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[Laughs] That was quite a moment of extreme hypocrisy by me!
That happened withLandOf The Deadas well, that was just complete serendipity.
And he said okay.
So, that was that!
Im managing to pick off my favourites.
How about a Coen Brothers movie…?!
Well pass that on!
Was that really how it panned out for you?
The whole thing was a learning experience.
If I start talking about my adventures in L.A., its a bit so what?
Its like talking about a party that the reader didnt go to.
Its kind of boring.
I realised that the childhood stuff was a little bit more engaging, and a little bit more insightful.
I also came to appreciate the fact that it was okay if I was disseminating the information.
What I dont like is having to talk to journalists who use it for their own ends.
You let them in and suddenly you want to take pictures of your kids and stuff.
And I find that really invasive.
The earring and the quiff, right?
Oh man, what a look!
If anything, the book struck me as a chronicle of small, influential moments.
Is that how you see it too?
Thats the way I found my way into it.
These little moments have had a massive influence.
Yet, everyone has moments in their childhood that stay with them, and influence their behaviour.
And thats, for me, a more intriguing route to take.
And yet you dont stop.
Yeah, I leap forward because you have to see these little things in context.
Spacedis obviously something Im very, very proud of.
It means a lot to me.
It was the first thing I wrote with Jess, so it has enormous significance.
There are lots of moments that were reflecting those interests that I had.
One question about the show, though.
Did you get the feeling that it was really something special?
We didnt know just how far it would go.
We didnt know wed be doing commentaries on it with Quentin Tarantino.
We certainly knew that it felt fresh, and it felt good, and confident.
If you try and appeal to the mainstream, you generally end up appealing to no one.
And thats what happened.
And yet writing an autobiography is surely one of the most introspective and lonely things you could do?
It is, very much so.
It is just you.
It was a new process for me, it helped me shape it and stuff.
I wasnt totally alone.
I felt like I had a support web connection, which was great.
I know what you mean.
I couldnt tell a joke over the table to Nick, and then spend a few hours in HMV.
I had to get on with it.
Is that as valuable a lesson as youve picked up?
Ive been a film student, Ive done the theory.
Its the sort of stuff that stays with you.
And Ive certainly tried to channel that into my writing and filmmaking.
And you’re able to see it in the films of others as well.
That seemed to open up a lot of ways of thinking for you?
You get a much more gratifying sense of inclusion.
A lot of the time inSpaced, wed give people the set-up, but not the punchline.
And theyd have to get the punchline by putting it together.
It makes you feel included, and that youre not being taken for a dummy.
Whereas a lot of your earlier work in amateur theatre and stand-up comedy, you had an instant response?
Yeah, I used to hope the audience would get the punchline before you tell it.
You didnt have to say the punchline.
That was always really nice.
You talk as well about the stuff you did in amateur dramatics.
You seemed to have a real wide-eyed love of it.
Do you have any yearning to go back to stage at any point and go full circle?
Id like to do theatre again.
That was something that was very dear to me at the time.
Just the theatre side would be nice, though.
They were inspiring people to be around, really.
Whats she watching at the moment?
She very much got intoBeing Human, and shes gone off radar into Americas bloody Top Model or something!
I cant remember what it was she was watching!
Its notAmericans Top Model, its somethingCatwalk!
Shes always been very good with US TV import stuff.
The union of you, Nick and Greg has been a long time in the making, though.
I made a poster of it, spitballing it back, the whole idea.
And we did this fake movie pitch beingPaul.
I ended up drawing a poster, which is now on my pinboard.
And its been seven years.
Then Edgar [Wright] went off to doScott Pilgrim, and he hadAnt-Manon the cards as well.
And he said, Why dont you and Nick do Paul?
So, Nick and I went off and wrote it.
Its actually worth it.
Its seven weeks from being locked now, its all very exciting.
Im really looking forward to it.
I saw it the other night, a rough cut, and its pretty looking pretty great.
Im very, very happy with it.
Its a great movie.
The other is Steven SpielbergsTin Tinmovie.Tin Tinyou describe in the book as yourJimll Fix Itmoment.
Presumably you had that moment with Spielberg too?
And I said, Yeah, of course.
So, they said, Can we get someone else?, and I immediately said, Nick Frost.
And Steven said, Oh, yeah.
Because its performance capture, and it doesnt matter how we look in the real world.
And that was it.
Me and Nick went on set last January and had a great time.
Working with Steven was genuinely thrilling, because hes such an easy going and amazing creator.
I have to quickly do the predictable questions.
you could do one-line answers, if that helps!
Number one, the third film with Edgar.
Any timeline on it yet?
We just need to get in a room together, thats all.
Hes in L.A. at the moment, and Im filmingMission: Impossible4.
Im glad you mentionedM:I:4.
Can you tell us anything of how your role evolves this time around?
Youll have to see!
[laughs]
Start date forStar Trek?
Star Trekis probably starting… Im hearing rumours of summer next year for starting it.
Thats the farting dog, isnt it?
[Laughs] It had a talking penis as well!
You should have putFlesh Gordonin there too, and finished off the double bill!
Yeah, that would have been great!
[Laughs]
Simon Pegg, thank you very much.
Nerd Do Well is published by Century, and is available now.
