Pete Von Sholly’s day job would be enough excitement for most of us. He creates storyboards for big budget Hollywood movies, and if you’ve seen The Shawshank Redemption or Mars Attacks!, for example, the finished product was based on his early drawings. But being a respected, behind-the-scenes craftsman isn’t satisfying Von Sholly’s fertile mind.... Continue Reading →
Ever the Hyper-Chondriac, comedy writer Brian Frazer endures! INTERVIEW
Brian Frazer’s life reads far more colorfully than mine would, I’m afraid. On the other hand, I managed to avoid that whole compulsive gambling-bodybuilding-speed-eating-colon-cleansing-Kabbalah thing that afflicted his youth. In his first book, Hyper-Chondriac, Frazer comes clean… Did I just say that? …about a life lived at super-speed. It is one he spent most... Continue Reading →
At Lebowski Fest, I’m A Lebowski, You’re The Dude! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Scott Shuffitt and Will Russell, co-founders, Lebowski Fest, co-authors, I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski: Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You There are a lot of famous uses of the word dude in pop culture. Sean Penn, as Spicoli, in Fast Times at Ridgemont High comes to mind. Or Keanu... Continue Reading →
Cartoonist Mort Walker on creating Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Mort Walker is the dean and -- in some ways -- the curator of American cartoonists. Best known for his long-running strips “Beetle Bailey” and “Hi & Lois,” Walker, 84, is also a bedrock member of the National Cartoonists Society, and he’s the founder and energy behind the National Cartoon Museum. This is the... Continue Reading →
91 The Adventures of Aaron crack Mr. Media up! INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Aaron Warner, cartoonist, "The Adventures of Aaron" Originally published in August 1997. Are you as bored by the comic strips as I am? Finding cool new strips in local newspapers is a frustrating pursuit. Change comes more slowly on this page than any other. And when the creators of "Calvin & Hobbes," "The... Continue Reading →
90 Kicking Larry David to the Curb, it’s actress Cheryl Hines! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Cheryl Hines, actress, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Cheryl Hines has one of the most challenging acting jobs on television: she plays Larry David’s long-suffering TV wife on the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” now in its sixth season. For years, many people have assumed she was David’s real wife, and further complicating the... Continue Reading →
89 Pulling back the Midday Live curtain with Bill Boggs! INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Bill Boggs, host, "Historic Traveler," "Freeze Frame," "Midday Live" Originally published August 4, 1997 Bill Boggs is like the older brother many guys always wanted but never had -- boyishly handsome and witty, a fun guy to hang out with who knows everybody and who everyone likes. When I was a teen-ager in... Continue Reading →
88 Cranky Old Dude: A Mr. Media Essay Classic
Originally published July 28, 1997 I hate getting old. Oh, it's not the crow's feet at the edge of the eyes or the bags under them. It's not the sagging of some parts, the inner tube effect of others or even the occasional forgetting of details, dates or names. What I hate about aging is... Continue Reading →
75 Pop-Up Video? Sorta like Pop Rocks for your eyes! INTERVIEW
Originally published April 21, 1997 Just when you think you've seen it all in music videos, along come Tad Low and Woody Thompson, two 30-year-old guys who stick a pin in the genre's bloated ego. "I am so bored with watching music videos," Low says, deflating the helium balloon that feeds him. But he and... Continue Reading →
71 Shop talk with Spy Magazine’s final editor, Bruno Maddox! INTERVIEW
Originally published April 14, 1997 In its youth, Spy magazine was the kind of publication that smacked you on the nose if you looked at it the wrong way. And those were the good months: it was so full of smarmy, holier-than-thou attitude and precious New York wit that you wanted each issue to go on forever.... Continue Reading →