Pitchin’ Movies With The Sound Off Ep. 1: “How Gerald Died” (The Leo Sayer Biopic Nobody Asked For)
Description
Welcome to the premiere episode of Pitchin’ Movies With The Sound Off, where hosts Marcus and Tra$h Dog do what Hollywood would never dare — pitch a movie about someone they barely know, based entirely on a YouTube video filmed in a basement.
This week’s cinematic masterpiece: How Gerald Died, the totally real and completely unnecessary biopic of Leo Sayer, the blue-eyed king of soul you might only know from An Extremely Goofy Movie.
Expect chaotic “research,” questionable casting, and a full-blown cinematic universe that starts (and probably ends) right here.
🎬 In This Episode
The heroic fire rescue that starts it all
Casting Hugh Grant, Jesse Eisenberg, and Joe Keery in roles they didn’t ask for
The “Beatles Scene” that could get us sued
Clown symbolism, character deaths, and unearned emotional payoffs
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Early access, shoutouts, and behind-the-scenes chaos await our patrons.
🔖 Episode Chapters
00:00:00 Intro: “We did ourselves dirty”
00:00:18 The “elevator pitch” (and why it won’t be short)
00:00:36 Theme sting: “Mr. Boom, sound off”
00:00:48 “We’re rolling… but not really”
00:01:04 How the show will actually start
00:01:19 Welcome to Pitchin’ Movies With The Sound Off
00:02:01 Accountability, three cameras, and backyard chaos
00:02:16 The handshake: holding each other to the project
00:02:39 Why Episode 1 is hard (live research)
00:03:15 What this show does (and maybe with guests)
00:03:57 Hotline joke and bit
00:04:07 The movie: a Leo Sayer biopic
00:04:35 Songs we know (“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “I Can Dance”)
00:05:12 Stop addressing camera → into story mode
00:06:59 Discovery by David Courtney & Adam Faith
00:08:12 Wikipedia and donations riff
00:10:01 Cameos & a music-universe idea (Beatles?)
00:12:17 Opening image of the film: the fire
00:13:03 Budget note for the explosion
00:14:01 Period piece vibes (1968)
00:15:10 Tone: thriller/dramedy structure
00:15:25 Favorite Goose (band) tangent
00:17:28 Where “Leo” comes from (name bit)
00:18:10 First flash-forward: studio with Daltrey
00:19:11 Metaphor: “Gerald” dies in the blast
00:20:07 “Sleazy” Courtney bit + disclaimer rule
00:22:02 Title locked: How Gerald Died
00:22:36 AD BREAK — TotallyRealBands.com (merch walkthrough)
00:24:58 Back to show; restating title & tone
00:26:11 Opening credits plan + “Give It All Away”
00:27:25 Roger walks in; accent soup
00:28:05 Casting Roger Daltrey → Hugh Grant
00:29:12 Clarifying: Leo Sayer is the subject
00:32:17 Casting Leo Sayer → Jesse Eisenberg
00:33:23 Setting the studio scene (three guys)
00:36:25 “Gerald doesn’t sell”—the name change
00:37:03 Internal monologue/narration idea
00:37:25 Back to the blaze; media montage concept
00:38:46 Rise montage → hits & stubble era
00:40:09 Beatles gag (all in unison)
00:41:41 Into the flames: saving residents
00:42:14 Pivot to the most important reveal
00:43:19 Adam Faith twist (supportive → smarmy)
00:44:32 The clown performance seed
00:45:18 Where the ending image comes from
00:46:08 Theme: once a hero, forever chasing it
00:47:06 Goofy Movie, finances, and managers
00:48:15 Casting Adam Faith → Joe Keery
00:50:07 Love interests: Janice & Donatella
00:52:02 Mistress casting vibe (Donna Pinciotti type)
00:52:36 Muppets beat → embracing the bit
00:53:10 Resolution shape
00:54:17 Budget/FX for the opener
00:55:14 Outro sting



