change his name. He had to disappear off the face of the earth. That's that'd be tough me. Poor kid. He was also in Jingle All the Way. Way. Wait, was he in the? Was he also in the Adam Sandburg Sandler movies? Was that that same kid?
John Shull 1:17:17
Oh, no, no, no. He's the guy they kid from Big Daddy. But that kid is famous. I think now,
Nick VinZant 1:17:22
man. What does Wikipedia do with their? How did they get their photos? It's like the worst photo anyone could ever find of that person. Anybody? Look at look up Jake Lloyd. And this Wikipedia poster. He looks like he looks like a 35 year old working at a gas station. And just hates it. Poor guy. Oh, man. That's
John Shull 1:17:50
poor guy. That's poor guy right there, man.
Nick VinZant 1:17:53
But look how bad all of Wikipedias pictures are for famous people. Like that's the picture you chose.
John Shull 1:18:02
Yeah, I mean, yeah, good for him. He
Nick VinZant 1:18:05
he did not want that photo to be taken. Not happy. Okay, that's your whole honorable mention.
John Shull 1:18:16
That's it. I'm gonna get my Pod Racer and get out of here.
Nick VinZant 1:18:19
Would you drive it? Would you have a Pod Racer? If you could? Like, would you be like, I'll take this Pod Racer.
Unknown Speaker 1:18:23
Absolutely. Yeah. Would take
Nick VinZant 1:18:25
that fundraiser to at least isn't that making a comeback? Those movies aren't that bad. Oh, okay, that's gonna go ahead and do it for this episode of Profoundly Pointless. I want to thank you so much for joining us. If you get a chance, subscribe. Leave us a quick review. It really helps us out. We really appreciate it and let us know who you think are some of the biggest childhood stars. I really think that just from sheer I can recognize that person is probably Daniel Radcliffe. But Macaulay Culkin is right there. But let us know who you think should be in the top five