People would love this." So he goes to Monaco and he makes a deal with Cousteau. And he goes down to look at Calypso . And Calypso is just a hardworking little research ship at this point, and Wolper says this thing looks terrible, you know. You're going to have to paint it. I don't want divers in black costumes. I want divers in silver costumes with yellow helmets. I want -- you know, and so Wolper turns Cousteau
He's drinking. They're bringing him food. He's listening to calypso and reggae music there. And he realizes, this is a pretty sweet setup for someone who's on vacation.
It's as famous as Endeavor, or Challenger or any of the great ocean exploration boats. The little ship called Calypso . I'm assuming that most of you have Cousteau familiarity of some kind. It's remarkable for me to have experienced thousands of people's stories about Jacques Cousteau. And when I would bring -- one the indulgences you have to have when you know writers is that the writers don't
I mean, these things were completely unheard of. His first song was called "Calypso Rock." Because as I said, America believed that rock and roll was this five-minute thing.
I mean, these things were completely unheard of. So he wrote a song called "Calypso Rock." And then he wrote a song called, "Hello, Little Girl." And Paul, at the same time, and this
He often is on various golden things, golden scooters, golden bicycles, golden transport. We go down to a beach where Calypso is and wants to keep you forever.
The book for it was ghost written by a guy named James Dugan. After that Cousteau was chartering Calypso out to oil companies to do oil exploration which was much more efficient with scuba diving than it was with hardhat diving. And so ironically, very deliciously ironically, Jacques Cousteau really began as a pioneer in oil exploration 25 years before he became a famous environmentalist.
And when I was saying maybe, I went to France. I said I want to go look at where this guy was born; I want to find Calypso . I had no idea where Calypso was. So I went to his village in Saint André de Cubzac, saw his grave; I saw the place he was born. I went on a train north a couple of hours to La Rochelle where I heard Calypso was.
Donc là c'est encore un peu secret mais dès qu'on a validé ça, on va pouvoir avoir une meilleure idée du bateau et ça va ressembler peut-être un peu plus à la Calypso de Cousteau justement, et avoir un peu plus de place pour vraiment faire la démonstration des machines.
I mean, these things were completely unheard of. And the next fad was going to be calypso music.
And he was in charge of the French Undersea Naval Research Group, and they had a boat, a ship, a little ship, actually. And then he found a way to buy Calypso which was a converted minesweeper that he then turned into one of the most famous boats that ever sailed. It's as famous as Endeavor, or Challenger or any of the great ocean exploration boats.
We're just the product of our environment, you know I mean? We grew up listening to hip hop, reggae, calypso . So for us, hip hop is about expressing yourself.
So that's where I started out. And I worked with Jacques Cousteau, made some programs with him on Calypso . Hans Hass, a very famous underwater diver of the '50s and '60s, I knew him and all that.
I had no idea where Calypso was. So I went to his village in Saint André de Cubzac, saw his grave; I saw the place he was born. I went on a train north a couple of hours to La Rochelle where I heard Calypso was. And I found Calyspo, and she was sitting there rotting on a dock, held together by canvas straps. And when I saw --
when I saw Cousteau's grave and I saw his birthplace and all that, it wasn't quite enough. I had one foot in the story then. But when I saw Calypso , I thought, you know, something's not right here. And to me as a journalist, as a writer, that's what I was looking for in his story. So it was really seeing Calypso rotting at the dock. Which incidentally, Francine, Cousteau's widow,
I had one foot in the story then. But when I saw Calypso , I thought, you know, something's not right here. And to me as a journalist, as a writer, that's what I was looking for in his story. So it was really seeing Calypso rotting at the dock. Which incidentally, Francine, Cousteau's widow, who inherited everything was in a ten-year legal battle with Jean-Michel for control of Calypso . Now Calypso has been, is being renovated at
what I was looking for in his story. So it was really seeing Calypso rotting at the dock. Which incidentally, Francine, Cousteau's widow, who inherited everything was in a ten-year legal battle with Jean-Michel for control of Calypso . Now Calypso has been, is being renovated at a shipyard in Brittany with a grant from Carnival Cruise Lines of all people.
Anybody else? Yes? Yeah, he renounced it except for the chef on Calypso . The chef could spear fish when they were on expeditions.
Donc c'est ce que l'on a voulu faire pour le recyclage plastique, pas sur un avion puisque du coup on s'occupe de l'océan, mais donc du coup sur un bateau, un bateau un peu particulier, une sorte de Calypso , pour ceux qui se rappellent la Calypso de Cousteau qui, du coup, va être une sorte d'ambassadeur de tous ces systèmes de recyclage et qui va être le démonstrateur d'un centre type
I mean, these things were completely unheard of. So if you read "Billboard" or "Cashbox" or "Variety" of 1957, you'll read, calypso is the coming thing.
He often is on various golden things, golden scooters, golden bicycles, golden transport. So again, this is one of those things, you know, you're four and a half hours in, and your back is to the water, and you're facing Calypso .
room and he said, "You know, the television looks like an aquarium. People would love this." So he goes to Monaco and he makes a deal with Cousteau. And he goes down to look at Calypso . And Calypso is just a hardworking little research ship at this point, and Wolper says this thing looks terrible, you know. You're going to have to paint it.
You know that how the wisdom of that, right? I mean before you get involved in something that is going to occupy your life for 2 to 5 years, you say maybe. And when I was saying maybe, I went to France. I said I want to go look at where this guy was born; I want to find Calypso . I had no idea where Calypso was. So I went to his village in Saint André de Cubzac, saw his grave; I saw the place he was born.
So it was amazing to be walking on the trail between scenes and hear people talking to each other and asking each other questions, audience members who maybe didn't come together and maybe didn't know each other, and then little kids chiming in and giving more information about, no, no, no, that was Circe and that's Calypso . So that's pretty special, that parents get to bring their kids.
I went on a train north a couple of hours to La Rochelle where I heard Calypso was. And I found Calyspo, and she was sitting there rotting on a dock, held together by canvas straps. And when I saw -- when I saw Cousteau's grave and I saw his birthplace and all that, it wasn't quite enough.