Matthew McConaughey interview

[archer6749]

While it doesn't directly link to The Wolf of Wall Street, I did find a radio interview where Matt talks about him beating on his chest and humming. It starts at 4:49 on the link below. I also copied and pasted the transcript of that particular part on here as well

news.wpr.org/post/matthew-mcconaughey-getting-serious-again-0

"GROSS: So I just want to explain, you're at a studio in New York, and I'm at a studio in Philadelphia. So we're not in the same room. And when my engineer turned on your mic, you couldn't hear me yet, but I could hear you. And what you were doing was...

(LAUGHTER)

GROSS: ...kind of singing, chanting. Part of it was like a meow, meow, meow, meow. And then you were doing this other thing. What was that about?

MCCONAUGHEY: Oh, I was - it was a couple things. It was - I was sort of banging on my belly and chest and humming and (makes noises). And it's something I do kind of, one, to get the voice going, which is good for radio and these wonderful mics you guys have.

GROSS: Oh, yeah, so that's - yeah.

MCCONAUGHEY: Also, rhythmically, it loosens me up. It relaxes me. And you know third is? You always - you used to have it. I don't know if you all have it anymore. There was a musician, Ali Farka Toure, and he used to be the segue, or maybe he still is in places.

(SOUNDBITE OF HUMMING)

MCCONAUGHEY: It's from a song "I Do," a great song off of "Talking Timbuktu" that he worked on with Ry Cooder. And I actually went and met that man, and he's the reason I went to Africa. I found him in a little town called Niafunke on the Niger River. And he has since passed away, I think, a few years back. But that was always - that's where a bit of that chest beating, humming comes from. And it's a little call out to Ali, as well.

GROSS: Huh. So do you do that on a set to warm up your voice and kind of get in the rhythmic spirit? Yeah.

MCCONAUGHEY: It's a rhythm thing. It's a rhythm thing. It sort of, you know, takes the periods and turns them into commas for me. So it's - and I'm a - music and sound is very important to me, and it relaxes me, and it sort of - there's also something relaxing about someone going what in the hell's he doing, you know.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCONAUGHEY: And I'm look good, I got one on you. You're not sure what I'm doing. OK, we're free. But it's very good for the instrument. It's very good for the acting instrument, too. (unintelligible).

GROSS: So can you do it one more time?

(SOUNDBITE OF HUMMING)

GROSS: So that's your chest you're playing?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yeah.

GROSS: It sounds like you could work McConaughey into that chant.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCONAUGHEY: Yeah, you could work - it's got the right amount of syllables."

[will]

thanks. well, if it weren't evident before, it's clear now that it was an improvisational moment from McConaughey. Not sure it fits the character he's playing, the way I remember him from the script.

[arnzilla]

[nas78]

True fact.

I was out for a coffee with 2 buddies and i was talking them about TWOWS. (They didn`t see it).
And at some point i started doing ''The McC thing'' beating my chest and making noises. It was fun...
And i saw a couple of heads turning and their faces were like...''What the fuck this idiot doing''...

[nas78]

McC on Leno (The chest beating thing has now become legendary)...
www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/matthew-mcconaughey-on-the-wolf-of-wall-street/n45892#i141411,p4