This has got to be the best interview we have given to date. It was many months in the making, but we finally got back in touch, or rather he got in touch with us, after we forwarded an interview to him. If you grew up in the 80’s, some of your favorite toons would have featured this man’s incredible voicework. Though, his voice talent comes in second to his intelligence, integrity and heart, and I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to interview such a talented actor, as well as a person who has been at the forefront of the digital age. We’ll have to do lunch sometime when I’m up in Denver.
You’ve done a ton of great voices for many animated series since the early ’80s. But let’s go all the way back to the beginning. When you were a child, what were your favorite shows and activities? What was your family environment like, if you don’t mind me asking? Did any of these inspire you to later do voice work?
Yes. Long story short… I grew up without a father, raised by my mother and three older sisters. We lived in a town of 800, which served as the county seat. I was born at the time of television—it was my great escape. I was always searching for who I was going to become and developed a knack for mimicry.
My extended family (on my grandmother’s side) has had a family reunion since 1926. It is an annual summer event, capped off by a vaudeville night. This is where it all began for me (as the saying goes). This was my foray into the world of entertainment. This is where my gift for voices was seasoned and honed.
What extracurricular activities did you participate in at school? What were your favorite subjects? Did anything during this time period steer you into your current place in life?
I was a swimmer and worked in a gas station after school and practice. My favorite subjects were advanced composition and history. I was known throughout the school as a clown with many voices.
Did you attend college, and if so, where did you go and how were your experiences there? What was your major? What part of it made a major impact on your life?
I went to Ball State University and majored in Telecommunications, Cinematography, and History. I wasn’t much of an engineer. The equipment was antiquated compared to what was current, and being dyslexic, I shied away from patching, etc. I strove for performing.
During my last year of college, the head of the Telecommunications department (who didn’t care much for my original programming ideas) told me that my best advice would be to get myself a job with a 5,000-watt radio station in Indiana and learn radio from the ground up. I promptly graduated and steered completely another way.
What was your first job outside of school? If not in the entertainment industry, how did you change gears and go in that direction?
I worked through school, and my last two years were spent working for a restaurant chain called T.G.I. Friday’s in Indianapolis. It was a full hour’s drive each way, but I was young and under the lure of money.
While tending bar, an advertising guy heard me doing Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali. That brought me into radio advertising. This meant additional revenue outside of my bartending. Man, I was livin’ large. I wrote, voiced, and sold commercials to car dealers around the country and got mid-grades from my professors, who were jealous about using my vocal abilities to sell my writing and development. I guess what I lacked in style, I made up for with talent—something mediocrity always despises.
What was your first job in the entertainment field, if it wasn’t the answer to the previous question? Do you have any fond memories of this experience, and if so, what were they?
I think I answered that question in the last one, but I do have a great story.
One night while tending bar after my college graduation, I was musing to myself during the lull on whether I should stay or move out of Indiana. I loved that place at that time in an almost consuming way. I was at a crossroads in my life. I was scared to make the next leap of faith. I was ultimately scared to leave home. I’d met a girl, and we were in love, and I wondered if I was making the right decision—staying for love at the expense of my dream.
That night, the manager came over to me with an old buddy from college (they went to Texas Tech). The manager says: “Hey, you gotta hear this guy do his Howard Cosell—do it, c’mon, do it!” It was time to lead the monkey out and parade him around in front of friends—otherwise known as a command performance. I launched into my spiel, and the friend of my manager leaned forward and brandished a Bic lighter, which he used to light my beard on fire.
Everyone at the bar was horrified, except for the friend of the manager, who sneered, “I always wanted to burn Howard Cosell.” I received apologies from my manager, who hustled his friend out of the bar, but I made up my mind right then to leave Indiana—to reach out for the brass ring. I went to the manager and had him put me on the traveling team, setting up bars, training bartenders, and heading for California.
Leading up to this point, who were your mentors and how did they influence your thought process and outlook, and help you achieve your goals?
The first time I went to L.A., I had no mentors. I had no help, no advice, and no money. I was trying to do stand-up comedy around the country so that I could break into cartoons. I failed miserably. I moved away and regrouped.
After a few years in Silicon Valley in the late ’70s, I moved to San Francisco—a great place to be. I had a girlfriend, I had a great job, and then I got cancer. That changed everything for me. I woke up after my surgery and made up my mind that nothing was going to stop me again from trying—except dying.
It took me three years to dig out of that financial and physical hole, and a hellish one it was. I lost everything except my pride. I stayed in the light, and every day, in every way, I encouraged myself to go on. I committed myself to practice my voices. I took classes, I ran, I worked (after a year), I went on auditions, and eventually, I got my S.A.G. and A.F.T.R.A. cards. I sublet my apartment, bought a truck with a camper (in case I didn’t have a place to sleep), and moved to Hollywood with all of $400 to my name.
Now, coming into your voicework career. You’ve done work not only with animated series but also live-action series. Can you please tell me some of the shows you’ve worked with, and how they were, if at all, different from working on the sets of animated productions? Any fond memories from these shows?
Geez, you gotta be kidding… fond memories? The greatest!! Working with the best is always a thrill. It sizzles. It makes you perform on a higher level. I’ve done a lot of things and wouldn’t take any of them back—here are some of my favorite Hollywood moments:
- Predator 2: I spent nine days roaring, snarling, and attacking. I wear a TMJ mouth guard at night to this day because of the dreams I’ve had during and since that period. Honestly, how many different ways can a thing squeal out in excruciating pain or malice? We blended sounds, I created alien speech, and we tried this, that, and anything else the studio felt it might need. I left four more Predator movies on the editing room floor—except it’s digital now, so I’m sure it’s still usable… somehow. Right, fellas?
- Total Recall (with Arnold Schwarzenegger): I voiced all the rats in the scene where he’s told by himself on a flat-screen laptop computer to “GET YOUR ASS TO MARS!” The director actually asked me if I could make one of the rats French. He was perfectly serious and honestly believed that a French rat would sound much different from a rat raised somewhere else.
Ah, mediocrity… ya gotta love it—’cause you’re gonna deal with it in the voice business.
You’ve done voices for many of the shows I watched growing up, some I was a die-hard fan of. First, I’d like to focus on some of the “big guns” since those were my favorites. The titles I’d like to talk about are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. These shows are some of the most popular animated series of all time, creating an enormous fan base that has lasted years and caused many sequels, movies, and tons of high-priced merchandise. If you could, please tell me about your characters on each of these shows and some insider info on the behind-the-scenes action. What were your favorite moments while working on these shows?
I played Raphael for 13 episodes while Rob Paulsen was off doing something else. It was great fun, and the ensemble cast was a hoot to work with.
G.I. Joe and Transformers were almost the same casts. I actually have a huge poster signed by the cast of G.I. Joe. The director, Wally Burr, was a piece of work. By far, the longest sessions of anything I’ve ever worked on—in fact, so long that many expressed their desire to strike because of the length of his sessions. I didn’t have a problem with it—I was a new face in the crowd and liked the social interaction. Some of the heavy hitters were anxious to be released because of auditions, jobs, etc. I was just beginning in animation, and for me, it was long, but it was fun.
I remember when we did The Transformers Movie, and Orson Welles had just recorded (he had a stipulation in his contract that no one else would be present at his assigned recording time). I was one of the first to arrive in the room after he’d left. I swear you could feel the air in the studio. His snifter and Perrier bottle were still resting on the table where he sat.
For Transformers, I played Pipes, Snarl, and Shrapnel—two Dinobots and an Insecticon. I loved Shrapnel with his repetitive echo and his high-pitched shriek of laughter. Snarl was difficult because he was enormous and roared after each line. I nearly blew my throat out before I learned how to control him.
In G.I. Joe, my first character was Prince Hajji of the Desert Sands, then I became Deep-Six, the underwater demolitions expert. He spoke like Charles Bronson and was great fun to do. Admiral Ledger (head of the Pacific Fleet) was another character I played—very Patton (George C. Scott). He barked orders and was big on discipline.
I guess if I had a favorite moment, it would be during the construction of Wally Burr Studios. There was a sheetrock wall that everyone signed while they were waiting to audition or go in and record. There were lots of funny things on it and some of the biggest names in voice-over who were alive at that time—then Wally painted over it.
You’ve worked on so many shows (Bionic Six, Wizard of Oz, Galaxy High School, Defenders of the Earth, TaleSpin, and more). What can you tell me about your personal favorites? Did any of these shows leave a greater impact on your career than others?
I loved Galaxy High. I was the star and worked with really great people: Henry Gibson, Gino Conforti, Howard Morris, Nancy Cartwright, Pat Fraley, etc. Chris Columbus created the show, and we got submarined by the networks. CBS was more into Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and Teen Wolf, so we were pre-empted by every major sporting event throughout the winter sports season.
Bionic Six was fun—again, working with my comedy mentor, Howard Morris. I played Eric (Sport 1). My eternally young star voice was working again.
I played Prince Krotan, the son of Ming the Merciless, in Defenders of the Earth. I’ve got one of those posters signed by the cast as well. I loved the Prince—he was just so vile that he was great fun to play. Our director, Stu Rosen, insisted that we walk around as our characters before we started rolling tape. Such an idiot. He micro-managed everyone’s performances because he was a frustrated actor himself.
A career highlight was playing the Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz. I was approved by both MGM and Jack Haley Jr. to play the role, and it will always stay in my heart.
Looking at today’s animation industry and what’s hot, what are your thoughts on the most popular shows among today’s youth? Do you think they are making a good or bad impact?
I’m old school. I like a message with a heart. Since The Simpsons arrived, we’ve had a lot of shows that try to emphasize the whole dysfunctional family scenario. The Simpsons, in my opinion, work because, in the end, it’s about home and family. For all their faults and foibles, they care for each other.
I love Fleischer Bros. Animation. I love characters with heart. Something has happened to today’s youth, and I can’t put my finger on what it is.
When I first started writing comedy real tones, the #1 ringtone was a crowd of people panicking as an automatic weapon fired among them.
I have an 11-year-old daughter, and I don’t want that kind of stuff on her cell phone. If I can create something that’s funny, that’s what I’m here for. Comedy is the solvent of terror and tension. At Roswell ‘n Rayle, we are committed to comedy with a blend of humanity and humor.
Now if that didn’t blow your socks off, I don’t know what will. Also check back later for a question we submitted to Maggie, which wasn’t included in this version of the interview, since she is a busy lady.
