A lot of times, the stuff people forward to you in an email is hardly worth the time it takes to delete. But once in awhile a gem comes along that you’d never seen before. I got one of those today from friend and fellow voice actor, Tom Jones. You may already know it, but it was brand new to me:
“Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Already Taken.”
Man, my teacher Nancy Wolfson would love it.
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…just stumbled upon a quote I wish I’d had all these years to fire back at those who thought I should be doing “something more important”:
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” – Bertrand Russell
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Another night out with the “It’s A Mystery” troupe reminded me all over again why I sweat through these evening-long half-improv sessions in a wool fedora and a trenchcoat (in August). Aside from the delightful company of quick-witted men and equally witty and beautiful women, tonight’s “Motivation for Murder” included dinner for the cast at our host facility: Ruths Chris Steakhouse! And our personal host, Chris (no relation), proved as quick on the quip as any of us, remarking about Kaki Carl’s rare steak, “You know, a good vetrinarian could probably bring that one back.”
The pleasant experience reminded me I hadn’t posted about another memorable dinner: this one at the suggestion of another lovely and talented woman – Pam Tierney during the recent Dan O’ Day summit in Los Angeles. That’s Pam on the left, with Bob Souer (center) as we Voice Actors dined at the legendary Musso & Frank’s in Hollywood. (Pam’s suggestion. Bob’s car. I got to tag along.)
I didn’t have to don the trenchcoat and fedora for that one…but it would have fit right in with the mood and decor!
And people wonder why guys like me continue to pursue the career we’ve chosen!
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This week has seen me working more for myself than anyone else. In some ways it’s not as much fun: the “boss” is a harder taskmaster, a perfectionist, can’t make up his mind, the hours are insane and the pay is lousy.
Working on updating your own promotional material does have its rewards, though. For one thing, you discover things you hadn’t thought of in awhile (“Gosh, was I ever this good?”). This usually offsets the discovery of things it turns out you remember being better than they actually were (“Gosh, how do I ever get hired?”).
Talking by phone with friend Bob Souer during this process, and getting some automatic encouragement by the mere fact of doing so, I wondered aloud about the reason for putting so much continuing effort into promotion this late in life. Of course the obvious answer is twofold: One – if I had known how to do this early in my career and had the tools we do now, I probably would be farther along. Two – the alternative now is to do nothing and quit (not an option).
Whenever I get a little envious of the younger, more energetic, more “with it” talent I see out there making the big splash, I temper my thoughts with the comfort that even one of my favorite character actors didn’t really hit it big until he was in his 60s.
That would be Sydney Greenstreet,who became a star with his portrayal of the aptly-named Mr. Gutman in the definitive film version of “The Maltese Falcon”. He was 62. I often wonder what he thought about his career choices during his younger years.
I know most people, if they have any knowledge of film and radio history, would rather think of themselves as another Orson Welles: New York stage genius and network radio star in his early 20s, and creator of what many claim as the best motion picture of all time not long after that.
I can claim a small sliver of that Welles feeling with my own career highlights…on an admittedly much smaller scale. Along the way, I’ve done regular on-air work in Radio, winning fans with what amounted to an unseen puppet character (Zoot) on a top-rated morning-show, collecting awards for creative writing/production in advertising, co-hosting a local kiddie show on TV doing the puppets and some on-camera cartooning (“Time for Uncle Paul“), enjoying favorable acclaim with local/regional onstage efforts (“Greater Tuna” and the It’s A Mystery troupe) and even snagging a slot somewhere between “extra” and “featured player” in two motion pictures with the Muppets. If you’d asked me as a kid what I wanted to do with my life, these are the kinds of things you’d hear me mention. They just didn’t take on quite the national prominence they might have done.
I’m cool with that.
Meanwhile, with that experience, and what I’m gaining through resources never before available, and encouragement from other friends in the business, I see no reason why I couldn’t at some point hit my “Sydney Greenstreet” stage.
I’ve still got a few years to get there. Why stop now?
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One piece of advice I’ve received about marketing and self-promotion is to get out in public and show what you know. So when my friend Shawntel Landavazo at the Museum of Life and Science (Durham, NC) called to ask if I’d participate in their Hollywood Special FX Day, “Heroes, Villains, and Special Effects”, it seemed like the right thing to do. It was, too!
But be warned: demonstrating live sound effects and foley, on your feet for five hours, is physical exercise! I hadn’t thought of that. “Ready for my Icy Hot pain relief creme commercial, Mr. DeMille!”
The Museum show was a big hit, with larger-than-expected crowds. There were stuntmen doing stage combat, a pro make-up artist creating zombies, and computer SFX software developers. I spent my time showing how both recorded and foley (live to picture) sound effects made the visuals more fun to watch. I was surprised that my semi-ad-libbed flow held the attention of both kids and adults. There were a few questions about voiceovers as well.
Speaking of Big Hits…the part of my routine which made the biggest hit, literally, was how to have a pistol that never runs out of ammo! Take one cardboard box, one yardstick, and careful aim. After trying to synch it to an old cowboy movie, I would offer the kids a whack at it…literally.
I’m sure there are many parents now having second thoughts about letting their kids near that crazy old guy with the cornstarch snow-footsteps, the swordfights made with kitchen spoons, and the recording of a woman clearing her throat he slowed down into a dinosaur growl.
The only bad part for me was that I didn’t get much time to check out the other presenters. But I did realize my hope of getting a picture with one of the Empire’s Best! The Stormtrooper was part of The Carolina Garrison. It’s the North Carolina/South Carolina chapter of the 501st Legion, part of a world-wide group of enthusiasts who craft their own Star Wars costumes and props, and make appearances at charity and community events with the blessings of Lucasfilm.
I didn’t get to meet their Lord Vader, but there were some very convincing troopers, a full-size R2D2, and a Boba Fett posing for pictures with kids of all ages.
It’s anyone’s guess how much this will advance my voiceover career. But it was fun having people interested in hearing what I know and how I do some of the things I do. And I’m sure it didn’t hurt anything that this was one place where the kids didn’t get told, “Don’t try this at home!”
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By day…an anonymous Voice, selling luxury autos, extolling the virtues of financial planning or healthcare systems, hawking the latest fast-food sensation, entertaining with a quick audio laugh, or providing sage instruction for the corporate masses.
But by night…Ah! Cloaked in one of many ingenious disguises (although they all seem to be variations on an overweight old man)…the Nemesis of evildoers and murder most foul!
Okay. My secret identity has been blown…exposed in a three-page spread in Southern Living Magazine which profiles “It’s A Mystery!”, a comedy/mystery ensemble I’ve performed with over the past 13 years. We’ve done shows for corporate events and public venues, for audiences as diverse as GlaxoSmithKline, Pinehurst, even the FBI.
And since the group was officially formed by boss-lady and fellow Voice Talent Marjorie Strauss, I’ve been the detective for the majority of our shows (we have eight, some storylines bring in additional talented actors).
It’s part scripted, part adlibbed, with as much audience participation as we can muster…which is what keeps the experience fresh when we’re doing the same programs over and over. Though only a few of the cast are actually musicians, we play together like a fine jazz combo.
The characters are pure stereotype. Living cartoons, some of them. That helps us wring laughs out of an otherwise grim premise. And it gives us not only a license to “kill”, but to assume different voices which match each new outlandish persona.
Mine range from the typical jaded guy in a trenchcoat and fedora, to a lovable-but-clueless good ol’ boy who has a part time security service located “just east of Resume Speed on Route Four”. And, of course, each would-be detective has his own sound. My only limitation is finding one that fits both the character and how I appear in person. No hiding behind the microphone in this case, which is a challenge, but still fun.
Why do I always play the detective in the story? Why, when there are so many other rich characters and caricatures available in each new scenario?
One: unlike almost any other actor I know, I hate “dying”. Tried it. Don’t like it. Won’t do it. I also tend to like being a sympathetic character…which many of our “victims” decidedly are not.
Two: (and most telling) as the detective, I always use a notebook, pretending to jot down clues as the plot unfolds…which makes it perfectly natural to have the entire scripted portion of the show in my hot little hands at all times! Not only am I able to be a prompter for the rest of the cast (though they rarely need it), I haven’t had to memorize a show in over thirteen years! Now tell me that’s not the mark of a true Radio Actor!
Anyway, if you’re unable to track down a copy of the November 2008 Southern Living (and we’re only in the bonus section of the North Carolina/South Carolina Edition), you can uncover more of the secrets of “It’s A Mystery” at their website: www.itsamysterync.com.
Oh, and in case you should find yourself part of our audience in the future…here’s a hint: the Detective never does it…and it’s never Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick!
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In this business, I have to be careful just how “political” I get, and in front of whom. But it was a lot of fun to become Mayor of North Carolina’s largest city…even if it was the mayor from 1908, TS Franklin.
After appearing in a promotional video all summer for the NC League of Municipalities 100th Anniversary, I was invited to reprise the character onstage to open the conference. After a bit of “Back To The Future” fun with Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess (who graciously updated my character on technology and the role of women in politics), I relinquished the spotlight to “my President”, Theodore Roosevelt…expertly brought to life by actor/historian Jim Foote.
I hope to have a few images from the actual event later. Meanwhile, here’s a portrait shot taken during the original video shoot.
Contrary to what others might think, voiceover people don’t get into this business because they’re lazy. Well…maybe some of us are actually lazy, but that would be the case no matter what we got into. Point is, doing what we do well actually does require a lot of work. It’s just a different kind of hard work.
And yet, regardless of the level of drive or devotion, there can reside even in the best of us a baffling condition I’ve begun calling “Booth Mentality”. I was reminded of my own affliction as I read a post from a respected talent in the UK. He had just been hired as an offstage announcer for a live television program, and commented on the welcome shift in his comfort zone it was likely to bring (I hope I’ve paraphrased him correctly).
As I read that, I thought of the many times I’ve performed as part of a live event or broadcast with few, if any, slip-ups. Why? I don’t know…except perhaps that part of my tiny brain knew there wasn’t going to be any “oops…sorry…take two” if I messed up. So I didn’t mess up. But if you had put me in a recording session doing the same material…could I guarantee the same uninterrupted performance? Probably not. We’d fix it in Post.
“Booth Mentality”…just a lazy little bug I can’t seem to exterminate.
As dated and “cornball” as a lot of it sounds today, the announcers and voice actors who worked in radio back when it was Radio (whether in news, comedy, drama, or the “soaps”) had something a lot of us don’t even think about, simply because we don’t have to. But I wonder, at least in some cases, if it didn’t make them better performers.
Radio actor Mary Jane Higby wrote a book about her experiences called “Tune In Tomorrow“. It covered a lot about how network radio worked, but the story I remember most concerned commercial recording sessions toward the end of the era.
This was pre-audiotape. Anything that wasn’t part of a “live” broadcast had to be, literally, cut onto a record. That master disc would then be duplicated and sent out to stations. And there might be a dozen or so different commercials on each record.
According to Ms. Higby’s account, everyone required for all of the spots assembled in the recording studio at the same time. Because the master disc could not be edited, every actor, musician, and sound effects man was required to stay the entire length of the session, and the commercials were performed one after the other, pausing only long enough to give the engineer time to create a “dead groove” to differentiate the cuts. They stayed because if anything went wrong with any of the commercials being cut — the recording stopped…the disc was scrapped…and the whole thing was started from the top! Not just the commercial that was ruined…but the whole…blasted…session!!!!!
To add extra drama to her story, Ms. Higby let it be known that in one session, she was the last voice in the last commercial on the record.
Wanna talk about “pressure”?
It’s extra humbling to me as I recall so many instances where I couldn’t put a dozen words together correctly in a simple sentence…saved only by the skills of a gifted and sympathetic editor…usually me.
To that point, it was somewhat comforting that the esteemed UK talent admitted to a similar affliction in his past. And at least one other participant in the discussion marveled that the same thing had happened in his own career. Whew! I’m not the only one.
What wonders might we achieve…and how much more time might we have to achieve them…if we could just get that voicetrack done right without having to rely on take two…and three…and four…or (borrowing from Firesign Theatre) “take…six hundred”?
Flu shots? No, thanks. I’ll take my chances. But if anybody knows of a vaccine for Booth Mentality…save me a place in line!
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( – originally posted November 24th, 2007)
Like it or not, we all know there are plenty of media projects out there that can get away with skimping on Talent. But once in awhile we witness something that would have been a disaster with just a “voice talker” behind the mic.
I can’t reveal names, lest I jeopardize any cherished Christmas traditions, but this really happened. I know because I was there in the studio.
A local radio station decided to whisk Santa Claus into town to take phone calls from area kids. Even recording off-air and editing before playback by a darned good editor (and luckily, Santa had one), it’s a situation just waiting for a misstep.
And sure enough, just fifteen minutes into the hour, it happened. Santa was cheerily chatting up a sister and little brother, with plans of innocent avarice dancing in their heads. At one point, Santa asked the boy if there was anything else he’d like. There was the briefest hesitation, and then the little guy continued…words carefully chosen, and voice starting to quaver a little.
“What I’d really like…would be…to be able to…talk to my Papa again.”
It was more a simple statement than a request. But I couldn’t imagine how the old guy was going to get through this one. Before I’d even finished the thought I heard Santa, in a very soft and sympathetic voice: “Ohhhh, I know what it’s like to miss a papa, especially around the holidays. It’s extra difficult, isn’t it.”
“Yeah,” the little voice replied.
“Well,” continued the gent at the microphone, “I’m not sure exactly how much I can fix, but…I’ve got an idea. You put your mom back on the phone, and meanwhile we’ll work on getting that game system you and I talked about to maybe lift your spirits a little, okay?”
“Okay.”
And darned if it didn’t sound like that was just enough for the young fellow. He handed the phone back to his mother and I heard Santa, in that same caring voice, ask if she had any old recordings of the dad she could lift a little something from, and wrap up a small tape or disc for the boy…with a note that it was the best Santa could do. Those of us in the studio half expected the lady to brush it off, but she immediately brightened to the idea, saying she’d never thought of that, and knew of something that might just fit the bill.
Sincere wishes for a season of comfort were exchanged and the call was ended. The editor went to work and condensed what actually went on the air, though I was surprised he left in the early conversation about “papa”. A brief adlib was attached alluding to the “talk to mom/got an idea/lift the spirits” ending and the call went out over the air.
I don’t remember much about the rest of the hour. But later I had to wonder how differently that could have gone (even if it had never made it on the air), if the station had just yanked in some guy with a funny voice who could go “Ho Ho Ho!” on cue and talk about toys.
I post this “long winter’s tale” not so much as a credit to quick thinking, but as an encouragement for all of us who are tasked with using our voice to connect with the person(s) we’re being paid to talk to.
Yeah, it helps if you can nail the sound and read the words without stumbling. But when the person at the microphone can let some part of what’s truly inside come out in what’s being voiced, whatever’s on the page…there’s potential to transform the everday into something a little more.
Note to clients: get a Good voice talent…not just something that will get by.
But who am I to say: maybe he WAS the genuine article!
Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and a Season of Comfort to us all.
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