Sunday, March 25, 2007

I'm all about the 1930s crime fighting

I have written several times of my friend Gregg's radio-show exploits -- the two serials he writes, directs, produces and posts online -- the tales of Canada's geatest crime-fighting superhero, The Red Panda, and the hard-boiled adventures of Black Jack Justice.

I can't recommend these wonderful sagas enough. But now you have an even better reason to tune in -- the most recent Red Panda episode features none other than yours truly.

That's right -- unsatisfied with being interviewed about potholes in The Telegram, doing public lectures, and being interviewed about Nick Hornby novels on TV, I've sold out and whored myself out to that most commercial of media: web-based homages to 1930s radio serials.

That's right. I hear you condemning me for selling out. But wait: don't judge me until you've heard the show. You might think it's all about the money and the glamour, but I truly think I've managed, in that Gemorrah of voice-work, to do something truly avant-garde. Playing the part of the gentle but determined Father Michael, I satirize the legions of American actors with crappy Irish accents by doing just that -- you think Leonardo DiCaprio was abysmal in his Irishness in Gangs of New York? Just listen to my cutting critique of his wanna-be accent in my first few moments in The Red Panda. And it doesn't stop there -- though my part in this episode was recorded last May, see how I presciently affect a Danny Williams impersonation after I get going, so very very timely to our sputtering premier's criticisms of the federal budget.

It may be that my genius is only appreciated years and years from now. But you, gentle readers, can appreciate it now ... listen, and understand, and tell your friends. And take note, when others scoff at my embracing of such a crass, commecialized medium, that in the end I go uncredited. Because for me, it's all about the art.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice!!! I will d\l the podcast tonight.

Unknown said...

Well done Father Michael. J

Sheena said...

I can not believe you left "by the Muse about bogs" out of that list.

Chris in NF said...

Ah yes, the bog interview. I did forget to mention the time you interviewed me about bogs, swamps and other wetlands ... apologies. ;-)

DecoderRing said...

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish! You did go uncredited! Aw, crap!

I read the credits off the recording day's call sheet and apparently it didn't occur to me that, as we had recorded your part 2 months earlier, your name wasn't on the sheet. I suck.

Of course, I found this post while getting the link url for the blog for the post where I finally plater your smiling face on our webpage.... so perhaps it is slightly better late than never. Perhaps.

Crap.

Robyn Paterson said...

And the circle of Canadians in Podcasting gets smaller all the time...

Here I am, laughing my head off like a madman at the end of what is probably my favorite episode of The Red Panda to date, and I go and discover I actually know the person I'm laughing with. (Even though he went uncredited for his fine Irish performance!)

Excellent work, Prof. Lockett from a former student at UWO.

Robyn Paterson
http://kungfuactiontheatre.com