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ALAN [A]: Howard really had a great sense of, uh, genre, you know, of zeitgeist, and
certainly the best example of that was Little Shop of Horrors.
MICHAEL [M]: Which was the show that launched you both, really.
A: And initially when we took on writing Little Shop we were writing it actually in a way
that was closer to the movie itself; You know, that bad Corman movie.
M: Why though- Why did you hit on that idea? Why would you look at that bad, old movie
and think- A: That's Howard.
M: -there's a musical there? A: Howard. He'd wanted to do it ever since
college. M: That was kind-of his twist of mind and-?
A: And I looked at it and said "It's very obvious." It is very obvious. It's got such
a huge sense of genre to it, even before we decided to do it, you know, using the "dark
side of Greece" as we call it. M: That was the theme, that was the idea behind
it? A: Kind- of, but not initially! Initially
we had songs like ♫When it's time to pick a pet flower♫
♫Who's the strap we love?♫ ♫Who's out potted plant of the hour?♫
♫Who's our bush when push-come-to-shove?♫ ♫Who rakes in that cash, those kudos?♫
♫Look Ma who came through♫ ♫Not Audrey Hepburn or Audrey Wood♫
♫Though both those ladies are well and good♫ ♫They're dismal faliures♫
♫Beside the wonderful Audrey 2!♫ And the pods would go ♫Audrey!♫
♫Audrey!♫ ♫Audrey 2!♫
[Laughter.] M: That didn't make the final cut, that song!
A: Well no, but we had a whole score. ♫Feed me, I'm hungry♫
♫Feed me, I'm starving♫ ♫Feed me, I'm fading in fast...♫
♫Feed me, you nudnik!♫ It was just very much in the style of the
Corman movie. And then, we played it for people and they looked at us like we had ten heads,
and Howard then said "You know what? I have another idea."
AUDREY TWO: "So go get it!" A:♫ Little Shop! Little shop of horrors!♫
♫Little shop! Little shop of terror!♫ ♫Call a cop! Little shop of horrors!♫
♫No, oh-oh♫ ♫No, oh-oh♫
♫No, oh-oh, no...♫ We had other songs in that style that went
further. SUSAN [S]: "Feed Me!" "Feed Me!"
A: Oh, "Fee-" ♫Feed me Seymour...♫
♫Feed me all night long...♫ ♫That's right boy, you can do it!♫
♫Feed me Seymour!♫ ♫Feed me all night long! Haha!♫
♫If you feed me Seymour!♫ ♫I can grow up big and strong!♫
M: Uh, once you found that tone, then the show changed, and then you were able to get
it up and get the money going for it? A: Well we opened it at the WPA Theater, it
was Howard's theater. We did it twice, and in both cases, we had a great result. One
was with Rosewater, it moved instantly to the Entermedia Theater on Second Avenue, and
then Little Shop, which, just, boom! M: Exploded. Uh, well, we've gotta wrap up
the segment, but we'll ask you, will you stick around for next week?
A: Love to. M: Because we haven't even begun to get to
the Disneyfication of Alan Menken! But can we go out- We have, um...
S: How about "Somewhere That's Green?" A: ♫I know Seymour's the greatest♫
♫But I'm dating a semi-***♫ ♫So I've got a black eye and my arm's in
a cast♫ ♫Still that Seymour's a cutie!♫
♫Well, if not, he's got inner-beauty♫ ♫And I dream of a place♫
♫Where we can be together, at last♫ ♫A matchbox of our own♫
♫A fence of real chainlink♫ ♫A grill out on the patio♫
♫Disposal in the sink♫ ♫A washer and a dryer and an ironing machine♫
♫In a tract house that we share♫ ♫Somewhere that's green...♫
M: Gorgeous.