Runboard.com
Слава Україні!

runboard.com       Register for a free global Runboard account (help) | Log in with: (), Runboard globally (lost password?)

 
josechung Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

The Ultimate
BGM Detective


Joined: 12-2006
Post Count: 1173
Reply | Quote
Conall and Larry Barr interview


Canadian Conall Barr was in episode 12 of Takeshi’s Castle. He later appeared in episode 41 and brought along a friend to participate, his father Larry. Mr. Conall and Larry Barr were kind enough to take time out of their schedules and talk to me about their memories of Takeshi’s Castle.

Joshua M: Why were you in Japan at the time?

Conall: Well I was on a swimming scholarship to swim for a university over there. In about 1982 I went over there and was in a language program at first and then I entered the commerce program with the Japanese students. So, I was studying Commerce in Japanese, with the Japanese students by then. So, when I was on Takeshi’s Castle for the first time I was just about to graduate.

Joshua M: How did you end up on Takeshi’s Castle?

Conall: I worked for a production company. I did a lot of work for TBS and NHK which were two of the big broadcasting stations. So, I would do English teaching on TV sometimes. I did a few movies of the week for TBS. I would go out there and do extra work. Occasionally I would have lines but it depended on what they were filming. Takeshi’s Castle was one of the programs they were running. It was quite new, No one really knew much about it, and even though I was in episode 12, we really hadn’t seen much of it on TV yet. It was just becoming popular around and people were starting to talk about it but we didn’t really know what we were getting into until we got there.

Joshua M: What do you remember about getting on the set for the first time?

Conall: I’d been to TBS studios before and they were out in the countryside. They have this big building next to this big field. We met in a big Gymnasium. We were divided into groups. That may have been the second one

Larry: Yeah it was

Conall: We all met in this great big room. I know in one of the episodes I did a Log Roll game.

Joshua M: How did you do on the Log Roll?

Conall: Well what was fun was watching all the Japanese contestants do it and the logic they had vs the logic I had was interesting. I thought it made sense to try to stand on top of the round logs that might spin. The rolling pins were like 4-foot round and had to run over about 4 of them to get to the other side. So, I figured having watched some log rolling before that the log rollers always stood on top of the logs. I watched the Japanese try and they would touch the side of it and then it would spin and they would fly off into the water. So, because my legs were longer than theirs and because I was standing on top, it was just a hop, skip, jump to the other side. They didn’t even spin. It was quite fun. They interviewed me after and asked how I did so well and I said “My Father was a Logger and they do Log Rolling”. I didn’t want to go into a long explanation because I knew the people watching didn’t speak Japanese so I kept it brief.

Joshua M: Did you get eliminated later on?

Conall: I got eliminated in the first one. I don’t think there was an elimination in the episode 41. We were each on a team and we did all did certain challenges. In 12 I got purposely eliminated. In that one we had to scale a wall and slide down on the other side. Those who made it over had to wear hats with thin rice-paper targets on them, like how a miners Lamp sticks up in front, and hidden in the bunkers of this hill were Takeshi’s Army and they would shoot water guns at you and try to disintegrate the paper. So, you had to run really quick and zig-zag around the water spouts shooting at you. I just sprinted as fast as I could and went right past the bunkers and up the hill and just watched everyone else get sprayed but as I scaled that wall I met a German girl that I kind of liked. I saw that her target got washed out and I knew that If I went on I would never get to meet her. So, I ran back into the field and ran around till my target got washed out. So, we both got eliminated and had to go back to the studio together. We dated for a while.

Joshua: Lucky and smart.

Conall: Well I probably would have been eliminated anyway later on and if that happened I would lose both the show and the chance to meet her.

Joshua: Do you remember the weather on either day.

Conall: I don’t think we did it in the rain. I remember there was a lot of mud but that’s just because I think they put water down. I don’t really remember.

Joshua: Chuck Wilson was in both episodes you were in. Had you met Chuck Wilson before then?

Conall: Yes, I had because he does a lot of TV. The Japanese have the tendency to stick to the same kind of host throughout everything. I didn’t really sit down and chat with him. I do remember him having a sword at one point and yelling stuff but I wasn’t too interested in trying to meet him. I was trying to have fun with the Game

Joshua: Larry how did you end up on the show.

Larry: I had retired and I was visiting Conall in Japan. I stayed in Japan for about a month with him and while I was there he asked me if I wanted to go with him to one of these game shows. I don’t remember doing everything. I remember watching a lot of the games from the sidelines. I remember in the beginning being in a field and we were lined up. Our lineup was the Gaijins, the Foreigners. I remember seeing some samurai walking near us. There were a lot of people there. I remember going down a hill and you had to go into a compound and try to grab an apple hanging from a string in your mouth. That seemed really easy but then they put an Innertube around us so we couldn’t use our hands. That was one of the things I remember.

Joshua: Did they not provide an interpreter for you?

Larry: (Laughs) Well Conall was my interpreter.

Joshua: Did they give you any food other than the aforementioned apple?

Conall: At the end, they had a table with a bunch of sweat suits we all got to wear. I think there may have been snacks in there.

Larry: There was something but I don’t remember exactly what it was. There was a big cardboard box full of running shoes. We were allowed to pick shoes but none of them fit our feet. We all got bright red tracksuits. I also remember watching Conall doing the Log Rolling but I didn’t take part in that one. I just told him to jump far to reach it.

Joshua: Were you or anyone hurt?

Larry: Oh No I wasn’t Hurt. I don’t remember seeing anyone get hurt. I remember seeing people run through a maze with doors and they had to go through these rooms and if you chose wrong you got thrown into the water. I remember seeing people getting tossed into the water.

Joshua: Did you get to talk to any of the other Gaijin Contestants (Dave Spector, Kent Derricott, Ada Mauro, Etc.?)

Larry: I was introduced but I don’t remember any conversation.

Conall: I have a Kent Derricott story if you want to hear.

Joshua: Absolutely.

Conall: It may not have been on Takeshi’s Castle but when I first met him he introduced himself saying “Hi I’m Kent Derricott” and I thought “Who”? He looked at me in a weird way and then I remembered oh “Kento Derikatto”. We didn’t know his actual last name we only knew him as “Derikatto” because I had only heard his name on TV. I’d never heard anyone say the actual pronunciation of his name. He thought it was hilarious and we sat there and laughed at how to pronounce his name.

Joshua: I had a friend who was in Japan and when he was saying “Sumo” no one knew what he was talking about until he pronounced it “Su-mo”.

Conall: Yeah, it’s interesting how a slight variation of a word just gets lost. Then you get corrected and think, “well isn’t that the same?” Not to them.

Joshua: Us Westerners. Did you get to meet any of the cast and crew of Takeshi’s Castle?

Conall: We didn’t really meet them. We may have seen them. There were so many people that we didn’t really get to converse with them. I have met a lot of them on separate shows during make up sessions and things like that.

Joshua: Do you remember how long shooting on Takeshi’s Castle took

Conall: On the one where I was eliminated early It was about 3 hours because you kind of mull around in between.

Joshua: Were you on any other Game Shows in Japan?

Conall: I appeared on The Japanese version of To Tell the Truth, the show where 3 people claim to be one person but only one of them is telling the truth. I was an impostor and I pretended to be a sky-diver. We were all in a back room and the real sky-diver gave us as much information as he could about sky-diving and then we had to face a panel of 4 famous people. I was on a couple others but that one stood out because I actually fooled them into thinking I was the real sky-diver.

Joshua: Do you remember what prize you got for winning?

Conall: Oh, we didn’t get a prize, I think they went to the famous people. We were just given our stipend and then we went on.

Joshua: On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate the experience.

Conall: It was a fun experience. Because there was a lot of standing around involved I would say 9. It was just good old fun. Plus, I could study for my exams on my down time.

Larry: I remember thinking how silly it was. I thought it wouldn’t go over really well in Canada or the States. I’ve seen it since then though. I would say a 6.

Joshua: Thank you for your time gentleman

Conall: It’s been fun reminiscing.

Larry: Thank you Josh.

This interview may not be posted outside KeshiHeads or Keshi Kingdom without expressed written consent from myself. Thank you for reading and thank you to Conall and Larry Barr for sharing their memories.


---
notundercovercop.
I found the BGMS for
Catch It
Rat Race
Extinction
Avalanche
Cheese berry hill
Corn cob trip
Roll the dice
End Bell
Dominoes
Bite the bun
21/Jun/17, 1:28 am Link to this post    PM josechung
 
General Jonnie Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info



Joined: 08-2005
Post Count: 3478
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


Great to read someone met their girl friend on the set of Takeshi's Castle...good way to start a relationship!

That "To Tell the Truth" show Conall was talking about sounds like Would I Lie To You? from the UK.

6 out of 10 is the lowest score we've had from an interviewed contestant so far!

Massive thanks for another great interview.

---
Handsome Herbert
21/Jun/17, 8:25 am Link to this post    PM General Jonnie
 
Messup434 Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Administrator

Joined: 12-2014
Post Count: 13000
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


If he means what I think, Bite the Bun was episode 41's elimination.

There's always something in these interviews that makes me go "Really?!" and this time, it's the date. Good for them emoticon Glad they stayed off some particular games!

Also interesting that (if accurate) you have to walk down a hill to reach Bite the Bun!

Quote:

6 out of 10 is the lowest score we've had from an interviewed contestant so far!



That says something about how fun the show must have been to tape! I guess the main reason that he gave a lower score is that he wasn't too into that type of thing.

Thank you for the interview and using my question josechung emoticon
21/Jun/17, 12:32 pm Link to this post    PM Messup434
 
DuffDan Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Admin


Joined: 07-2003
Post Count: 27121
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


That has to be the most unusual reason to have been eliminated in Slipped Disks of all time emoticon
22/Jun/17, 4:22 pm Link to this post    PM DuffDan
 
miamigirl Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Traveling the World

Joined: 02-2015
Post Count: 1102
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


Is that right? He has quit Takeishi Castle for romance? Is that good?

I overall am impressed with both the interviewer and the subjects. Can you interview the captain in the Vietnam remake show next time?
23/Jun/17, 1:50 pm Link to this post    PM miamigirl
 
Messup434 Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Administrator

Joined: 12-2014
Post Count: 13000
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


 emoticon

The captain only took part in the castle and was only the guest for one episode so doubt we'll get that interview. She's probably busy anyway as she's an acyor.!
24/Jun/17, 2:34 am Link to this post    PM Messup434
 
DuffDan Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Admin


Joined: 07-2003
Post Count: 27121
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


I think miamigirl means the Vietnamese Shahkrit!
25/Jun/17, 4:23 pm Link to this post    PM DuffDan
 
Messup434 Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Administrator

Joined: 12-2014
Post Count: 13000
Reply | Quote
Re: Conall and Larry Barr interview


I know; I thought that first but she said she means the episode 7 guest
25/Jun/17, 4:27 pm Link to this post    PM Messup434
 


Reply





You are not logged in (Login)
web
analytics