History For Weirdos
Episode 150: Art, Ancient Rome, and Androids - The Weird World of Dr Peter Weller
Mon, 14 Apr 2025
Have you ever wondered what RoboCop has in common with Renaissance paintings and ancient Roman orators? In this epic episode of History For Weirdos, your hosts Andrew and Stephanie sit down with the legendary actor, historian, and fellow Weirdo Dr. Peter Weller. From his iconic role as RoboCop to his scholarly passion for Italian Renaissance art, Weller takes listeners on a whirlwind adventure through history, art, and pop culture, proving he’s a true Renaissance man himself. Join us as we explore why Giotto di Bondone isn't just another painter: he's a revolutionary artist whose innovations changed visual storytelling forever. Alongside tales from the set of RoboCop and insights into ancient Rome’s enduring impact on today's world, Weller seamlessly connects the dots between seemingly unrelated topics, revealing a universe where art, history, and science fiction collide. This episode isn't just a conversation, it's a journey through the delightfully strange intersections of human history & creativity. You can get Dr Peter Weller's book, "Leon Battista Alberti" here! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: [email protected] IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos Website: historyforweirdos.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who is Dr. Peter Weller and what makes him a Renaissance man?
Yeah, you're good to go. I want to ask you a question. So you're married? Oh, yes. Okay, Andrew and Stephanie are married.
Yesterday was our eight-year wedding anniversary.
Happy anniversary. Thank you. Now I want to tell you something very interesting about history since we're talking about history.
Chapter 2: What is the significance of Giotto and the Cappella Scrovegni in art history?
Yes.
Okay, there's a piece of art that is really, and I can't overspeak it. You can't. Oversay it. I mean, there's an art historian that came along in the last five, 10 years who said this piece of art is the one piece of art that you can't impugn. And everybody from Rembrandt to Leonardo to Michelangelo to Picasso to Rothko. So they sourced this piece of art, and it's by a guy named Giotto.
G-I-O-T-T-O.
Giotto.
Yeah, Giotto. And he does this chapel that's about 20 meters long.
Okay.
Called the Cappella Scrovegni. Scrovegni, like G-N is pronounced like million in Italian.
Okay.
Like G-L is the same way, yeah. Scrovegni and that Cappella Scrovegni or Scrovegni Chapel or Arena Chapel, and the reason why they call it Arena Chapel in English, because it's right by an old Roman arena in Padova. And Padua is a beautiful city, the second oldest civic university. Oh, I didn't know that. Most universities are part of abbeys, like Oxford and Sorbonne and so forth.
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Chapter 3: How did Peter Weller’s experiences with influential artists and cinematographers shape his passion for art?
You get a kid from a school, from an undergrad program at UCLA, USC, whatever, man. So you've got to pay them $75 a week or $50 a week or whatever the heck it is. But you don't miss the lesson, A, whether you've done the homework or not. You've got to hear that language every week. That's what she said. Don't miss the lesson.
And if you have to go abroad, take your little stupid book and go, excusez-moi, je voudrais le verre d'eau, la, la, la, la, la. Raise your hand and be. And the second thing is you've got to make an ass out of yourself. You have to be willing to make an ass out of yourself. You have to be willing to be because Casey's got a two-year-old, four-year-old.
You've got to be the two-year-old going, mama, scusi, I want.
That's how kids learn.
Yeah, exactly. And that's how you learn a language.
Yeah.
But most adults don't want to be that idiot, right?
Yeah.
Now, the thing is you go to France and do that, which I did. I'd go, scusi, moi, je voudrais. And the waiter would go, oh, my God, man. Yeah. And walk off in Paris. Especially in Paris, yeah. Especially in Paris. In the south of France, they're a little more tolerant. Yes, more patient. But Paris, man. No. Paris has gotten better, I've got to say. Oh, really? Yeah, because they had a meeting.
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Chapter 4: What role does language learning play in Peter Weller’s life and how does he approach it?
But flamenco is jazz, and it's North African jazz, and it's their true machismo. It's not only of the women, but of the men, and the sounds, the dance, the power of it. And it only really starts... And Andalusia at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. I'm not talking about the tourist shit. I'm talking about you go to Cadiz and you see a cat playing. He says, come to me.
Come to this bar at 3 o'clock in the morning. And all of a sudden, man, there's like people get up and start dancing. And you think, they'd get hired anywhere.
Oh, my God.
And they're dancing, man. And they're just like flying. And the guitar player is amazing. You never see him again. No, man, but that's just the power dynamic. And here's what I want to be when I grow up. I'm going to leave you with this.
Okay.
So I go to this festival, and they say you'll never get a place to stay. You'll never get a place to stay. The Sevilla, the Sevillanos have their own clique, and you can't get in any tents unless you're a Sevillanos. You can't see any of the stuff unless you're a Sevillano. You can't do anything. It's like truly a festival of flamenco that is Serrano. But I go anyway, man. I drive down there.
I pull up in front of the Alfonso Tracy, the biggest hotel. I park my car on a sidewalk. I don't care if it's towed. I run in, and there's El Spataco going in there. And people ask for an autograph. I got my little Michelin guide thing, right? He signs my thing, right? And I go over to the concierge and I go, look, I got to get a room.
They go, oh, man, Weller, yes, you've sent us a thousand faxes, man. We got no rooms. I go, listen, I'll pay you cash. I'll pay you anything. And this one guy says, come over here. He says, we have a four-major, massive hotel in a basement. It's got one 10-foot high window that looks right even with the garden. So if you open it up, bumblebees will fly in. Oh, my gosh.
But it's got no air conditioning and no heat. But it's for the maids, but the maids don't stay here anymore. The rest of the things are taken for storage. It's got one cot and a sink. Bathroom at the end of the hall. I'll show it to you. I go down, man, it's got a cot half this big. The whole place is about from me to you. Oh my gosh. But it's got a sink, but this fantastic window.
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