Category Celebrities

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...

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...

While at Monsterama 2016, ran into Zach Galligan, star of the Gremlins moves and the cult Waxworks series. He was incredibly nice to his fans, and hosted a couple of the best panels, describing his first meeting with, and subsequent crushes, on Phoebe Cates. As you can see from the photo, even Zach Galligan has a Dirty Little Secret!

Had a great time at Monsterama 2016 meeting with the one and only Bond Girl/Scream Queen, Caroline Munroe. Ms. Munroe was so nice, and was humbled by the reception from her fans. Best part was when she said I was cute. My Munroe crush went into overdrive! Plus, she loved her copy of the soon-to-be-released Texas Chainsaw Musical soundtrack, so you know, she’s pretty goddamned cool.

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...

This weekend, I went to Monsterama Con, and got to meet one of my idols, Ricou Browning. Ricou played the Gill-man in 1954’s Creature From the Black Lagoon, 1955’s Revenge of the Creature, and 1956’s Creature Walks Among Us. He is the only actor to have played the gill-man more than once and is the last surviving actor from Universal’s classic monster series. Ricou told me he got the part because he could hold his breath longer than the other actors up for the part. I asked him what it was like to swim with that suit on, and he told me, “It was like swimming in mud.”

Ricou went on to become an underwater director, running the second unit underwater scenes from movies such as Flipper and Caddyshack. What a thrill to meet one of my favorite monsters!

Got to meet C. Martin Croker at Monsterama! What a terrific animator, voice actor, and nice guy. He’s most well know for playing Zorak, from “Space Ghost, Coast-to-Coast”, but he’s also been in and animated The Brak Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Assy McGee and others. We talked for awhile, he, an experienced animator; me, a burgeoning one. By the end, we had really connected. Plus, he sketched these out for me:

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 – Just got the news that Clay passed away two days ago from food poisoning. He was 54 years old. My heart is broken. Not only has the world lost an amazing voice actor and animator, but it also lost a hell of a nice guy. And I lost a friend. RIP, Clay. We’ll miss you!
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