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Another Dirt Sandwich behind the scenes Wordamentary
Q: Hello, Raymond. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today!
A: Hello, also Raymond.
Q: Um, no. Even though it's you writing this whole wordamentary, you have to pretend it's someone else asking the questions.
A: Why?
Q For the style of the thing. Otherwise it starts feeling like a split personality thing. Like Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
A: Which one am I? Jekyll or Hyde?
Q: Jekyll.
A: Aw. I wanted to be Hyde.
Q: No. I'm Hyde.
A: But Hyde's the one with super powers!
Q: Not actually. He's just the one that's evil.
A: Okay then I'll be Robert Louis Stevenson, since we're both the author.
Q: Fine. So, tell us about your latest book.
A: Well, Mr. Offscreen Mystery Interviewer, it's about--
Q: Call me Harold.
A: Why Harold?
Q: You name all of your unimportant background characters Harold.
A: I do?
Q: You must have noticed.
A: I just thought the fact that they were all named Harold was a coincedence.
Q: Tell us about your latest book.
A: It's called "St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England". It's about this french guy, and he's--
Q: That's not your latest book!
A: It isn't?
Q: No. Your latest book is "Another Dirt Sandwich: Some Rambling and Hilarious Exploits of Tbyrd Fearlessness."
A: No, that's cartoonist Raymond Friesen's latest book. It should be out in 150 years or so. I can't wait to read it, that guy's HILARIOUS.
Q: Stop pretending to be Robert Louis Stevenson.
A. Fair enough. The joke was wearing a bit thin. Can I still wear the moustache?
Q: If you must. So, RAYMOND FRIESEN, tell us about your latest book.
A: Well, it's about 6 inches tall, and 10 inches wide. Printed on paper of course, with ink. That means it's normal graphic novel size, but going longwise, instead of tallways.
Q: Why did you do that?
A: No particular reason. Because I could I suppose, and because it's a bit unusual. Also, I think it contributes to the whole rambly tone of the book.
Q: Why is the book called ANOTHER Dirt Sandwich?
A: I dropped the first one.
Q: Are you afraid that calling it 'another' will make people think it's some sort of sequel?
A: Terrified.
Q: But it is, in fact, the first book starring Tbyrd Fearlessness?
A: Yes.
Q: Could you be a bit more anecdotal? These 1 word answers are getting a bit dull.
A: Certainly. Our story begins in the fall of 1987, when I was born. For a while, nothing much happened. I fooled around a bit until I was 12, and then decided to get serious. In a silly way of course. I started doodling comics. and selling them to my friends. My very first book (The Continuing Adventures of Raymond Q. Wonderfull), is 32 pages, stapled, with a full color cover, and a price of 3.95. Apparently, I've always been an entrepreneur.)
I started making more comics, and printing them in higher quantities, selling them to comic book stores, going to shows and festivals, getting encouragment from other cartoonists, etc. Tbyrd Fearlessness first appeared as a small backup story in RQW #3. I liked him quite much, and he made further appearances in all my "Lookit!" books (I switched to the larger book format collection so Barnes & Noble would stock them on their shelves.)
It was about this time through a bizarre coincidence that I met animation director Pete Michaels, (he's worked on The Simpsons, Family Guy, and misc Disney TV shows.) We teamed up to pitch my stuff as animated TV shows to Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network (got really close at Disney, and Nickelodeon, but as any of you with any experience know, projects green light and red light for a variety of Mysterious Reasons.)
So, there I was, sitting around with a big pile of storyboards I had drawn, with a ton of great stuff, (mostly Tbyrd, as everyone seemed to like him the best) that seemed doomed to never see the light of day in animation form. Well, I'm really a cartoonist/author at heart, so it was a simple matter to flesh out, and combine my 3 Tbyrd shorts into the book you see today. (One short was about Cassowary losing his hat, and the other was about his suitcase being stolen by Badger. Both involved Tbyrd & Cassowary meeting for the first time and the train station bit.)
Q: So "Another Dirt Sandwich" is entirely composed of material you had storyboarded for animation?
A: No, I'd say that's about 40% that. I'd say the rest is other ideas I had floating around, and then a bunch of new stuff, (well, really, it's all new-to-you stuff) including a conclusion.
Q: Can we see these storyboards at some point?
A: I doubt it.
Q: Why? Is it a rights thing? With Hollywood, you never get to see good stuff because of the rights things.
A: No, I own all the rights to every idea I've ever had, we never sold away anything. The storyboards are just scribbly and in black and white. All the good jokes got redrawn in the book, I swear (and the few that didn't fit are in the deleted scenes section). The basic framework of the plot, of Tbyrd & Cassowary meeting, getting stuff stolen by a badger, and then getting it back are from the shorts (apparently, Hollywood very much likes stories to have things like plots and villains, so I felt obliged to put one in.)
Q: So, that's where the villainous badger came from?
A: Yeah, pretty much. He's not so much a villain, as just a jerk. I like that he and Tbyrd are both these con men types with no real scruples, but Tbyrd also happens to be a nice guy. Kinda.
Q: Are you aware there's a character in the TV show Firefly who is also a bad guy, wear's a bowler hat, and is called Badger?
A: I am now. I created my badger before I had ever seen Firefly.
Q So you maintain that it's a coincedence?
A: Yes. Also, my character isn't NAMED Badger, he IS a badger.
Q: But they call him Badger thoughout the entire book.
A: That's because they never bother to find out what his actual name is.
Q: Ah. So what is his actual name?
A: It's a secret.
Q: Oh. So you won't tell us?
A: I didn't say that.
Q: So you will tell us?
A: I didn't say that.
Q: You're being quite enigmatic.
A: I try.
Q: So, what's the deal with the--
A: Quincy.
Q: What?
A: Badger's real name is Quincy Mincemeat.
Q: Why?
A: You'll have to ask his mother.
Q: Do you have more Tbyrd books planned?
A: Yes I'm starting up a Tbyrd daily strip on the website, that'll be collected in to book form at some point, Also, I've got another unrelated Tbyrd storyboarded short that I want to expand into a full book, as well as another Tbyrd that's never been anywhere that will become a full book at some point. Plus, whatever all else I can think of between now and then.
Q: is Badger going to be a recurring character?
A: Mayhaps. I don't have a story idea that calls for him yet, but if they run into him again, I'm sure hill want revenge. Or at least want to know what they did with his hat.
Q: Does he ever find his hat?
A: No, somebody else did. Badger ends up stealing someone else's hat off a hatrack.
Q: Ooh! Whose?
A: A Naval Admiral. There's a big misunderstanding, and he ends up commanding a Portugeese Man o' War against the Briggish.
Q: What a strange little tangent.
A: Indeed.
Q: What other characters in the book have names that you never told us?
A: Well...
The bowtied frog guy on Chapter 1, and later on page 7 is Professor Willphred H. Taco Pockets.
The waitress on page 4 is Bettigail Crump.
The Alligator and Rhino diner patrons are Chauncey & Edgar.
The Monocled Man on page 7 is Vesuvius St. Jimmothy the XIIIth. (He's a Shakespearical actor, and that's his stage name. His real name is Vincent St. James (as you can see, his belt buckle says V St. J.
The guy in the turtlenecked sweater is Hector Frindango.
The red-vested casino guy is Alphonse Croupiyay.
The pig gambler is Hogwash Jones.
The snake gambler is "Doctor" Snavely Koil.
The skunk gambler is Printinella Smishsmash.
The red-vested casino bouncer is Buford Umberto Golonzo.
The desert buzzards are Buzzy and Wingwang.
The cactus owl is Hootenanny.
The policeman is Ossifer Pupp.
The hobo on page 36 is Dirty Ugly Old Smelly Man.
The Elephant of Surprise is Bruce Nigel-Hiatthi Fink-Glossop, of Worchestershire.
The people hiding in the closet are Batton Legume, Sneekly Muldaire, and Runner-Up LaFemme.
The walrus in the street is Boxer O'Jackson.
The surpizingly violent bunny is Krinkle.
The old ladies are Ethel, Irene, and Sniffany.
The popmaize salesman is Edgar Canola, and the Kitty Cat is Professor Poppy Q. Poppables.
The carnival guy is Pepé Vallay.
The hat store guy is Hamish O'Jackson (cousin of Boxer, although they've never met.)
The horse taxis are Bertie and George.
The train robbers are Tommuel Slice, Doctor Dockley, and Frank.
The sandwich man is Sandwich Dan.
And finally, the two miners are Nugget Northrup, and Klarence Kiwi.
Q; Why didn't you mention any of these in the book?
A: I just made most of them up right now.
Q: Ahh.
A: So, do you have any more questions?
Q: Can't rightly think of any.
A: Well, if you do, let me know, and we'll update this. It is on the interweb, dontchaknow.
Q: And if you readers have some question that you're dying to know, email it to ray@donteatanybugs.com!
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