To conclude our discussion of Invader Zim, we have another special
interview! This time is actor/voice actor/Batman fan Wally Wingert. In
Invader Zim, he was the voice of Allmighty Tallest Red, one of the
leaders from the planet Irk. Wingert has voiced in many TV shows, cartoons, and
video games such as Jon Arbuckle in The Garfield Show, The Riddler in
the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, the
announcer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, over 100 small roles in
Family Guy, and more.
Kevin and I had the opportunity to interview Wally so I hope you enjoy
it.
Patricia- Who were your influences growing up?
Wally- Definitely Adam West in Batman. Also Don Messick, Daws Butler, Howard
Morris, and many other voice actors. Can cartoon characters be influences? If
so, Popeye for sure. I also drew great inspiration from Henry Winkler and Paul
Michael Glaser.
Kevin- Who are your favorite cartoon characters?
Wally- I think my first word was “Pipe-eye.” (As a babe I became a huge Popeye fan)
I also loved The Archies, Groovie Ghoulies, The Impossibles, Space Ghost,
Frankenstein Jr., Roger Ramjet, Jungle Book, and more.
Patricia- How did you get started on voicing acting?
Wally- I started as a radio DJ when I was 16. I had always loved doing voices
and playing radio at home, but now that I had a public forum on the AM radio
waves. I would write bits using some of my characters and impressions, and
interweave them into my radio shows. It was great training!
Kevin- How did you get the part on Allmighty Tallest Red?
Wally- As I recall I went into Nickelodeon to read for a variety of characters for
Casting Director Donna Grillo. Apparently I was the second choice for Red and
got the role when the guy who was the first choice decided to move out of the
L.A. area. Lucky me!
Kevin- What was it like working with the cast of Invader Zim?
Wally- It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had! Richard Horvitz and I had
previously worked together on a series of Popeye CD-Roms and had a
great time. So we went into it with a lot of our own inside jokes. But then
getting to work with the great Kevin McDonald, and of course working under
Jhonen were also real treats!
Patricia- How did you get to be Jon Arbuckle in the new Garfield show?
Wally- There were auditions for a new Garfield CGI direct-to-DVD film that
was in the works, and I think I auditioned for every character other than
Garfield, Jon and Odie. But unlike other auditions, which are just recorded on
audio files, they had a video camera running at this session. I guess Mr. Jim
Davis saw something in me on-camera that gave him the impression that I would
make a good Jon. (I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult come to think
of it.:) I guess I had the same dorky sensibilities that Jon does. And for that
I’m eternally grateful.
Kevin- Did you speak to Tom Huge about voicing Jon Arbuckle before starting
on voicing for the Garfield cartoon?
Wally- No, but I asked the director Mark A.Z. Dippe if I should watch old
Garfield cartoons and try to approximate what Tom did. He said it wasn’t
necessary, so I just basically copped the same attitude and voice I used when I
talked to my own dog and cat.
Patricia- Who is your favorite Batman villain?
Wally- Whyyyyy….The Riddler… of course!
Patricia- What is your favorite/least favorite Batman show, both live action
and animated?
Wally- Without a doubt my absolute favorite is the 1966 Batman TV series
starring Adam West and Burt Ward, followed closely by the animated series from
the early 90’s. My least favorite would be the current Dark Knight
series of films.
Patricia- What is your favorite/least favorite Batman movie?
Wally- My favorite Batman film is the 1966 feature film based on the TV
series, followed closely by the film Val Kilmer was in. My least favorite was
Batman Begins.
Patricia- What was it like voicing the Riddler on Batman: Arkham
Asylum and Arkham City?
Wally- It was an absolute dream come true! To be in the history books as
anything related to Batman was a lifelong fantasy fulfilled! And it’s always fun
to work with the amazing Collette Sunderman!
Kevin- What Batman action figures do you have?
Wally- I have many of the old Mego figures, with the actual cloth clothes. I
wasn’t so much a fan of the 3” plastic figures. I like action figures that have
actual fabric costumes. I used to adore the old Captain Action line!
Kevin- You did the documentary for the show Groovie Ghoulies. Who is
your favorite characters and why?
Wally- I like Frankie best, because he’s just so darn cuddly and loveable!
(And a little bit slow)
Kevin- What it is about Groovie Ghoulies that you liked? As a kid,
that show was everything I wanted in a Saturday morning cartoon. It was
animation, monsters and rock and roll! All balled up into one!
Wally- Did you see the Daffy Duck and Porky Pig meets the Groovie
Ghoulies? Yeah, I saw a bootleg of it awhile back. It was…uh…odd.
Patricia- What is it like doing the voice announcement for The Jay Leno
Show?
Wally- After two years of announcing The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,
it’s still a gigantic thrill! Just as much today as it was the day I started!
It’s a great group of professionals and I’m proud to be on the staff with
them.
Patricia- How is Jay like in person?
Wally- Imagine the coolest guy you’ve ever known, and then times it by 1000.
He’s one of the most famous people I’ve ever met (known worldwide!) but yet one
of the most down-to-earth and likeable. If the world was more like Jay, the
world would be a better place.
Kevin- What was it like being the alien in Can of Worms?
Wally- Since it was one of my first big VO jobs, it was a real thrill. In
fact, I just bought an original conceptual sketch of the Loafer Alien on eBay
recently and had it framed.
Patricia- What's it like voicing over 100 characters on Family Guy?
Wally- It’s almost as fun as being one of the regular characters. In some
episodes I was 4 or 5 different characters. And you can always count on the
crazy writers of Family Guy to come up with wacky and challenging
characters to voice!
Patricia- What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a voice
actor?
Wally- First and foremost, become a REALLY good actor. Voice acting at its
core is acting, but with your voice. You must have acting chops to be good in
this business, but so many people believe it’s simply all about the voice. True,
you need a good instrument. But you need talent behind it to drive it
properly.
Patricia- Do you have to take frequent breaks to rest your voice?
Wally- Since I’ve started working on The Tonight Show, I’ve had to
pass on any videogame jobs that require vocally stressful work. Other than that,
I don’t take any conscious voice breaks.
Patricia- How is it that you became a versatile voice actor?
I realized the key to success in any acting venue is versatility. That goes
for on-camera as well as voice acting. I aspire to be the voice acting version
of Lon Chaney. He had so many great characters, all diverse. I figured that if I
can come close to what he did with my voice, I’d be very satisfied.
Kevin- What are your favorite Nickelodeon shows?
Wally- I’m not currently familiar with many TV shows on any channel.
Patricia- You voiced a lot of video games as well. Do you play video games?
If so, what are your favorites?
Wally- I lack the fundamental hand-to-eye coordination necessary for
successful videogame play. But I love watching others play!
Patricia- When you walk down the street, do people notice you and compliment
on your work?
Wally- One of the things about the voice acting world is that it’s fairly
anonymous. That can be good and bad. Once in a great while I’ll get recognized,
but it’s very rare. Of course that all changes when I go to a convention,
because con folks are a little more hip and enlightened than your average
person-on-the-street.
Patricia- Alright then. Wally, thank you so much for taking the time to
interview us.
Wally- Thank you! Cheers!
To know more about Wally Wingert, check out his website at wallywingert.com.
That’s all for now. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Thanks for
reading.
When 2000 arrived, none of the newer shows impressed me. It didn't have the
same charm that the shows from the 90's had. But one show from 2001 brought me
back watching Nickelodeon again with its interesting concept, dark humor, and
memorable characters. That show was Invader Zim.
The show is about an alien from Planet Irk named Zim who is determined to be
a great invader and make the leaders of the planet, The Almighty Tallest, proud.
The problem is that he's very cocky, unaware, and a bit of a moron. The Almighty
Tallest decide to send him on a "secret mission" to an unknown planet. Zim
accepts not knowing the false mission he was giving. Zim is giving a very broken
dim-witted robot named GIR to assist him with his "mission" and they head over
to the unknown planet. They finally arrive on Earth, disguise themselves as a
human and dog, go to school, and try to learn everything about the planet long
enough to learn its weaknesses.
Along the way, one human is able to recognize that Zim is not a human, but an
alien. The human is a young boy named Dib. He's a paranormal expert who is
extremely obsessive about ghosts, Bigfoot, and aliens. He wants to capture Zim
so that he can be a hero on Earth and not crazy like everyone thinks he is. Most
of his plans fail, but Zim's plan of conquering Earth also fail over and over
again. It's always exciting to see them go against each other.
The show was created by Jhonen Vasquez, the author of Johnny: The
Homicidal Maniac, Squee, I Feel Sick, and more. His graphic novels were
very dark, had adult comedy humor, and suggestive themes.
A show like Invader Zim was no other show that had ever been aired
on Nickelodeon. It was dark, had adult content, and clearly not for kids. But
that's what made it great! It was so awesome and funny! I really love this show!
The characters were memorable, the show had very interesting animation, and each
episode was strange and odd. A show like Invader Zim would have did
really well if it had aired on Adult Swim or MTV, but unfortunately, it aired on
Nickelodeon. The executives cancelled the show after the second season due the
graphic nature despite it being one of the most popular Nicktoons that had ever
aired.
But even still to this day, Invader Zim has a huge cult following
and for years, their merchandice were sold by the thousands at Hot Topic. It's a
bit of a double edged sword for me because I can't stand young kids younger than
14 wearing GIR T-shirts. They didn't grow up with it and most likely don't
understand the references. They wear it to make themselves look cool. I think
they look like fucking posers.
Overall, if you haven't seen this show, go check it out. It was really ahead
of its time of the kind of cartoons that would be popular today: colorful and
strange cartoons with adult humor.
That's all for now. Tune in next time as we interviewed one of the voice
actors from Invader Zim. Hope to see you around Old School Lane
soon.
When it comes to classic Nickelodeon shows, people mostly
look back fondly at the 90’s with shows such as Doug, Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Clarissa Explains it All, The Adventures
of Pete & Pete, All That, Rocko’s Modern Life,etc. Finding people who
gush 90’s Nickelodeon shows isn’t hard: check on my blog post “90’s Nickelodeon
Shows: Classic or Overrated” and “Casual Chats” episode 1 on YouTube.
However,
looking for fans of 80’s Nickelodeon shows wasn't that easy. In fact, most
people don’t even remember Nickelodeon shows from the 80’s at all. The earliest
show that most people remember on Nickelodeon from the 80’s is Double Dare. Kevin and I decided to look
for anyone who can tell us fond memories of Nickelodeon shows that date back
even before Double Dare.
Little did we know that there was an entire blog that talks
about 80’s Nickelodeon shows such as Pinwheel,
Kids Writes, Today’s Special, Special Delivery, You Can’t Do That on
Television, The Third Eye, The Tomorrow People, The Adventures of Black Beauty,
and much more. The blog “Classic Nickelodeon Fan Blog” dedicates itself of
discussing these now forgotten Nickelodeon shows from the 80’s.
Kevin and I interviewed the founder and blogger of the site
Peggy Sue Clay. I hope you enjoy it.
Patricia- What were your favorite shows growing up?
Peggy- The Tomorrow
People – both the original Series (OS) and the Big Finish Audio Dramas (AD)
which were a continuation of the OS, The
Adventures of Black Beauty, Kids’ Writes, Nick Rocks Video to Go, Today’s
Special, The Third Eye, Spread Your Wings, The Monkees, Matt & Jenny, Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!,
Studio See, Vegetable Soup and Hocus
Focus.
Kevin- What was the first Nickelodeon show you ever saw?
Peggy- I don’t know that I specifically remember what show I
saw but some of my earliest memories are of Vegetable
Soup, The Adventures of Black Beauty, Spread Your Wings and Adventures in Rainbow Country. But I can
tell you about another early memory that I have.
Back in the very early 80’s Nickelodeon would sometimes show
music videos in between shows, along with their commercials, not the regular
commercials like you see now. One cold winter’s day I came home from school and
turned on the TV and they showed either “Get Up And Go” by the Go Gos or
“Shoppin’ From A to Z” by Toni Basil. I can’t remember which one it was, or
perhaps it was both but since they were two of my favorites anyway it didn’t
really matter and maybe that’s why I remember that so vividly.
Kevin- What are your favorite and least favorite Nickelodeon
shows?
Peggy- My favorite was The
Tomorrow People; I had such a big crush on Peter Vaughn-Clarke who played
Stephen Jameson. I think I had two least favorites, Against the Odds because I’ve never liked history (still don’t)
although looking back I can see how educational it was. The other was Reggie Jackson's World of Sports only
because I’ve never been into sports.
Patricia- What made you decide to start your blog discussing
about late 70's, 80's Nickelodeon shows?
Peggy- The blog grew out of my Yahoo group called A NewBeginning For Classic Nickelodeon. I
knew that with a blog I could reach a different audience than I could with a
Yahoo group and it was that thinking which ultimately let me to create my
Facebook pages and groups in honor of Classic (80’s) Nickelodeon. (See links
and Google “A New Beginning For Classic Nickelodeon”, everything that comes up
under that name is mine.) And it was another way to advertise that I was going to
(attempt) to host the very first Classic Nickelodeon Fan Meet. I posted my very
first blog on Monday, April 20, 2009 about the fan meet, which was to be
scheduled for July 31 - Aug 2, 2009, but unfortunately due to lack of interest
it was canceled. I kept trying and trying and finally last year one guy showed
up and for me that was a huge victory.
Patricia- What, in your opinion, is the difference between
Nickelodeon from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and today?
Peggy- 70’s – When Nickelodeon first launched on December 1,
1977 as The Pinwheel Network on QUBE in Columbus, Ohio it was more or less a
basic cable channel. They showed programs like
Pinwheel, Video Comic Books, Children’s Classics, America Goes Bananaz, Hocus
Focus, First Row Features, Nickel Flicks and By the Way. It wasn’t until their national relaunch on April 1,
1979 as Nickelodeon that they really became a household name. Then in 1980, new
shows were added to the lineup, including Dusty's
Treehouse, First Row Features, Special Delivery, What Will They Think Of Next?,
Pop Clips and Livewire.
The 70’s and 80’s were both about fun and education. One
good example of this was The Adventures
Of Black Beauty, which taught us all how to respect our elders and others
around us. They taught us about helping our neighbors and to show kindness both
towards our fellow man and to animals. They taught us to always tell the truth
no matter what the consequences would be. They taught us how to work hard for
what we want and to stand up for the things we believe in. But all of these
concepts were lost in the 1990’s show and has continued right on though today’s
programming on all networks not jut Nickelodeon.
Kids’ Writes
taught children how to use their imaginations, how to write and how to spell
because after all, as it says in their title song, “We don’t change a word you
write, we do just what ya say. And if ya hear a funny word, well, ya spelled it
that way.” Mr. Wizard's World and What Will They Think Of Next? taught
kids about science and Against the Odds
taught kids about historical figures.
By the end of the 1980’s Nickelodeon started airing “outside
commercials” as I call them. These were regular commercials like you see on
your favorite television shows every night of the week but the reason this is
so significant for Nickelodeon is because it meant that the network was
gradually beginning to change. They were no longer a simple local network, they
were beginning to make their presents known on a national level and by the end
of the 1990’s Nickelodeon had started to drift away from their live action
format by introducing “Nicktoons” such as: Doug, Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy
Show(a vile program in my opinion),
Rocko's Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and many, many more.
Not only were they leaving behind the live action programs
they had come known for they were also digressing in the quality of their
programs. Now while you may research their history and find that it was during
that time when they really became a national household name the 80’s children
such as myself were reeling. (Perhaps this doesn’t apply to everyone but it
certainly did for me.)
Sadly today’s Nickelodeon looks NOTHING like it use to, in
fact I would go as far as to say that it should now be called “The SpongeBob Network” since that is the
only show they seem to focus on. I can find nothing redeeming about the regular
Nickelodeon channel (save House of Anubis
and Victorious) since it is dominated
by SpongeBob and The Fairly OddParents, both of which have been flagged by the
Parents Television Council as having sexual references, bullying, swearing and
much more. (See Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing – A Content Analysis of Children’sTelevision from March 2, 2006 )
In January 2012 my city’s CableOne upgraded and they added
roughly ten new channels with Teen Nick being one of them and for the first
time I got to see some of the 90’s shows that (some of) my members grew up on.
I didn’t like all of them but the ones that I didn’t mind sitting though are Kenan & Kel, Doug, and I had
already seen Legends of the Hidden Temple
so I knew I liked it. Currently I watch
House of Anubis (I’m sooo excited for the third season!!!), Drake & Josh, Victorious, H2O Just Add
Water and sometimes I watch Alien
Surf Girls although I can’t seem to get into it.
Patricia- What shows from Nickelodeon have poorly aged?
Which shows aged the best?
Peggy- I think a show is measured, or aged, by how well the
fans remember it. Certainly shows like Double
Dare, You Can’t Do That On Television, The Tomorrow People, Today’s Special
and Legends of the Hidden Temple will
be around for a very long since their fandoms are still very strong. But then
here are other shows like Against the
Odds and Going Great that both
scored very low viewer scores in the 80’s which led to both of them being
canceled. I think shows that lasted only one season are the ones that have aged
poorly.
Patricia- What are the most underrated and overrated shows
on Nickelodeon?
Peggy- Probably the
most underrated show would have to be Pinwheel.
So many people try to compare it to Sesame
Street just because it had both human actors and puppets but really that’s
where the comparison should end. Sesame
Street was, and still is, very much a “teaching mode” type program were
children learn their alphabet and how to count. They also deal with issues such
as death and other current situations. Pinwheel
taught children how to use their imagination, they learned how to respect
each other’s different tastes in music and how to have fun and be children. (Or
at least that’s what the six remaining hours of the show have helped me to
remember.)
But by far the most overrated show on Nickelodeon today is SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!!! I’m sorry if
this offends anyone who reads this but I BLOODY HATE THAT SHOW!!! I mentioned
above that the Parents Television Council has already sited it for using swear
words, sexual references and a lot more. Trust me, read the article you’ll
learn a lot about the different programs that were on when the study was
conducted and that are still on the air.
Back to Bob. Nickelodeon didn’t even celebrate their 30th
anniversary because they were too worried about celebrating Bob’s 10th
anniversary. In my opinion both the 80’s and the 90’s fans were robbed because
of Bob!
Patricia- I did a podcast of the top 20 Nickelodeon shows
that need to be remade. What shows from Nickelodeon do you want to see remade?
Peggy- This is such a
great question because I had already started thinking about this around 2008
when I first saw H2O Just Add Water.
Now these are in no particular order so here we go.
The Third Eye
I totally agreed with you on this one. I think they should
either remake the original shows that aired on it or add new ones or both. That
being said did you know that Under the
Mountain has been remade into a new movie? I’ve seen it; I own it and I
love it! It’s a little different than the original with the twins being older
and Sam Neill now plays the mysterious “Mr. Jones”. The Wilberforces are back
in full force and just for us Classic Fans, Kirsty Wilkinson, who portrayed
Rachel Matheson from the original "Under
the Mountain" on television, made a cameo appearance in the film as
Mr. Jones' Neighbor and Bill Johnson, who portrayed the original Mr.
Wilberforce also made a cameo appearance in the film as Mr. Carpenter. I have
to admit that even I had to go back and check that one. LOL The one, and pretty
much only, problem I have with this new film is that almost every scene with
the male cousin he was all over his girlfriend! And I don’t care if it is an
update, that kind of behavior was totally uncalled for in this movie especially
when it was supposed to be (more or less) a kids movie!!!
I love the charm of The
Haunting of Cassie Palmer and Children
Of The Stones; I don’t have a problem with bad acting or perhaps a few
moments of thin scripting because that’s what makes them classics. I own all
four of the original stories, including the Under
the Mountain remake and except for Into
the Labyrinth, which I didn’t care, for I love them but I do think that
with today’s technology they could all be updated and made even creepier than
the originals.
Now here’s my twist to this, I would also like to add new
programs to this line up. I think H2O
Just Add Water, House of Anubis, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Alien Surf Girls would all fit very well
into the creepy style of The Third Eye.
In fact that was the very statement I made to my mom when we started watching
all of these shows. (Yes she watches all of the same shows I do and she loves
them all just as I do. I have such a cool Mom!!!)
Also one quick note, The
Witches and the Grinnygog was announced as part of The Third Eye lineup but never aired, it was actually shown as part
of the Special Delivery program.
Pinwheel
This long time favorite is a perfect candidate for an
update, but not just an update, I think it should be a continuation of the
original series. I think all of the new characters should be related to all of
the original characters but with one small change. Defiantly bring back an
“Aurelia” type character to run Pinwheel House; perhaps her great niece except
that she should be a human character not a puppet.
Jake and Kim’s nieces, cousins or even their children could
come to stay at Pinwheel house just like their family members before them. (Not
have Jake and Kim married to each other but to different people and their
children come back.) Just the same as Sal and Smitty’s son with is new wife
could come back and revive the old “Daily Noodle” that his parents use to run.
Puppeteers Craig Marin and Olga Felgemacher could easily
reimagine new puppets for the show and could recommend others to fill in the
other characters. But I think The Muppets should be left completely out of it;
this needs to be totally separate from The Muppets organization.
I also think that the cartoon / stop-motion shorts could all
be updated and refreshed. I would still want to see traditional animation, very
few computer cartoons, and we should defiantly keep all of the various
stop-motion animations, “puppettoons”, claymations and all of the building
block sequences. They all have such a charm to them and it would be ashamed for
a new generation of children to loose out on them.
Today’s Special
Just think of how many new things Jeff could lean in the
world today!!!
You Can't Do That On
Television
This show screams “update” because again, like Jeff, think
about how many new things they’d have to talk about these days! But stick to
the “real kids” cast like the original cast was. One of the things I didn’t like
about the 1990’s version of The Mickey
Mouse Club was that the kids were all singers and dancers and I would HATE
to see that happen to YCDTOTV. Also,
keep the slime thick and lumpy!!! None of that neon green oil that they try to
pass off as “slime” these days! – WE WANT OUT REAL SLIME!!!!!
Double Dare & Legends of the Hidden Temple are both
perfect for updating but yes keep the “bare bones” of the shows. Update the
rooms and the giant props and of course the stories and questions. Find a great
host and they’d have it made. Both are still awesome even to this day but they
could also stand a little refreshing.
Kids’ Writes
I would LOVE to see Mr. Mairs bring back this show on any
network. It was so innovative and creative and it really helped children to
learn how to use not only their imagination but also their writing and spelling
skills. Have the exact same type of set, bring back Mr. Mairs and have a new
cast. This show could ABSOLUTELY work for today’s kids and now that we have the
Internet kids would be able to email their stories in as well as physically
mail them in.
An Out Of Control
movie would be fun. The cast could get word that their old studio is about to
be torn down so they go back to save it? Hummm, I’ll have to email this to
Marty (Schiff who played “Hern Burford”) and see what he and Dave (Coulier)
think about it.
The Tomorrow People
Now this is a tricky one since there have already been two
updates to this show and a third one has now been scheduled.
The first update came in 1992 and was very unsuccessful. The
show had none of the charm of the Original Series (OS) and indeed seemed to go
in a totally new direction. The characters were flat and undeveloped, there was
no Lab, no Jaunting Belts or Bands, nothing that tied it to the original show
and it was canceled after three years.
Big Finish did the second update in a series of Audio Dramas
(AD) that were, in my opinion, very successful. They returned to the roots of
the show, brought back several of the original characters, brought us new
characters and brought us storylines that were thought provoking. When I listen
to my ADs I can “see” the story in my mind and it’s so brilliant. Yes they are
a bit edgier but they are so very well written and because of that I didn’t
mind it. If you are a fan of the OS TP, and if you can find them, I would
highly recommend this series.
Now the CW Network has announced another update of this
series and it both excites me and terrifies me. I’m excited because if the
producers are true fans as they claim to be and will cater to both an old and
new audience and if they stay true to the basic story, I think it will be
wonderful. However the idea of an American network taking over is that they
will try to turn it into another teenage soap opera with slutty teenagers (male
and female) with no morals, no values and who do nothing more than sleep around
and back talk their elders. If the CW follows this route, the show will be an
epic failure; or at least in my eyes it will be.
Patricia- Why do you think that Nickelodeon shows from the
70's and 80's aren't as highly regarded as the ones from the 90's?
Peggy- Well unfortunately it all comes down to demographics.
The simple fact is that the 90’s Kids (Generation Y) far outnumber the 80’s
Children (Generation X) and therefore we, the 80’s Children, have been sadly
overlooked; and the fact that most, not all, 90’s Kids won’t even acknowledge
us doesn’t help. Most of them have never seen “our” Nickelodeon so they think we
should be forgotten and I’m sorry to say that even the Nickelodeon executives
agree with them.
I once read that
they, the executives, have called their 80’s programs, “their green vegetable
time” (that was the just of the quote). So when the executives won’t even
acknowledge us, then what chance do we really have? And I think that’s why the
early to mid 80’s shows have been overlooked so the fans need to keep them
alive. There are so few Generation Xers left out there so we need to stoke
rekindle that fire and stoke it so that it will always burn strong. And we need
to let Nickelodeon know that even though they have forgotten about us we have
not forgotten about them, after all, it if wasn’t for them we wouldn’t all be
who we are today.
Patricia- What was the nicest feedback you received from a
fan or follower on your blog?
Peggy- Occasionally people will find my blog or Facebook
pages / groups and email me to ask if I can help them remember a show that they
only have vague memories of. That always makes me feel good but by far the most
wonderful thing that has come from my blog was y’all asking me to do this
interview. Now I am NOT a kiss-up person and I never say things to people just
to make them feel good so I mean this from the bottom of my heart.
In every fandom there is a “go to person” that everyone
turns to with their questions about that show. (For Tomorrow People everyone turns to Jackie Clark, for Fame TV show
and movies everyone turns to Pam.) When I first realized that I wanted to go
“full time” with the preservation of these (usually) long forgotten 80’s shows
I told my Mom that I wanted to be the “go to person” for Classic Nickelodeon
fans and that dream is really coming true with fans emailing me about shows and
then with you and Kevin asking me for this interview. Y’all have truly touched
my heart, thank you.
Patricia-What are your upcoming projects?
Peggy- I plan to keep updating my website and blog in hopes
that Classic Nickelodeon fans everywhere can reconnect with their favorite
childhood memories. The idea of a fan meet is still in the back of my head
although I have no idea how I’d do it. I was thinking about changing the name
from “Classic Nickelodeon Fan Meet” to “NickCon” in hopes that it would attract
more fans. The only small problem I can find with that is I want it to be an
80’s fan meet, not a 90’s fan meet and I would still want to host it here in my
home town in Oklahoma. I have no idea how I’ll do it but Marty Schiff and Davie
Coulier have already promised me that if / when I finally get it off the ground
that they would be happy to be my special guest. J I would also like to star a
Nickelodeon Fan Club here in my hometown in hopes of building up a local base
to help kick off the fan meets / cons.
Then one of my Moderators from New Beginning thinks I should
do an online radio show for CN but at this point in my life I don’t see how I’d
ever fit it into my schedule. Also on that “on of these days” list is a book I want to
write about CN. I already have the title and the outline I’m just not sure how
to exactly get started with it since it is so unlike anything I’ve ever written
before.
I have written (put together) a “Book of Slime” and a
“Nickelodeon Songbook” both of which I was going to sell at the fan meet but
since it never got off the ground… The Slime book is a collection of slime
recopies that I’ve collected from all over the Internet and the songbook
contains the lyrics from several CN shows as well as many songs from the six
remaining hours of Pinwheel and the Pinwheel Songbook video. I hand transcribed
many of the songs in that book and a few lyrics I found online, which I also
posted the links. Both were a labor of love and devotion however no one outside
of my family has seen them. Sad. And the only other thing I can think of at the moment is
that I’ve been considering a web show featuring all of the shows I write about
in my blogs.
Patricia- Alright then. Peggy, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.
Peggy- Thank you so much! I'm beyond honored!
To learn more about the blogs and websites, here are the following links:
A tad bit late, I know. But still, better late than never. Our
next interview is comedian/puppeteer Marc Weiner. Around the 70’s and 80’s, Weiner
performed his kooky and creative puppets on Saturday
Night Live, The Bizarre Show, The Jim Henson Hour, Laughs, The Joey Delux Show, and many more. For
kids who grew up in the 90’s, he’s mostly known for his 1993 variety show Weinerville.
For kids who grew up in the
2000’s, he’s mostly known as the voice of Swiper and Map from the Nick Jr. program Dora the Explorer. Today he still does
his standup show worldwide, he’s the founder and developer of The Empathy Labyrinth
Center, and he’s currently working on putting new Weinerville videos on YouTube alongside his son Max.
Kevin and I had the chance to interview Marc, so I hope you
enjoy it.
Patricia- What were your favorite cartoons/programs growing
up?
Marc- Little Rascals,
Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Red Skelton Show, and Laugh-in.
Patricia- Who are your comedic influences?
Marc- Red Skelton,
Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Jerry Lewis, Jonathan Winters, Lucille Ball, Robin
Williams, Ray Abruzzo and Marvin Silbermintz.
Kevin- What was it like doing your puppet show on The
Bizarre Show?
Marc- AMAZING! The
producer of that show, Bob Einstein was and still is one of the funniest and
nicest person I have ever met in show business. As well as John Byner, the
host. Both John and Bob were very supportive of my work and gave me room to be
funny. I will always be grateful to them.
Patricia- What funny stories can you tell us about your
experiences beingon Saturday Night Live?
Marc- It was after my first appearance on SNL that Joe Piscopo took me into the producer's office and made
them hiring me for the following week. My head writer and dear friend Ray
Abruzzo, wrote a rap song for my Afro-American puppet Weindulah to perform. We
played it for Eddie Murphy and he said, "You white boys don't know how to
write rap music" and re-wrote the song on the spot. It went over very
well.
You can see these SNL
shows on Netflix (Feb 1980)
Patricia-What made you decide to create half-human half-puppets?
Marc- I worked with a street puppeteer in Boston and then
when I came to NYC, I joined the Bond Street Theater group. They asked me to
make puppets for them and I just did it. I developed the Weinerville style puppet for my nightclub act because I wanted to
be able to do many different puppets on stage without having to make the
audience wait as I took off one and put on another. So I lined a series of puppets
up each behind little closed door on my puppet set and I would put my head on
one and open the door, do my routine close the door and move to the next one.
It was quick and funny.
Kevin- How did you come up with the idea of Weinerville?
Marc- I was coming up with all these head puppet ideas and
getting them on many different TV shows and a producer suggested that I could
actually have my own show, I'll called it Weinerville.
Patricia- What were your inspirations to become a puppeteer?
Marc- When I first came to NY, I watch a street mime use his
fingers to do a tight rope walking routine. I didn't just see his fingers but I
saw a little man. So I sewed a little puppet outfit for my hand and asked a
mask maker to help me make my first mask to fit around my wrist.That's how I made my first hand Weinerette
style puppet (Rocko and Socko).
Patricia- How did you come up with the ideas of your puppets
such as Dottie, Boney, Socko, and Cocktail Frank?
Marc- Dottie, well, I think I put on a wig and just went
with it and out she came. The idea for Boney came from a very funny man named
Marvin Silbermintz, who was one of my writers on Weinerville. Marvin told me his idea, I came up with the voice, and
puppet master David Jordon made the puppet. Socko is a younger version of my
puppet Rocko from SNL. Cocktail Frank
is living my dream of being a rock n roll star.
Patricia- What would be the process of getting an episode of
Weinerville done?
Marc- Someone would pitch the premise for the episode, then
I would ask them to add twice as much shtick and gags to it and then we would
shoot it.
Kevin- If you could've had any guest on Weinerville, who would it be and why?
Marc- I never thought I could have guests on my show. The
only reason a few guests appeared on the show was because they happened to be
visiting Nickelodeon at Universal Studios in Florida. A PA would come running
in and say so-and-so is on the Nick Tour, do you want me to ask them if they
would appear on the show? Yes!!!!! Grab them and quickly get the writers.
Patricia- When Weinerville
first came out, it had gotten many praises from viewers because there was
nothing like it on TV. Even still to this day, there's no other show like Weinerville. What, in your opinion,
makes Weinerville still a very unique
show that still holds up today? Why do you think no one tried to replicate it?
Marc- I think Weinerville
was kind of in the genre of The Soupy
Sales Show and Pee-wee’s Playhouse:
silly funny shtick for kids and adults.
Patricia- What was the audition process for voicing Swiper
and Map on Dora the Explorer?
Marc- I knew the producers from working down in Florida and
they just hired me.
Patricia- On January 2011, you made an announcement that you
and your son Max were going to release new episodes of Weinerville on YouTube. How's the process coming along? When can we
expect to see new episodes?
Marc- Max is very busy with his musical career and we hope to
release a few short Boney shorts each year. We really appreciate all our
YouTube fans.
Kevin- What was the nicest feedback you had ever received
from a fan?
Marc- I think it was when a fan wrote to us saying that they
had been watching Weinerville on TV
in their family play room instead of playing in the front room of his house.
All of a sudden, a car crashed into that front room of his house. If he hadn't
been watching Weinerville, he would
have been in that front room and would have been killed. Now that's great fan
mail!
Patricia- Whenever you're out and about, do people stop and
say "Oh my god, you're Marc Weiner. I was a huge fan of Weinerville when I was a kid. You're
awesome!"
Marc- Back in the day.Now it's just when I look in the mirror.
Patricia- What are your upcoming projects?
Marc- Finishingup
our 8th season of Dora, teaching
children and adults how communicate more compassionately with each other via my
Empathy Labyrinth, touring with my stand up show, and trying to be the most
empathic and loving father I can be to my children.
Patricia- That’s all the questions. Marc, thank you so much
for taking the time to interview us. It has been an honor.
Marc- Thank you very much for this interview. Happy
holidays.
To learn more about Empathy Labyrinth, you can check out the
website at www.el4peace.com. For more
information about Weinerville, check
it out at weinerville.com. Also follow him on Facebook and Twitter at
facebook.com/Weinerville and @WeinervilleTV.
That’s all for now. Hope to see you around Old School Lane
soon. Thanks for reading.
The second list of the top 10 Nickelodeon shows that needed to be remade. While not as desperate and needed as the ones that made it to the original list, it was necessary enough to mention them. Which shows need to be updated for a new generation? Well, expect a few surprises, obscure shows, and one show that makes me really angry! What Nickelodeon shows do you want to see remade? Post it in the comments below.
Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Take care.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's time for another countdown! As I said in
the last post, there aren't as much Thanksgiving specials in comparison to
Christmas and Halloween specials. However there are enough Thanksgiving specials
for me to do a top 5 list. Which are the best of the best? Which ones are the
specials that we tune in to watch every year after we watch football and the
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade? Well, let's find out. Here are my top 5 Nickelodeon
Thanksgiving specials.
5. Turkey Day from Kenan & Kel
What happens when you combine Thanksgiving with Kenan & Kel? A
hilarious Thanksgiving special. It's Thanksgiving at the Rockmore house and Kel
gets into trouble once again by eating the family turkey. Kenan and Kel go
through crazy scenarios trying to cover up this huge mess. They try to cover it
with turkey slices and mashed potatoes, they order new turkeys, one cooked, but
two live ones, and they try to stall Kenan's grandparents into not thinking
about the dinner despite them being really hungry. Once again, Kenan &
Kel shows us hilarity and great jokes in this funny Thanksgiving special.
It's, in my opinion, the best live action Nickelodeon special!
4. The Turkey Who Came to Dinner from Rugrats
It took a while, but Rugrats finally released their first and only
Thanksgiving special in 1997. Grandpa Lou failed to buy a turkey for the family.
All of a sudden, the babies happen to see a live turkey running around their
backyard. The babies try to make friends with the turkey not knowing that the
reason why its important is because the grown ups want to eat him. As time goes
on, they figure it out and try to hide the turkey away from the grown ups. It's
a very cute special that ends in a happy note.
There is a Thanksgiving special that has a similar concept to the Rugrats
Thanksgiving special, but it's more funnier and stronger. That special
is...
3. Rocko's Modern Thanksgiving from Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life was the first Nicktoon that had a Thanksgiving
special in 1993 and it would hold that position until 1997. In this special,
everyone is excited to have a delicious Thanksgiving feast, especially Ed
Bighead. He has a real live turkey that he's fattening up and waiting until the
day arrives. The turkey runs away and heads over to Rocko's house since Rocko's
eating a vegetarian tofu turkey and he feels safe there. Rocko tries to hide him
and it starts off well until every live turkey in O-Town goes to his house. It's
a really nice special since it goes to show you that Thanksgiving is not just
about a feast consisting of eating turkeys, it's about being surrounded by
family and friends and being thankful with what you have.
2. Ten Chairs from As Told by Ginger
Not a lot of people have seen As Told by Ginger's Thanksgiving
special. As I mentioned in my review of As Told by Ginger, the show
went through many schedule changes and eventually went over to the Nicktoons
Network. It's the most recent Thanksgiving special in my list debuting in the
year 2009 and it's a really good one. Ginger, Carl, Lois, and Dr. Dave are
planning a very special Thanksgiving party inviting the Bishops and Dr. Dave's
mother. Ginger decides to include another surprise guest: her father. Carl is
upset about it since his relationship with his father is still a bit bitter due
to him leaving the family and Lois doesn't know about it. Meanwhile Carl and
Hoodsey buy a live turkey so they can free it. What happens is a huge disaster
to the Thanksgiving feast. This is a very well done, down to earth Thanksgiving
special. It tugs in your heart strings and makes you feel good at the end. It
makes you appreciate your family, whether you like them or not. Check it out
sometime!
1. Arnold's Thanksgiving from Hey Arnold
Predictable, I know. But I couldn't help it. It's so down to earth and funny
at the same time. It goes to show you how true Thanksgiving is. Arnold wishes to
have the perfect Thanksgiving, but his unorthodox grandmother confuses it for
the 4th of July and they celebrate it with dressing up as the founding fathers
cooking hot dogs outside in the cold. Arnold leaves his family and wanders
alone. Meanwhile Helga isn't happy with her Thanksgiving due to Olga being the
center of attention, Miriam busy cooking the food, and Big Bob watching
football. When the dinner is ready, Helga tells her family that she's thankful
for nothing and leaves the house. Arnold and Helga walk around seeing who has
the perfect Thanksgiving and nobody is, even Mr. Simmons with his crazy
family.
In the end it goes to show you that Thanksgiving isn't perfect sometimes. The
most important things to remember is to be thankful with what you have even if
it's not what you want in life. However, it's what we have and we should make
the best of it. Eventually we're happy that we do have it because once it's
gone, it's gone forever. We should appreciate what we have and give lots of love
to our family and friends.
Those are my top 5 Nickelodeon Thanksgiving specials. What Thanksgiving
specials do you watch every year? Post it in the comments below. That's all for
now. I hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. May you have a wonderful
Thanksgiving! Take care!
