Category 10 Questions With…

I’m a geek. No, not the kind that bites the heads off of chickens (well, maybe as a hobby), but rather the kind that spends way too much money on conventions, t-shirts, and geek-themed cereal. While I enjoy a lot of different fandoms, there are really only two that I’m obsessed with. Doctor Who and Mystery Science Theater 3000. So, it’s very exciting for me to be able to present the 10 Question Challenge to one of the stars of MST3K!

The first episode of MST3k I ever saw was Horrors of Spider Island, the torturous film force-fed to Mike and the gang by Clayton Forrester’s mother, Pearl (Mary Jo Pehl). Since then, I’ve seen all MST3k episodes. I liked Clayton Forrester, but you know, you never forget your first MST3K Mad Scientist...

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s spoken to me for more than 5 minutes, but I am a Doctor Who fan. In fact, “fan” is being kind. I’m hopelessly obsessed with the show to the point that more than one Who actor has a restraining order out on me.

I first caught the show back in the 80’s, when I was about 12 or 13. Tom Baker was the Fourth Doctor, although I didn’t know at the time that there had been multiple Doctors. I started watching in the middle of an episode that is still my favorite, The Talons of Weng Chiang. The first face I saw was Louise Jameson, as Leela. I loved Leela. Though I had no concept at the time of what a “Companion” was, later I would find that she was a very different sort of companion for the Doctor...

When I first decided I wanted to do an audiobook of my novel, Little Idiots, I was approached by a lot of producers, but either they just couldn’t get the voices right, or they missed the timing on my writing, causing the jokes to fall flat (But you should’ve heard the British producer; she did a good job, but it was weird hearing Samm with a strong accent). When Daryl Mayfield sent in his audition, I was taken by how he instantly picked up the timing of my writing, which is actually not as easy as you might think. And then I heard him do the main female character’s voice. I had to replay it several times to figure out if it was him, or an actual female, or sound editing. Right then, I knew I had to work with Daryl and I was right; the audiobook sounds amazing...

A true character actor is one who is so believable in the roles they take on, that you may not know the actor by name, but certainly by sight. “Hey! Wasn’t that guy in…”

Jeffrey Weissman is that sort of actor. You may not know him by name, but you’ve seen him in some huge movies. The Back to the Future sequels, Pale Rider, Twilight Zone the Movie, Max Headroom are all part of the large roster of films Jeffrey’s been in. In addition, Jeffrey’s a stage actor, as well as producer and playwright. When he’s not filming, he can often be found portraying golden age characters such as Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx and Mark Twain at various events and shows.

I met Jeffrey years ago through a mutual friend’s Facebook page. The first thing you learn about Jeffrey is how approachable he is...

Bill Kirchenbauer is a legend on the stand-up circuit. Starting in the 70’s, Bill has played to packed houses around the country. On television, he has performed his routines on the Tonight Show 18 times, on Late Night with David Letterman 9 times and has done countless HBO, Showtime and A&E specials. He has appeared on over 60 network sitcoms; Bill’s IMDB page reads like a Who’s Who of classic shows including, Fernwood Tonight (where he starred as his famous alter-ego, lounge singer Tony Rolletti), Mork and Mindy, Night Court, Growing Pains, and its spinoff, the Emmy award-winning Just The Ten of Us.

I was first introduced to Bill’s brand of stand-up comedy when I caught him on a Gallagher special...

If you’re an American, you might not have heard of The Arrogant Worms (unless you’re a cool American, like me), but this Canadian band has been making music fun for the last twenty-five years. Their music is catchy, their lyrics outrageously funny. Think of them as a cross between Weird Al (minus the parody songs) and They Might Be Giants; they’re in excellent company. The Worms consist of Trevor Strong, Mike McCormick, and Chris Patterson. The genres they poke fun at are all over the place, including pop, boy bands, power ballads, waltz’, country and most importantly, Celine Dion.

I discovered the Worms with the help of the Dr. Demento Show when he played their song Kill the Dog Next Door. Needing to hear more from this group, I found some of their crazy songs like Log In To You, The ...

Brian Routh is still often referred to as his alter ego, Harry Kipper. He and Martin von Haselberg formed the eclectic comedy duo known as the Kipper Kids, who garnered a large cult following performing from the early 70’s through to the 80’s. In addition to performing live, the Kippers were featured in HBO specials, movies, television and soundtracks. While they no longer perform as a duo, their following is still solid. Martin von Haselberg has kept a relatively low profile, but Brian Routh continues to create his own brand of art, music and film. He’s grown as an artist, while retaining the originality that made him so exciting to watch in the first place. Brian was cool enough to sit still long enough for me to badger him with some questions.

1. Let’s start at the beginning...

With the audiobook version of Christopher Minori’s Dirty Little Secrets near release, we thought it was a good time to get a little close and personal with its producer and actor, John O’Hern.

1. You’re a man of many talents; producer, actor, author. Which is your favorite hat to wear?

I have always been a story teller. It’s my most natural talent (if you saw my golf swing you’d see what an unnatural talent looks like!!) and it’s probably what I was born to do. So…to answer your question I would have to say acting and writing are my most favorite things. I get great pleasure from storytelling and I don’t really care how I do it…by acting or writing one down. Both take a lot of work to properly craft but it’s always worth it in the end.

2. What made you decide to produce Dirty Lit...