In Best In Show, Guest played Harlan Pepper, a solemn, lugubrious outdoorsman from South Carolina who bore an uncanny resemblance to his bloodhound Hubert and possessed a talent so absurd that it's hard to imagine anyone but Guest dreaming it up. In Pepper's words, "I used to be able to name every nut there was. And it used to drive my mother crazy. She would hear me in the other room, and she'd just start yelling. I'd say, 'Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut.' That was the one that would send her into going crazy. She'd say, 'Would you stop namin' nuts!' And Hubert used to be able to make the sound - he couldn't talk, but he'd go 'Rrrawr rrawr' and that sounded like macadamia nut. Pine nut, which is a nut, but it's also the name of a town. Pistachio nut. Red pistachio nut. Natural, all natural white pistachio nut."

UPDATE: The Guardian's transcript of the monologue is abbreviated. Here's the full text (still missing some "awhhm"s as Harlan thinks of perfectly ordinary nuts, according to Bill):

I used to be able to name every nut that there was. And it used to drive my mother crazy, because she used to say, "Harlan Pepper, if you don't stop naming nuts," and the joke was that we lived in Pine Nut, and I think that's what put it in my mind at that point. So she would hear me in the other room, and she'd just start yelling. I'd say, "Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut." That was the one that would send her into going crazy. She'd say, "Would you stop naming nuts!" And Hubert used to be able to make the sound, he couldn't talk, but he'd go "rrrawr rrawr" and that sounded like Macadamia nut. Pine nut, which is a nut, but it's also the name of a town. Pistachio nut. Red pistachio nut. Natural, all natural white pistachio nut.

I have nothing to say except wow! Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest. For some reason I find that news quite pleasing, I guess cause I like them both.
- sally mckay 1-13-2004 8:43 pm

you left out the brief awww and awhhh in between naming nuts as he thinks of the next (none too rare) nut variety.


- bill 1-13-2004 9:22 pm

Of course the pine nut is from the piņon, which is the state tree of New Mexico.
- mark 1-14-2004 2:41 am

sadly i will show my lack of knowledge in html with this posting.

i just read a great article on malcolm gladwell's site
called the naked face. it is only loosely related to this
interview with christopher guest, there is a reference
to conversation and how it sounds. mostly i think i am
posting it cause it is the second great read in as many days
that i have had on the internet.

http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_08_05_a_face.htm

- nanmac (guest) 1-15-2004 5:50 pm

i just bought A Mighty Wind this afternoon at the virgin megastore. they have a fair amount of dvds on sale for $9.99. i noticed that they had ghost dog for $7.99. thought you might be interested to know.
- dave 1-15-2004 10:51 pm

Thanks, I'll take a look.
- tom moody 1-16-2004 2:25 am