This is an episode of Inside the Tent, a podcast going behind the scenes of Campside’s award winning shows.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Crimeless: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer in this case includes diamond rings, mansions and velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
It starts in 1996 in rural North Carolina, where an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there.
The show’s host Johnny Knoxville unspools a wild tale about a group of regular folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life.
And this episode of Inside the Tent goes back to the beginning of the show Hillbilly Heist, when Liz and Stewart both found themselves looking for what’s next. Liz’s documentary background and Stewart’s comedy background proved to be the perfect combination for a story that combined true crime and levity.
Layne speaks with the producers about rooting for a character, a desperate person, who committed a serious crime. And they ask whether a ‘would-be assassin’ can be a sweet guy.
That naturally ties back to the unholy trinity of cocaine, hookers and hot tubs - and leads to a story about Knoxville struggling to get through his lines without laughing.
Things turn serious when they discuss how to avoid caricatures and tell a story, even an absurd one, with respect.
And the episode ends with an answer to the age old question: is there such thing as a funny FBI agent?
Listen to Inside the Tent on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us with questions or comments: questions@campsidemedia.com.
We hope to see you inside the tent again soon. Subscribe now for updates on all of Campside’s hit shows.
